Herbert W Armstrong

Unity Keynotes Conference: An inspiring Regional Directors Conference began this past Monday, November 18, in Pasadena. Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong addressed the assembled Regional Directors for about two minutes Monday afternoon via a telephone hookup from his home. He thanked everyone for their prayers and asked that they be continued, expressing his disappointment at not being able to be present with them due to his current physical condition.

Each Regional Director presented a thorough report and update on the growth of God's Work in his region. These were followed by updates and instruction for the Regional Directors throughout the rest of the week from Messrs. L. Leroy Neff, David Hulme, Ray Wright, Dexter B. Faulkner, Herman L. Hoeh, Richard Rice, Larry Omasta and Raymond F. McNair. More details about the conference will appear in an upcoming issue of “The Worldwide News” in December.

What a delight it was to hear all these reports about the growth and progress of the most important work on earth! I'm sure all who participated in the conference were moved with God's Spirit to carry on, with increased zeal and energy, their respective duties in His Work.

The theme for the conference was the same as last year's — the effectiveness of unity. This will continue to be the theme of these and other future conferences or meetings held in God's Church until Christ returns and beyond, through all eternity.

We are called of God to be one with each other, one with Christ and one with God Himself, even as Jesus Christ and God the Father are one. Cooperation, teamwork and unity are the absolute essentials of the Kingdom of God and of the government of God. After all, can two walk together except they be agreed? All of us worldwide in God's ministry must strive for the godly unity that comes only through the exercise of His Holy Spirit.

Spiritual Pillars As John 6:44 points out, we are God's raw materials, His building blocks for His spiritual Temple. In Revelation 3:12 God shows us that He will make those of us in this era of His Church pillars. It is valuable for us to look at a few of the qualities of pillars as they apply to us now in doing the Work of God.

Loyalty is a characteristic that is inherent in pillars. A warning to one of the seven churches of Revelation 3 was that they regain their first love, which they had lost! The same enthusiasm, excitement, love for and therefore loyalty to God's calling that they once possessed had waned. This problem is one that is common to each era of the Church. And I dare say it is the No.1 one spiritual killer in God's Church of this era today! Paul described the problem well when he wrote in Galatians 6:9 that we should "not be weary in well-doing. " We as ministers are the ones God has charged with the responsibility of stirring up His people today so they do not fall prey to this same spiritual disease that the Ephesian era did.

A pillar also serves as a support system. It holds up, strengthens and maintains whatever it was designed to. The analogy here is obvious. Our prayers, conduct, conversations, tithes and offerings — that is, our lives in general — should be a support system of God, His Kingdom, His government and His Church.

Another characteristic of pillars is their endurance. Some physical pillars endure better than others. But a spiritual pillar must endure to the end. It must not bend, weaken, crumble or snap. It must work in perfect conjunction with all the other pillars. If an individual pillar, through the power of God's Spirit, does not fulfill its job of support, God is able to replace it with another.

Outlook: The outlook for the coming year is encouraging. The impact of Mr. Armstrong's new book "Mystery of the Ages," as well as the media opportunities and growth of the past year, should begin to be felt in increased visit requests, increased number of co-workers and donors and, eventually, in church attendance and baptisms. The Gospel is being proclaimed indeed around the world.

Let's continue to pray fervently for the Work God is doing through His servant, Mr. Herbert Armstrong, for our fellow ministers and for all God's chosen ones in every nation who hold up Mr. Armstrong's hands. Let us never forget that our ability to fulfill our responsibilities in this Work comes only from God. We should each devote ourselves to the unity of oneness with Jesus Christ that we must have in order to faithfully complete the job God has given us to do.

Volcano: Mr. Leon Walker reported that no members of God's Church were residing in the region affected by the recent eruption of Nevado del Ruiz in Columbia.

New Tape: Dr. David Wainwright gave an outstanding sermon this past Sabbath, November 16, that will be sent out to be played in all churches. Dr. Wainwright clearly points out that the greatest impact we have upon our children is what we are, that is our personal conduct and example day in and day out. He goes on to show the great need, therefore, for parents to be with their children as much as possible. This is a powerful sermon that will be most helpful and instructive for God's people. As with all these taped sermons from Headquarters, this one should be played during Sabbath services as the main sermon (rather than for Bible Study) to ensure that the greatest number of brethren hear it.