Privileged to Serve By Chaplain Brian Duclos

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” ---

Romans 12:1

At the time of this writing, it has been exactly three months since I walked through the front door of the Monroe County Jail, as one of its designated chaplains. How exciting and incredibly humbling it is to be able to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to our inmate population as well as the finest correctional staff you will ever encounter. None of this would have been possible without a loving God that never gives up on His children. You see, twenty years ago, upon graduation from Baptist Bible College, I chose to ignore my calling into full time ministry. I decided to chase after the lust of my flesh and feed its ferocious appetite. The more I did what was right in my sight, the less fulfilled I felt. I could never satisfy what my heart longed for: true intimacy with Jesus. Any one that has called upon the name of the Lord to be saved has been set apart to do wondrous things for His kingdom. . God wanted to do fantastic things through me but I would not allow His perfect will to come to full fruition. Don’t get me wrong. I never abandoned my faith. I just acted like the lukewarm church in Laodicea. I never took a chance with the Gospel for fear of offending. This

…continued on page 2…

Summer 2014 Issue Privileged to Serve…… p. 1 ……continued from page one…. p. 2

Ministry of Helps p. 3 Updates p. 4

Good News Jail & Prison Ministry has chaplains serving in the US and abroad. Your gifts help to reach inmates and staff with the Gospel and to disciple them for Jesus Christ. Please peruse our web site to learn about our national and international ministries.

ECFA is an accreditation agency dedicated to helping Christian ministries earn the public’s trust through adherence to Seven Standards of Responsible Stewardship™, which focus on board governance, financial transparency, integrity in fundraising, and proper use of charity resources.

G

(……continued from page 1)

Your Chaplains

BRIAN DUCLOS Brian.duclos@goodnewsjail.org

Brian Duclos was born and raised in Rochester, New York. He came to know the Lord as a teenager entering his freshman year of high school. After his discharge from the Air Force, he attended Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Missouri and received his Bachelor of Science in Pastoral Ministry and Bible.

He moved to Los Angeles, California in 1996 and worked in the entertainment industry. The Lord put prison ministry on his heart and he began volunteering in the Los Angeles County Correctional System in 2012. Since that time, the Lord directed Brian to Good News Jail and Prison Ministry, through his friend and former chaplain, Paul Burress.

Twenty-five years after leaving and vowing to never return, Brian took a position as chaplain for the Monroe County Jail. It just goes to show that God does in fact have a tremendous sense of humor.

None of this would be possible without the support of his beautiful wife Janett. They have been blessed with 3 wonderful children: Joelle, Isaac and Sasha.

mentality is often bred through the “Californiafication” of the mind. All of this changed in November of 2007. By the grace of God, my life was spared and I have never been the same. He woke me up and let me know that this was my last chance. Immediately, I allowed Him to begin pruning all of the things that were keeping me from fulfilling a blessed relationship with Him. From that moment forward, He provided my every need and more importantly, helped to take away my selfish wants and desires. Less than a year passed and He introduced and gave me my beautiful wife, Janett. She grounds me in doing what is right in the sight of our Lord. He blessed me financially in my career, even though it wasn’t what He ultimately wanted for our life. When the time was right, He brought people along side of me to direct me into prison ministry. My first day as a volunteer in a Los Angeles County Jail was the moment that God clearly showed me His plan for me and my family. We were to serve the men and women of this world that had been incarcerated as well as those who seek their rehabilitation. I could finally say that I knew my purpose for being created. I finally had peace! The neat part about the last twenty years is that even though my life wasn’t adding much to my eternal bank account, it was preparing me for what lay ahead. All of this worldly life experience will allow me to share the pitfalls that it brings. I’m now capable of understanding the bondage that it brings and how to flee from it. I share all of this with you because your thoughts and prayers for this ministry were directed toward me in a

round-about way. Your thoughts and prayers delivered me from a life of selfish ambition into one that will hopefully bring glory to Our King. Your faithfulness is something that I hold onto every day when I come to work in the jails. Your commitment is commendable because you are adding to the flock. You are fulfilling the great commission. May the Great I Am shine His face upon you as we continue to reach damaged souls and bring them to eternal life through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Brian Duclos Chaplain

