Randy Butler was at a loss for what to say when he started visiting one of the state’s juvenile prisons a few years ago. The longtime pastor, who was encouraged to visit by a member of his congregation who worked at the prison, started telling the teens and young men about his family.

He offered encouragement, handshakes and even a hug if they wanted one.

They responded by showing up when he came by. Some said they didn’t have a father in their lives.

Butler, 58, has since become a familiar face at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn, Oregon’s largest prison for juveniles.

And now his congregation, the Salem Evangelical Church, has come together to pay for an extraordinary and unprecedented gift: a newly renovated gymnasium at MacLaren.

Last year, the church handed the Oregon Youth Authority a check for $110,000. The renovations were completed earlier this year.

The gesture sent a powerful message to the youths in state custody, said Roderick Martin, the athletic and recreational director at the youth authority.

Last year, Randy Butler's congregation handed the Oregon Youth Authority a check for $110,000. The renovations were completed earlier this year.

“Just knowing there is a group of people out there they will never meet that donated to make this happen, knowing there are people who haven’t given up on them -- that is very valuable,” Martin said.

The gift meant a new coat of paint on the gym walls and a maple floor to replace the concrete one. It revitalized a drab space that didn’t do much to motivate anyone to play ball, Martin said.

Martin said Butler’s church approached the agency about participating in a community service project to benefit the juveniles at MacLaren.

Martin said he mentioned the tired gym conditions and Butler’s church got to work raising money for a renovation.

“I have been with the agency for 20 years and I have never experienced a project like this,” he said.

Martin said the young men in custody responded not only by using the space more often but by taking care of it. They clean off their shoes before stepping on the floor and offer to sweep and mop.

“They go in there and they are very thankful,” Martin said.

Butler said he sees his own son, Kevin, when he spends time with the young men at MacLaren.

His son, then a sophomore at McNary High School in Keizer, died suddenly from a medical condition in 2003, he said.

“I saw a lot of my son in these kids and a lot of these kids in my son,” he said. “I realized these 16-year-olds were not much different from my son.”

He said the teens he visits are often broken.

“They are in the process of their book being written,” said Butler, who is the senior pastor at the church. “Oftentimes the media only covers the first chapter when they have done something wrong and then there is very little follow up.

“I get the privilege of seeing how the book is written when no one is watching on the outside. I see transformation, hope and I see redemption.”

He said his church has about two dozen volunteers who spend time at McLaren. They host a monthly social night, cook pancakes for a special breakfast during the Christmas holidays and hold will services this Easter.

The teens and young men housed at MacLaren may be thankful for the congregation’s gift, but Butler said he’s the one who’s grateful.

“I appreciate the privilege of being able to serve them,” he said.

-- Noelle Crombie

ncrombie@oregonian.com

503-276-7184

@noellecrombie