All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine . . . 2 Tim. 3:16
Ministry
Our prison ministry is unique in that we supply prisoners with Study Bibles and Large-Print Bibles. The Gideons provide reading Bibles to the prisoners; we do not duplicate their efforts. Our goal is to help those prisoners with impaired eyesight and those who desire to go beyond reading and to begin studying the Bible. Occasionally we fill a request for a foreign language Bible.
The Bibles we distribute are purchased with your donations. In the past we had an abundant supply of used Bibles, but these are no longer available. We constantly search for affordable Study Bibles that teach sound doctrine. We currently use the original Scofield Study Bible and a large-print KJV reading Bible. We purchase used Bibles when available to stretch our budget.
Giving Bibles to prisoners began in 1998 when we gave a study Bible to a friend in jail. An¬other in¬mate saw the Bible and wrote to us, asking for one of his own. This happened 155 times in 1999. In the years since then we have provided Bibles as follows --
The Bibles we distribute are purchased with your donations. In the past we had an abundant supply of used Bibles, but these are no longer available. We constantly search for affordable Study Bibles that teach sound doctrine. We currently use the original Scofield Study Bible and a large-print KJV reading Bible. We purchase used Bibles when available to stretch our budget.
Giving Bibles to prisoners began in 1998 when we gave a study Bible to a friend in jail. An¬other in¬mate saw the Bible and wrote to us, asking for one of his own. This happened 155 times in 1999. In the years since then we have provided Bibles as follows --
2000: 305 Bibles
2001: 704 Bibles
2002: 497 Bibles
2003: 247 Bibles
2004: 216 Bibles
2005: 263 Bibles
2006: 612 Bibles
2007: 430 Bibles
2001: 704 Bibles
2002: 497 Bibles
2003: 247 Bibles
2004: 216 Bibles
2005: 263 Bibles
2006: 612 Bibles
2007: 430 Bibles
2008: 205 Bibles and 12 concordances
2009: 211 Bibles
2010: 263 Bibles
2011: 265 Bibles
2012: 310 Bibles, 6 concordances and 1 dictionary
2013: 238 Bi¬bles, 1 concordance and 1 dictionary
2014: 266 Bibles, 2 concordances and 1 dictionary.
2009: 211 Bibles
2010: 263 Bibles
2011: 265 Bibles
2012: 310 Bibles, 6 concordances and 1 dictionary
2013: 238 Bi¬bles, 1 concordance and 1 dictionary
2014: 266 Bibles, 2 concordances and 1 dictionary.
The total number of Bibles from 1998 through 2014 is 5,188.
Prison Bible Ministry
Founded 1983 by Robert "Bob"Durham (1933 - 1998)
Director: Monnie Sears
Administrator: Joanna Sears
Director: Monnie Sears
Administrator: Joanna Sears
BIBLE WAREHOUSE
P.O. Box 514, Anderson, MO 64831
Phone# 417-845-3582
P.O. Box 514, Anderson, MO 64831
Phone# 417-845-3582
Mission Trips
Bob Durham had a large bag of letters under his office desk. The letters were all from Africa. Every time Joanna cleaned the office, she asked him about the letters. His reply was that the postage to send a Bible to Africa costs more than the Bible does. The ministry simply did not have enough money to help the Africans. Her curiosity got the best of her and she opened the bag - all the letters were unopened. Bob explained that it broke his heart to read the letters. The people were in need, crying out for help, and he could not help them. For that reason, he no longer read them. Joanna’s persistent inquiry of what to do with the letters eventually ended with Bob declaring that if she was tired of cleaning around them - just take them to the burn barrel. But, he warned, do not open them, they will just break your heart. As she burned the letters, she felt compelled to pull a couple of them out. One was from Paul Sichone.
Billy, Paul and Paul’s family (2004)
Paul was a new Christian, hungry for the word of God and seeking a Christian pen pal. He lived in Ntatumbila, a remote village on the northern border of Zambia. We gave Paul’s name to Billy Sampson, who has corresponded with him ever since. Paul had been witnessing and ministering in the remote villages of northern Zam-bia. He had led a large number of people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. His recurring question to Billy was what to do with a congregation once you had it. Actually, Paul had congregations in Ntatumbila, Mushani, Kangwa, Mutowe, Lukumba, and Nteko. He had leaders in each church, but their training was minimal (some did not own a bible).
His plea for help weighed heavily on our souls and the Lord placed an overwhelming desire in our hearts to travel there, to train these men and determine what needed to be done to set the churches in order. God made a way for four of us to take this trip: Billy Sampson, Ray Mayfield, our Pastor Dr. Randy Davis and Monnie Sears.
Paul had 19 men in leadership positions for these churches. These men were the focal point of our min¬istry. Another 20 to 30 ministers were also there for the training. Paul had us scheduled for three one-hour classes every morning and an hour-and-thirty-minute class every afternoon. A four-hour crusade was scheduled every evening for the gen¬eral public. Training for the ministers focused on basic doctrine and church government. Attendance for the cru¬sade topped 500 a couple of nights. (Ntatumbila has a population of 1500.) They said we were the first white men to ever visit this village. We saw in these people a hunger for the things of God more intense than any of us had ever witnessed. I counted 86 born-again during the crusade.
