By Mike Willis
Words Of Appreciation To Johnny Stringer
This is the last issue of Guardian of Truth for 1985. The last issue generally contains the topic and author indexes for the year. These indexes make the material in the bound volumes of Guardian of Truth accessible for those who collect them. Johnny Stringer, faithful gospel preacher from Loudon, Tennessee, prepares our indexes for us. He is doing an excellent job, making the information in the bound volumes readily accessible for years to come. We appreciate the work which he does. Many of you appreciate the indexes; now you know who to thank for making them available.
Appreciation To Guardian of Truth Bookstore Customers
The Guardian of Truth Bookstore has just completed a record year in sales. We have picked up many new customers and new accounts. We appreciate the goodwill and encouragement which we receive from our customers. The sales which we enjoyed this year enabled us to print some more new books in the revision of the Walking With God material, to publish a new church directory for 1986, this magazine, and other materials. We appreciate your business because it enables us to continue producing material which is useful to faithful Christians. Other bookstores exist solely to make money; our bookstore exists to pay for publishing material which Christians cannot generally find elsewhere.
Brother and sister O.C. Birdwell, with their fine staff, continue to provide good service to our customers. Orders are generally mailed the same day they are received (at least within 24 hours), unless they require special attention (such as back ordering which places the customer at the mercy of the publisher). In my meetings, I hear brethren compliment the service they receive from our bookstore. Recently, a customer in West Virginia commented that he placed his order late on a Monday and received it on Wednesday. Customers appreciate that kind of service.
Our business is in better condition now than it has been in the recent past. We are delighted to be in our own building with suitable accommodations for walk-in business. Our financial situation is improving month by month. There are always books we would like to print if more money were available to us. We have several new works we would like to print and some classics we would like to reprint, if funds were available.
Guardian of Truth Foundation: A Service Organization
The Guardian of Truth Foundation remains a service organization. We are not an individually supported missionary society; we support no preachers and do not consider it our work to do so. We publish and market religious literature. The profits which are accumulated from this legitimate business enterprise, in keeping with our non-profit charter, must be used to publish more material. Those profits cannot be paid as stock dividends, for there is no stock in this company.
A dedicated Board of Directors donates their time and money to administer the affairs of this organization. The Directors receive no compensation for their time or travel expenses. Theirs is a labor of love. The men are respected preachers and business men from various parts of the country. We appreciate their sacrifices and good-will.
Some men mistakenly think that those who work for an organization such as the Guardian of Truth Foundation are in a glory position. Nothing could be further from the truth. There is no glory in packing books, filling a book order, sweeping a floor, and other jobs associated with running a bookstore. Our bookstore manager does this because he believes in what we are doing. There is no glory in proofreading articles, tracts, and books, addressing and mailing a magazine, maintaining a mailing list and accounts for subscribers and advertisers. I do this work because I believe in what we are doing – providing good literature for Christians to use in their teaching program and a magazine which provides a forum for Christians to discuss problems within and without the church.
Future Plans For Guardian of Truth
The year 1985 has been good for Guardian of Truth. We had so many new churches choosing to advertise with us that we had to add another page of advertising. Our subscription list remains stable. We had good response to our special rates for new subscribers and many names have been sent to us for samples copies of the paper.
We have several special issues planned for 1986. We will begin 1986 with a special issue entitled “Lest We Forget.” This issue will remind us of the battles which have been fought in the past with an admonition not to forget the important Bible truths which we learned in such conflicts as the church supported missionary society, church supported benevolent society, church supported college, use of mechanical instruments of music in worship, sponsoring church arrangement, church sponsored recreation, etc. We think you will want extra copies of this special issue for wider distribution.
Later in the year, we plan a special on “The Restoration of New Testament Christianity.” This special issue will remind us of our heritage, emphasizing our need to continually teach on the need for the restoration of the ancient order. Fundamental lessons, sermons which some are neglecting and omitting, on such themes as baptism, the Lord’s supper, the organization of the church, etc. will be presented in this special issue.
Other ideas for special issues are beginning to be worked on. We think that 1986 will be a good year for reading Guardian of Truth. You will not want to miss it.
Appreciation For Our Writers
I personally would like to close with a word of appreciation to the many brethren who have written for us in 1985. Our staff of writers includes some of the best preachers living. Their work is respected and appreciated all over this country. In addition, we receive many unsolicited manuscripts for publication. I appreciate every one of them. The brethren who take the time to write their lessons and share them without readers are appreciated. We appreciate their good-will, as seen in the fact that they chose us to publish their article. May their tribe increase.
Conclusion
We look forward to serving you in 1986. As 1985 draws to a close the staff at the Guardian of Truth Foundation sends you seasons greetings and wish you a Happy New Year!
Guardian of Truth XXIX: 24, pp. 738, 751
December 19, 1985