February 24, 1972  
February 24, 1972 - 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

February 24, 1972

Dear Brethren of God's Church:

   The great WORK OF GOD, beginning January 7, entered a new — and its last — phase. Suddenly the Work has been catapulted onto a new and higher plane. Our Commission is to preach and publish Christ's GOOD NEWS (gospel) into all the world as a witness (Mat. 24:14).

   We have been getting that job done — and nobody else has! But on January 7th, the living HEAD of this Church, Jesus Christ, opened before us the BIGGEST DOOR in the history of the Work. He showed us that we have not yet reached the world as THOROUGHLY as we must. Now the means are placed at our disposal for greatly magnifying the POWER of this Work for getting Christ's Message to multiplied more MILLIONS! The giant door is opening to us to get THE MESSAGE, in an article such as might appear in TOMORROW'S WORLD, before approximately THIRTY-FIVE MILLION in the United States alone — in Reader's Digest — with the largest circulation by far of any magazine. And that besides many, many additional millions all around the world in their foreign editions. We now contemplate using FOUR FULL PAGES each time (within a few months) in order to get a complete article before their millions of readers!

   We will have to cut down somewhat, temporarily, on SOME (but not on any of the major) radio stations, in order to be able to afford this — but it will be BY FAR the most powerful, effective, and far-reaching Gospel campaign ever undertaken!

   The time has come when we can put articles of Biblical UNDERSTANDING (like those in TOMORROW'S WORLD) in The PLAIN TRUTH once again — and therefore we contemplate COMBINING the two magazines beginning with the May number.

   This is another GREAT and IMPORTANT STEP AHEAD — because now, not only will such articles appear in the 800,000 copies of TOMORROW'S WORLD — but in the more than 2,000,000 copies of The PLAIN TRUTH — reaching nearly three times as many! The PLAIN TRUTH will continue with some articles like we have been publishing the past two years, but it will now have Bible-based articles also, getting the true GOSPEL full strength to the entire six or seven million readership of The PLAIN TRUTH. This will also save a considerable amount of money for other means of getting Christ's GOSPEL to the world!

   I am again broadcasting, myself, on radio, for the first time in about ten years, and the response from listeners has been surprising, most encouraging, and beyond expectations!

   As I look out the window of my office, I behold an inspiring sight I have been waiting TEN YEARS to see — a great hole in the ground, with about 26 round concrete caissons, sunk some twenty-plus feet into the ground, on which the 72-foot-high pillars for God's House will rest — other concrete footings, and the full basement under the superbly fine edifice to honor God. Work is well under way!

   Brethren, because of our record, and high credit standing, we were able to obtain 80% long-term financing — and the accumulated building fund special offerings made up the balance — but we are obligated to pay off this long-term financing at the rate of $200,000 per month, for the next few years. And not only this, but we must continue the amount of construction, from year to year, required to maintain our college campuses. And, further, we are now more hopeful than ever of starting — hopefully before the end of this year — the construction of local church buildings — probably three, six, or ten at a time, increasing the number under construction each year.

   As I wrote you on December tb, after my letter sent in January, just over a year ago, the special building fund offerings did equal $200,000 per month for several months — but now, with several thousand additional members baptized since January last year, we are falling off by some 20% under last year. We ought to be able to increase this special fund by at least 12% to 15% — because our membership has increased by that much. But instead, now that the magnificent structure to honor OUR GOD is ACTUALLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION, we are giving less!

   Brethren, the Work is now OBLIGATED to this fund, and we must PAY IT, even if we have to take the money from the proclaiming of the Gospel to the world!

   THAT SIMPLY MUST NOT HAPPEN!

   God is now honoring and blessing His Work and stepping it forward bigger than ever! But WE have OUR part to do — and we MUST NOT FALL DOWN ON THE JOB!

   We ARE getting the job DONE! Let us, therefore, take courage, and inspiration, from what God is doing for us, and go forward with OUR part MORE THAN EVER BEFORE! If you have not yet sent in your statement of intention card, please do so by return mail — even if unable to help in this special fund, or if only by small amounts. Let us be generous according as God has made possible!

   This is the time when EVERY MEMBER of God's Church needs to feel the URGENCY of rededicating our lives to God and to His Work! God is WITH US! We must be with HIM!

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

Publication Date: February 24, 1972
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