The Cross & The Switchblade

“The Cross and the Switchblade” was one of the first Christian books I read. I was 18 years old and searching for God. I was asking Him to reveal Himself to me when I stole a copy of this book! I can remember sitting on my bed reading the book and crying and I prayed, “God, if there are people anywhere like this in the world, I want to meet them." The book had a powerful impact upon me. It was several weeks after that I was invited to a revival meeting at First Assembly of God, Anderson, Indiana. That night I heard the Gospel preached and responded to the altar call. Since that day I have been trying to follow Christ as a disciple.

Over the years I have heard many similar stories about the impact of this book. People are touched by the power of God when they read it. I believe that this book crosses culture and that it continues to impact lives over 40 years after it's publication. Because of this Karen and I have been seeking to purchase a bulk amount of the book in the Russian language in order to distribute them in Russian prisons and rehab centers.


We received permission to reprint the book for free distribution from the Russian copyright holders! We then talked with a local publisher who said they could print a very simple version for about $.30 per copy! We were excited and in just two weeks we raised $600.00. This would allow us to print 2000 copies! So we were making plans when we received news that there was a big misunderstanding. The printing cost would be much higher, but still reasonable at about $1.40 per copy if we print 1000 copies. If we print only 500 copies the cost is almost $2.25 per copy, so it makes more sense to print 1000. With that said, we still need about $600.00 in order to be able to print this book.

We are asking everyone who reads this to prayerfully consider giving toward this project. We have the opportunity to impact thousands of lives. Books distributed in the Russian prison system are passed from hand to hand, and read over and over again. Each book will contain contact information for a local church, faith based rehab center and a center for those needing transitional housing as they leave the prison system. Thanks you for reading this. Pray with us for the completion of this project and the continuing impact of this book as people read it. Working together we can reach thousands of people with the life-changing message of the Gospel.