June 05, 1975  
June 05, 1975 - Brethren & Co-Workers Letter
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Herbert W Armstrong 

WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD
WORLD HEADQUARTERS
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91123

HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG
President and Pastor

June 5, 1975

Dear Brethren in Christ:

   This is to announce a BRAND-NEW MAGAZINE! It is to fulfill a new and necessary purpose in carrying out our great commission. I want to tell you about it.

   Suppose God had called you, yourself, individually, to start His Work for this time — to think out the plans and ways to go about it, to preach and publish Christ's Gospel MESSAGE of the soon-coming KINGDOM OF GOD IN ALL THE WORLD for a witness to ALL NATIONS! Would you be overwhelmed? Would you know how to go about it? Ever think about that?

   Forty-two years ago God laid that awesome responsibility upon me. I had no money then — not even a car. I had to hitch-hike to preach in a country schoolhouse. There was only a very small handful of brethren to help me. They were only able to find and raise about $1.40 a week to help me get started. I started the first Sunday in 1934 broadcasting the Kingdom of God Message on the smallest-power radio station. It cost $2.50 per week. I had to take the remaining $1.10 per week on sheer FAITH. I found a way to start the Plain Truth magazine on a borrowed mimeograph in February 1934!

   Gradually others began joining and standing behind me as co-workers with Christ in His Work. The Work grew slowly but steadily. In three or four years we were reaching the Pacific Northwest. In due time I was reaching the entire United States and Canada, coast to coast.

   In January 1953 I began reaching a scattered listening audience in Britain and Europe over Radio Luxembourg. But the time available was poor — 11:30 to midnight once a week. I bought time on fly-by-night radio stations in small countries across the borders from China, India, Argentina, and such large population countries. But they gave very poor listening times.

   Most countries around the world have a very tight communications control by their governments. There is little freedom of press or freedom of speech. They will not sell radio time. Countries like China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Brazil, Argentina, Britain, and all the main European countries have government-controlled radio and television. All such doors were closed to us.

   It took us FORTY YEARS to get Christ's Message with fairly good coverage over the United States and Canada, and to a far lesser extent, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Britain, and the countries of western Europe — the nations descended from the so-called "lost sheep of the House of Israel." Meanwhile, of course, more and more co-workers got back of this most important operation on earth. In time my son, Garner Ted, came along and took over virtually all of the broadcasting via radio and TV, besides the executive direction of Ambassador College in Pasadena.

   But we were NOT getting the true Gospel Message to these scores and scores of nations around the world.

   Another thing — most of those nations are NOT LIKE THE UNITED STATES. As high as 87 percent of their great masses of people CANNOT READ OR WRITE! If we even had a way to mechanically reach the masses, it would have been ineffective. Those countries have virtually NO middle class of people — there are just a few educated leaders at the top, but the masses are the POOR, the illiterates. The government, industry, business, and education are run by the small upper class.

   How would YOU get the Message to those whose minds could understand it in all those countries? Ever think about that? How would YOU? I used to lie awake nights pondering that very question. Five or six years ago we asked that question in a ministers' conference. We just didn't know how — WOULD YOU? It seems those doors were CLOSED to us — slammed tightly SHUT! Two or three years ago God began answering prayer in showing me the answer. Since 1968 God began opening doors through seemingly unusual circumstances for personal meetings with kings, presidents, and leaders in education, commerce, and industry. It was absolutely providential. Many came to have a warm, and even affectionate, feeling toward me.

   At first I didn't understand WHY this was happening. But I did know it was God's doing. For doors were opening miraculously and the warmth of their feeling toward me was far beyond normal. In most cases I soon became acquainted with high-ranking officials under these heads of state — such as members of the cabinet, members of their law-making bodies (diet, parliament, etc.). Dinners were hosted in my honor. Opportunity began opening for "testimonial dinners" where one or more high officials acted as host, sent out invitations to the most influential leaders, and I could have 35 to 45 minutes to present a message of the soon-coming Kingdom of God.

   About two years ago, God began showing us how to develop these open doors into large-scale PUBLIC APPEARANCE CAMPAIGNS, reaching hundreds and thousands of leading people in these countries.

   I have come to see that my commission to take the GOSPEL of the KINGDOM OF GOD to all the world for a witness to all nations could only be accomplished through the very HEADS of government! I have explained this time and again in co-worker letters, editorials, and articles. I have tried to make it PLAIN! I hope you UNDERSTAND! I am now actively holding campaigns in world capitals, speaking before professional groups, even with heads of state worldwide! I am explaining WHY there is no PEACE — WHAT IS THE WAY TO PEACE — WHY humanity cannot solve its problems — WHY Christ's coming WORLD GOVERNMENT is the world's only HOPE! — and what is our very PURPOSE FOR BEING! And I am being given grace and favor in their eyes!

   JUST THINK OF IT! This is a MIRACLE! No man could do it. It is GOD'S DOING! But it is MY HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY — AND YOURS! I appreciate more than words can express your efforts, your prayers, and I think you appreciate mine!

