On Friday, September 20, about 70 former employees of Standard Publishing and their spouses met to renew friendships and share memories, recalling the years they served together in Christian publishing.
The gathering—organized by Sheryl Overstreet, Joann Van Meter, and Elaina Meyers—was held in the Community Room at the Christian Village at Mt. Healthy in Cincinnati, Ohio. The site was selected because of its proximity to the former Standard Publishing plant on Hamilton Avenue in Mt. Healthy. Standard Publishing, in fact, donated the property upon which the village was built in the early 1960s.
“What a great evening!” one attendee wrote. “It was such a blessing to catch up with so many friends.”
“So happy to see so many friends,” wrote another. “I missed those who were unable to be there. It really was a wonderful evening!”
Those who gathered for the three-hour event included editorial, production, customer service, IT, and front office employees. They spent the evening sharing stories and reflecting on the unique atmosphere of their former work environment. For many, their time at Standard Publishing was as much about friendships as the job at hand. From scheduled coffee breaks to holiday dinners, from the counsel of good friends to prayer times in chapel, the consensus was that Standard Publishing was a great place to work.
“What a fantastic evening!” observed one former employee. “I truly felt like it was a tiny glimpse of Heaven.”
Standard Publishing traces its roots to 1866, the year Christian Standard magazine was first published. For nearly 150 years the company produced true-to-the-Bible study materials for the local church. In December 2015, Christian publisher David C Cook acquired the majority of Standard Publishing’s assets, excluding Christian Standard and The Lookout magazines.
The Solomon Foundation purchased Christian Standard Media, owners of the magazines, in February 2017 and established the nonprofit Restoration Movement Media (dba as Christian Standard Media) to oversee and operate them.
Did a Mary Feds work here? Standard Publishing? She was my grandmother. Thank you.