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PASTOR GENERAL'S
REPORT
TO THE MINISTRY OF THE
WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD
VOL.l, N0.18
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA
A FIRST in the Colossus of CHINA!
by Herbert W. Armstrong
DECEMBER 12, 1979
The visit to Communist PEOPLES' REPUBLIC OF CHINA was a significant
FIRST!
It was the first time a world church leader from the world of
Christianity had been invited to visit, speak publicly, and meet privately
with leaders of the vast Peoples' Republic of China.
These Chinese leaders with whom we spent four jam-packed days rep
resent and rule over ONE BILLION PEOPLE--A THOUSAND MILLION--one-fourth
of all the people on earth!
I myself had not realized before that China occupies even more
square miles of land area than the United States!
Except possibly our many visits to, and friendships made in ISRAEL,
this was the MOST IMPORTANT, and the most successful trip ever made over
seas. We were royally received and treated.
A full report of our visit will appear in the February PLAIN TRUTH,
and perhaps the same report earlier in either the GOOD NEWS or the World
wide News.
We arrived Tokyo Friday, November 30. Flew on to Peking Sunday
December 2, arriving late afternoon. Three government limousines were
driven up to our plane on landing and a reception committee was there to
welcome us--including the president and vice-president of the government
library and educational system. A woman interpreter was assigned to us,
who rode with Mrs. Armstrong and me to the government guest State House.
This is an apartment building maintained for government guests. Mrs.
Armstrong and I were given a three-room suite, Mr. and Mrs. Rader a suite,
and there were single rooms for all the rest of our staff, including air
craft staff and our TV and cameramen.
There was a welcoming dinner for us that evening. Monday evening
was the big dinner at the Peking Duck Restaurant in a large room, with
close to 400 present--government and university officials and wives. I
spoke there, and I think many of you already have heard the tape recording
of the speech program.
In most of my talks and speeches there I handled the Gospel of the
Kingdom Message by speaking of the problems today being too great for any
government to handle, but that what many scientists predict--the need
of a ONE-WORLD Government with one single military force--will be brought
about in OUR TIME, with WORLD PEACE and eternal salvation for all, brought
about by a "strong unseen Hand from Someplace." That way I avoided using
names of God, Christ, or the Bible, which I felt might be hostile to them
since they are atheists. Yet they all knew well that I am leader of the