Porch pirate swipes boxes off North Carolina pastor’s porch. They were full of Bibles
Porch pirates on the loose this holiday season just hit a new low — robbing a pastor.
Pastor Jeff Williams, a Baptist minister in North Carolina, had two boxes of study Bibles snatched off his front porch, media outlets report. Williams runs a ministry for inmates delivering Bibles at their request.
He’s also the pastor at West Franklin Baptist Church in Gastonia, according to WSOC.
“We’re kind of curious as to what the folks thought when they opened the Bibles, and I would say this: If it’s something that you’ve taken and you’re not interested in, just bring them back,” he told WSOC. “Drop them off in the driveway because we need to get them out to folks who want them.”
Williams and his wife had a delivery from FedEx that should have contained three packages, WBTV reported. Instead, they found only one.
The missing boxes contained 24 study Bibles that Williams intended to send before Christmas to inmates who asked for them through his nonprofit, Inspiration for Inmates, according to the media outlet.
The Bibles were worth more than $1,000, WSOC reported.
“Please pray for us,” a post on the Inspiration for Inmates Facebook page states. “2 cases of Expositors Study Bibles were stolen off our front porch Friday. God knows all things. 24 inmates!”
Williams and his wife started Inspiration for Inmates after their daughter was sentenced to five years in prison related to substance abuse issues, according to a GoFundMe page set up to help fund the nonprofit.
She’s been in prison for two years now, WBTV reported.
Williams sent her a Bible early in her sentence, according to the GoFundMe page. He received a letter back asking for more.
“Upon seeing her Bible, many of the other inmates have expressed interest in having one of their own,” the description states. “To my surprise, Bibles are not readily available to each individual inmate. These ladies have to go to the library in the institution to read when their schedules permit and they may not have but a few moments to read.”
Inspiration for Inmates has raised $1,850 since it started in 2018.
The Bibles stolen this week were in different languages and earmarked for men and women in federal prisons, Williams told WBTV.
“We’re getting testimonies that people are coming off drugs and staying out of prison through the ministry,” he said, according to the media outlet. “I have a box knee high of letters thanking us for the Bibles. And so many requesting Bibles.”
This story was originally published December 19, 2019 at 11:40 AM with the headline "Porch pirate swipes boxes off North Carolina pastor’s porch. They were full of Bibles."
