From Mr. Dibar Apartian: 1984 showed an increase of 18.5% in tithes and offerings over the previous year for the French-speaking area of God's Church. The largest growth in income during this period took place in Belgium, where the increase was 44.7%.
Looking at 1984 mail statistics, we find 34.5% more new people were added to our computer files than in 1983 — a total of 79,987. Incoming mail was 27% above 1983 and outgoing mail 70% greater, not including French Canada. We mailed from our different offices worldwide, including French Canada, 177,589 booklets, reprints, form letters and Bible correspondence course lessons.
According to Mr. Dan Samson, elder in the Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada Church, growth of the French-speaking congregation there continues to be steady. Average attendance is around 60 and there are about 10 people in the Tracadie region, at the very mouth of the St. Lawrence River, who are keeping the Sabbath and paying tithes. God willing, the Church in this region may soon have an attendance of 70.
In wrapping up our first-ever direct mail campaign in Quebec, we received over 8,000 responses to 100,000 letters sent — an excellent response of eight percent! This has encouraged us to try the same thing in French speaking countries in Europe in 1985.
For the second consecutive year, the buying power of the French people fell! The U.S. dollar is king, taking 10 French francs to one U.S. dollar. This is more than double the exchange rate of just a few years ago. Nevertheless, the work of God's Church in France is going ahead full steam.
Radio and television responses continue to be very encouraging. We are planning a vigorous advertising campaign this spring. We will place an ad in the French and Swiss editions of READER'S DIGEST. (Our last ad in READER'S DIGEST, appearing in France and Belgium in October 1984, brought in 15,481 responses.)
Growth is found in all categories for 1984: circulation of La PURE VERITE is up 9.2% to 149,328 subscribers, the French GOOD NEWS up 39.5%, donors up 23.5%, co-workers up 12.2%, and the French-speaking membership is up six percent to 1,365 members.
During the spring holy days, I will travel to Europe, giving five public Bible lectures in Switzerland, one in France, and one in Belgium. As I have stated before, I was reared in Switzerland and I would love to see the Swiss wake up!
We are presently enjoying the fellowship of the French-speaking ministers from around the world during the current session of the Refreshing Program. Nearly all of them are in Pasadena.
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