NEW FORMAT; INVITATION; MILESTONE; DECEMBER GN; BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS; SOFTBOUND VERSION
New Format: With the reduction of the English-language "Plain Truths" to 32 pages, beginning in March, and the other belt-tightening tactics we are taking in the publications, we are having to regear our thinking in Editorial. With fewer articles, it is more important than ever that they appeal to a general audience — and, of course, now most articles in the magazine will appear in the international editions.
Invitation In early December leaders from seven South Asian nations will meet in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to form a socioeconomic bloc to promote peace and stability in their troubled region. Mr. Armstrong was invited to address this South Asian Regional Cooperation (SARC) summit conference. As you no doubt noticed in Mr. Armstrong's lectures to the people of Sri Lanka, these people listen to what he says. Unfortunately, because of health reasons, he was forced to decline.
Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi of India, King Birendra of Nepal, King Jigme Singy Wangchuck of Bhutan and President Ershad of Bangladesh, along with the leaders of Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, jointly represent one fifth of all mankind. With these kinds of doors opening for God's Work, you can see how much more we need to fervently pray for Mr. Armstrong's quick recovery.
We plan to send Keith Stump, a "Plain Truth" senior writer, to cover the conference for "The Plain Truth" and to make a survey of conditions in poverty-stricken Bangladesh. Mr. Stump is lecturer in Eurasian Geography at Ambassador College and has a thorough background in Islamic history and culture.
Milestone: One milestone we are excited about in the publications is the interface of our NCR word processing system with Publishing's Bedford typesetting computer. This interface is the fulfillment of a goal we, with the aid and encouragement of Data Processing, have worked toward for several years now.
The NCR system is established as the primary word processing system here at Headquarters. With this interface, any material we receive from any of the NCR systems can be directly input into the Bedford system without the need of retyping. This will save nearly half a million keystrokes monthly. Just another example of how God is using modern technology to get the Gospel message out.
December GN: No cutbacks in "Good News" circulation are planned. The December issue will reach more than 730,000 subscribers. Even though the majority of the readers are nonmembers now, "The Good News" is stronger doctrinally than ever. Mr. Armstrong has remarked that even the newest readers should know what kind of magazine they are requesting, and that we shouldn't hold back or water down anything in "Good News" articles.
Birth Announcements: The Church is growing! Now that "The Worldwide News" has completed the Festival edition, the staff is wrapping up the Nov. 18 issue. More than 100 birth announcements that accumulated over the Feast break will be published in that issue.
Softbound Version: Advance copies of the softbound version of Mr. Armstrong's "Mystery of the Ages" are in. They have retained the beautiful royal purple with the gold embossed title from the jacket cover of the hardback book. As one of our staff mentioned, it is the best quality softback book we have seen.
FROM EDITORIAL SERVICES
Worldwide Church of God