Bibles for Missions opens new location in Orleans

Linda Sprunt
Special to Spur Ottawa

Bibles for Missions (BFM) has opened a large new store in Orleans. The Canadian non-profit organization is more than just another thrift store. They also funnel a surprising amount of money to international mission work.

“The benefits of a thrift store, itself, are great for a local community,” says Rick Ojala, manager of the new Orleans location. But Ojala asserts that BFM stands out from other thrift stores.

“BFM is a true non-profit organization. The managers in the 49 stores across Canada are not in it for the money. Many have been willing to take a financial hit because they believe in the ministry of BFM.”

The Orleans location opened last October, about seven years after BFM first came to Ottawa. (The Merivale location is still going strong.) BFM began in Chilliwack, BC, in 1989. Founders Ben DeRegt and Morris Thalen were inspired on a mission trip to India, after seeing firsthand how the Bible League Canada was changing lives. They decided to find a way to help fund the work and Bibles for Missions was born.

“One hundred percent of the net revenue from converting donated used goods into cash is turned over to the Bible League,” explains BFM executive director Casey Langbroek.

In 2015, BFM gave $8.6 million to missions. Since their inception they’ve given more than $70 million to advancing the gospel. The Bible League uses the money to purchase Bibles and to deliver literacy training, children’s programs, church planting, and community development-services to the persecuted Church.

The new Orleans location is beautifully laid out, with a wide range of second-hand goods. Since their inception, Bibles for Missions has given more than $70 million to international missions. Photo courtesy of Bibles for Missions.

“Because of that [focus], we don’t want to water down who we are,” Ojala says. “We pray for people in the store. Even though it’s politically incorrect, we’re willing to do it no matter the cost.”

One BFM volunteer, Marlene, says on its own, the pray they offer “is a ministry, even if we never sold anything.”

Volunteers are the backbone of Bibles for Missions. They take volunteers from all walks of life. Some are recovering addicts or men in the prison system. Others are students doing community-service hours or people who just want to help out. Volunteers work incredibly hard to ensure the sorting process runs smoothly in the huge warehouse area in the back of the new store.

Unlike some thrift stores, BFM doesn’t send any donations to the landfill. Half the donated items are sold in the retail side of the store. The remainder is either donated or sold to other charities.

Although the store is still new, they sense God’s presence deeply and have seen God answer prayer in powerful ways. One example came as winter approached. They needed an industrial sized floor mat to keep people from slipping on wet floors. At the very moment a staff member was asking the Lord to provide one, someone dropped one off.

At its core, BFM is about the Gospel. Although not everyone can be a missionary overseas, as BFM volunteer and board member Janice points out, you can still make a profound difference by donating and shopping at Bibles for Missions.

“You know how you always want to help out overseas, but either you don’t have the money or you are too scared to go by yourself? Well this is a way to help missionaries without going across the ocean.”