After helping people for 20 years as an addiction counselor, you would think that she would be eager to retire.
But Bernice Caston, Pocatello Church member, decided she wanted to continue helping people, so about a year after her official retirement in 1994, she began a new job. For the last 13 years, she has volunteered at the Pocatello Women's Correctional Center as a religious coordinator.
"We meet with the inmates in a group setting," says Caston. We host five groups weekly, including baptismal classes. I have witnessed many baptisms, the last seven by Dean Lifshay, Pocatello Church pastor, in 2007."
Caston's approach is straightforward. She says, "Accepting God's forgiving love is difficult for some, because this means having to change and take responsibility. One of my greatest rewards is to see their countenance change as they mature in their relationship with God. When witnessing with individuals, I share as if this could be the only opportunity for influencing them about Jesus' unconditional love."
Caston's passion for leading people to Christ springs from her own experience many years ago. Lorraine Lau, an Adventist co-worker, spent many hours sharing Jesus and the plan of salvation with Caston. She gave her Steps to Christ. "After reading the little book, I was convinced that the Adventist Church of believers is the true church mentioned in Revelation," says Caston. She started attending church regularly with her husband and seven children and was baptized in August 1966.
Bernice Caston
Bernice Caston volunteers as a prison religious coordinator.
