‘Just bring them back’: Thief snatches boxes of Bibles off pastor’s porch

This browser does not support the video element.

By Elsa Gillis

GASTONIA, N.C. — A Gastonia porch pirate probably didn’t know it, but they recently stole two dozen copies of the word of God.

Channel 9 spoke with the victim, Jeff Williams, who explained the good the Bibles were intended for.

Williams said only one of three cases of Bibles were at his door. When he confirmed FedEx delivered all of them, he realized he was the victim of a porch pirate theft.

The thief stole 24 Bibles worth more than $1,000.

[ RELATED: Five tips to keep your holiday packages safe from porch pirates ]

Williams is a pastor at West Franklin Baptist Church. He and his wife run Inspiration for Inmates, a nonprofit which sends study Bibles to federal and state inmates by request across the country.

The organization began after a deeply personal and emotional journey for Williams’ family.

“We have a younger daughter, unfortunately, that got addicted to meth. So, through her circumstances, she’s spending four years at a federal prison,” Williams said.

He told Channel 9 they sent their daughter a study Bible to offer some guidance and other inmates started requesting them.

Williams said his daughter is doing well now and they turned the requests into an opportunity to give dozens of inmates a source of inspiration.

“That’s one of the things that’s so sad -- that we lost these two cases because they were already tagged for inmates,” he said.

This browser does not support the video element.

Williams is asking the porch pirate to simply return the Bibles.

“We’re kind of curious as to what the folks thought when they opened the Bibles, and I would say this: If its something that you’ve taken and you’re not interested in, just bring them back. Drop them off in the driveway because we need to get them out to folks who want them,” he said.

Police said they are investigating several cases of porch package thefts and recommend people have packages sent to a pickup location instead of their home if they are at work during the day.

More information on Inspiration for Inmates here.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com: