Thursday, January 17, 2008, was a very special day for We Care Chaplain Ed Ranck and all the inmates at the Atmore Work Center.  This day marked the dedication and open house celebrating the completion of the new chapel.  This new chapel, which consists of several class rooms, a library, an office, two restrooms and an auditorium, replaces the small one-room chapel that has been in use up to this point.

The new chapel project began in the spring of 2005 with a campaign to raise building funds.  Many people from around the country shared generously, and the funds were successfully raised.  The process of obtaining blue prints and getting permission from the State of Alabama lasted almost two years, but finally this past summer everything was in place to begin construction.  Dean Miller from Arthur, IL, served as the overseer for the project and helped to keep things moving along.  The majority of the actual building of the chapel was done by the inmates at the Atmore Work Center, and all their hard effort was recognized and celebrated during the open house.

The Chapel dedication was highlighted by a rope cutting led by Chaplain Ranck.  He chose a rope because of its three strands and spoke of how each strand represents a different aspect of the project: 1) individuals who have envisioned, prayed for, and planned for this project, 2) the many donors who have entrusted We Care with the financial gifts toward this chapel, and 3) the men who have done the actual construction.  During the rope cutting ceremony, Chaplain Ranck thanked Warden Patterson and the Alabama Department of Corrections staff who worked with We Care to help make this new facility a reality.

After the rope was cut, David Landis, President of We Care Program, presented the keys for the new chapel to Warden Patterson signifying that We Care had completed the construction and now the new chapel belongs to the State of Alabama.  As the new chapel officially opens, it is the prayer of Chaplain Ranck that this new facility will “be a place where men can meet and be with God, that they can learn of Him, but most of all that it will be a place where men can find Jesus Christ as Savior and receive the peace that only He can give.”

By Don Metzler