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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, August 8, 1980
Page 2
he spoke to approximately 1375 members in attendance at the combined
Sabbath service of the upper midwest Churches of God which included the
four Chicagu churches, two churches from Milwaukee, as well as the
Kenosha and Wisconsin Dells churches. Ministry and members from Rock
ford, Illinois, Elkhart and Michigan City, Indiana were also present.
The group met at Chicago's famous McCormick Place.
The Ministerial Dinner Meeting
Thirty-seven people were in attendance at the dinner meeting with Mr.
Rader and his party, including seven full-time ministers and their wives,
as well as eight local elders and their wives--all representing the eleven
upper midwest churches.
Mr. Rader told the ministry that legal backing is coming from many di
verse religious groups and organizations. This, of course, is coming as
a result of other churches clearly seeing the need to make a united effort
to preserve the freedom of churches to operate as they choose.
It is obvious that we are coming to the turning point in the case, as Mr.
Rader noted that we are now beginning to see a change in the media's per
ception of the Attorney General's intentions in the lawsuit. The public
is also growing noticeably more aware of the real issues. Mr. Rader
said it will be Mr. Armstrong versus the Attorney General, with the ques
tion being squarely, "Who will run the Church, Christ or Caesar?"
Mr. Rader emphasized how the lawsuit has had a galvanizing effect on the
membership. Their support and loyalty, empowered by deep convictions,
brought some outstanding examples to the fore, and gained the respect of
the media at large. And, significantly, God has turned a Satanic attack
into a powerful vehicle to help Mr. Armstrong preach the gospel to the
world, especially through the full-page newspaper ads he is writing.
Mr. Rader said that we must take advantage of this opportunity and not
become defensive. He drew a parallel with Paul's experiences in Rome when
many people came to listen to him because of the controversy surrounding
his message. The Church has been thrust into the limelight and we must
take advantage of this as the opportunity it is. We are using the ad
campaign to not only educate the public about the true facts of the law
suit, but also to preach the gospel and to tell them what the Church is
all about while we have their attention.
Mr. Rader reminded the ministry that the Attorney General has tried to
misinform the public. We have proof of his saying one thing in court and
another when questioned by the media. He has yelled "fire!" when there
is no fire. But sooner or later the media catches on. Recently, a
government official, the U.S. Attorney General, was caught in a lie
about the "Billygate" affair.
Mr. Rader stressed that even though you are right, you may still have
to prove you are right. He used the example of the Jehovah's Witnesses
a few decades ago who went to jail for their rights which they subse
quently recovered (A municipal jurisdiction had tried to charge them a
fee for the right to pass out literature in public). Mr� Rader also
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