c. 1997 Religion News Service

DECATUR, Ala. _ The Rev. Edwin L. Hodges believes he has God’s stamp of approval on his ministry. But what he needs now are postage stamps to help spread the gospel throughout the world.

After serving as a pastor for 22 years, Hodges worked for Bibles for the World, where he spent 18 years speaking at conventions, seminars and other Christian-related events and learned of the vast need for Christian literature in foreign lands.

“I met people who said they had no literature in their country, and I just couldn’t believe it,” said Hodges. “I started receiving so many letters requesting Christian literature, I had to do something to help.”

Hodges, the author of two books, had just turned 64 and was working on his third book when he decided to take an early retirement to concentrate on his writing and figure out how to help Christians abroad gain access to religious literature and Bibles.

“From the first part of … 1994 until the last week in August (of 1994), I prayed for God to show me what he wanted me to do, but without a solid answer,” said Hodges. “Then the Holy Spirit started talking to me about the ministry and once he started talking, he didn’t stop for six weeks.” After those six weeks, Hodges said he realized three things.

“One was that there is an unlimited amount of Christian literature in homes collecting dust, but people don’t want to throw it away,” he said.

“Second, there is an unlimited amount of Christian literature being thrown away by churches,”he added.”Third, there are an unlimited number of people willing to take boxes and mail them overseas.”

With those three insights, Hodges set out to find churches and individuals willing to donate the materials, and others who would contribute money for postage.

Soon, the materials began to flood the ministry, and Hodges found himself in need of a large space to warehouse it all. He settled for eight rental storage spaces.

He also needed volunteers to help sort and pack the literature and began issuing pleas during speaking engagements.

Sue Glover was one to heed Hodges call.

“I had heard Brother Hodges talk at our church when he was with Bibles for the World, but I didn’t know about his new ministry,” said Glover, a member at Huntsville’s Holmes Street United Methodist Church. “It sounded like a worthwhile ministry, so I started volunteering.”

Glover said the ministry’s most pressing need is to raise funds to ship 3,000 packages of Christian resources by Christmas. Many of the 11-pound bundles have been sitting in storage for months, waiting for the $11.40 needed to send each box.

Desperate to move the boxes out of storage and into the hands of eager recipients, Hodges said he began “to cry out to the Lord at the first of the year to give me an alternate plan. He told me to start the 50,000 Club, which is to get 50,000 individuals to pay $1,000 each to send the boxes. In America, 50,000 Christians is nothing.”

One prayer was recently answered when a man from Atlanta donated $6,000 to send 36,000 pounds of material by ship to Liberia. Some of the materials are given to sailors who distribute them in various ports around the world.

Hodges mainly depends on volunteers for help with the ministry. He is the only full-time staff member. His wife, Edith, and a secretary, Lynne Woods, work for the ministry part time.

From October 1994 to this past June, Hodge’s ministry has mailed 1,197,682 pieces of literature in 25 different languages weighing 145,663 pounds at a cost of $158,491 to 64 foreign countries.

“It’s very difficult to get materials printed in languages other than English,” said Hodges. “Fortunately many people know English, or there is someone who knows English who can translate it.”

Hodges has received many thanks from those benefiting from his work.

“We are very grateful to you for helping with this literature,” wrote Lawrence Lamina of Ghana. “I am working among people with learning and physical disabilities. We are desperately in need of literature for special education. Such materials are not available in Third World countries such as ours.”

Ruth Gnanaprakasam of India wrote, “I have really been burdened about books for our Bible college, and my joy knew no bounds when you sent them. When you come across more books, please remember us.”

Eds: For more information contact Edwin L. Hodges Ministry, 1008 Dodd Drive, Decatur, AL 35601 or call 205-355-3004.)

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