June
2006
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!
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