Gary Pearce was “the” personality on the campus of Mississippi College at Clinton, MS, in the early 1970s. He knew everyone’s name and never met a stranger. When he walked into a room, he filled it up–in every way conceivable. I was one of the ministers at his church, the First Baptist Church of Jackson, and that’s more or less how he became one of our sons.

During those three years, from 1971 through 1973, Margaret and I “adopted” four college students as our own. Three were boys–Bill Garrett of Harrisville (he used to say he was from “Hot Coffee”), Tom Hearon of Memphis, and Gary Pearce of Baton Rouge–but the fourth outshone them all: Mary Baronowski of Sardis. Looking back from this vantage point 35 years later, I wonder how we chose so well.

Bill Garrett went to Hollywood and did lots of things before dying of a heart attack in his 50s. Tom Hearon married Bonnie and they became Southern Baptist missionaries to Brazil and then Italy. These days, they work for the International Mission Board in the personnel department, based out of Nashville. More about Gary Pearce in a moment.

Mary Baronowski married Steve Smith and they became the kind of church members every pastor would give his right arm for. They belong to Istrouma Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, where she teaches college students, gives piano lessons, and serves as prayer leader for the association. I’ve told Tom and Gary–but don’t plan to tell Mary–that she is probably the finest Christian woman any of us will ever know. (We will now see if she reads this blog.)

Gary Pearce is married to Caty and they live in the Hammond-Independence area. Gary is the senior chaplain at the Dixon Correctional Institute in Jackson, Louisiana. He still has that infectious joy-in-the-Lord and the incredible attitude. Even when he went through a partial foot amputation from diabetes a couple of years ago, nothing slowed him down. He is so unbelievable.

And would you believe, Gary is a cartoonist. The newspaper in that part of the world–I’ve forgotten exactly which one–runs his drawings on a regular basis and soon they will be included in their on-line edition. He says he inherited it from his “dad.” I will happily take all the credit.

I had a letter from Gary this week, which prompted me to tell you about him. The letter was sent to the people on his mailing list because, frankly, he needs our help in his prison ministry.

At the start of this new year, Gary’s prison ministry has some unfinished business that needs our attention. Using private funds, they’re building a new worship center at Dixon Correctional Institute. The actual name will be the Nancy Ree Foreman Freedom Chapel, and Gary expects it to be ready for services by late January or early February.

What he needs is chairs. The 300 chairs they selected for the chapel will cost $14,500. Originally, someone pledged the money to buy these, but as he writes, “circumstances changed and that money is no longer available.”

Gary says they have raised $3,500 and still need $11,000. He writes, “I’m asking you on my email list to consider buying a chair (or several chairs) at $50 each. For each donation of that amount, we will put a tag on the chair to indicate the name of the person who bought it.”

Gary says, “Perhaps you would like to buy a chair in honor of someone whose name would appear on the chair.” Furthermore, even if you don’t have $50, he points out, we’ll be happy to receive contributions of any size.

Today, Thursday, I mailed a check for four chairs and gave Gary the names of my parents and my wife’s parents to go on the tags. What better way to honor our loved ones than to provide worship facilities for these who tend to be locked away and forgotten by society.

“Remember the prisoners as though in prison with them.” Hebrews 13:3.

You and I are asked to give to so many causes where we don’t know the people involved and question how the money will be used. In this case, I will back Gary Pearce and his work at Dixon Correctional Institute with all my heart.

Make out checks to the Louisiana Prison Chapel Foundation. Send them to Chaplain Gary Pearce, Dixon Correctional Institute, P. O. Box 788, Jackson, Louisiana 70748.

Have a question? E-mail him at chaplainpearce@hughes.net.

“Tell him Joe sent you.”