Theological column by Adrienne Greene
Q:
Dear Pastor,
What do I do with old Bibles I’m no longer using?
A:
You do what we do best here in America: we love our neighbor and give our old Bibles to those less fortunate. How do we do that? I’m so glad you asked!
We Americans luxuriate in owning stacks of Bibles within our personal collection of books; or we take for granted that every hotel room comes with a Gideon’s free copy…or we may even pick up a sparkly-covered, new translation at the local Walmart…it’s so affordable and easy to purchase a Bible in this country. Yet there are people all over the world praying right now for the gift of a personal copy of God’s Word. They live in places so poor there are no bookshops, printed Christian materials of any kind or worse; the Bible is considered an illegal text and is forbidden to be sold. In the continent of Africa alone, it is estimated that there are 100 million believers in Christ who do not have their own copy of the Bible. That enormous statistic includes members of clergy who, by God’s grace, finally have access to a Bible app and may at last view the text on their cell phone. Yet countless pastors do not have cell phones, either. They are doing the best they can in spreading the Gospel message from memory. (In third-world countries, about twenty people share one Bible or one Sunday School, study-book.)
In 1975 the Lord raised up a powerful Christian ministry called “Love Packages” through a man named Steve Schmidt. Steve got tired of watching so much Christian literature go to waste that he decided to do something about it. Love Packages today is a non-profit group with a singular focus: warehousing and shipping gently-used Bibles and biblical literature from American households and publishing houses every week. These donations are packed on pallets, wrapped and stacked into twenty-ton, ocean-going containers, each carrying about 500,000 books and pieces of literature. They are sent to Bible-starved nations (roughly 154 nations every year.) Last year they estimated over eighty-million people were able to receive and read Christian literature for the first time. I can’t think of a more deserving ministry to support and to receive your old Bibles and Christian books! And most of us have untold boxes or shelves of Christian teachings we have already read, studied and no longer use. Give them to Love Packages!
Love Packages currently has two locations to call: Butler, Illinois (217) 532-6701 and Decatur, Alabama (256) 355-3004. If you are Internet savvy, please contact them via their website: www.lovepackages.org to utilize their easy, electronic contact-form. While the offices above may not be convenient for you to visit or donate your items, they also have numerous drop-off locations throughout the United States and will either direct you to those, or assist you with donation solutions when you call. I myself have recently cleaned out my basement and have already spoken to my local coordinator about my pile of outdated and unused texts.
It feels so good to give! “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35, ESV.) Let’s do our part to spread the Gospel message to the ends of the earth.
Do you have a question or comment for Pastor Adrienne? Send your inquiries to: info@adriennewgreene.com or write to P.O. Box 214, Harrison, OH 45030. For more information and resources, please visit www.askpastoradrienne.com or the “Ask Pastor Adrienne” YouTube channel for sermons and insights.
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