The little library at Canterbury United Methodist Church is busy throughout the week with volunteers reading letters. Each note is an opportunity to show the love of Christ to those who often feel forgotten.
(video transcript)
Celia Smyly: “… historical fiction, fantasy, we get Spanish-language requests.”
Most of us have books lying around. What if your old books could spread joy?
Shannon Wadlington (reading letter): “I want to thank you for your ministry, and the books that you send all over the country. When you hear your name called during mail call, it is a moment of joy that is very hard to put to words.”
Donate books
The Books to Prisons ministry at Canterbury United Methodist Church in Birmingham ships books to approved prisons in Texas and Alabama. Chapters throughout the U.S. serve prisons in their geographical areas. You can get involved by donating books, providing monetary support to cover shipping costs, or donating books through the Amazon wish list.
Some of the most requested genres include Westerns, Sci-Fi, Stephen King books and guides to small business startups. Dictionaries and easy-to-read books like manga also are very popular.
Canterbury United Methodist Church’s Books to Prisons ministry ships 800 books a month to inmates who write letters. Volunteers fill orders and include a personal note.
Susan Markovitz: “So, we find the books amongst all the other books. We write her a personal letter, or him, and they package up the books and send them out. She appears to be a younger woman, and she asked for young adult or paranormal romance books.”
Celia Smyly: “It is so rewarding because sometimes they write back and list the particular volunteer and tell us what it has meant to them to be called Mr. or Ms. in the little note that we include on the back of the receipt, and something that acknowledges their humanity.”
Valerie Gordon: “We do get a lot of requests for large-print Bibles. As the clientele in prisons age, more and more readers need large-print books.”
Frank Smyly: “We’ve had a number of people asking for how to start a food truck business. A lot of people want to be their own bosses, a lot of people who write to us. You know, that’s not really surprising, but what is surprising is how many specifically like the idea of food trucks. And so, it’s good that we now have some books on that.”
Most books are donated by individuals. Monetary contributions cover the $5 to $7 it costs to ship each parcel. And there’s an Amazon wish list where you can donate specific titles.
Shannon Wadlington: “We received a letter on a man that who just got his GED at 45 years old. We also had an inmate teach another inmate how to read. So, that man was able to read a bedtime story to his grandchild for the first time by telephone.”
Rachel Estes: “It takes a big deep breath to go in to do prison ministries. And not everybody feels that call. And so, Books to Prisons has created a space where we can fulfill that part of Matthew 25. We can fulfill that part of visiting you while you’re in prison through the letters that we write, through the books that are beautifully picked out.”
Celia Smyly: “It’s a rewarding process. And if you love books like all of us do, it’s fun! Finding those treasures every day is so exciting!”
Marigza is a multimedia producer for UM News. Contact her at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umnews.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free UM News Digest.