Bible Warehouse partnered with Zion Word Church to provide a small library to Paul, his 19 ministers and 20 others who were associated with Paul. This library consisted of a Study Bible, a KJV reading Bible, a Bible dictionary, an English dictionary, a Strong’s Concordance, a Vine’s Expository Dictionary, a New Testament Commentary, and a college level course on Jesus.
In 2006 a second trip was made by Brother Billy and Pastor Davis. Again, the focus was on training the ministers. A minister named John Atieno made a 930 mile trip from Kenya to be in these meetings.
Paul had 19 men in leadership positions for these churches. These men were the focal point of our min¬istry. Another 20 to 30 ministers were also there for the training. Paul had us scheduled for three one-hour classes every morning and an hour-and-thirty-minute class every afternoon. A four-hour crusade was scheduled every evening for the gen¬eral public. Training for the ministers focused on basic doctrine and church government. Attendance for the cru¬sade topped 500 a couple of nights. (Ntatumbila has a population of 1500.) They said we were the first white men to ever visit this village. We saw in these people a hunger for the things of God more intense than any of us had ever witnessed. I counted 86 born-again during the crusade.
Bible Warehouse partnered with Zion Word Church to provide a small library to Paul, his 19 ministers and 20 others who were associated with Paul. This library consisted of a Study Bible, a KJV reading Bible, a Bible dictionary, an English dictionary, a Strong’s Concordance, a Vine’s Expository Dictionary, a New Testament Commentary, and a college level course on Jesus.
In 2006 a second trip was made by Brother Billy and Pastor Davis. Again, the focus was on training the ministers. A minister named John Atieno made a 930 mile trip from Kenya to be in these meetings.
A third trip in 2009 was made by Dr. Davis, his son Seth, Billy and Monnie. In addition to the seminar for ministers, we visited eleven of the churches that Paul has planted. Several days were also spent ministering along the way at churches of other pastors we have met over the years.
By the time of our fourth trip in 2012 we had developed a relationship with another church planter in Zambia, Dr. Cosmos Zgambo. He has established one church in Botswana and seven churches in southern Zambia. The seventh is in Livingstone, on the southern border of Zambia at Victoria Falls. We spent one week there, training his ministers. We spent one day visiting a museum and the falls. Then we met Paul in Lusaka, the capitol city, for a week of ministry to pastors in that area. Paul now has 20 established churches and several other fledgling churches.
By the time of our fourth trip in 2012 we had developed a relationship with another church planter in Zambia, Dr. Cosmos Zgambo. He has established one church in Botswana and seven churches in southern Zambia. The seventh is in Livingstone, on the southern border of Zambia at Victoria Falls. We spent one week there, training his ministers. We spent one day visiting a museum and the falls. Then we met Paul in Lusaka, the capitol city, for a week of ministry to pastors in that area. Paul now has 20 established churches and several other fledgling churches.
Dr. Cosmos & Family
After that, we traveled to Kisumu, Kenya to meet John Atieno and the ministers under him. Since 2009 we had began supporting John’s orphanage, which houses 60 children and several widows who help care Dr. Cosmos and family for the children. We had partnered with Moss Bible Church to provide new latrines for the orphanage. An¬other minister, Benard Okumu (a friend of Paul), brought all his ministers there. A pastor named Joseph, from Rwanda, had rid¬den a bus for 18 hours to attend the meetings. He has 18 churches. We held a week long training seminar for all these ministers. On the way to Nairobi we stopped at Benard’s church in Nakuru where we taught all day and into the night. On our last day we drove to Nairobi and caught the plane home.
John Atieno’s orphanage in Kisumu, Kenya
Dr. Davis and Billy made a fifth trip in 2013 to minister again in Kenya and then traveled to Rwanda to train Joseph and his pastors. Again, the focus of the trip was to train ministers.
In 2014 Billy and Dr. Davis travelled to Rwanda and Uganda to train ministers. Paul Paul Sichone is now L3 Africa Ministries. Brother Fred Siame has taken Paul’s place of leadership in the Zion Word Churches of Zambia.
In 2014 Billy and Dr. Davis travelled to Rwanda and Uganda to train ministers. Paul Paul Sichone is now L3 Africa Ministries. Brother Fred Siame has taken Paul’s place of leadership in the Zion Word Churches of Zambia.
Paul Sichone is now L3 Africa Ministries. Brother Fred Siame has taken Paul’s place of leadership in the Zion Word Churches of Zambia.
Publishing
After returning from Zambia in 2004, the Lord laid it upon my heart to publish booklets on various subjects for the African ministers. There are now 29 titles in print with over 15,000 copies distributed. These booklets are also popular with the chaplains and prisoners.
We also publish two books by our pastor, Dr. Davis. They are the “Jump Start Manual” and “The Holy Ghost, For Believers Only”. We print the Jump Start Manual in English, Spanish and three African languages.
For Dr. Cosmos, we have published two books, “The Holy Spirit in Bible History” and “Biblical Counseling in Life & Ministry”.
founded 1983
Spreading God’s Word one Bible at a time.
