A special recognition was held earlier this month at Newington Baptist Church, Gloucester, as the congregation celebrated the nearly half century of prison ministry work that Ellis Hall has performed.

The 99-year-old Hall was surrounded by family and friends at the church’s Sept. 10 Sunday service, as he was honored for his work in this mission field.

“Prison ministry is nothing new to Ellis, in fact he has been faithfully serving the inmates here in Gloucester for more than 49 years,” said Gina Pitrone, director of the Southeastern Correctional Ministry serving Southeastern Virginia and Northeast North Carolina. “Every week, Ellis would meet with the inmates who were interested in new beginnings, in learning about hope and salvation from Brother Hall.

“Ellis tells me that he would have as many as 30 inmates and as few as two come for a meeting to talk about Jesus Christ and the hope and healing He can bring to a broken spirit,” Pitrone said.

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