The thick early morning fog and persistent drizzle gave way to a splendidly warm autumn day on September 8 as church leaders, members, and guests gathered at Stanborough Press in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England, to celebrate 140 years of service of the publishing house.
The event, which coincided with the annual Stanborough Press Open House, called the attendees’ attention to God’s steady providence through the decades as leaders and staff renewed their commitment to the publishing ministries of the Adventist Church in the United Kingdom and beyond.
“We were set up 140 years ago by the General Conference with a mission,” current Stanborough Press general manager Elisabeth Sanguesa said. “That mission was to spread the word of God outside of the US, in the English territories. And that’s been our mandate since 1884.”
Scores of members, traveling from other regions of the UK, arrived early to celebrate “140 years of impact, of lives changed, of community transformation, of people coming to Jesus through the printed page,” as Philip Baptiste, secretary-treasurer of Adventist-Laymen’s Services and Industries (ASi) supporting ministry, said in a prayer to open the anniversary celebration ceremony. Baptiste is the author of Leading Like Jesus, a book on Christian leadership published by Stanborough Press.
Regional and world church leaders attended, including General Conference (GC) publishing ministries associate director Stephen Apola and British Union Conference president Eglan Brooks.
“Literature reaches where we cannot go,” Brooks reminded those attending the ceremony. “I think God has opened marvelous doors through the use of literature to do evangelism.… I think that we must continue to utilize the resource of the printed page.”
Greetings from around the World
Other Adventist leaders from all over the world who were not able to attend in person sent their greetings via video messages.
“Now, more than ever, the world needs messages of hope and faith,” GC publishing ministries director Almir Marroni said through video. “Looking ahead, I am confident that Stanborough Press will continue to play a vital role in our mission.”
GC Ellen G. White Estate associate director Dwain Esmond agreed. “You have been an example of faithfulness to God down through the years,” he said. “Stanborough, your future is better than your past,” he told Stanborough Press leaders and staff.
“The Lord still has wonderful things for you to do,” added Audrey Andersson, a GC vice president, in a celebration that she called “an Eben-ezer moment,” explaining its biblical meaning as “thus far the Lord has helped us.”
Likewise, Ministry magazine associate editor Jeffrey Brown, also a Stanborough Press author, showed his gratefulness for the publishing commitment to include voices from diverse Adventist backgrounds. “Thank you, Stanborough Press, for moving with the times. May God continue to bless you in inclusive ministry, in creative ministry, because the books you published are a blessing all around the world.”
GC president Ted N. C. Wilson highlighted the mission-driven nature of the enterprise. For him, the anniversary is “an opportunity to see that God’s mission continues through the printed page in hard copy and electronically,” he said. “God will use all of you celebrating and using materials produced by Stanborough to further the coming of Jesus.” He added, “God is asking you to reaffirm your commitment to the publishing work, helping people to have Christ-filled, Bible-focused literature.”
A Scholarly Presentation
The celebration ceremony included a lecture by guest speaker Kevin Burton. Burton, a historian who is currently the director of the Center for Adventist Research at Andrews University. Burton discussed how Ellen G. White’s womanhood has been treated by both her apologists and critics in books and other publications, something that, he said, informs how we discuss Ellen White in public spaces.
According to Burton, “While apologists have creatively disguised White’s femininity to preserve conservative gender dynamics within Adventist culture and the denominational hierarchy, the critics have used White’s womanhood to denigrate Seventh-day Adventism as a crazy cult.” He added, “Gender-based bodily assessments have played a determinative role in divergent assessments of White’s literary career.”
Every Contributor Important
After Burton’s presentation, Sanguesa reminded those attending the ceremony that every person involved with the publishing house has been a key link in its development and survival. “Many people have come before us; we are just building up on their hard work for many years,” she said.
Specifically, Sanguesa mentioned the ongoing support of the General Conference and Stanborough Press’s partnership with the Pacific Press Publishing Association (PPPA) in the US, and others. PPPA’s president, Dale Galusha, sent his greetings through a video message.
Sanguesa also had special words of appreciation for those who have led and served at Stanborough Press before her. They included Paul Hammond (general manager 1984-2015), who commended the support of PPPA and the Review and Herald Publishing Association through the years. Hammond also highlighted what, according to him, made working at Stanborough Press so special. “The most valuable asset we have is the staff,” Hammond said.
At the same time, Hammond acknowledged God’s blessings through its 140-year-old history. “I praise Him for it,” he said, “and I am thankful that Stanborough Press has continued the work throughout the world of producing books which bring people to the knowledge of Christ.”
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