Across Alabama and the rest of the United States, Bibles of all colors, sizes and versions rest in bookcases, collecting dust.
Whether shelved for sentimental reasons or passed over for newer, more usable copies, having Bibles in abundance is a reality among U.S. Christians.
But for most people in the rest of the world, it is a rarity to own even one book of the Bible, according to Ryan Olson, director of The Bible Senders, a Minnesota-based business that ships used Bibles and other scriptural literature to missionaries and individuals who are without.
Olson estimated that 50 percent of the world’s population has never seen one verse of Scripture and 75 percent — about 4.9 billion people — does not own a Bible.
That’s the reason that in Atmore, Evelyn Andrews — like Olson — has made it her mission to connect the ample supply with the desperate need.
As director of Book-Link’s Alabama branch — a ministry of Escambia Baptist Association — Andrews receives used Bibles, devotionals and Sunday School materials from organizations, churches and individuals.
Running a primarily one-woman operation out of two small rooms at Presley Street Baptist Church, Atmore, she then ships them overseas to missionaries or individuals requesting Bibles. When the load gets heavy, Presley Street Baptist women or a missions group from her church — Robinsonville Baptist, Atmore — helps her stamp, sort and ship the materials.
"God is using Book-Link in a great way. We have shipped to 72 countries," said Emily Filipi, minister of education at Thelma Baptist Church, Wetumpka, in Elmore Baptist Association and Alabama’s representative on the board of directors at Book-Link, based in Eubank, Ky.
But she said it’s important for Alabama Baptists to contribute soon. "Doors are being closed as forces against Christianity are advancing," Filipi explained. "This may be our last opportunity to get these resources into some of these countries."
Andrews said she usually sends one box per week, which weighs about 30 pounds and contains between 50 and 80 pieces of literature. Last year, she sent about 56 boxes with most going to Nigeria.
Andrews has a map of the world on the wall of her workroom with dots marking the countries where she has sent boxes. Sometimes she sends materials throughout the United States. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, she sent materials to a church in Pensacola, Fla., that had lost everything.
"We won’t know who has benefited from these books and Bibles, but we know people are receiving the Word and that it is spreading," Andrews said. "Even though we don’t see it firsthand, people are being blessed. If we have an opportunity to share God’s Word, we need to do it."
A Decatur-based ministry has taken on a similar call to share God’s Word. Edwin L. Hodges Ministries has shipped used Bibles and literature to individuals and churches in 147 countries since Hodges, a member of Southside Baptist Church, Decatur, in Morgan Baptist Association, started the ministry in 1994.
"We take Bibles, magazines, reference books, hymnals — anything that’s biblically sound," said Audrey Williams, administrative assistant for Hodges and a member of Parkview Baptist Church, Decatur, in Morgan Association. "Many churches gather their used Sunday School literature and bring it to us at the end of the quarter. We’ll take just about anything."
Hodges said the number of Christians overseas that do not have Bibles is "incredible."
"Of those who are fortunate enough to have one, very few have any other Christian literature to help them grow," he said. "We have such an abundance here in the United States that we are throwing it away. God has shown us that He has a purpose for what we have left over."
For more information on Edwin L. Hodges Ministries, visit www.elhm.org. To send Bibles to Book-Link, mail them to: Book-Link, P.O. Box 899, Flomaton, AL 63441.
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