WHAT IS HEBRON?

Hebron Books is a Christian ministry that reaches out to inmates, currently serving time, in prisons and correctional facilities across Canada. Hebron distributes books of hope (at no charge) to over 100 prisons and correctional facilities. Inmates have the opportunity to correspond with one of many compassionate volunteers. 

The purpose of Hebron Books is to provide an incredible hope to those serving time to prepare for and upon their release. Hebron also gives people a chance to give back and give blessings to those in need through donations and volunteer opportunities; writing and printing of books, distribution and correspondence. 

Total number of facilities supplied by Province:

Newfoundland (3), Prince Edward Island (2), Nova Scotia (6), New Brunswick (9), Quebec (21), Ontario (27), Manitoba (9), Saskatchewan (9), Alberta (16), British Columbia (15), Yukon (1), Northwest Territories (4), Nunavut (1).

THE HISTORY OF HEBRON

Ernie Hollands, a career criminal, spent a combined sentence of 25 years in prison.  On March 12, 1975 Ernie prayed, asking Jesus into his life and was radically transformed in his cell.  After his release in 1976 God used Ernie to bring this life-changing message of Christ’s freedom to those inside and outside prison.  Ernie and Sheila were married in 1977 and worked together for 20 years seeing many more lives transformed by Jesus Christ until God called Ernie ‘Home’ in 1996.

In 1992 Hebron Ministries started publishing true life stories of inmates whose lives had been transformed by Christ.  Sheila Hollands has continued Hebron Ministries until her retirement in June of 2017; at which time she handed the reins over to Cal Maskery of ShekinahGO to continue this great ministry.

HOW IT WORKS

WHO

Men and Women are reached through prisons and correctional facilities across Canada. Other ministry groups, churches, and individuals can have access to these books at no cost by simply contacting Canadian Bible Society to make their request.

BOOK DISTRIBUTION

Boxes are packed and mailed out by Canadian Bible Society.

Throughout the year, there are many opportunities to fill specific requests for books from Chaplains and other ministries looking to enhance the lives of those in prison.

CORRESPONDANCE

After the books are read, Hebron regularly receives letters from inmates. Some are very open about their loneliness or despair. They are all touched in some way by the book they read. Many will request more books and further help spiritually. They are connected with a local Prison Ministry that offers free bible study courses or topic studies.

For each inmate that writes, they are matched with a suitable volunteer who will begin corresponding with the inmate, becoming their spiritual mentor. Correspondent volunteers are always welcomed, so no inmate is left out. 

Some inmates seek further support in our other programs once they have served their time.

THE BOOK COLLECTION

Hebron currently has 8 titles in its family of books (with some in French and Spanish). The stories contained are about men and woman who have experienced one or more of the following: a life of crime, addiction, abuse and incarceration. 

All stories are true and were written to provide “hope for a better future” to inmates serving time.  Each story ends with a transformed life; a life of freedom, completely changed by God’s unconditional love.

Thousands of books are shipped each year to over 100 prisons across Canada; over 10,500 books were shipped in 2017.

  • Ernie Hollands tells how the love of God changed him after serving 25 years in different prisons. His life story has impacted thousands. Someone has said that it is the most dramatic “before and after” saga you will ever read.

  • At age 10 Jim Cavanagh was sent to a Boy’s Training School because of his troubled childhood. At age 15 he became hardened to the core by the prison system which became Jim’s home for the next 20 years. Then Jim’s heart was captured by Christ’s love and what a dramatic change. He found inner peace despite the broken pieces of his life.

  • This is the true life-story of Cal Maskery and his father who taught him a life of crime and addictions. They are two amazing examples of how God changes badly broken human lives into beautiful people living to serve others. Two men in darkness, despair and in prison. Yet in separate maximum-security prisons, both men experienced the forgiving, restoring grace of God, changing them profoundly. New hope, new life!

  • Six men share their life-stories, so others might be helped. Now forgiven and living for God, they have left behind their lives of crime, drugs, violence and prison time. When there seemed to be no hope, something wonderful happened.

