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June

Since starting my new job, I have been doing quite a bit of reading about who

This month’s featured volunteer work station is a prison ministry that started right here in Lubbock, Texas. The Word of Hope Ministry located on Broadway in the old Lubbock Arts Alliance building offers a Bible correspondence course to prisoners. After visiting with one of the co-directors, Peggy Swift, I walked away very impressed with the accomplishments of this small group of non-profit volunteers who meet once a week to keep a handle on the paperwork of 2600 plus prisoners actively enrolled in the correspondence course.

The Word of Hope Ministry was started in 1976 in the Lubbock County Jail by Jack Bromley. Mr. Bromley initially wrote fourteen lessons which are now considered the undergraduate program and later expanded the Bible correspondence course to ten more lessons for the post-graduate program. Some of the topics in the undergraduate course include: Salvation, Prayer, Satan, Baptism, and Christians Sex Life. A few topics of the post-graduate course consist of: The Word of God, Practical Christian Living, Heaven, The Apostle Paul - A Prisoner, and Things to Come. The prisoners receive a completion certificate when they complete the undergraduate course and a second certificate upon completion of the post-graduate course.

Volunteers of the Word of Hope Ministry stay busy with grading the lessons and mailing approximately 400 correspondence courses a week. They also send each prisoner a birthday card and a Christmas card. According to Ms. Swift, many prisoners send notes stating the card from Word of Hope Ministry was the only birthday or Christmas card they received. The volunteers receive many comments from the lessons they grade that touch their hearts. Ms. Swift shared a letter written by a prisoner who sent the Word of Hope Ministry $4.25 because she thought she should tithe and wanted to share with them.

The Word of Hope Ministry has grown over the years from serving only the Lubbock County Jail to serving most of the prisons in Texas and some prisons in 25 other states. Basically, the Word of Hope Ministry Bible Correspondence Course is spread from word of mouth amongst the prisoners. The volunteers come from several different churches in Lubbock.

There is no face-to-face contact with the prisoners; everything is done through the mail. If you are interested in becoming an RSVP volunteer and volunteering at the Word of Hope Ministry, please call the RSVP office at 742-2423.

OTHER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:

Here’s a one day only volunteer opportunity to learn about and connect to the Americans with Disabilities Act. The LIFE/RUN Center at 4902 34th Street is having The Amazing Fun Run on Friday, June 30th from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. to raise community awareness of wheelchair accessibility. Participants will race around a section of Lubbock while in wheelchairs, collecting clues as to where the next pit stop is and noting if the area is accessible for people in wheelchairs. One person will ride in the wheelchair while another person walks (and pushes?) with the rider. A limited number of slots are available for riding participants and walking participants. Volunteers are needed to hand out clues at each Pit Stop as to where the next Pit Stop is located. Volunteers are also needed to help set up the food for the lunch for the participants. The food will already be prepared; you are just needed to get it set out and see that the lunch runs smoothly.

Grace House at 6502 4th Street is an assisted living facility consisting of three beautiful large homes that provide a home-style environment for senior citizens who can no longer live alone. They need some musically talented volunteers who could come one day a week between 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. to sing and play the piano. The activities director could also use some help with her craft session on Mondays at 10:00 a.m. Residents in assisted living love having people from the community to come in and share their time and talents. It is a blessing for both sides.

Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Southwest is searching for volunteers. Two separate Family Rooms will be opening in Lubbock soon and will be run by volunteers. Also the Ronald McDonald House is looking for volunteers to answer phones, greet guests and bake cookies. When ask for specifics, they answered, “Anytime, any day…fit your schedule!”

To volunteer, or for more information about these or other volunteer positions, please call the RSVP office at 742-2423.

HOW do I join RSVP?
Becoming a member of RSVP is simple as long as you are at least 55 and have some time to volunteer. Just call the office at 742-2423 and chat with Ronda Casey or Dana Bear about your interests. If you are not certain what you would like to do, we can mention several current volunteer opportunities and send you a list of the sort of jobs which RSVP members are presently doing to whet your appetite. If you have a special skill or talent that you would like to utilize, we will search to find just the right job for you. Just mail in the enrollment form (requires Adobe Reader) and we will call you!