   Now about the new magazine. Some weeks ago I authorized the formation of a new FOUNDATION — named the Ambassador International Cultural Foundation. It is non-profit, dedicated to serving humanity worldwide. It has become a necessary adjunct to this new worldwide dimension of getting Christ's TRUE Gospel to the nations through heads of government.

   There are two subjects guaranteed to start arguments, jealousies, antagonisms, competitive feelings: POLITICS and RELIGION. Christ said we should be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves." I always make clear I am NOT IN POLITICS. That is ONE reason I have the CONFIDENCE, warm friendship, and RESPECT of both Israel and the Arab nations!

   Further, I tell them that I bring them that which SCIENCE has never discovered — RELIGION has never revealed — EDUCATION has never taught. Christ's true GOSPEL deals with the CAUSE of the world's troubles and wars — this world's wrong WAY OF LIFE. So I show them the true WAY OF LIFE — the way of LOVE - the outgoing concern for the good and welfare of others. This is the true GOSPEL (God's Law) — but it doesn't SOUND "religious."

   This new Foundation is giving us great added prestige, credibility, and favor. It is something NO ONE can CRITICIZE. It doesn't sound "religious." Already it has met with GREAT AND FAVORABLE RESPONSE.

   And on the heels of this, the TREMENDOUS ANNOUNCEMENT of a new magazine! Under the auspices of the new Foundation, I have just authorized the publication of a NEW MAGAZINE that will go before KINGS! Bi-monthly! It will be the very highest quality magazine in every respect. It will contain in easy- to-understand language articles on the very PURPOSE for human life upon earth, the AWESOME human potential, HOW world PEACE will soon come! It will carry the GOSPEL MESSAGE in the same PLAIN and UNDERSTANDABLE LANGUAGE I use personally in speaking with world leaders, heads of government, and their top officials. It will reveal what science cannot, what religion has not, what education doesn't teach. It will have a larger size page, fully-illustrated, in full-color.

   This new Magazine, of necessity, will have only a limited circulation — edited primarily to continue REPEATEDLY, EVERY ISSUE, that which I reveal in my present meetings and campaigns. Its circulation will be limited primarily to top government and professional people in such countries as Japan, India, Egypt, Israel, Thailand, Jordan, Indonesia, etc. — also in America, Canada, Britain, Europe.

   I have just been presented with the first "dummy" edition, and as we used to say, "It's a smash!" It is simply beautiful and absolutely TOP QUALITY! Larger in physical size than our other magazines, more pages, high-quality paper, with fantastic photography and graphics. (I've taken the liberty of enclosing a full color print of the first cover — illustrating a feature article on Pygmies.)

   The title? What could be better than HUMAN POTENTIAL?

   Developing our incredible human potential is what the KINGDOM OF GOD is all about! It is the REASON we are alive on earth! We are already receiving enthusiastic responses from some of our friends in the Middle East, the Philippines, India, Japan, and Thailand. These top people in government, education, industry, who endorse what I stand for and proclaim, will be writing articles that will be read by other world leaders in the new HUMAN POTENTIAL. This alone staggers the imagination. An editorial policy without precedent in the entirety of international journalism and publishing! Our new magazine — HUMAN POTENTIAL — will be in a class by itself! My "personal" articles will provide a spiritual dimension and biblical UNDERSTANDING, and world leaders will read it, I assure you! HUMAN POTENTIAL magazine is the real FOLLOW-UP of my personal visits and meetings. It will perform a necessary job which the Plain Truth cannot. The Plain Truth is a mass-circulation magazine of more than THREE MILLION copies!

   The new magazine will be edited for a different audience and have a different approach. The number of copies will be limited, for it is an expensive magazine to produce. The magazine and AICF projects will be financed by paid memberships in the Foundation, a recommended minimum of $25.00 each, tax- deductible. HUMAN POTENTIAL will be sent to all Foundation members.

   This method of financing, similar to that of National Geographic, will allow for subscription growth without attacking day-to-day radio and television, Plain Truth and Good News budgets. We will soon begin to actively promote memberships in the United States, as well as worldwide, regardless of one's affiliation with us in other respects.

   Brethren, I NEED your constant and intensive prayers and supplications for this whole new phase of the Work, now reaching many countries worldwide we were never able to reach before. While HUMAN POTENTIAL iS NOT a magazine just for Church members, but rather a follow-up of my personal meetings, speeches, and campaigns around the world, I feel that many, if not most, of you will want to receive HUMAN POTENTIAL.

With love, in Jesus' name,
Herbert W. Armstrong

P.S. Most here at Headquarters feel that many of you brethren are going to want a Foundation membership and HUMAN POTENTIAL magazine. I know that $25.00 might be a hardship to some, so I've instructed our Foundation personnel to accept donations down to a minimum of $15.00 for any church members who may be interested. Please use the card and return envelope provided, and make all checks payable to Ambassador International Cultural Foundation. Thank you.

Canadian Brethren:
The Ambassaaor International Cultural Foundation does not have mail receiving facilities in Canada and, at this time, the government of Canada does not allow donations made to a non-Canadian corporation to be tax-deductible. It would greatly expedite communications if you would send all your correspondence to Ambassador International Cultural Foundation, 300 West Green Street, Pasadena, California, 91129.

Publication Date: June 05, 1975
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