Proclaim to the World the GOOD NEWS OF THE WORLD TOMORROW
BOX 111, Pasadena, California
Publishing: The PLAIN TRUTH a Magazine of UNDERSTANDING
November 19, 1956
Dear Co-Workers with Christ:
GREETINGS, in Jesus' name! Things are happening FAST! Your prayers and mine are being answered! God's work is plunging ahead as never before. Yet once again I have to ask you to PRAY, immediately and earnestly!
A month ago I had to write you about an unexpected emergency. My heart is full of gratitude. God heard and answered! But now a new DOUBLE-emergency has arisen. I need your prayers more than ever!
A month ago we were in danger of losing our new main college building. The fabulous adjoining estate of the late Hulett C. Merritt, the multi-millionaire, largest stock-holder of the United States Steel Corporation and owner of 68 other corporations, was purchased last summer by J. L. Block & Associates to be given to Ambassador College. This estate comprises 4 acres in Pasadena's finest residence section, with the most expensively landscaped grounds and gardens and the finest building in Pasadena. It was to become our main college building. It is sorely and urgently needed. We have completely outgrown our facilities.
As I wrote you then, the Block interests had just notified us of their inability to raise all the money required to close escrow. Half of the purchase price had to be paid in. We ourselves had to raise $40,000 in eight days, or lose the entire property and the $20,000 already paid. I asked you to PRAY.
I think you did. I know I did. Our faith was tried. The money was not all on hand until the very dead-line DAY escrow had to close. But on that fateful day, the entire needed amount was on hand! This fabulous property now is OURS! It is half paid for. We now have the deed, and comparatively easy terms on the balance. GOD HEARS AND ANSWERS, WHEN WE UNITEDLY SEND UP OUR PETITIONS WITH INTENSE EARNESTNESS TO GOD!
But now I have to tell you that a new DOUBLE-emergency confronts us. I need your real earnest prayers more than ever.
First, the city of Pasadena recently put into effect a new strict earth-quake-resistant building code. To convert this fine building to the new use as a college class-room building, we must conform to the new codes. First, the building inspectors determined that the outside walls are 16-inch brick walls covered with a half-inch concrete. They were going to force us to put up steel re-inforcements all around the exterior, which would require a new concrete exterior over that. It would have cost us some $75,000 or $100,000. But our own engineers examined further into the walls and found they already were completely re-inforced, and all floors and inside walls anchored to the outside walls.
It looked like we were in the clear. But the building inspector then insisted on cutting out about five circular holes a foot or 14 inches in diameter at different places thru the outside walls. Removing these round sections of wall, he discovered that the mortar used between the bricks was not as hard and firm as present-day standards. Right now these samples are being tested in a laboratory, and the fate of the building still hangs perilously in the balance. IF they decide the mortar used is not firm enough to pass their modern codes, they may refuse to permit us to use this building for college purposes at all. Yet it is a SUPER- substantially-constructed building, and the very finest building in Pasadena!
We'll just have to PRAY and trust God with the result. The second emergency is that it is costing quite a little to make the necessary alterations in these newly acquired buildings for college use. This takes additional money. Once again we are at the latter half of the month when money customarily comes in so much slower. And now we are faced with the difficult month of December, when most people spend lavishly to EXCHANGE Christmas presents back and forth, WHILE THEY FORGET ANY GIFTS FOR CHRIST and for HIS WORK!
So you see, dear Co-Workers, the work is never easy. God didn't intend it to be easy. We all have repeated trials and are continually confronted with troubles and problems in our private lives. And it seems that in this great work of God, a thousand times BIGGER than one single private-family operation, that our problems and tests are also a thousand times greater.
And so now here we are again at this fateful season. Just when the demands on the work for the money to operate it are greater than ever, we come to the season when people customarily FORGET their gifts for CHRIST, in their frenzied Christmas shopping sprees.
Jesus Christ has called us to a DIVINE MISSION! "Go ye into all the world and preach the GOSPEL!" He commands us. A year ago we were not reaching Australia or China with the Gospel. This year we have added a whole national Network of stations in Australia and Chiang Kai-Shek's powerful "Voice of Free China" station on Formosa. Today we have the largest listening audience of ANY program all thru South Africa!
Last night, two of our evangelists started the SECOND of the new series of evangelistic campaigns I have been writing you we must now carry on. TWO of our ordained ministers, both graduates of Ambassador College, Raymond C. Cole and Gerald Waterhouse, have opened a five-weeks' NIGHTLY campaign of meetings in downtown Dallas. Another of our evangelists, Roderick C. Meredith, who recently conducted the campaign in Fresno with my son Richard Armstrong, is now holding meetings in London with another of our ordained ministers, George Meeker. At present my son Dick is holding meetings in Houston, San Antonio, and Corpus Christi, Texas. He is to join Mr. Meredith and Mr. Meeker in England in February.
Today our GREATEST need is more God-chosen, consecrated, fully-trained ministers and evangelists! The harvest is PLENTEOUS — but the LABORERS are too few! Jesus Christ commands us to PRAY for more LABORERS! We need more TITHE-laborers!
Ambassador College is now turning out ministers ready for ordination every year! We have this year the LARGEST class ever to enter, with present indications that possibly as high as ONE-THIRD of all these new men may develop into God-called ministers! AMBASSADOR COLLEGE IS THE VERY FOUNDATION OF THIS FAST-GROWING WORLD-WIDE WORK OF GOD!
Even the girls are trained for work. Last Thursday night we put one of our girl-graduates on a plane for Dallas, Texas, to play the piano for the Dallas meetings, and to do the secretarial work for our evangelists. Several of our girl students have become efficient and trained wives for our ministers. And just as Mrs. Armstrong has been a silent, self-effacing HALF of my work ever since God called us, so these wives are the HELP and inspiration that means DOUBLE results in their husbands' work. THERE'S WORK FOR ALL OF US TO DO!
Co-Workers, God wants us to be DOERS! This latest double crisis is so SERIOUS, I have to ask you to PRAY as never before — and to continue to SACRIFICE as never before! God's work MUST NOT FALTER OR STOP! The income is again falling off alarmingly. The very work of CHRIST needs God's TITHES of your income, and your generous offerings IMMEDIATELY, and continuously — every week, if possible. THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart for your prayers and response last month! Now let's respond in a bigger way than ever!
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