October 30, 2015

Barclay Press Names New Publisher

The Barclay Press board of directors is pleased to announce that Eric Muhr will begin serving as publisher at the start of the year. Eric replaces Dan McCracken, who worked for 44 years as the general manager and publisher at the Friends (Quaker) publishing enterprise.

The transition – nearly a year in the making – started last January when Dan announced his resignation in a letter to the board: “It is time for a new generation to take Barclay Press into a new era of communication. It is time to empower a new generation with trust, faith, and by stepping out of the way.”

In the intervening months, Eric has worked alongside Dan and other staff to gain an understanding of what Barclay Press is, what it does, and how it might move into the future with purpose.

“Evangelical Friends have a story that the larger Church needs to hear,” Eric wrote. “And each of us evangelical Friends has our own story, experiences that – when shared – connect people to Christ, to us and to each other. Barclay Press has weathered nearly six decades of change, sharing these stories. The story of Barclay Press, the stories we’ve been given to share – they still matter.”

Eric serves as the youth pastor at Newberg Friends Church. He also brings experience in curriculum development, in writing instruction, and from nearly seven years as the writer of a daily column carried by newspapers in Washington and Idaho. Eric’s innovative uses of social media include one Instagram community, @Oregonexplored, with more than 150,000 members and a growing network of professional partners.

Roles and assignments for Barclay Press staff will be adapted to allow Eric to take the Publisher/CEO position on a part-time basis while reducing his time commitment at Newberg Friends.

“Eric has the intelligence, insights and the commitment to the Friends Church that will lead to a new era in Quaker communications,” Dan said. “I believe his analytical mind will find new answers to old problems. Eric has what it takes to navigate the exploration of new communication paradigms. His experience as a reporter, teacher, youth worker, and social media innovator all contribute to a rich background that will enhance his effectiveness at Barclay Press.”

Dan’s history at Barclay Press began in 1967 doing typesetting as a Linotype operator. He left Barclay Press for 2-1/2 years (1978-81) when he moved to Jackson, Mississippi, to serve as communications director for Voice of Calvary Ministries. When he returned to Oregon, he took on editorial and publishing roles and also worked as a pressman. In 1987 he was appointed general manager of Barclay Press. He left that position in 2000 prior to Barclay Press selling the printing operation and reorganizing to focus on the publishing aspect of the ministry. Dan returned in 2001 to head up the restructured Barclay Press.

The history of Barclay Press can be traced to 1948, when Ray Carter and Ralph Fletcher each put up an investment of $3,000 for offset printing equipment that they used to print Northwest Friend magazine (later replaced by Evangelical Friend). When Carter died in 1959, Oregon Yearly Meeting (now Northwest Yearly Meeting) purchased the equipment and renamed the operation Barclay Press.

Barclay Press is a Friends (Quaker) publisher based in Newberg, Oregon.