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PASTOR GENERAL'S
REPoRT
TO TtiE MINISTRY OF THE
WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD
VOL.7, N0.35
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA
FROM MINISTERIAL SERVICES
AUGUST 30, 1985.
This past Thursday, August 22, Mr. Leon Walker came to my office to report
that he had just learned that one of our ministers in South America had been
shot. Mr. Reginald Killingley, pastor of the Lima and Huaraz, Peru congre
gations, had been robbed and shot about 30 minutes earlier. Mr. Killingley
had just withdrawn money for a second tithe subsidy from a Lima bank and was
on his way home when the robbery occurred. Mr. Walker and I decided that he
should travel to Peru as soon as possible to be with Mr. Killingley. After
his arrival in Lima, Mr. Walker related more details of the robbery and Mr.
Killingley's condition.
Not realizing he had been shot (he saw neither blood nor a bullet hole in
his sweater), Mr. Killingley ran to a nearby maternity hospital to call the_
police. It was there that he noticed he was having difficulty breathing,
and was taken to the emergency room.
He was then transferred to the Anglo-American Hospital in Lima, where doc
tors inserted a tube in his thorax to help drain fluids from his lung. The
bullet had deflected off one of his ribs, punctured his right lung and
lodged in his right armpit.
On August 27 the tube and the bullet were
removed.
Mr. Killingley is expected to recover completely, and to be
released from the hospital in early September.
We are all very thankful to God for His intervention and mercy in what could
have been a tragedy. Once again, this points up the need to be diligently
praying for God's protection for one another. Many of our fellow ministers
live and work in extremely dangerous areas and situations all around the
world. Of course, there is no place on earth that can be considered really
safe. God's people, especially His ministers, are targets for Satan the
devil wherever they may live. Let's thank God for the protection He has
given Mr. Killingley, and continue to earnestly pray for God's safekeeping
and preservation of His ministers as they go about doing the work He has
given them.
On another subject, Mr. Armstrong has discussed with me a few principles
regarding fasting on the Day of Atonement that I want to share with you as
we approach the fall festival season. As you know, the Bible teaches we are
to fast on the Day of Atonement, abstaining from both food and water for 24
hours.
Most members are able to observe this festival without adversely
affecting their health. In fact, the physical benefits from the fast are
likely to improve their health.
However, we live in a degenerate age and a total fast may cause serious
repercussions for some individuals with long-standing health problems such
as diabetes. For this reason, God's Church believes the Bible does allow
some exceptions for liquid nourishment on the Day of Atonement. For exam
ple, if a diabetic must take insulin on Atonement to maintain proper body
functions, he or she may also take whatever amount of juice is necessary to
prevent insulin shock.