Herbert W Armstrong

With the assistance of the international offices, we are now able to obtain current worldwide mail counts each month. Heretofore, it was nearly impossible to get a complete picture. But now, with the help of the computer, we can do this on a consistent and regular basis.

We were pleased to discover that in the first five months of this year another new all-time record was set. A total of 3.8 million letters and cards were received worldwide. The U.S. accounted for two-thirds or 2.5 million pieces.

Worldwide mail counts for the January-May period of the past four years are shown below:

Year - U.S. - Rest of World - Worldwide
1982 - 1.6 million - 0.8 million - 2.4 million
1983 - 1.5 million - 0.9 million - 2.4 million
1984 - 1.9 million - 1.2 million - 3.1 million
1985 - 2.5 million - 1.3 million - 3.8 million

Decline in Postal Returns Saves 45,000

Although our incoming mail is breaking all records, the postal return category has dropped substantially. This has saved the Church a considerable amount of money.

When The PLAIN TRUTH cannot be delivered, the post office sends a postal return, which notifies us that the person has moved and, when possible, includes his new address. Now, because of a recent change in regulations, magazines like The PLAIN TRUTH must be forwarded for a period of 60 days before the postal return is sent. Thus, a subscriber continues to receive the magazine and is given more time to notify us of his change of address.

Through May of this year, we received 138,947 postal returns, which was 52% below the same period last year (292,039). Since we are charged 30 cents for each postal return, this decrease in undelivered magazines has saved over $45,000.

Surprising Number of Teenagers Now Contacting God's Church

An increasing number of our letters and calls are from young people. Many indicate a remarkably mature interest in and understanding of the things of God. Faced with a frightening future, they are finding hope in our message of God's purpose and plan for mankind. Following are a few letters we received recently:

I would like to thank you for having such a great magazine. You couldn't imagine how much it has affected my life, and that of my brother. My brother picked it up at a store for the fun of it, but once we finished reading it from cover to cover, we realized it wasn't a fun magazine.

I'm 12 and my brother is almost 14, but after reading The PLAIN TRUTH we feel much older and wiser. The knowledge that we gained has helped us a great deal, both with our personal lives and spiritual too. We both now subscribe to The PLAIN TRUTH and can hardly wait till the next issue appears. We both plan to be faithful readers for many, many years to come.
K.T. (Staten Island, NY)

I am a 14-year-old new PLAIN TRUTH reader. I'm serious about life and its conflicts, and I've a concern for the welfare of everyone. I try to learn more about life every day and The PLAIN TRUTH helps fulfill that need. Your magazine keeps me informed of the present situation of the world and it has interesting and helpful articles. Keep up your good work and God bless you and all the other readers. The PLAIN TRUTH is really a magazine of understanding.
R.C. (San Antonio, TX)

I am a concerned 14-year-old girl. I am concerned about what has happened, what is happening, and what will happen to this world. You help me understand world events through your magazine, The PLAIN TRUTH. I feel, as a responsible young person, that it is necessary to know all aspects of life, religion, and world events.

I feel that religion is a definite thing, and that our Lord is real, but I get angry when people dare to challenge the reality of our Lord. I feel happy that some can understand the Bible and then help others to understand it. I can depend on you to help me understand because when you have a point to make, you don't beat around the bush.
T.S. (Kelso, WA)

I am 16 years old and was involved in an illegal breaking-and­entering, but since I have read your booklets on the way of God, I have turned over a new leaf. I am going to start to follow in the steps of God and try to be 100 percent different for the good.
L.C. (Canada)

I want to thank you for the wonderful books and magazines you provide. I have learned a lot from all the articles and books you write. I want to thank you for giving me the chance to know God's truth. To me it is a treasure worth more than all the gold in the world.
L.B. (Age 17; address unavailable)

Would you please send me the YOUTH magazine that you spoke of on your TV program? Also, I would like to say that there are a lot of us teenagers who enjoy your program very much. I have found so many things in my Bible to be different from what I have been taught. This is due to the fine workmanship that I have found in your magazines and your Bible course.
L.H. (Toledo, OH)

Hi, I am 12 years old. I have decided to request the YOUTH 85 so that I (1) can improve the way God looks at me, (2) have more of a chance to get to the place of safety, (3) will set a better example for the little kids to follow, and (4) have the elders think of me as a future prince and leader.
M.P. (Anchorage, AK)

— Richard Rice, Mail Processing Center