May 28, 2019
by Jeremiah Owen
Director of Communications
In 1844, on the western side of North America (prior to California being a state), the first European laid eyes on Lake Tahoe and, on the eastern side of the continent, the first Sabbath Recorder rolled off the presses. It’s with great honor and respect that I am able to look back and survey the one hundred and seventy-five years(!) that the Sabbath Recorder has been bringing inspiration and news to Seventh Day Baptists. We don’t want to stop at 175: however, to continue we need your help.
Over the last nearly two centuries, the Sabbath Recorder has taken on many different format changes: from a newspaper to its current magazine format; from having advertising to being wholly supported through generous donations. A lot has changed over 175 years. The current to cost produce the Sabbath Recorder is just over $64,000 per year. This includes the costs for editing, printing and mailing. In the last four years we have reduced the number of printed copies; however, costs continue to rise for printing and mailing. Each year has seen the cost actually go up despite cuts to the amount of printing and shipping. We have updated our “Page Flip” versions of the SR in addition to adding a web edition (www.sabbathrecorder.com) and the SDB LINK app—all in an effort to provide other avenues for folks to enjoy the Sabbath Recorder and drive down costs.
The reality is that each year we continue to sell assets to subsidize the difference between giving and the actual costs to produce. At the current burn rate we will run out of assets to tap into in less than two years. We have some options and ideas on what we can do to extend the life of the Sabbath Recorder and well… they start with YOU the reader. First, if you have been blessed by the Recorder, see value in the Recorder, want to see the work continued, we need your financial support. We are asking you to donate to help us to continue to produce the Sabbath Recorder. If we can raise just $20 dollars per year, per person receiving the Sabbath Recorder, we can continue delivering the Sabbath Recorder with no changes to format or frequency.
As we look forward, we will continue to reach out and communicate as we move towards the beginning of 2020. Other possibilities include a subscription model and/or scaling back of the format or number of issues as we seek to extend the life of this storied publication. I know the Sabbath Recorder has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and with your help, I hope my great-grandchildren will be able to say the same.
You can donate via mail (ATTN: Sabbath Recorder, P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 5347-1678) or online at SeventhDayBaptist.org
“It could very well be that the best is yet to come!”