The annual meeting of Adventist Book Centre managers has marked the continuing growth and impact of Adventist books and bookselling in the South Pacific.
In the past year, two new Adventist bookshops have been opened on the island of Bougainville and reports showed how books and resources are contributing to the growth of the church, particularly in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific islands.
At a lunch with the staff of Signs Publishing, Max Lassah—Chief Financial Officer of the Central Papua Conference—led a prayer of dedication for two new Signs books, including Following the Spirit by Peter Roennfeldt. “This book will be very important to us,” said Mr Lassah, reflecting on the use of Following Jesus and related resources by church members in Papua New Guinea. “We thank Signs for creating these resources for our members, and understand that we are all part of the team that is making a difference in our churches and communities.”
According to Signs Publishing manager, Andrew Irvine, these meetings might have been the largest such gathering of Adventist bookshop. Managers and came from Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Vanuatu. The meetings took place at JumBunna Lodge in the Yarra Valley, Victoria, from March 2 to 7, and included visits to Signs Publishing, Nunawading church and the Adventist Book Centre at the Victorian Conference office.
“Our team at Signs and in the Pacific has experienced a number of tragedies in the past year,” reflected Mr Irvine. “But our work continues to grow, there is a strong sense of the mission among our ABC managers and CFOs, and God is blessing the work that they do.”
