Special Editions Highlight the 140th Anniversary of Stanborough Press

Two special-edition publications recently highlighted the past and present history of Stanborough Press, the Seventh-day Adventist publishing house based in the United Kingdom.

An anniversary edition of Messenger, the journal of the Adventist Church in the UK and Ireland, brought to the forefront the history of Stanborough Press, which in 2024 is celebrating its 140th anniversary. Likewise, a high-quality booklet shared the history of the publishing house, emphasizing its “140 Years of Service” to the world church. The 54-page booklet was distributed among church leaders and members who attended the September 8 Open House and anniversary celebrations at the publishing house, located in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England.

An Ongoing Mission

The special edition of Messenger, dated September 6, highlighted not only the history of the press but especially the significance of its mission of sharing the gospel and supporting the evangelistic, nurturing, and inspirational needs of the church in the UK and beyond. Concerning that issue, several past leaders who served in the publishing ministry of Stanborough Press shared some thoughts on the publishing house’s 140th anniversary.

“The desire to heed the Master’s call to spread the everlasting gospel into all the world is the spark that keeps the work [of Stanborough Press] going,” said Cecil Perry, president of the British Union Conference (BUC) from 1991 to 2006. “Only in heaven will we know the true influence of the work of Stanborough Press over these 140 years.”

“I have built a lifetime around this conviction,” said David Marshall, Stanborough Press editor for more than 30 years (1979 to 2010). “We are what we read.” Against that background, Marshall celebrated the mission-focused work of Stanborough Press, which, quoting Vance Havner, calls us not to look “for something to happen” but “for Someone to come.”

Likewise, Julian Hibbert, Stanborough Press editor from 2010 to 2019, called on church leaders and members to thank God for publishing houses. “Well-written Adventist books change our relationships, beliefs, attitudes, and actions,” he wrote. “Let’s thank God that books change lives, while taking time to reflect on how they have changed yours.”

Former BUC president Don McFarlane (2006-2011) concurred. Quoting Adventist Church co-founder Ellen G. White, he reminded church leaders and members that “there are many places in which the voice of the minister cannot be heard, places which can be reached only by publications.… Our literature is to be distributed everywhere” (Southern Watchman, January 5, 1904).

Still an Influence for Good

In that context, Stanborough Press continues fulfilling its mission, current editor Dusanka Rancic emphasized. “Stanborough Press still influences people with its publications, guiding them towards God and inspiring them to grow spiritually,” she wrote. “We firmly believe in God’s cause, follow His lead, and regularly witness the transformative power of His word.”

In a similar vein, current general manager Elisabeth Sanguesa emphasized that “evangelism and nurture are our mission, and the fact that we are still here 140 years on … convinces me even more that our contribution to the mission of the church is still very much necessary, and that God has not finished with the publishing ministry yet — and with our publishing house in particular.”

While Sanguesa, who has led Stanborough Press since 2015, acknowledged that “the key to our survival and the key to our success will be our ability to innovate and be more agile,” she emphasized the mission of Stanborough Press is certainly part of the larger mission of the Adventist Church. “That is why we need not only to continue to exist, but to thrive, and to focus on mission even more,” she wrote.

About Stanborough Press

What would eventually become The Stanborough Press Limited opened in 1884 in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, about 18 years before the formal organization of the British Union Conference. The operation was moved later to a suburb of London, starting full production at Stanborough Park in Watford, Hertfordshire, in 1909.

On January 3, 1964, a massive fire destroyed most of the Stanborough Press facilities. After the fire, leaders voted to move the publishing house north to its current location in Grantham, where it has been operating since 1966.

Throughout the decades, Stanborough Press has faced numerous challenges brought by changes in regional and world markets, loss or retirement of key editors and other workers, and instability caused by world events. But at the same time, Stanborough Press eventually managed to expand in the export market, reaching previously unentered territories, Sanguesa emphasized. At the same time, the publishing house began to publish and distribute titles in languages other than English, reaching markets abroad but also catering to the growing multicultural membership in the UK and Ireland.

In the past few years, Stanborough Press has strengthened its partnerships with other Adventist publishing houses, introduced an online store, and continues to focus on producing printed and digital resources for church members, families, and leadership training, Sanguesa said.

“We remain committed to using all the means of [Stanborough Press]… to develop, produce, and distribute books, periodicals, electronic media, and any other products that will introduce people to Jesus and affirm the Seventh-day Adventist faith,” she said.