When operations at the Swindon warehouse were briefly disrupted due to a flood in one of our two units in January, we were simply thankful that our books are mostly stored on pallets, which meant that damage to our stocks was minimal. We soon realised that this flood was part of the Lord’s higher plans for us when the landlord offered us a larger unit adjacent to our other unit for no additional cost!
This move was completed in May thanks to the hard work of our trusty volunteers. The additional space, coupled with the fact that it is now easy to move from one unit to the other, enables the team to continue their work of sorting and packing sound biblical books for pastors in some of the neediest areas of the world.
New books which have been donated or purchased at reduced prices from publishers, together with second-hand books received from a variety of sources are received and sorted by our dedicated UK volunteers who are in the warehouse most Tuesdays and Thursdays, arranging despatch to pastors around the world. Pastors in remote areas are supported on an individual basis and we make every effort to correspond personally with beneficiaries, taking care to understand the circumstances particular to each context so that we can send them the best literature to meet their needs.
While we continue to fulfil book requests from individual pastors across the majority world, our central hub strategy facilitates the dispatch of large book consignments, even entire libraries, in bulk.
This approach reduces costs and establishes a centralised focal point for our efforts within each country or region. Hubs also offer recipients swift access to resources and streamline communication, enabling us to promptly address their ongoing needs and ensure effective utilisation of the books.
Additionally, these hubs serve as crucial centres for our translation endeavours and serve as bases for planning and implementing training initiatives for pastors in need.
Currently, we have two pallets ready for despatch – one to Albania and the other to Uganda. Further pallets are being prepared for India and Ghana.