January 16, 1980
"The Rev. Eugene Strebel
Rev. Eugene Strebel
discusses prison work
The Rev. Eugene Strebel,
temporary pastor at St.
Luke’s Lutheran Church in
Bainbridge, is also chaplain
at the Lancaster County
Prison.
Rev. Strebel is the first
person to hold the position
of chaplain at the county
prison. Previously, volun-
teers provided religious
services at the prison.
A study conducted by the
Lancaster County Council of
Churches indicated the need
. for a professional chaplain
at the jail. The county
commissioners, however,
did not feel that the county
could afford a full-time
chaplain. They did approve
of hiring a part-time
chaplain.
Rev. Strebel was appoint-
ed to the new position in
August, 1978.
Strebel and his family had
moved to Lancaster in 1974.
One reason why Strebel was
appointed was that the last
church he had served
full-time was in Freeport,
Long Island, a racially
integrated church. Because
of the large number of
blacks and Puerto Ricans
among the inmates at the
prison, a man was needed as
chaplain who had lots of
experience with racial mi-
norities.
Rev. Strebel had had to
leave his Freeport church
after he had suffered a heart
attack. He had settled with
his family in Lancaster
because of reasonable tax
rates and real estate costs,
because of employment
opportunities for his wife (a
financial executive secreta-
ry), and because of the large
number of Lutheran church-
es in the area where he
might assist. With his
relevant experience, Rev.
Strebel was available for the
part-time chaplaincy at the
prison.
Although the position
calls for him to put in only 20
hours a week, Rev. Strebel
normally puts in twice that
much time at the prison.
He sees every prisoner,
interviewing each one. He
gets the religious back-
ground of each inmate and
counsels with them and with
their families.
He deals not only with the
inmates but with the staff
members and their families
also.
He schedules all religious
services, four on Sunday
plus a Bible study class, and
four services and a Bible
study class during the week,
as well as a special religious
service for the high security
in the prison, mostly
inmates who will be
transferred to federal or
state prisons.
“I'm here as a visible
presence,’ says Rev. Stre-
bel. Each day he walks
through all the cell
blocks. Any inmate could
stop him and make an
appointment.
Rev. Strebel feels that
workers in the prison are
underpaid. He thinks they
should receive the same pay
as police officers. He
believes that prison workers
do as much work as
policemen.
There are a tremendous
number of volunteers who
come into the prison to help
with the work. Without
them, the prison would not
be able to function.
Rev. Strebel feels that the
problems faced by workers
in a prison are formidable.
‘““We have a terrible system
of justice,’’ he says. It really
stinks. It hurts the poor
more than anyone else,
those with little or no
education.”
Lots of the inmates are
mentally retarded or emot-
ionally disturbed. ‘‘Yet the
stae says they are responsi-
ble for their actions...That’s
a lot of crap,”’
He does not think that
alcoholics should be put in
jail. (They are among the
best workers in prison.)
They could be best helped in
half-way houses, and for
half the money that is being
spent on them now, Rev.
Strebel believes.
‘““We have men in here
with no opportunity to pay
their fines, and all that’s
keeping them in here is their
inability to pay their fines.”’
Although there are lots of
inmates in jail who do not
belong there, Rev. Strebel
does believe that ‘‘there are
those who must be separat-
ed from society. They
belong in prison. :
“But a good SO per cent
do not belong here and
could be dealt with in other,
more effective ways.
“The warden, Thomas
Schlager, is doing a
tremendous job. He is
progressive and open to
suggestions, but under the
present structure, is in-
tensely conscious of securi-
y
-*
“It’s a fun thing to work
here. I enjoy my relations
with the inmates, with the
correctional officers, and
with the staff. If I didn’t
enjoy it, I wouldn’t put in so
much time.”
Practically none of the
inmates of the jail have any
active affiliations with
churches. Every conceivable
religious group comes into
the jail to hold services,
including the Amish. A lot
of the inmates were
baptized, but dropped out
of their churches. A few take
on an active religious life,
and of those who do—‘‘We
don’t see them here
anymore,’”’ says Rev. Stre-
bel.”
A frequent phenomenon
is “‘prison religion.’ The .
inmates are frightened, they
‘need hope, and sometimes
turn to religion, but then,
when they are sentenced,
they drop their religion.
“It’s like plea-bargaining
for them,”” says Rev.
