"Seventh-day Adventists operate more than 67 publishing houses in the world with the mission of proclaiming the Good News. At the present time, there is no Adventist press operating in Vietnam,” said Velino Salazar, secretary of the Southern California Conference, as he spoke at the El Monte Vietnamese Church on Dec. 6.

His words underscored the significance of the afternoon dedication service for a fledgling Vietnamese press operation based in the Los Angeles area.

Seven years ago, Pastor Vinh Khac Nguyen and a small team of faithful members began publishing a monthly outreach magazine called The Voice of Hope. From an initial run of 200 copies, circulation of the magazine has grown to 4,000 copies monthly. The publication is distributed throughout North America and in several other countries.

Because The Voice of Hope organization had limited funds and costs of publishing literature were high, Nguyen says, “I became impressed that a printing press was needed so that more materials could be printed in Vietnamese and circulated far and near among the Vietnamese people.” He and others united in earnest prayer that God would open the way.

Two weeks after the prayer session, Nguyen received a call from an organization in Seattle, Wash., that wanted to donate a commercial printing press and paper cutter. The owner’s only requirement was that Nguyen needed to find a way to move the equipment, valued at about $7,000. With a rented truck and the dedication of members Sua Vo and Anh Ngoc Le, the printing equipment was relocated to El Monte.

In addition to maintaining a busy pastoral schedule, Nguyen translates and coordinates for the new ministry. Two church members with printing skills, William Lee and Sua Vo, volunteer Sundays and at other times as schedules permit. On the 2004 printing schedule for the Vietnamese press are three missionary booklets and three disease-prevention booklets, both 30 pages and pocket-sized; 1,000 sets of Daniel seminar lessons; and 1,000 copies of The Great Controversy.

According to Nguyen, the Vietnamese press will be a literature resource for the 10 Vietnamese Adventist congregations currently worshiping in North America. The literature will assist the churches in reaching out to the more than two million Vietnamese people living in the United States. El Monte Vietnamese Adventists are prayerfully targeting the close to 100,000 Vietnamese in California who reside largely in Los Angeles County where the El Monte Church is located.

Already, a total of 20,000 Searching for Peace tracts have been printed and are being distributed to Adventist Vietnamese churches to assist in enrolling people in Bible studies—studies that are being developed at the El Monte Church. “Please pray for this new ministry,” requests Nguyen. For further information, please call 626-454-1304 or e-mail vknguyen@earthlink.net.