Trading Food for Books in Prison

November 7, 2007

A few months ago we opened the Anchor Book Depot in Chicago to give away copies of a simple gospel book called An Anchor for the Soul. This is a continuation of a ministry that started seven years ago. Since then we have given away over 350,000 copies, mostly to prisoners across America. Sometimes the prisoners find the book through unusual means. Here’s a letter we just received from a prisoner in Pennsylvania:

Dear Ray Pritchard,

Hello, what’s up? I hope you are doing OK. My name is Shawn. I have just read your book “An Anchor for the Soul” I’m writing you because how I read it was an accident from God. It was the best thing that EVER happened to me in my my life. Thanks to you I have found God.

Thanks to your book and my accidentally stumbling upon it, I have a different outlook on life. The day I found God was 9/22/07. O Thank you so much!

Sincerely,

Shawn

Here is a list of recent shipments (each box contains 92 copies) from the Book Depot:

2 boxes, Pastor Don Mulkey, Flowery Branch, GA on 10-03-07

33 boxes, Chaplain John Compton, Los Lunas, NM on 10-10-07

1 box, Dick Franklin, Cuyahoga Falls, OH on 10-03-07

2 boxes, Kim Fly , First Baptist church, Tupelo MS on 10-10-07

3 copies to Mision Bautista Hispana, Philidelphia, PA 10-23-07

2 boxes, 1st Presbyterian of Ft Lauderdale,FL on 10-24-07

Here’s a letter from the one of the prison ministry volunteers at First Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale:

Pastor Ray,

Sending check today, 4NOV07, for $100 to support the shipping costs for copies of Anchor for The Soul! We have received and used a total of 3 cases so far in our prison ministry.

First Presbyterian volunteers tell the Gospel to prisoners at the Broward Sheriffs Office County Mail Jail on Tuesday nights from 7-9pm, and the BSO JV Conte Facility on Wednesday and Friday mornings from 9-11am.

Your book is given to new men coming into the JV Conte B5 Religious Unit, and is especially significant to the ones that have not received Christ. The book is well received and well read by the men in the unit.

Anchor for the Soul is also a wonderful text to reinforce ones Gospel message during our talks at the downtown jail. Several men we talk with do not know Christ and your book helps to understand and connect them to His Grace.

I hope you continue to offer copies for ministry use.

God Bless,

Mark Rubin
First Presbyterian of Fort Lauderdale
Jail Ministry Volunteer

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