  • True life-stories of six men and how their lives changed when God’s love reached into their hearts. Escaping prison, hooked on crime, high on drugs, under the influence of alcohol, pulling the trigger, hurting anyone they met, but now delivered and on fire for the Lord.

  • Here are the true stories of the different lives of one woman and five men. Each one takes you on a journey of pain, hurt, crime and despair. Then out of despair into the rebuilding of lives because of God’s amazing grace and the deep caring of the community of believers. They are letting the light of Christ shine through their brokenness.

  • True life-stories of six men who reached bottom, found hope and now want to share this hope with others. From drug addiction, crimes, prison time, violence and spinning put of control, their lives are now transformed, and they are serving the Lord.

  • Life-stories of five women who experienced freedom and liberty. They tried numbing the pain of abuse and rejection with alcohol and drugs. But Christ offered them a way to break through those emotional walls and find a way out. You too can experience the same freedom and liberty.

  • Nikki Rosen lived through the traumas of life. Her story is compelling simply because she should not be where she is now. Read about her miraculous deliverance and painstaking recovery. Anyone who reads Nikki’s story will have no doubt that God’s love conquers all.

STORY OF TRANSFORMATION

It was on November 24, 2019, my moms 69th birthday.  I had release conditions not be at her address because I previously smashed the window out of her ex husbands/stepdads window while in the parking lot of her apartment. I called to ask her if I could come to her birthday dinner but she told me I wasn’t allowed to and that the police were looking for me. So, I rode my bicycle to the OPP Station and turned myself in. 

I got into the Southwest Detention Centre and immediately began writing my story. After two days in, I was pacing back and forth on range when a guy named Chris yelled down at me and said, “Hey Jimmy! Throw this book back on the bookshelf for me.”

A book fell into my hands from the sky. I caught it with ease as the title looked me straight in the eye:

DRUGS! DEALED! DELIVERED! 

“I think I might read this instead”, I said. 

Right away, I was called out to the yard, where I ended up getting into a fight. I swung at him and I slipped out on the freshly mopped floor, where he was able to punch me directly in the nose, which broke it. We fought until I was tackled by the guards and thrown into handcuffs. I was taken to solitary confinement where I was told that I would stay until I was adjudicated. It wasn’t until the next evening that the guards brought my stuff to me: my papers and that book. 

December 01, 2019 in solitary confinement, I began to read the second story in the book. It was the story of Cal Maskery. This man had a lot of similarities to me. A lot of dad issues as I had. I was always chasing my father for a relationship and kept getting turned away time and time again. I thought to myself that I wanted to write Cal. 

Around 11pm, halfway through Cal’s story, I put the book down and got onto my knees and said, “God I need you to save me. I am at the end of my rope, the bottom of the barrel. God save me now… I am yours.” 

 Tears began to roll down my cheeks and hit the concrete floor. As the tears hit the concrete floor, the waves of goosebumps through my knees and to the tips of my fingers and top of my head. Every tear hit the floor sent a separate wave of goosebumps through my body. I was so overwhelmed by this occurrence, I began losing my breath with happiness. I knew it was the Lord. My tears stopped as I began to smile.

 I stood to my feet while wiping away my tears. For the first time in my life alone in solitary confinement at 37 years old, I felt I had been saved. There was no other explanation. I asked God for a sign. When I looked at the book again, I found an address that I could reach out to Cal Maskery.

After 3 long years of life of addictions ending with a heavy fentanyl addiction, I spent the last $350 I had to take a 36hr train ride to Moncton NB to finally meet the man who was in the book.  He picked me up and invited me into his home for Thanksgiving dinner with his family. After supper, Cal drove me over to my new home at ShekinahGO to enter his 12-Step Recovery Program. 

After one week in the program I have been welcomed with love and open arms to enter the body of Christ and it has miraculously changed my whole perspective on life.

Thank you Cal, Rose, Jamie Newman, Charles, Matt and the rest of my new families for bringing me into the light of Jesus to overcome my weakness , having the spirit of the Lord with me now.

God bless Everyone!