More than sixty participants representing twenty-some countries and regions from the Northern Asia-Pacific Division (NSD), Southern Asia-Pacific Division (SSD), and Southern Asia Division (SUD) gathered together for the Regional Publishing House Managers and Publishing Directors Workshop at Panda Hotel, Hong Kong, from August 13 to 18, 2018.
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The workshop was facilitated by the General Conference publishing department directors focusing on the following four publishing areas of emphasis:
1. Total Member Involvement in Missionary Literature
2. Full-time and Part-time Literature Evangelists
3. Student Literature Evangelists
4. Spiritual Nourishment of Church Members
The first two days focused on publishing house management and operation with attendance mainly comprised of the publishing house managers and Division publishing directors. Major agenda items included Book Planning Committee—subscription and trade books, local church publishing coordinator as publishing house representative, the importance of financial statements, distribution system for trade books, Open House Day, websites, e-books, missionary book pre-orders, etc.
The next three days focused on publishing department agenda with additional attendees, the publishing directors from the Unions and Local Conferences/Mission publishing. Major discussion items included the above-mentioned four areas of publishing emphasis, their challenges and opportunities, their strengthening factors, etc. All publishing houses and Division/Union/Conference/Mission publishing departments gave their reports to the group. The reports were inspiring and encouraging.
On Sabbath, all participants joined the worship service at the Hong Kong Adventist Hospital Church with the sermon delivered by Elder Almir Marroni, GC publishing director. After lunch and a brief tour of hospital, the group moved to Abram La Rue’s gravesite at Happy Valley to have a short closing, commitment ceremony to pay tribute and to follow the footsteps of the pioneer, the first literature evangelist and first Seventh-day Adventist in Asia.
By Stanley Ng, NSD Publishing Ministries Director