Model Railroad Hobbyist has on the bottom of its staff masthead page a dedication that reads:

Published to the glory of God.

We get questions and even some heated remarks about this statement in our magazine, so here's why this is there and what it means.

Why this statement is here

This statement is the personal dedication of MRH owners Joe and Patty Fugate because we are Jesus followers and we believe all that we do, especially creative works, are ultimately to honor our Creator. Not all of the MRH staff nor our model railroading friends are believers, nor do we insist that they be. However, a number of the staff do believe in Jesus and we make no secret of that fact.

What does this statement mean?

So how does this affect what MRH does as a model railroading publisher? We believe God takes it personally how we treat each other and He wants us to contribute to the well-being of each other through commerce, teamwork, and creative pursuits. Jesus never made any distinction between "sacred" or "secular" and so neither do we. Jesus never indicated we are to carve off this part of who we are and stuff it in the corner. Jesus said we're to do all that we do to the glory of God. We believe all of life's pursuits are important to God and He holds creative works that add beauty to our world to be akin to His Holiness, having a spiritual element that elevates and inspires the human spirit like nothing else we can do.

Whether you agree with this or not, here is what this means to you as a reader of MRH:

1. Our commitment to publish MRH for the benefit of modelers everywhere is something we do not take lightly. We're committed to doing business ethically, always.

2. Our name Model Railroad HOBBYIST means we see people as more important than the stuff of the hobby, so our goal is to help modelers everywhere develop their God-given creative skills to the fullest and to enjoy the hobby thoroughly. The more satisfying the creative pursuits, the more our spirit is elevated and the more we add just a bit of new beauty to this creation.

3. To our advertisers, this means we are committed to seeing your business prosper and be blessed to the fullest extent possible. As we grow, we want to see you, our advertisers also prosper more - it means we prosper to the extent our advertisers prosper.

4. To our contributors, this means we want to see your works reach the widest possible audience and help the largest possible number of people. We want to treat you well and pay you a fair amount for your efforts.

5. We admit we're human and fallible. We make mistakes, and for that we ask for your understanding and forgiveness when we fall short. Only one person was ever perfect, and we're not Him.

6. If you are a believer as well, we'd appreciate your prayers. We believe in the power of prayer, and we thank you for remembering us if you are a praying person.

This is why we have this statement in MRH, what it means, and how it describes who we are. If you don't happen to agree with what we believe, that's okay. We have many model railroading friends who don't share our worldview and that doesn't stop us from calling them our dear friends.

--Joe and Patty Fugate, owners, Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine