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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, SEPTEMBER 21, 1984
An advertisement with an insert card for The PLAIN TRUTH and THE SEVEN LAWS
OF SUCCESS appears in the September READER'S DIGEST. Before the end of Au
gust we had already received over 20 responses to this ad, although theore
tically it should not yet have been in circulation!
From Australia and Asia So far this year over 43,500 new readers have been
added to the Australian PLAIN TRUTH mailing list--a 161% increase in new
subscriptions over 1983. These new subscribers have come on file primarily
from the Newsstand and Library/Waiting Room programmes, and from advertise
ments in READER'S DIGEST and leading Australian magazines.
At the end of August the Australian PLAIN TRUTH mailing list totalled
93,598--a 56.6% increase over the same month last year.
PLAIN TRUTH circulation now ranks ninth in Australia, out of a total of
1,400 titles published in this country. In March this year we were ranked
number 13, but the substantial growth in circulation here in recent months
brought about a marked improvement in our position.
In Asia, by the end of August, 24,010 new subscribers had been added year to
date to �he PLAIN TRUTH mailing list. There are now 49,914 subscribers in
Asia currently receiving the magazine. This represents a 23.2% increase
over 1983. The bulk of the new Asian subscribers responded to PLAIN TRUTH
advertisements in READER'S DIGEST in selected Asian countries. READER'S
DIGEST ads have now been placed in South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Sri
Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore.
Solid growth has occurred in GOOD NEWS circulation over the past eight
months. By the end of August, GOOD NEWS subscribers in Australia totalled
10,535--a 40.8% increase over 1983. In Asia, The GOOD NEWS mailing list has
increased by 54.9% to 1,563 subscribers.
A total of 23,325 letters were received in August--a 10.4% increase over
the same month in 1983. Our year-to-date letter count increased by 41.2%,
while the volume of literature mailed out during the first eight months of
this year increased by 35.6% over the same period last year.
We continue to be most grateful for the income that Jesus Christ supplies
His Church in this area for the preaching of the Gospel.
In August,
members', co-workers' and donors' contributions resulted in a 15.2%
increase in income, bringing our year-to-date increase to 14.6%.
Mr. Armstrong's May, 1984 semiannual letter offering the two booklets WHERE
IS THE TRUE CHURCH? and THE SEVEN LAWS OF SUCCESS to date has brought in
8,951 requests from Australian subscribers. This represents a 12.5% re
sponse.
From Asia we are sti11 receiving responses to Mr. Armstrong's November,
1983 semiannual letter. Responses to this letter so far
total
9,904, rep
resenting 26.4% of the mailing list. Approximately 1,600 responses to Mr.
Armstrong's May, 1984 semiannual letter have reached us from Asian coun
tries so far.
At the end of July, Mr. Bill Winner, assistant to Mr. Morton, conducted a
Public Bible Lecture on two consecutive nights for PLAIN TRUTH readers in
Newcastle. The first night Mr. Winner covered the fall of Britain and the