Retired Chaplain Plans to Set UpHobby Print Shop to Benefit SLI

By G.A.Franklin

Even while fully employed in the printing and publishing industry before accepting my call to ministry, I had a hobby of collecting my own pieces of printing equipment, always in the hope of having my own print shop. That opportunity came in the mid 1970s when the so-called "quick copy" industry was in bloom. I ran my own shop with one employee while employed full time in a bigger shop. Both provided great satisfaction. 

After a couple of years, I discovered my call to ministry was overcoming my love of publishing, and so changes were on the horizon. The print shop was bought to the house and became a hobby. After being ordained, I set out on a path with a plan to retire from active ministry by the recommended age of 70. Unfortunately my back had other plans, causing the retirement to be eight years earlier which opened the door to experimenting in online and blog publishing.

My printing "career" began in the seventh grade when my mother became our church's Secretary, a position she held for 30 years. She typed and I mimeographed (printed) what she typed. We were a team and that made it all the more fulfilling. Nine years later when I was drafted into the Service, she was on her own, although I guess my dad helped out. Upon my return, I helped out whenever possible and have many fond memories of those times together.

So I guess I could now call this having come full circle. I have managed to collect a bunch of later-technology equipment and hope to get it up and running for the purpose of fulfilling a promise I made to Roger Covell which involves printing booklets for the historical materials I have gathered and written about concerning the Silver Lake Institute. As I thought about this, I began to think that perhaps I could make a significant donation to the Worship program by providing cost-free worship folders (bulletins) for the SLI Worship Services from my own hobby shop.

This became very significant since this is the first year since I began serving the Institute, that the Worship Committee was going to have to find additional help for this project, and my offer to the Committee Chair was accepted with appreciation.