NAD Publishing Directors Meet at Pacific Press

Although the North America Division publishing ministry confronted some challenges recently, it is emerging victorious. During September 18 - 20, 2007 more than fifty publishing directors from around the United States attended the NAD Publishing Director’s Council and met with representatives from the General Conference, the Review and Herald, and the Pacific Press in Boise, Idaho for planning, motivation and inspiration.

The agenda, coordinated by Pastor Wilmar Hirle, GC Associate Publishing Director, and Pastor Mario Martinelli, Vice-President at the Review and Herald, gave the directors an opportunity to discuss how the canvassing work in each union can reach its objectives.

The student work programs, it was decided, need to be stronger and more goal-oriented in order to train capable leaders who will go on to develop strong programs for their students. Pastor Dale Galusha, President of the Pacific Press Publishing Association, said he would like to see more student programs. “The students are dynamic and can produce excellent results,” he stated. “Secondly, they understand the importance of using the health message books to open the doors.” During ensuing discussion, the importance of using spiritual books in conjunction with the message of salvation was reaffirmed. Finally, the directors were asked to put more effort into recruiting, preparing, and training regular LEs to help with the work. Pastor Rock Davis, youth coordinator from the Southern Union Conference remarked that it is very important to have good leaders who can establish good LE programs.

In their seminars, the lecturers presented new ideas to the publishing directors about how to make a difference in the field in the 21st century. In his seminar, Pastor Howard F. Faigao, GC Publishing Director, drew from his personal experiences as a publishing director to demonstrate how a director can be well-prepared to execute the functions of the publishing ministry, and the importance of getting the church involved in the distribution of books. Java Mattison, who is in his first year as a publishing director for the South Central Conference, said that the council was very important for him because of the quality of the information presented. He was impressed by the instruction to be a director who gives his church members the opportunity to spread God’s message through literature.

The Publishing Director’s Council reaffirmed the importance for LEs at all levels of the publishing ministry to work together in the same direction. The publishing houses and the distributors should support one another. Pastor Tercio Marques, publishing director for the Review and Herald and mentor of the Light America Mission, said that while we are growing and sales are increasing, it is still very important to recognize and remember that we need committed leaders in this ministry who can work together towards the same vision, because the foundation of the publishing work is its ministry.

The large number of testimonies shared during the council demonstrated that the ministry of the printed page is alive. Pastor Demilson Reis, publishing director for the Chesapeake Conference in Maryland, reported that in his conference 42 people had been baptized so far this year, and another 160 people are currently enrolled in Bible studies as a direct result of the LE’s work. Throughout NAD more than 1,000 people have been baptized during 2007, and more than $10 million worth of literature have been distributed. The importance of the missionary aspect of our ministry was very evident during the Council meetings.

Recognizing that this ministry is both a privilege and a responsibility, and is very important for the end of time, the publishing directors renewed their commitment to spreading books and preaching the gospel. Pastor Bob Smith, President of the Review and Herald, who has dedicated more than 50 years of his life to the publishing ministry, reminded everyone that the spirit of prophecy says that the publishing ministry will have a great future: It began as a blaze of glory, and it will finish in the same way.



Luis Biazotto,
Associate Publishing
Director

Review and Herald/
Southern New England
Conference

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