The first issue of Truth & Tidings was sent out in July 1948. A sample issue was printed in May with the following desire expressed by the editorial board: “The object of the magazine we trust will be proven by the contents to be the glory of God, the blessing of His people, the declaration of His truth, and the furtherance of the Gospel.” That desire remains unchanged after 75 years and the passing of three generations. We owe an enormous debt to those generations who have passed along God’s truth and committed it to us “to teach others also” (2Ti 2:2).
In the article which follows by A.J. (Sandy) Higgins, you will read about some of those men and the challenges they tackled to bring wholesome and Christ-centered teaching as well as news of assembly activities from near and far to thousands of believers in printed form over many decades. We marvel at their perseverance and thank God for their faithfulness.
I wish to express, on behalf of the entire current editorial board, my thanks to Sandy Higgins, whose sterling service as Editor spanned one-third of the magazine’s entire history and brought T&T into the digital age. Under his leadership, the magazine became available online as an entirely free resource on our website.
With the Lord’s help, T&T begins its 76th year. In addition to the exceptional work and valuable input of the Associate Editors, there are many working behind the scenes to bring the magazine into homes, whether in print or online. Handling subscriptions and the arduous work of Treasurer is Andrew Dennison, who took over in 2021 for Paul Glenney, who had been serving in this way for nearly three decades. Simon and Catherine Brown do an excellent job of handling UK subscriptions.
Russell Coleman has been serving as layout designer since 2019, getting the magazine to the printer on time every month, navigating constant deadlines. The graphics work is done by Don Draper and Christy Higgins, who are responsible for creating upwards of 200 high quality images in a given year to accompany the published articles. Becky MacLeod serves as the magazine’s main proofreader, and always catches what writers (and editors) have missed. It is a painstaking task and she executes it with extraordinary precision.
News from many assemblies is collected and edited by Eddie Wong, and he labors under a very narrow window of time to get all the tidings published.
Once completed and printed, the magazine is shipped out from Jackson, MI, by Paul and Tal Wielenga, who have labored faithfully in this service for 15 years. The printing and distribution of UK magazines are now being capably handled by Paul Trimble.
Shortly after the printing of each month’s issue, its contents are uploaded to the T&T website by Shawn St. Clair, who also skillfully oversees all social media for the magazine.
Finally, a sincere note of appreciation is due to all of you. Only because there is an audience with a hunger for the Word of God, and who pray for the work of God, are we entrusted to serve in this capacity. And if the Lord preserves the magazine for another year, five, or even 75, we trust it will be to “the glory of God, the blessing of His people, the declaration of His truth, and the furtherance of the Gospel.”
