‘A new Witness for a new time'

These are desperate times. The drums of war rumble in the background of our lives, unemployment is reaching new highs, the economy is precarious, and the last national election gave evidence of a strong conservative backlash in this country. Many of the people in our churches reflect this reality, and it is sometimes difficult to offer the Bread of Life when so many have already been filled with the Bread of Anxiety.

Never has the need for the prophetic voice of The Witness been greater – or, under greater threat. The title of this essay, which was used in a recent staff report to the board of the Episcopal Church Publishing Company (publisher of The Witness), was taken from a working paper prepared in 1989 to assist the board at that time in deciding how to go forward into the 1990s. Then, as now, the financial resources of the Episcopal Church Publishing Company were dwindling. Then, as now, the possibility the board and staff faced was the loss of The Witness' prophetic voice.

The new board of the Episcopal Church Publishing Company, working closely with the staff of The Witness, believes that God is doing a new thing. We are choosing to see opportunities even in the midst of danger. We are beginning to see the emergence of a vision for a new Witness for a new time.

This may mean that The Witness, as a magazine, begins to look different and have a different publishing schedule. We may need to provide an alternative print vehicle while expanding our capacities in cyberspace. We are beginning to explore cooperative ventures with affiliate organizations. Exciting new ideas for membership development are emerging.

Edmund Burke said, "Desperate people in desperate times do desperate things." As Christians, however, we are a people of hope. The board and staff of the Episcopal Church Publishing Company are committed to going forward in a way that ensures a future for this important voice of prophecy that, for more than eighty years, has challenged the church to stay focused on its mission. We intend to do that by staying focused on the sacred mission that God has given us as the Episcopal Church Publishing Company.

We ask your prayers as we move forward into this time of challenge and discernment and decision.

– The Executive Committee of the Episcopal Church Publishing Company, for the Board of Directors