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PASTOR GENERAL'S
REPORT
TO THE MINISTRY OF THE
WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD
VOL.5, N0.16
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA
FROM MINISTERIAL SERVICES
Prospective Member Status Clarification
APRIL 22, 1983
With the recent member/PM update being sent out and the upcoming mailing of
the Feast sign up listings, we have been receiving questions regarding
young people, usually children of members, who attend Church services and
the Feast but for one reason or another don't seem to be heading toward
baptism. In general, these people are 18-25 years old, may or may not be
married, attend college, live at home, or want to attend the same Feast site
with their parents. Usually their association with the Church comes from
having attended with their parents as children or teen-agers. The question
has to do with whether or not they should be considered as prospective
members.
We do not want to broaden our definition of a PM to include these people. A
PM should remain as one who seems to be actively pursuing baptism and by the
pastor's judgment will probably be baptized within six months to a year.
However, we don't want to drive these young people away, because they are
better off with their relationship to the Church than if they were cast out
into the world. In the proper time and place, they should be worked wieh
and encouraged toward conversion, but only God can call and we can only work
with that call and encourage it along. We may water, but God grants the
growth.
In respect to the Feast listing, it is not necessary to classify these young
people as PMs in order to add them to the list.
Unless they are attending
the same site as their parents, they will need a separate record and their
names and addresses will have to be added to the listing. Each year they
will again have to be added because we automatically include only members
and PMs on the list.
International News
News From Canada March saw the beginning of God's holy day season. Attend
ance on the two high days increased by an encouraging 7.1% and 7% respec
tively. These figures reflect good steady growth in God's Church. The
offering was a plus 11.9% on the first day of Unleavened Bread and a plus 8%
on the last day.
This month Dr. Roderick Meredith and his wife paid a special visit to the
Vancouver office. On the Sabbath during Unleavened Bread he traveled to
Victoria and preached to the congregation there. On the last holy day he
preached both sermons in Vancouver. Dr. Meredith last spoke in Vancouver
in 1962--giving the initial sermon to begin regular Sabbath services. This
year we had an attendance of 811--considerably higher than the 66 who
gathered in June of '62 to hear that first sermon.
In March there was a record number of WATS calls received in the Vancouver
office--1, 287.
Although still small compared to Pasadena WATS figures,
this reflects continued growth
in
this area.