Beyond the Courtroom: A Chaplain's Ministry of Support

As a chaplain in the Juvenile Courts, I’m often asked by Probation Officers (P.O.s) to visit their clients in Detention. Occasionally, however, a P.O. will reach out to me for personal concerns. Recently, I received a late-night message from one. She had just learned that her best friend’s father had been in a life-threatening motorcycle accident. Both the P.O. and the family believe in the power of prayer, and she felt helpless in this situation. Reaching out for prayer was the only thing she could think to do, and I was the first person who came to mind.

For the next couple of weeks, we connected daily to pray and check on the father’s condition. Eventually, his stability worsened, and the family had to make the heartbreaking decision to let him go. In the midst of this, the P.O. was lost for words but thanked me for praying with her faithfully and helping her find words of encouragement to offer to the family. Even though I never met the man in need of prayer, I knew that my role was to be a source of support for the P.O. She and I work in the same building, and for her to know that someone at work cared about her life outside of the office was a powerful part of this ministry.

Every day, whether working with juveniles or adults, my mission is to remind people that their lives matter.

CHAPLAIN KRISTI

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