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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, JULY 20, 1984
The Pietersburg outlying Bible study in the Northern Transvaal is now
attended by 35 members. Mr. Dan Botha, pastor of the Pretoria churches,
visits Pietersburg once
a
month.
We have
decided that
a
Church
service
should be conducted during his monthly visits. This usually takes place on
the first Sabbath of each month. In May there were 61 in attendance.
The offerings during the Days of Unleavened Bread and Pentecost were excep
tional. The average increase over 1983 was 52%--a truly wonderful response
from the members.
Preparations for the 1984 Feast of Tabernacles are progressing very well.
We look forward with great expectation to the arrival of two guest speakers
from Pasadena: Messrs. Leroy Neff and Dexter Faulkner. Mrs. Neff and Mrs.
Faulkner will accompany their husbands. Mr. and Mrs. Neff will attend the
Feast sites in Durban and George. Mr. and Mrs. Faulkner will visit four
Feast sites in Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
We are now sending The PLAIN TRUTH in bulk by sea to Mauritius. This was
decided because postage rates doubled recently.
By shipping the 5,000
copies to Mauritius and then mailing them locally, we not only reduce costs
but are also able to pay in rupees from the local fund.
A Regional Ministerial Conference attended by all 19 full-time ministers
and their wives was held at the picturesque Drakensburg Garden Hotel near
Estcourt. This fine facility took the ministers and their wives "out of
this world" from May 20th to 24th.
During the conference, R�gional Director Dr. Roy McCarthy brought the
ministry up to date on worldwide aspects of God's Church and local
developments. He encouraged the ministers to focus on communication with
God, teamwork in supporting Mr. Armstrong, and individual improvement as
ministers to serve the members and those God is calling. An outline of
subjects covered in Refreshing Program III was also given to help handle
some of the immediate needs in Church areas. Subjects covered were music,
nutrition, physical and spiritual fitness, army call-up, SEP, the 1984
Feast of Tabernacles, youth counselling, prophecy, being a shepherd and
loyalty. Activities during a free afternoon, four evenings and meal times
allowed much appreciated warm and close fellowship.
We look forward to the challenge of completing this end-time work now of
global impact, entrusted to God's Church, His Apostle Mr. Herbert W. Arm
strong and his support team around the world.
From the Australian Office
We are grateful to Jesus Christ for a most
successful and productive first half of 1984 in the work of God's Church in
this area of the world. Since January, just under 30,000 new subscribers
have been added to the Australian PLAIN TRUTH mailing list.
This
represents an increase of over 200% in new subscribers compared to the
first six months of 1983.
The majority of these new subscribers came on file in response to "The WORLD
TOMORROW" telecast, the newsstand programme, advertisements in leading
magazines, noticeboard cardholders, and the library/waiting room programme.
By the end of June, PLAIN TRUTH circulation in Australia had risen to
85,455--a 45.7% increase over the same month last year.