OKLAHOMA—On July 14, Philadelphia Church of God audio recordings staff members completed The Psalms of David and the Psalter of Tara audiobook, a 268-page book that took about 75 man-hours to complete. The project began on Aug. 21, 2024, and CDs were mailed to visually-impaired subscribers this week. The audio was also made available on theTrumpet.com as an MP3 and on popular podcast apps.
The audio recordings department has two full-time staff members, a few additional assistants and one volunteer equipped with professional recording facilities. Each audiobook is mailed out automatically, upon completion, in CD form to those subscribed to the service (visually-impaired or blind). It takes an average of 20 days for completed audiobook CDs to reach mailboxes. The recording and editing process for magazines requires around 24 to 28 hours, plus several additional man-hours of post-production work. Audio becomes available within hours or days on podcast apps and on theTrumpet.com library.
In March 2017, two audio booths were built upstairs in the mail processing center for the expansion of the audio recording work. Since 2018, the department has produced audio for 47 Philadelphia Trumpets, 36 Royal Visions and 29 audiobook edition updates, with about a dozen people involved in recording, editing or developing audio. Some projects span months, such as the 105,000-word book Biblical Manhood.
In 2021, 2022 and 2023, there were several months where Trumpet audio was not produced, mainly due to personnel shortages and other priorities. From late 2021 to early 2023, the department did not produce audio issues of the Royal Vision. Later that year, they began producing every other Trumpet issue and every Royal Vision issue, posting it online at pcg.church with a link to download. Production has been consistent for the periodicals ever since.
More than 100 audiobook versions of PCG English-language books and booklets are now available as podcasts, or as MP3 downloads on theTrumpet.com. About four are in the production stage.
Some platforms, such as Apple Podcasts, Overcast (for Apple devices) and AntennaPod (for Android) have features like chapter selection. Some apps, such as Spotify, are available on both Apple and Android devices (although Spotify does not support chapter selection). Some paid apps such as Pocket Casts are also available.
To listen, search for “PCG audiobooks” in your podcast app. The audio recordings staff said they hope these books will be enriching for both blind and visually impaired brethren, but also for traveling, commuting or performing routine tasks. They said members can pray for new methods and technology to elevate audio quality. “This is in the works,” said staff member Harley Breth, “but we really need God involved throughout.”