What Most Visitors To Nashville Don't See

Nashville, Tennessee.

City of country music.

Home to the Grand Old Opry.

Vanderbilt University.

And…

A recent business trip for the hubby allowed me the chance to visit the home to all things United Methodist. Our hotel was conveniently located right across the street from the current facility which is located at 2222 Rosa L. Parks Boulevard. The facility was renovated for the move from downtown Nashville to the Metro Center area in 2015. The facility was formerly the Fountain Square Mall. The newly repurposed and renovated facility was sparkling and integrates the new with the old. I loved being able to tour the facility with Amy Smith who is the Chief Administrative Officer and Assistant to the President and Publisher.

A massive statement greets visitors in the entrance to the building. It is a good motto to live by.

As you look at some of the pictures I hope you enjoy reading some of the facts about this organization and the facility.

Mission:

Reaching more people in more places with quality services and resources that help them come to know and deepen their knowledge of God through Jesus Christ, learn to love God, and choose to serve God and neighbor.

Buildings and rooms are named after important people in the United Methodist movement over the years including the John Dickens House main building and the Georgia Harkness Library.

Signs include old printing plates as a way to keep part of the history alive.

The United Methodist Publishing House is a publisher and distributor to Christian and laity and has the primary responsibilities for the publishing and distribution for The United Methodist Church.

I especially loved all of the old printing equipment including drawers filled with typesetting materials. This connection to the past is everywhere in this building.

The Publishing House is a fully self-supporting agency and receives no general church funds.

When have you seen an old card catalog complete with cards?

There are several “parts” of the United Methodist Publishing House including Abington Press and Cokesbury.

Abington Press is the publishing imprint for The United Methodist Publishing House and crosses denominational boundaries with thought-provoking and enjoyable books. Cokesbury, on the other hand, was founded in 1789, and is the retail arm of The United Methodist Publishing House. While they both fall under the umbrella of The United Methodist Publishing House they are definitely separate entities and function differently.

Old printing presses, cash registers and other objects from the original facility in downtown Nashville are sprinkled throughout the modern building. The mascot created by the huge IT department is made of computer parts.

Growing up I have vivid memories of visiting Cokesbury stores with my dad and up until a few years ago there was a store located at Lakeside, Ohio where we go yearly for East Ohio Annual Conference. The storefronts were phased out and all materials and publications are now available solely online through their website at Cokesbury.com.

The Publishing House is overseen by a board of 21 individuals: 15 are elected by the 5 jurisdictional conferences, 2 by the UM Council of Bishops, 2 represent the Central Conference, and two are chosen by the board itself.

The United Methodist Publishing House is the oldest and largest general agency of The United Methodist Church. It was established in 1789 in Philadelphia as the Methodist Book Concern.

A chapel is a place that welcomes everyone who enters to sit and meditate.

Many of you are familiar with Vacation Bible Schools and the impact that they can play on a young child’s life. I was excited to see the “hub” where the creativity and ideas form and come to life.

The integration of the old with the new helps maintain the history of this organization. The building that originally housed the Publishing House was filled to the rafters with artifacts of all shapes and sizes. I had to admit that I loved being able to see some of those that were worked into the design of the building. While they are not used they are on display in a wonderful way to incorporate how the past can be part of the future.

Artwork throughout is beautiful and often incorporates items that were once used in production as is the case of this beautiful piece that uses the plates that were covers for publications.

Impressive? Yes.

Beautiful? Yes.

Inspiring? Absolutely.

If you are ever in Nashville don’t miss the opportunity to take a tour of The United Methodist Publishing House. It is a really impressive place where there is much more going on than I could cover in a blog post. Check out their website for more information on the history and more details.