The cozy library on the first floor of Canterbury United Methodist Church is by turns a place of quiet and celebration, of laughter and tears, of hard work and good times.
Canterbury United Methodist Church is a part of the North Alabama Annual Conference.
The Birmingham church's Books to Prisons Ministry serves inmate populations in the state and nationwide by providing books and magazines via U.S. Mail. Hundreds of paperback books and magazines vetted by volunteers line sturdy metal shelves donated by the Birmingham Public Library. Local branches also donate many books and perform in-service volunteer hours with the ministry.
Donated reading material waiting to be checked is stored in a large closet across the hall. "There's an approval process," said volunteer Dale Turnbough. "We keep binders about what is and is not accepted in different prison systems. And then we have to check them for quality." After the vetting process, books are added to the shelves.
Inmates write letters to request books. Sometimes they request by title. Many have favorite authors. Others love a particular genre.
Once requests are received, the volunteers package the books, keeping an eye on the weight. They try to send multiple books and magazines in each package to make the most of the roughly $1,000 spent in postage monthly. Six to eight hundred packages per month are sent by media mail, with three to four pieces of reading material inside. Even better is the handwritten note included in each one.
A wonderful byproduct is the bonds that form. Readers start addressing their requests to particular volunteers as friendships spring up. "They are so grateful," said Turnbough. "They can't thank us enough. It's a good feeling to open a letter you can respond to with something you have that means so much to someone." Although the inmates write multi-page letters which sometimes include colorful drawings and intricate decorations or fancy lettering, the volunteers are limited to one side of a small page printed with the Books to Prison logo across the top. The back of the page is a receipt for the books sent with it.
Rachel Estes, Director of Outreach at Canterbury, acknowledges that the Books to Prison Ministry has its challenges.
Creating and cultivating partnerships is vital. One of the most important is the Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice. Volunteers who have put in many hours of work with the Books to Prisons Ministry are themselves former inmates who understand the importance of the ministry's work. "All these men are so good to work with," said Wadlington. "It's amazing and inspiring to meet them. They recommend us to their friends!"
In addition to the public libraries and Alabama Appleseed, other nonprofits and local businesses donate books, send employees for in-service opportunities and make cash contributions for postage, packaging and other costs incurred by the ministry.
The volunteers find joy in their work, and it's an infectious joy that spreads in unlikely ways. The local postal carrier has become a true partner.
excerpt from a story on the North Alabama Annual Conference website
This story represents how United Methodist local churches through their Annual Conferences are living as Vital Congregations. A vital congregation is the body of Christ making and engaging disciples for the transformation of the world. Vital congregations are shaped by and witnessed through four focus areas: calling and shaping principled Christian leaders; creating and sustaining new places for new people; ministries with poor people and communities; and abundant health for all.
