Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Ministry behind bars and locks

Vernon Livingston spends a lot of time in jail.

Livingston is the Nevada County Jail Chaplain and said he has worked in jails and prisons across the country.

God called me in 95 and he put me in prisons across the country, Livingston said. I thank God for the opportunity.

Livingston has spent a few nights behind those bars himself. He said he spent four nights in the Hempstead County Jail in the mid-1970s for driving drunk.

My parents left me there, he said.

His lifestyle didnt change because of a few days in jail. Livingston said he spent 22 years under the influence of drugs and living the life of an addict.

I should have been up under the jail, he admitted. But there was someone praying for me. Im a proven fact that prayer changes things.

Born in Prescott in 1951 to Walter Livingston and the late Virginia Livingston, he was one of six children. Of those, two are preachers and three are missionaries, he said. He attributed that to their early teachings.

We were brought up in church, he said. I think God for the knowledge to know when enough was enough.

His son and daughter-in-law, Cory and Tameka, live in Nashville with Livingstons granddaughter, Christy. He also has a grandson, Robert, who lives in South Carolina.

Livingston said family and family values are vital to young people. He said many of the young men he ministers to in jail are searching for that family tie - including a father figure. He said he often reminds them that he chastises them for their actions because he cares.

I say, I love you. I come up here and I get on your case, and its because I love you.

Livingston said drugs are a huge problem. He cited the number of addictions resulting in a variety of crimes.

He said his own drug addiction was his way of seeking self-esteem and friendship.

I was trying to maintain friends, he said. I though they were friends. When the drugs were gone and the money ran out, those friends were gone. Then someone told me about Jesus and I latched onto a friend.

Livingston said he was called to minister specifically to those in trouble. Inmates in area jails and prisons are familiar with his face and the calm voice that confidently shares scripture and truth.

Even though he travels to several neighboring states, he said theres no time to be tired. The daily challenges mean he has something new to look forward to every day.

And he said hes never tempted to give up on anyone.

The scripture says some seeds are going to fall on fertile ground, he said. Some seeds are going to fall on rocky ground. Some seeds are going to fall among thorns.

Livingston said his job is only to plant the seeds, not to judge whether the person hearing his words will be receptive. He said he may not see the change, but he may plant an inkling of understanding that will provide a receptive heart for someone else.

He said he believes no one is beyond help.

If got can change me, he can change anybody.

Livingston said an important point to remember is that the young men and women who find themselves in jail have lives outside their crimes.

They once had dreams, he said. They got mixed up with the wrong things and lost their dreams. They still have a mind and want to dream.

They just dont know how.

Livingston said those men and women who seem to be doing well then resort back to crime have the power to hurt him.

But we have the same problem in our churches, he said.

He cited the number of people who claim to be changed but later drop out of church. He said the fact that someone could eventually turn back to those ways isnt a reason to ignore their spiritual needs.

Come unto me, all you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest, Livingston recited. What an awesome God.