Basic HTML Version
PAGE 2
PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, FEBRUARY 22, 1985
On another subject, I am constantly reminded of the tremendous value that.
you wives are to your husbands' ministries. We can certainly appreciate
God's vast wisdom in establishing the marriage relationship from the begin
ning, and the enormous benefit and blessing that relationship can be when
God's laws are kept.
Your support of your husbands through encouragement, thoughtful advice and
your example as Christian wives, plays a powerful role in backing God's
Church as a whole. Thank you for your willingness to sacrifice your time
for God's people, and even to sacrifice time away from your husbands when
necessary. You don't have an easy calling, and often it may seem quite dif
ficult to handle. But God is faithful, and He "is not unjust to forget your
work and labor of love," as we're told in Hebrews 6:10. And indeed, your
labor of love makes your husbands' ministries all the more effective and
valuable to God and His Church. So thank you for your ongoing part in the
calling God has given each of you in the work of His end-time Church!
Recent Ordination
During Sabbath services on February 2, Mr. Rolland Wile, who serves in the
Franklin, Pennsylvania congregation, was ordained a local church elder.
Hands were laid on Mr. Wile by church pastor Mr. Bill Jacobs.
International News
From Mr. Carn Catherwood 1984 proved to be a very good year for growth in
all aspects of the work of God's Church in the Italian language. The begin
ning of 1985 portends even greater increase. January showed a healthy in
coming mail figure--10,143, one of the strongest months to date. Responses
to our READER'S DIGEST ad have topped the hoped-for 11,000 mark, with pros
pects of another thousand or so responses still to come. Our direct mail
venture, though not completely mailed, has brought a respectable 4.0% re
turn so far. We are planning for an even better response to further direct
mailings scheduled for this year.
The circulation figure for La PURA
VERITA' had increased to 75,541 by the end of January--a 74.5% increase
over January 1984. And our donor list dramatically increased by 25% in Jan
uary!
The growth of the La PURA VERITA' list, as well as various means of adver
tising now being used, are having an effect in Italy. God is moving more
and more people to become interested and we are receiving three to four
visit requests every week. A visiting tour is planned for the latter half
of February and another for April.
The small town of Fiuggi in the mountains near Rome will once again be a
site for the Feast of Tabernacles. Most of the hotels used last year have
agreed to give us accommodations again--at last year's prices! The town
council and the hoteliers of Fiuggi are very much looking forward to having
us back. Fiuggi will host approximately 700 Feastgoers in 1985.
Mr. Mike Caputo, a Canadian citizen who imigrated from Italy at age 14, has
returned to Ambassador College, this time with his family, after having
studied at the Pasadena campus for two years beginning in 1973. Mr. Caputo,
along with his wife Leonilda and two children, Anthony and Julie, arrived
in Pasadena in early January to resume his studies at Ambassador. If all
goes well, they will relocate to Rome later this year, where he will be in
volved in service to the brethren and prospective members.