CIU Today Summer 2016

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“Street Life”
Chambers says he was saved as an
11-year-old at what he called “a fire and
brimstone revival.”
“I didn’t want to go to hell,” Chambers
says bluntly.
But by the age of 13 he was involved in
“street life,” selling drugs and drinking
alcohol.
“I prayed a prayer in ’94 to the Lord that
when it was time for me to come back
over to serve Him, and really serve Him,
let me know,” Chambers recalls. “I didn’t
believe in half-hearted.”
That prayer came after Chambers, as a
16-year-old, was convicted of murder in a
shooting incident during a dispute over
drugs.
“I believed that through this incident
God wanted me to serve Him.”
A Call to Ministry while
in Prison
Chambers received a 20 year life sentence
and was content to serve God behind
bars, especially after God impressed on
him in 1997 a calling to preach and teach.
“And He told me to not worry about
getting out (of prison), but be prepared
when the time comes, (and to) look at
prison as a training ground,” Chambers
said.
Chambers would go on to establish a
church inside one prison where there was
no chaplain and also served seriously ill
inmates who were under hospice care.
Having earned a GED in prison, Chambers
later heard about the CIU Prison Initiative,
and was encouraged to apply by a prison
chaplain who said he needed formal
ministry training. He was accepted on his
second application.
“CIU was really challenging,” Chambers
admits. “It was no cake walk.”
After earning his Prison Initiative degree,
Chamber’s first chance to get out of
prison was through a hearing with the
parole board after the first 20 years of his
sentence. He created a “parole package”
explaining the various prison programs he
had been involved in, as well as a five-year
plan for after his release.
“I explained what my desire was and that
my life was in their hands.”
The Parole Board set Chambers free in
2014. His ministry, and his education was
to continue outside the walls.
Outside the Walls Again
Taking life outside prison slowly,
Chambers lived in a transition house in
Greenville, South Carolina before moving
in with an aunt in Columbia and working
in a convenience store. He began
attending Temple Zion Baptist Church
where the director of the CIU Prison
Initiative, The Rev. Andre Melvin is pastor.
By January of 2015, Chambers was
hired as the church’s associate minister,
which includes overseeing the church’s
community outreach, The Nehemiah
Project.
Melvin says Chambers’ leadership behind
the prison walls is carrying over to his
work at the church.
“I saw how God used him to organize
ministry at the institution where he was
serving, so he’s strong in leadership and
has administrative ability,” Melvin said.
Additionally, Chambers is assisting
Melvin in developing a program for the
14 Prison Initiative alumni who have been
released from prison, that will help them
adjust to their new freedom.
Back to School
In fall 2015, Chambers enrolled once
again at CIU to begin his bachelor’s
degree in Psychology with a long-term
goal of a master’s degree. He wants to
be a licensed counselor specializing in
marriage and family, and addictions.
“I realize that people need help,”
Chambers said. “With my background of
being in the streets, I understand a lot of
the brokenness. I want to be equipped to
help individuals as well as families.”
That attitude encourages Dr. Steve Farra,
director of the CIU Psychology program.
Farra has taught Chambers on both sides
of the river.
“To think that someone in a maximum
security prison could within a few years
of having me in a Psychology course
at the prison, then become a full-time
student of mine on this side of the river is
wonderful,” Farra said. “Jerry was a good
student there, and he’s a good student
here, with a very clear focus on his future
ministries, using the skills we are helping
him to develop.”
As Chambers is careful to balance
ministry responsibilities and school
at this point, he is looking forward to
another CIU graduation ceremony, this
time walking across the stage of Shortess
Chapel.
“Since 2009 I have been waiting for the
time to come,” Chambers said. “My
family will be rejoicing to see me walk,
understanding where God has brought
me from. I can say that I continue to
trust the Lord to complete the work
which He has begun in me. Walking
across the stage will bring hope and
encouragement to many.”
“(God) told me to not worry about getting
out (of prison), but be prepared when the
time comes, (and to) look at prison as a
training ground.” –Jerry Chambers
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EARNING A DEGREE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE RIVER
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