Good News Jail & Prison Ministry

When a chaplain led me to Christ

while I was incarcerated he discipled me according to the Mennonite tradition. One of the customs regularly practiced was foot washing based on the event recorded in the gospel of John (13:1-17). One of the basic aspects of hospitality in biblical times was the washing of a guest’s feet (see Gen. 18:4; 19:2; Judg. 19:21; 1 Sam. 25:41). Shoes weren’t invented yet, they wore sandals back then. Our volunteers who assist us in the ministry may not be washing any feet in the jails but they are equally engaged in the “ministry of helps” described by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:28 which says, “ And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.” The gift of helps is the special ability that God gives to certain members of the body of Christ to devote the talents they have in the life and ministry of other members of the body, thus empowering them to increase the efficiency of their own spiritual gifts. The Greek word "antiplepsis" translated "helps" in 1 Corinthians 12:28 denotes a rendering of assistance and shares usage with another Greek word "antilambano" which means "to take hold of another to keep from falling."

Thus, it would be virtually impossible for the chaplain to carry on in ministry without this vital ministry of helps! As I observed the chaplain wash the feet of inmates I had no idea of the deeper significance of this event until I actually became a chaplain. When Jesus washed His disciples’ feet He was communicating a lesson which essentially involved serving while leading. It was a huge deal for a leader to wash the feet of their servants. This task was reserved for the people engaged in the lowermost form of citizenship. Christ, the King of the Universe, humbled Himself by becoming flesh and taking the position of a slave. His ministry not only involved saving our souls, He also demonstrated what it means to be an authentic servant by choosing to help. We have a special team of volunteers who has been grading between 400 and 500 inmate Bible lessons each week for over 30 years! They often write words of encouragement which is very impactful among the inmates. This is their ministry! We also have a chaplaincy support team that assist us in our fundraising operations----all being accomplished behind the scenes! This is a gift indeed!

Not only is this ministry kept alive by our volunteers, equally phenomenal are our donors who contribute to this ministry regularly. I am still amazed at the level of commitment and the valuable trust bestowed upon us as we continue to serve as your missionaries in the jails.

I will be forever grateful for the example the jail chaplain displayed. I am even more thankful for the current ministry being carried out by faithful men and women who responded to God’s call with THEIR helping hands.

Tommy Davis

Chaplain

When a chaplain led me to Christ while I was incarcerated he discipled me according to the Mennonite tradition. One of the customs regularly practiced was foot washing based on the event recorded in the gospel of John (13:1-17). A basic aspect of hospitality in biblical times was the washing of a guest’s feet (see Gen. 18:4; 19:2; Judg. 19:21; 1 Sam. 25:41) because they wore sandals. When Jesus washed His disciples’ feet He was communicating a lesson which essentially involved serving while leading. This task was reserved for the people engaged in the lowermost form of citizenship. Our volunteers who assist us in the ministry may not be washing any feet at the jails but they are equally engaged in the “ministry of helps” described by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:28. The gift of helps is the special ability that God gives to certain members of the body of Christ to devote the talents they have in the life and ministry of other members of the body. The Greek word "antiplepsis" translated "helps" in 1 Corinthians 12:28 denotes a rendering of assistance and shares usage with another Greek word "antilambano" which means "to take hold of another to keep from falling." Thus, it would be virtually impossible for the chaplain to carry on in ministry without this vital ministry of helps!

Christ, the King of the Universe, humbled Himself by becoming flesh and taking the position of a slave. His ministry not only involved saving our souls, He also demonstrated what it means to be an authentic servant by choosing to help. He fed the hungry, healed the sick, and comforted the broken hearted without requiring a fee. We have a special team of volunteers who has been grading between 400 and 500 inmate Bible lessons each week for over 30 years! They often write words of encouragement which is very impactful among the inmates. This is their ministry! We also have a chaplaincy support team that assist

us in our fundraising operations

The Ministry of Helps

Ways minister to prisoners.... Donate through UNITED WAY by designating

Be a financial partner – Monthly, Quarterly, One Time.

