With this issue of Watchman we begin our seventh year of publishing. From the Prospectus issue, published to the web on November of 1997, until today, the effort has been a labor of love for yours truly. The reader will have to determine for himself the value of the material online, but we are gratified to have been able to share with you the wisdom and knowledge of the men who have written for the magazine.
We are likewise gratified that we have been able to archive the material, and that every article written in the previous six years remains available to this day, free of charge, to our readers. We have never sought to limit the reproduction of this material, and again repeat our desire that the articles get a wide reading. We ask only that the articles are reproduced completely and faithfully, and appropriate recognition is given to the author and the Magazine.
At present the magazine is published on a bi-monthly basis. While I wish for it to be a monthly, and many have expressed their desire that the magazine revert to a monthly publishing schedule, my schedule at present simply does not allow it. I am able to keep faithfully to the bi-monthly schedule.
Many men have written for the magazine. Some who have served as regular feature writers no longer serve in that capacity. Others have joined our effort. All of the writing they do is consistently on a high level. They are to be commended.
The technological side of the site is the most troublesome to me. From time to time I have to learn (or relearn) how to do a particular computer related task. Too, we have migrated to 3 different servers in the past 6 years, as the internet has grown and changed. While I enjoy learning more about the internet and maintaining a web site, I must admit to dreading certain of the tasks that come with maintaining the site. For example, for several months now, the forms I use to enroll readers on the mailing list, and to receive data for the church listings, have not worked. I know they don’t work (and appreciate those who have written to let me know), but every time I decide to buckle down and figure out how to fix it, something more important comes up. Please bear with me in this, and I will try to get to it soon.
Last issue I did not set up the section of the magazine that allows access for our PDA users to view the magazine offline. Again, my apologies. You will be glad to know that this issue has been set up for PDA reading.
Finally, I thought you might be interested (6 years later) to know how the idea came to mind to publish Watchman. It is especially relevant in light of some who seem to think there is a conspiracy, or society set up, using Watchman Magazine as its “propaganda arm.”
While in Germany early in 1997 (holding a meeting with the congregation where our White Unto Harvest feature writer, Steve Wallace, preaches), I began considering a quarterly publication on the internet. At that time I was aware of Warren Berkley’s and Jon Quinn’s Expository Files, but was not aware of what was then referred to as a WebZine, published by brethren. At the time, I did not contemplate anything on the scale of Watchman, was not considering purchasing a domain name, and had nothing more in mind than soliciting a few articles from faithful men, and publishing them to the web four times a year.
After returning to the states, I talked with brother Tom Roberts, who agreed that the effort was worthy, and I began fleshing out what came to be Watchman Magazine. Not having a name known to many, I asked brother Roberts (who I believe to be a man widely known by Christians to be a man of honesty, integrity, and faithfulness) to serve as an Associate Editor. I also asked my dear friend and faithful preacher Larry Fain to assist me as an Associate in the task of publishing and editing the paper. I thank these men for their help and support over the past several years. My thanks also to the feature writers for their wonderful work. I look forward to publishing the magazine for many more years.
The magazine is largely a one man effort. Though I seek and consider carefully the counsel of others when problems arise, or wisdom is needed, the content of the magazine, themes chosen, tone of writing, etc., are as they are due to my editorial decisions. As I do all the editing and publishing myself, the typo’s, glitches, and broken links are likewise my responsiblity. Please be kind, as I take full responsibility, and pray God’s guidance as the years continue. I carefully read criticism, and pray for an open mind to apply changes where warranted.
As we begin our seventh year, we ask that you continue to read and profit from the materials available to you in Watchman. May God Bless you in your studies.
Stan
