Early in the fall 2021 semester, the students received approval to return to Clark County Jail, only to have the COVID resurgence cancel their plans.
The group searched for other local jails admitting chaplains and found one in the Greene County Jail.
“We jumped at the chance,” said jail ministry member Kelton Moore, a student at Cedarville, in a news release.
Moore shared the story of a man he met in Clark County Jail after offering to talk with Spanish-speaking inmates, thinking the language barrier might make them feel isolated. He talked to the inmate regularly for months. Moore said he found joy in seeing the man’s “zeal and love for his family” increase as they got to know each other.
The students’ persistence derives from how vital the members believe their ministry is during a time where many are feeling isolated.
“I want to help people who struggle through addiction because I struggled with addictions in high school,” student chaplain Hannah Jeffers, a junior biblical studies major, said.
The students were able to spend several Sundays at the end of the semester at the jail.
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