Pray for Chaplains/inmates – Get on our Prayer List

Grade Bible Lessons – Meet once a week at the Grading Center

Become a volunteer – Preach, Teach, Evangelize, Disciple inmates

Join the Chaplaincy Support Team – Monthly meeting to help the local ministry

Join a special event committee (Annual Banquet, Prayer Breakfast, Golf Event)

Donate - Bibles, religious magazines/literature, and soft-cover books

falling.” Thus, it would be virtually impossible for the chaplain to carry on in ministry without this vital ministry of helps! Christ, the King of the Universe, humbled Himself by becoming flesh and taking the position of a slave. His ministry not only involved saving our souls, He also demonstrated what it means to be an authentic servant by choosing to help. We have a special team of volunteers who has been grading between 400 and 500 inmate Bible lessons each week for over 30 years! They often write words of encouragement which is very impactful among the inmates. We also have a chaplaincy support team that assist us in our fundraising operations. This is a gift indeed! Not only is this ministry kept alive by our volunteers, equally phenomenal are our donors who contribute to this ministry regularly. I am still amazed at the level of trust bestowed upon us as we continue to serve as your missionaries in the jails. I will be forever thankful for the current ministry being carried out by faithful men and women who responded to God’s call with THEIR helping hands.

Chaplain Tommy Davis

TOMMY DAVIS Tommy.davis@goodnewsjail.org

Senior Chaplain Tommy Davis was arrested in 1989 at the age of 16 after arriving in Rochester from North Carolina just a year earlier. He was led to faith in Christ by a jail chaplain.

Tommy went on to earn his BA in Theology from Apex School of Theology in Durham, NC and a master's in Ministry from Tennessee Temple University. He is currently pursuing his doctorate.

Prior to joining Good News Jail & Prison Ministry as a full time chaplain in 2010, Chaplain Davis served for five years as a crisis chaplain and team supervisor at homicide scenes, operating in conjunction with law enforcement agencies that included the U.S. Marshal’s Service.

From 2006 to 2011, Tommy served as a NY division chief chaplain with Chaplain Fellowship Ministries International, overseeing clergy throughout NYS. He also served as an assistant pastor in Rochester, NY and a sanitation supervisor for a beef company.

In 2012, Tommy, along with a sheriff’s deputy and a police chaplain, founded the Flower City Chaplain Corps Inc. a Christian not-for-profit that ministers to residents in high crime areas, and facilitates a fugitive safe surrender program whereas wanted offenders voluntarily turn themselves in to authorities in the presence of a chaplain.

Tommy and his wife, Raymona, were married in August of 2001. They currently live in Rochester with their three children and attend First Bible Baptist Church in Hilton, NY.

When a chaplain led me to Christ while I was incarcerated he discipled me according to the Mennonite tradition. One of the customs regularly practiced was foot washing based on the event recorded in the gospel of John (13:1-17). A basic aspect of hospitality in biblical times was the washing of a guest’s feet (see Gen. 18:4; 19:2; Judg. 19:21; 1 Sam. 25:41) because they wore sandals back then. When Jesus washed His disciples’ feet He was communicating a lesson which essentially involved serving while leading. This task was reserved for the people engaged in the lowermost form of citizenship. Our volunteers who assist us in the ministry may not be washing any feet in the jails but they are equally engaged in the “ministry of helps” described by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:28. The gift of helps is the special ability that God gives to certain members of the body of Christ to devote the talents they have in the life and ministry of other members of the body. The Greek word "antiplepsis" translated "helps" in 1 Corinthians 12:28 denotes a rendering of assistance and shares usage with another Greek word "antilambano" which means "to take hold of another to keep from

Chaplains are available for:

Lectures, Presentations, Pulpit Supply, Ministry Updates

Snapshots from our regional chaplain’s conference in Richmond, VA

(October)

(September 15th)

(Saturday, November 8th)

Interested In A Jail Tour? The chaplain’s office conducts a jail tour

every third Tuesday of each month from 7pm to 8pm at the Monroe County jail. To sign up please, contact us for specifics at 585-753-4032.

Regional Training Conference

Jon Evans (President)