Strebel. They want to make
a deal with God; they serve
God if He'll get them off
with light sentences. When
God doesn’t come through
with His end of the bargain,
they drop their end.
But the chance for a
religious change is always
available in the Lancaster
County Prison. Says Rev
Strebel, ‘““When a man
comes in here, he is still a
man and a human being. He
can always become what the
good Lord wants him to be.”’
Although Rev. Strebel is
recuperating from a heart
attack and works at a
part-time job and is only
filling in temporarily as
pastor at the Bainbridge
church—he is a very busy
“man. He has always been
active.
When he was first
recuperating from his attack
he took up making hook
rugs, doing latch hooking.
He was in a Catholic
hospital, where the sisters
were soon referring to him
as the ““lutheran hooker.”
Rev. Strebel and his wife
have two sons, Andrew
James, 14, and John
Thomas, 10, and live in
Manheim Township.
The Rt. Rev. Dean T.
Stephenson to visit
St. John’s Episcopal
Church, Marietta
The Rt. Rev. Dean T.
Stephenson, the Diocesan
Bishop of the Episcopal
Church, paid his annual visit
to St. John’s Episcopal
Church, Marietta. While
there, he dedicated two
vases which were presented
by the nieces and nephews
of the late Miss Elizabeth
Miley. Also dedicated was a
censor presented by Mae
Betz, in memory of her
husband, Moses Betz.
Taking part in the dedica-
tion were Mrs. Robert Long,
Mrs. Dan Mackinson, Mrs.
Mae Betz and Scott Kling,
Following the dedication,
Miss Sherry Rae Hammill
was made a child of God by
way of the Sacrement of
Baptism. The Rev. A.S.
Red, Rector of St. John’s,
assisted the Bishop in the
Baptism.
The Bishop laid his hands
on the heads of sixteen
confirmants and signed
them with the cross. Those
confirmed were: Sherry
Lynn Albert, Martha De-
lores Breckline, Michelle
Lyon Fletcher, Randy Scott
Fletcher, Leanne Krow,
Paige Jennifer Kulman,
Mary Jane Jones, Jill Marie
Kyler, Gina Marie Landis,
Scheryl Ann Landis, Angie
Lynn Roberts, Rose Mary
Stotz and Melissa Anne
Young. This service of
confirmation is part of the
initiatory rites which are
affirmations of the baptism
vows. The Bishop then
celebrated the Holy Eucha-
rist, assisted by the Rector.
During the service a
travel valise and a leather
bound prayer book were
given to Terrence Shope as a
going away gift. Shope will
be employed in the Negev
Desert, Israel, for the next
two years. Mrs. Terrance
Shope will remain in this
country and continue to
serve the church as its
organist. A reception fol-
lowed, served by the
Eqiscopal church women of
the parish.
SUSQUEHANNA TIMES—Page 9
Junior high basketball (cont)
[continued from back page]
25 Conestoga Valley 53
68 Eastern 44
26 Eastern 21
34 Dallastown 30
S7 Wheatland 48
ninth graders
Wayne Chappel
Mark Martin
Bill Miller
Kevin Fantom
Darrel Risberg
Andy Shank
January Blood
Bank month
January has been de-
clared ‘‘National Volunteer
Blood Donor Month’’ by the
American Association of
Blood Banks. The Columbia
Hospital Blood bank is
joining the Association in
helping to meet the goals for
the month.
The Columbia Hospital
has organized a Blood
Assurance Plan in which a
member of the family
donates one pint of blood
per year thus guaranteeing
blood for the entire family,
should they need it during
that year. A single person
may also join by donating a
single pint of blood a year
and designate any three
people to receive coverage
for the year. The blood bank
will transfer credits to any
AABB member hospital
throughout the United
States. The Board cf
Directors, Medical Staff and
Laboratory Department of
the Columbia Hospital
recommend and invite all
the members of the
community to join the Blood
Bank.
The Blood Bank if also
offering free premarital
blood tests in exchange for a
donation of one unit of blood
per couple. Plans are also
available for organizations,
churches, plants or small
groups of employees not
covered by Blood Bank
plans.
Ted Stephens
Steve Swope
eighth graders
Gil Cornwill
Wayne Emenheiser
Bobby Hiestand
Keith Mueller
seventh graders
George Rice
Mike Sarbaugh
Mike Shelly
Coaches
Jim Zuch
Bernie Thome
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