Herbert W Armstrong

Greatest Harvest Yet! The year of 1985 was the greatest year of "harvest" that we in Mail Processing have seen! All-time records were established by very wide margins in nearly every category of mail and phone calls. Here are some of the highlights of the past year:

• 6.7 million pieces of mail were received. This was 37 percent more than last year! Other mail-receiving records included most mail received in one month — 1.1 million pieces (December) — and highest weekend count — 173,000-letters.

• 1.1 million phone calls were answered on our WATS lines, 42 percent over last year's total. Seventy-eight percent of the calls received in 1985 (855,000) were in response to the telecast. Records were also set for highest monthly call total — 139 ,000 (December) — and highest weekend — 26,020.

• 2.1 million new names were added to the Work's address files. This was 24 .8 percent more than the previous year's count of 1.7 million.

• Our Terminals Section processed a record 1.2 million pieces of mail in the month of December. This includes-a one-day record of 300,000 pieces on December 17.

• Circulation counts for the Work's three magazines all reached record levels. They were as follows: "Plain Truth" — 8.4 million copies, "Good News" — 828,000 copies, "Youth" magazine — 224,000 copies.

• More than 28,000 new co-workers were added in 1985. This was 13 percent over last year.

• 85.7 million publications (magazines, booklets, letters, lessons, etc.) were sent, 15.6 percent more than last year.

• 31.2 million publications were sent out by our Postal Center. This was a 19 percent increase over the previous year.

• More than 750,000 copies of "Mystery of the Ages" were requested or distributed, as well as 640,000 copies of "The U. S. and Britain in Prophecy." These are the two highest counts for distribution of any book or booklet within a year's time.

• 8. 4 million of Mr. Armstrong' s letters were mailed this year, which was 1.1 million more than in 1984.

• 2.9 million semiannual letters were mailed this fall, which was the largest single letter mailing in the history of the Work.

• Mr. Armstrong's letter offering "Mystery of the Ages" to "Good News" readers brought in a 46 percent response, an all-time record for mailings to regular -Subscribers.

New Literature: Because of a recent policy change by Mr. Armstrong, all new books and booklets, or those that have been revised, will be sent automatically to member heads-of-household worldwide. For example, the three booklets "Are we in the Last Days?", "Who or What Is the Prophetic Beast?" and "The Bible — Superstition or Authority?" were recently mailed.

Thus, it is no longer necessary for members to request such literature. However, those who are baptized after a booklet is mailed will still need to request it. As always, you may want to encourage the brethren to read and study this new material as soon as they receive it.

WATS Volunteers: Volunteers, who serve on the Sabbath crew and as in­ home operators, now answer about 25 percent of the total calls that come in each week end. More than 3,000 members collectively participate in these programs. We estimate that their efforts save God's Work nearly $200,000 annually. They have expressed their deep appreciation many times for the opportunity to serve in this special way. We also wish to convey our sincere thanks to them for their many hours of dedication and sacrifice. These volunteers are becoming more and more a vital factor in fulfilling this phase of God's Work.

— Richard Rice, Mail Processing Center