Located in Collegedale, Tenn., College Press has been in business for the past 103 years, and performs services which include offset and digital commercial printing, apparel silk screening and embroidery, warehousing, fulfillment, and promotional items.
In the fall of 2019, owners Brad Fisher and Rob Howell had the opportunity to acquire another small print company which included a fairly new printing press. After much discussion and prayer, they decided to donate the older press which College Press had owned for more than 20 years to the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Fisher and Howell knew there were many needs all over the world for printing presses, but decided to let the General Conference determine where this press fit best.
The Source of Life Publishing House is located in the Tula Region, just a couple hours south of Moscow, Russia. They have been in operation since 1992, and serve the Euro-Asian Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This is an extremely large territory that covers 11 time zones and 13 countries.
The publishing house has accomplished a significant amount of printing despite not having a quality, 4-color printing press like the one just donated by College Press.
“It’s important that the press which served us for so many years has the opportunity to make a significant difference for someone else,” said Howell. “Brad and I were compelled to make sure this press found the right home — and Source of Life Publishing House is it.”
Howell and Fisher, along with their wives, attended a dedication at Source of Life Publishing House this past February. After a four-hour program in which there was a ribbon cutting, a test press run, and several dedication prayers, the printing press was ready for service. “You can easily see how much this piece of equipment means to the people here,” said Fisher. “We’re honored to be a part of it, and are excited to see what they’re going to be able to accomplish with it.”
Importing religious material into Russia is a significant challenge, but printing and distributing within the country is more achievable. “We’re grateful for the generosity of donors like Brad and Rob,” said Almir Marroni, publishing director for the General Conference. “The gift they gave today will have ripples of impact for many years to come. Gaining access to equipment like this is not easy in Russia. I know the publishing house is extremely appreciative.”
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Southern Union | June 2020
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