Herbert W Armstrong

Several pastors have mentioned that it would be helpful to once again define the prospective member status. Please follow the guidelines below in keeping your list of PMs accurate and up-to-date.

• A prospective member (PM) is defined as an individual who shows good promise of becoming a member in the relatively near future — possibly six months to one year. (We realize it is impossible to know for sure whether a person will be baptized. We merely want your best judgment.)

• If a PM is regularly attending church, even if he is not making any obvious progress toward baptism, you should not, based upon this fact alone, forbid further church attendance. He could be worked with, but it is possible such a person is called only to be a co-worker. It is fine for the individual to continue attending, provided he or she is maintaining the standards of the Church and not causing any problems. Whether an individual should be retained as a PM on file would depend on the minister's judgment of whether or not he is actively progressing toward baptism. If the individual is making no detectable progress toward baptism, he should be deleted from PM status.

• Older children (in their late teens) of members should be made PMs only if they are actively seeking baptism. They should not be made PMs just because they are YOU members.

• If a husband and wife are both regarded as PMs, then they should be designated separately as PMs on file (the PM count should measure individuals, not just heads of households).

• It is not necessary to designate someone a PM just to add him to the Feast sign-up list.

• The prospective member status is a category we use as an estimation of future baptisms. For this reason, we appreciate your endeavors to keep this status as accurate as possible.

• If you have individuals in a PM classification who do not belong there according to these guidelines, please remove them from PM status.

These guidelines apply for the United States and should be applicable in international regions as well. However, the regional directors may need to make some minor modifications due to special circumstances in their areas.

I'd like to remind all of you to continue to remember our brethren in Southern Africa in your prayers. Dr. Roy McCarthy has reported that God's people have been protected throughout the recent violence. God is on His throne and does fulfill His promises toward us. Let's each do our part in earnest prayer for our fellow laborers in these increasingly difficult times.

Mr. Peter Nathan's March report from the Auckland, New Zealand office includes an encouraging letter from Ratu Epeli Kanaimawi, our minister in Fiji. He describes God's powerful intervention in protecting His people from another violent hurricane. I encourage each of you pastors to read the letter, which we are including in this issue of the PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, to your congregations. Remind the brethren to "think big" about God's promises and the needs of His people around the world, following Paul's instruction to "continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving" (Col. 4:2).

We are very excited about the recent addition of a new television station in Italy, which will now allow Mr. Armstrong's telecast to reach virtually all of Italy! Mr. Carn Catherwood gives the details in the February/March report from the Italian Department, also included in this issue of the PGR.

Let's realize that events leading up to the great crisis at the close of this age seem to be speeding up again. As Mr. Armstrong wrote recently in his March 18 co-worker letter, "We are stewards running God's business for him through the power of his Spirit. I can report to God and to you that the work is growing now as never before. We must be pleasing God for he is blessing us in his work. But time is short and we must try even harder. We must pray more earnestly and more often. We must each do our part to the extent of our ability."

Let's not lose the spiritual momentum gained during the Passover season. Let's build on and increase that momentum right into Pentecost and beyond!

The U.S. ministerial transfers are now under way. Following is the list as it now stands. Please remember these men and their families in your prayers — for their safety in moving and their success in their new assignments. By the way, we hope to hire one or two more men in the next few weeks, budget permitting.

In connection with the transfers, I'd like to ask all of you to be praying for Mr. Michael Hechel, who has been pastoring the Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia churches. Mr. Hechel has been diagnosed as being seriously ill, and in need of complete rest for the next few months. The Hechels will remain in Charleston during his recovery. Mr. Robert Persky will be moving to Charleston as the new pastor of the circuit. Please ask God for Mr. Hechel's complete recovery and return to service. We will keep you informed of his progress.

1985 MINISTERIAL TRANSFERS

Minister - From - To

Dr. Clint Zimmerman - Colorado Springs­Pueblo, CO - Pasadena Aud. AM

Ron Howe - Pasadena Aud. AM - St. Petersburg, FL

Robert Jones - St. Petersburg, FL - Norfolk-Richmond, VA

Ken Giese - Richmond, VA - Houston W-Victoria, TX

Dennis Van Deventer - Houston W-Victoria, TX - Pasadena Imperial PM

David Carley - Ada-Lawton, OK - Colorado Springs­Pueblo, CO

Don Hooser - Grand Island­North Platte, NE - Ada-Lawton, OK

Fred Davis - Medford-KlamathFalls, OR - Grand Island­North Platte, NE

Jeff McGowan - Boise, ID-Ontario­Baker, OR - Medford-Klamath Falls, OR

Jim Tuck - Huntsville-Florence, AL - Boise, ID-Ontario­Baker, OR

Otto Lochner - Macon-Columbus, GA - Huntsville-Florence, AL

David Mills - Salem-Albany, OR - Macon-Columbus, GA

Jess Ernest - Peoria-Macomb, IL - Salem-Albany, OR

Ron Lohr - Tampa, FL - Peoria-Macomb, IL

Roy Demarest - Baltimore, MD - Tampa, FL

Jim Servidio - New Orleans, LA - Baltimore, MD

Al Kersha - Miami, FL - New Orleans, LA

Al Barr - Chicago SS, IL - Miami, FL

Arnold Hampton - Barbados - Chicago SS, IL

Robert Persky - Roanoke, VA - Charleston, SC­Savannah, GA

Britt Taylor - Corning-Binghamton, NY - Roanoke, VA

Dennis Diehl - London-Somerset­Middlesboro, KY - Corning-Binghamton, NY

Roger West - Tupelo-Columbus, MS - London-Somerset­Middlesboro, KY

John Cafourek - Cape Girardeau, MO­Paducah, KY - Tupelo-Columbus, MS

Arnold Clauson - Oklahoma City-Enid, OK - Cape Girardeau, MO­Paducah, KY

Gerald Flurry - Pasco-Yakima-Quincy­Tonasket, WA - Oklahoma City-Enid, OK

Harold Smith - Belleville-Mt. Vernon, IL - Pasco-Yakima-Quincy­Tonasket, WA

Dan Creed - Bismarck-Minot­Dickinson, ND - Belleville-Mt. Vernon, IL

Jeff Barness - San Francisco­Pleasanton, CA - Bismarck-Minot­ Dickinson, ND

(Brian Orchard to become pastor of San Francisco-Pleasanton, CA)

Ken Treybig - Dallas East, TX (Assoc.) - Big Sandy, TX (Assoc.)

Ed Faulk - Norfolk, VA - Trenton-Vineland, NJ (Assoc.)

Ross Flynn - Trenton-Vineland, NJ(Assoc.) - Dallas East, TX (Assoc.)

Maceo Hampton - Detroit W-Ann Arbor, MI (Assoc.) - Kansas City East, MO (Assoc.)

Val Burgett - Belleville-Mt. Vernon, IL (Assoc.) - Norfolk-Richmond, VA (Assoc.)

Gary Smith - Peoria-Macomb, IL (Assoc.) - St. Louis N/S, MO (Assoc.)

Ron Washington - St. Louis N/S, MO (Assoc.) - Detroit W-Ann Arbor, MI (Assoc.)

Grant Spong - Lenoir-Marion-Boone, NC (Assoc.) - Germany

Doug Peitz - Garden Grove, CA (Assoc.) - Lenoir-Marion-Boone, NC (Assoc.)

Allen Olson - San Francisco-Pleasanton, CA (Trainee) - Los Angeles, CA (Trainee)