DECEMBER GN; GN CIRCULATION; GN INTRODUCTORY ISSUE; YES UPDATE; WN FEAST COVERAGE
Greetings from Editorial. Time never goes so fast as it does when you work with publications. Actually, the staff is experiencing Feast fever for the second time. We work so far in advance on the Festival editions that we get excited about the Feast of Tabernacles in the middle of the summer. By the way, it was the best Feast ever.
It is difficult to believe, but the December "Good News" marks the completion of the seventh year since Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong restarted the magazine in its current format. This issue features the annual index of both "The Plain Truth" and "The Good News," along with helpful articles on the Sabbath and Christmas.
In future issues we plan to run more articles of a prophetic, newsoriented nature. The focus will be on looking forward to the positive solutions just ahead of us. Mr. Armstrong's new booklet "Who or What Is the Prophetic Beast?" will be running serially beginning with the October-November edition through February.
Circulation of "The Good News” has grown to more than 700,000, which has generated in "GN" mail a heavy new-reader trend — requests for basic articles.
Also, because of our rapid growth Mr. Armstrong has enthusiastically approved the production of an introductory issue of "The Good News." The introductory issue will be a special undated issue sent out immediately to new subscribers, allowing them to enter the magazine's normal mailing cycle as quickly and as smoothly as possible.
This magazine will be made up of articles previously run in "The Good News." Bible instruction, prophecy, family, Christian living will all be covered. An ad for the Correspondence Course and an ad for "GN" subscriptions will also be included. We have been using an introductory "Plain Truth" for quite a while, and it has proved to be very successful.
Some of you in the field have mentioned that you felt an introductory issue of "The Good News" would be a good gift and public relations piece for use when you visit prospective members. If you are interested in using the introductory issue in this way, let us know and we will check on sending you this edition in bulk. We are shooting for a January production date.
In the Youth Educational Services lesson production, Mr. Kevin Dean has approved a revising and updating of the Fall Festival lessons during this coming year. Also, Lesson 10 is tentatively scheduled for mailing in May, 1986, and Lesson 11 in June.
We will continue mailing to you your sets of Youth Lessons throughout the rest of this academic year, as additional changes in text and Bible memory are made.
So much is happening in the Church that we are having a difficult time getting all the information into the standard 12-page format of "The Worldwide News." We met with evangelists Joseph Tkach Sr. and Ellis La Ravia, and Mark McCulley, Festival-planning coordinator, Sept. 4 to discuss coverage of the Feast. The first issue after the Feast is scheduled to be printed Nov. 4.
We are spreading out around the globe for the Feast this year. "The Worldwide News" will be represented by staff members in India, Sri Lanka, West Germany, Scotland, South Africa, Hawaii, Vail, Colo., Eugene, Ore., Penticton, B.C., and Johnson City, Tenn. We look forward to seeing and working with some of you in these areas. Have a joyful and profitable Feast!
FROM EDITORIAL SERVICES
Worldwide Church of God