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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, April 10, 1981
2,300 at SALEM, OREGON
Again the next Sabbath, April 4, eleven of us flew up to Salem,
Oregon, for a combined meeting of brethren at the 26th anniversary of the
Salem Church. There were 2,300 in attendance--including the Portland and
Eugene churches, and even as far south as Medford, Klamath Falls, and
other points in Oregon.
I gave a similar message as a week before at Chicago, and we had a
splendid meeting with some fifty or sixty ministers and wives in a
special meeting afterward.
I intend to continue speaking on the same theme--the UNIQUENESS of
the Conunission God has given us compared to any other era of the Church
since Christ founded it in 31 A.D. Christ's commission to us is DIF
FERENT in many respects from that of the Church at any other time or
generation. Ours is the END-TIME Message, preparing the way for Christ's
second coming.
The Church has been slumbering and sleeping spiritually for several
generations. By, and after, 70 A.O. the Church had
to
flee--and again in
the Middle Ages. It had to meet secretly because of persecution from the
governments of the Roman Empire, and the medieval "Holy Roman Empire,"
under the fallen great woman, "Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots
and Abominations of the Earth" (Rev. 17:5).
The Church was slumbering and sleeping spiritually when I first came
among the Sardis era. But the midnight hour struck when this voice began
crying out the message of the Kingdom of God and Christ's imminent return
to restore the Government of God and establish that Kingdom. The "mid
night hour" was to strike as a warning before Christ's coming (Matt. 25:6).
IT HAS STRUCK. WE ARE THE CHURCH THAT MUST AWAKE! After us will come-
out of the soon-coming "GREAT TRIBULATION"--the lukewarm Laodicean Church.
But WE have a very special commission, preparing the way for Christ's
coming (Mal. 3:1-5), and raising up the SPIRITUAL TEMPLE (Eph. 2:21) to
which Christ will soon come.
My early ministry, just prior to raising up of the Philadelphia
Church, was in the area of Salem and Eugene, Oregon. It was great to be
back there and speak to so many brethren there.
I am planning to speak to combined groups of our churches about every
two weeks--at such centers as New York, San Francisco, Cincinnati, St.
Petersburg, Fla., New Orleans, Toronto, Washington D.C. or Philadelphia,
Lake of the Ozarks, and other centers.
I plan a visit to our Churches in Australia and New Zealand in May,
and England and Germany in July. I have a VERY BUSY SCHEDULE AHEAD!