South Carolina Baptists recently provided 25,238 prisoner packets, reaching every state inmate over the Christmas season. The goal for the project was 25,000 packets, and was met through the work of local churches representing all of the state’s geographic associations.
Gene Holt and Jeannette West, both from Belmont Baptist Church in Columbia, were among the volunteers who checked more than 25,000 prisoner packets collected from around the state on Dec. 7.
Volunteers and inmates worked side by side to check, assemble, and bag the packets Dec. 7 at St. Andrews Baptist Church in Columbia. The packets were distributed the following day to South Carolina Department of Corrections inmates and to youth at the Department of Juvenile Justice.
“It is a thrill to see volunteers working together on a project that represents churches and associations, the Department of Corrections, and Woman’s Missionary Union. The packets are a tangible gift that inmates genuinely need and look forward to receiving,” said Tim Rice, SCBC missions mobilization group director.
The 2015 collection marks the 39th year for the prisoner packet ministry, which relies on churches and associations to donate completed packets. Each plastic zippered bag contains a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, mints, a pad of paper, pen and pre-stamped envelopes, along with Gospel tracts and literature. This year, the Pocket Testament League donated copies of the Gospel of John with the plan of salvation for each prisoner packet.
Susan Harris, a member of First Baptist Church of Holly Hill, delivered 474 packets from Screven Baptist Association to the collection site in a rented U-Haul van. She is involved in ongoing local prison ministry and said the seasonal packets have a big impact on those receiving them.
“I have a close friend with a son in prison, and she shared with me how much it meant to her son that someone else was thinking of him. It’s a small effort and a wonderful opportunity to do something local,” Harris said.
SCDC Chaplain Bernie Colclough and Irene Murphy check prisoner packets while adding Gospel tracts and other materials. The Christmas packets were delivered to every inmate in South Carolina the next day.
Chaplain Mike Brown, acting SCDC chief of pastoral services, called the project miraculous and said he knows of no other state that has been faithful with such a gift to inmates.
“This is evidence of God’s power and movement in the lives of God’s people. It brings more than 2,000 churches together in a singular project to remember the forgotten folks in prison,” he said. “For many, this is the only gift they will receive in celebration of the birth of Christ.” Brown added that many inmates have given their lives to the Lord as a result of the ministry.
For one inmate, this was his fourth year helping at the collection site. To him, the packets represent the love of Christ carried inside the prison system. “These packets show that someone cares about us and that where we are doesn’t dictate who we are,” he said.
One female inmate was helping to process the packets for the first time. “It makes me feel good to talk with the volunteers as we work and to know that the community cares. I am thankful for everything that is in this packet, and I know that I can be a part of prison ministry when I go home,” she said.