Virgil Johnson

Virgil was born and raised in Charleston, WV. When he graduated from Stonewall Jackson High School in 1973, he was looking for a job. He had family members living in Burlington, Ohio who told him there were jobs at Inco Alloy so he came and was hired. He worked as a crane operator for 26 years until his retirement in 2017.

He became a member of the Original Glorious Church and was assistant pastor to pastor Charles Shaw. When the church changed and Bishop Show began his own church- Real Life Church Center, Virgil and his family followed him and Virgil and is still the assistant pastor.

Virgin is a Chaplain for St. Mary’s and Cabell Huntington Hospital and he visits people in Huntington who are sick and in need of prayer.

He also visits the nursing home behind Cabell Huntington Hospital and over in Ohio. He is a member of the Quick Response Team which checks on people who have overdosed to make them aware of resources that are available to them to help get their lives back on track.

In 2023 he was honored by the Black Pastors with the Stevie Ferguson Award for the work he does in the community. He will be working with the Huntington Police Department having been sworn in the summer as a Police Chaplain in which his responsibilities will include riding with officers and talking with families to calm them down during one of the most stressful situations of their lives and to de escalate situations.

Virgil has many things left on his bucket list he wants to take a train ride to Chicago to visit the Black History Museum, go to see a Cincinnati Reds Baseball Game and to take a bus trip to California.

Virgil’s advice to people is: try to make something out of yourself- something your family and community will be proud of.