Vermont Pastors Bring Hope to 70+ Prison Volunteers

Most people wouldn't expect a pastor to show up to work in sweatpants and a t-shirt. But Josh Riggs wants the women at Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility to know something important: he's not above them.

Riggs leads weekly Christian services at two Vermont prisons, transforming ordinary multipurpose rooms into what he calls cathedrals. Before each service, he reminds everyone present that for the next hour, they're in a sanctuary where Amazing Grace echoes off walls decorated with murals painted by incarcerated women.

He's part of a network of more than 70 volunteers providing religious support across Vermont's prison system. These volunteers represent Protestant, Catholic, Buddhist, Muslim, and Jehovah's Witness faiths, stepping in because Vermont's Department of Corrections doesn't hire paid chaplains.

Church at Prison, where Riggs serves as senior pastor, has been running services in Vermont facilities for over three decades. The organization was founded by Pastor Peter Fiske, who retired early at 48 to become a full-time prison minister and never really stopped working.

Now 81, Fiske continues supporting people after release and helps run New Life Crew, a construction company that employs formerly incarcerated people struggling to find work because of their records. His wife Joanne recently retired from prison ministry, passing the torch to Riggs.

Riggs came to faith later in life at 36, working as a window salesman with no interest in church. After watching an exorcism movie one night, he picked up a Bible and everything changed. Within months, he was volunteering in prisons.

Why This Inspires

For Riggs, ministry means more than weekly services. He spends countless hours helping people navigate life after release, providing cell phones, buying winter clothing, driving to appointments, and sometimes using donations to pay for motel rooms until people find permanent housing.

Darline Chamberland met Riggs during her 14-month sentence at the South Burlington women's prison. She admits she initially attended services just to get out of her cell, but the Wednesday gatherings became the highlight of her week.

The work extends beyond prison walls because redemption doesn't stop at the gate. Riggs remembers Alexis Poulin, a 28-year-old woman he baptized who died in custody this January, and he helped organize her memorial inside the prison where she'd built deep friendships.

These volunteers show up week after week, treating people society has written off as worthy of dignity, friendship, and second chances.