Purpose

The purpose of Square One Ministries is to bring individuals to biblical faith that they might know God as their heavenly Father, and receive eternal life through Jesus Christ.

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John 17:3 NKJV

God has called me to help bring persons to biblical faith in Him by helping them discover what they really believe about God, which is not necessarily what they proclaim to believe about God. This is done by helping them recognize whether their faith is built on “knowing” God personally, or whether it is built on merely knowing about Him. In other words, has the individual ever had a genuine encounter with the living God?

In John 17:3 Jesus prays the following to the Father: “Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” God speaks similarly through the prophet Jeremiah: “… but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know Me, that I am the LORD…” (See Jeremiah 9:23-24). In both instances, the New Testament Greek and the Old Testament Hebrew, the word “know” refers to knowledge that comes about through experience. To know God is so much more than intellect alone.

Years ago the Open Bible edition of the scriptures contained a chart with the heading, The Heart of the Jews, regarding how one is to live life by walking in godly wisdom. In logical sequence it stated you cannot have faith in God without first trusting Him, and you cannot trust God without first getting to know Him in an intimate and personal way.

The process begins when you experience your initial encounter with God. Intimacy and trust follow as you establish a daily pattern of fellowship with God. Such fellowship is accomplished in various ways, e. g. praying, meditating on the Word, and interacting with others who have come to faith. Also imperative is hearing from a proclaimer (preacher), who has himself previously come to biblical faith through the hearing of the Word. Romans 14b declares, “How shall they hear without a preacher?”

By His grace, God has infused me with biblical faith through the hearing of His word, and has called me to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to hearers. I thank God that He has assigned me to do so at the Virginia Beach Correctional Center.

History

As early as 1975 I sensed God calling me to evangelism and to “shut-ins” in particular. Around this time I delivered cassette tapes of our church’s Sunday sermons to a local, homebound woman. My belief was that one day God would expand my ministry, perhaps leading me to serve people in assisted living homes, or perhaps to those confined to their own home.

In 1987 God opened the door for me to enroll as a graduate student in Regent University, in Virginia Beach, VA. In 1990, I graduated with a degree in Biblical Studies. Earlier that year I had completed an internship at the Virginia Beach Correctional Center (VBCC). After graduation I continued to volunteer at VBCC and by the summer of 1992 I was certain God was calling me to correctional chaplaincy.

In February of 1993 I was hired by Good News Jail & Prison Ministry (GNJ&PM) as a part-time chaplain at VBCC. By November I was employed as a full-time chaplain. As I began ministering to inmates I realized these were the “shut-ins” God had called me to in 1975.

In more than twenty years of chaplaincy with GNJ&PM, my administrative and supervisory duties increased exponentially as the inmate population grew from about 600 inmate residents in 1993 to an approximate daily average of 1500 inmates around the year 2000. As a result, my actual face time with inmates dropped appreciably. Consequently, Chaplaincy no longer best defined what God had called me to, that is, to minister directly to inmates. I knew I could have a more effective ministry if freed from the many assigned administrative tasks.

After much time in prayer I was led to establish Square One Ministries. The name Square One was chosen because I often found myself directing the inmate population spiritually back to “square one.” The overwhelming number of inmates I met assumed they had had a genuine encounter with God, but upon closer examination many had not. Most had a lot of religion and ritual and had learned Christian speak, but few had experienced a genuine encounter with the living God.

Moreover, many who had experienced a personal encounter with Jesus had wandered away from their First Love. As a result I found myself continually leading inmates back to “square one,” to their First Love, and helping equip them with the necessary tools to maintain that all important relationship with Jesus Christ.

In 2003 Square One Ministries was founded and officially recognized as a 501(c) 3 organization. For ten years afterwards I continued to work part-time with GNJ&PM while devoting considerable time each week to ministry through Square One at VBCC. In 2014 I experienced the call to retire from GNJ&PM and carry out my entire prison ministry through Square One. It has been a marvelous experience as I witness God at work in the lives of individuals on a daily basis. Regarding my jail ministry, I tell everyone that I’m a “lifer.”

In addition to my ministry at the VBCC, two members of our Board of Directors, Jim and Sue Murray, minister to inmates and former inmates in the Luray area of Virginia. Previously, Jim and I served as chaplains together for about five years at VBCC. After leaving Virginia Beach, Jim and Sue served as chaplains with the Virginia Department of Corrections in the Coffeewood Correctional Center. We are blessed to have two persons of the caliber of Jim and Sue ministering under the Square One Ministry banner with us. Both are graduates of Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Square One Ministries is blessed to have a fantastic Board of Directors who encourage us and hold us accountable, and a wonderful core of kind and generous supporters who bless us month after month, and year after year. We look forward to taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to those behind bars, as well as to those who work as deputies and staff persons in those same facilities.

To all who are a part of this ministry, I thank God for you and for the vital services your prayers and financial support make possible. May the grace and favor of the Lord Jesus Christ be upon you.

About Us

We are Dicky and Cathy Sherrill. I (Dicky) minister to inmates and staff at Virginia Beach Correctional Center (VBCC) through Square One Ministries.

In 1990 I began my ministry at VBCC with Good News Jail and Prison Ministry. In 2003 God, by His grace, led me to found Square One Ministries. I soon began working at VBCC through Square One on a part-time basis, while maintaining my position with Good News. In 2014 I retired as a chaplain from Good News, and now devote my entire ministry at VBCC under Square One Ministries.

Cathy and I were married on August 17, 2014. Previously, we were joyfully married to the loves of our lives for 41 years before they were suddenly taken from us. Cathy’s wonderful husband, Jim, died on May 16, 2012, and my dear wife, Sharon, on May 14, 2013. Cathy and Jim had two daughters and three grandchildren. They reside in Virginia Beach and were able to grieve with Cathy, and support her in their time of loss. Sharon and I had no children, but I received unceasing love and caring support from my beloved family. Additionally, we both had many valued friends who embraced us and walked with us during those difficult days.

Yet, we were still grief stricken and lonely. In April, 2014, through circumstances we can only attribute to God, we met each other at VBCC. No, Cathy was not an inmate, but had attended an orientation for prospective volunteers I was leading. Nevertheless, it was not until June 18 that we met at a Tropical Smoothie Café for a “slushy” drink. By mid July, we were convinced God meant for us to be together as husband and wife. A few weeks later, as noted above, we were married. Marriage was so beautiful for us the first time around that we both wanted to marry again, the Lord willing. And He was!

Currently, we serve together on our church prayer team, and are trusting God to enlarge our role as a ministry team. I have often witnessed how powerfully God has used Cathy when she prays, and I must admit that I am more effective in ministry when we work together. We believe that in God’s timing the two of us are to minister as a team to others in an expanded capacity.