Proclaim to the World the GOOD NEWS OF THE WORLD TOMORROW
BOX 111, Pasadena, California
Publishing: The PLAIN TRUTH a Magazine of UNDERSTANDING
January 24, 1957
Dear Co-Workers with Christ:
This is my first letter to you this year. I have been delayed ten days in writing it. NOW I AM COMPELLED TO DROP EVERY- THING AND RUSH OUT THIS LETTER — because the situation now has become desperate!
WHY do so many Co-Workers let down, forget, or neglect unless they receive an urgent letter from me? WHY must the great WORK OF GOD suffer from this careless neglect?
But entirely aside from the urgent NECESSITY of the moment, I have so much to tell you about developments in this great and growing work of God, that I'm glad of the opportunity.
First let me say that, to write this letter, I have been called out of the annual conference session of all our ministers and evangelists from all parts of the United States. All are here but two and those two started our latest evangelistic campaign last night in London, England. I have a cablegram from them reporting good interest in last night's first meeting of the campaign.
Also meeting with us, in combined session, are our teachers. In today's session the problem being discussed is the teaching of the Bible to children of school age — all the way from the first grade.
YOU, PARENTS of young children, will be intensely interested in this: We have decided that in connection with teaching the little children we need to produce a NEW KIND of BIBLE STORY BOOK for little children. For years I have had this very thing in mind. The way never opened up before to produce it. Now definite action is being taken to produce this book with all speed, NOT like all the books already printed and sold in the stores; NOT merely relating stories of blood and thunder, with no real meaning, and no connection one with the other, or with the Gospel or God's PURPOSE and PLAN.
The purpose of this book — or series of books as it probably will become — is to make God REAL to little children — to give them understanding, in a manner adapted to their age-level, of God's PURPOSE, and of the real meaning and principles of LIFE. Committees are being appointed on which will be teachers of elementary grade-school experience, and ministers, and myself, all collaborating with nationally-famous artist Basil Wolverton, who is in attendance at this conference. It will be written and illustrated for children in their language, in the manner their minds will grasp. This book — or series of books — will be made available to ALL YOU PARENTS for YOUR children! I'm sure this will be wonderful news to many of you! Work starts at once!
I wrote you last month about the unprecedented expansion and fruit borne by this work last year. That forward march must continue with increased momentum this year!
Last year The PLAIN TRUTH magazine was enlarged from 16 to 24 pages. It came out with a new cover, more illustrations, more readable type. NOW IT IS TO BLOSSOM FORTH IN TWO COLORS instead of black only, and then our next step will be the addition of four more pages with a much heavier cover.
Last year we went on several new radio stations around the world — especially the Australia Network, and the Voice of free China. THIS year we MUST reach Spain, in the Spanish language, from across the Strait of Gibraltar over Radio TANGIER. We must put the program, in Spanish, on a large Network covering South America and Central America. Already we are reaching the continents of North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia — but not yet South America. As I wrote before, Ted Armstrong is now ready, and he speaks Spanish very fluently and without foreign accent. We lacked sufficient funds for this last year. THESE FUNDS MUST BE MADE AVAILABLE THIS YEAR!
Last year I had to write you that we were in danger of losing the fabulous new property which J. L. Block & Associates expected to donate to Ambassador College. They were not able to raise all the money they had expected. But God did use you Co-Workers to come to the rescue in time, and that very valuable property WAS SAVED! Its actual value for college purposes is at least from fifteen to twenty times the amount the J. L. Block interests purchased it for at public auction. The grounds added to our campus by this one building are about 650 feet long and 300 feet wide — and landscaped in a manner to equal anything at Versailles! These new properties have more than doubled the size of our outgrown campus. Once restored to the condition in which it was some three or four years ago, added to our already magnificently landscaped grounds, Ambassador College shall have come into what is probably the most beautiful campus in all America — perhaps in all the world! It's unbelievable — but true!
Yet a considerable amount of alterations and changes, much of which is forced on us by the city building codes, must be done at once before these fine new properties can be used by the college. This will cost only a small fraction of the value of the properties, or even their under-value purchase price — yet these operations will run into several thousand dollars.
As we passed the middle of the month the receipt of funds for the conduct of this great work began to take a sharp DROP! Again we face an alarming situation, UNLESS YOU CO-WORKERS GET TO YOUR KNEES IN URGENT BELIEVING PRAYER, and also to your post- offices with the largest offerings you can possibly send at this time!
Here we are, in the midst of the usual let-down after most people spent themselves poor buying Christmas presents! All retail stores have to put on January sales in order to keep going. Co-Workers, we can't put on sales — we can't offer bargains — I can only ask you with all the urgency and sincerity at my command to TAKE THIS TO HEART, to GET TO YOUR KNEES — to DO all that God has made possible for YOU — and let us unitedly send up our earnest petitions to GOD, so that the income for GOD'S PRECIOUS WORK will be brought back up to its required quota once again — and QUICKLY!
One man said he couldn't understand why, if this is the very WORK OF GOD, I have had to say at times that this work could DIE unless we remain faithful and vigilant. LISTEN! Please under- stand! God works thru human instruments. We are the human instruments He has chosen for His use. WE can fail! God made us free moral agents. WE must each decide whether to remain true and faithful to our part in God's work. GOD DOES NOT FORCE ANY MAN! Yes, we can fail even tho GOD NEVER CAN! But if WE get careless, let down and fail, THIS WORK — even tho it is now the very WORK OF GOD — will DIE — and we Co-Workers would die with it! Of course, God's PURPOSE cannot fail. If WE fail God will raise up others and continue His work thru those who will be more willing and faithful and sacrificing than we. And God would then require the blood of all we fail to reach AT OUR HANDS! Our punishment would be AWFUL! It is a great and wonderful PRIVILEGE God has granted us to be His servants — His instruments in HIS VERY WORK! Let us be glad and rejoice! Let us PRAISE HIM — and in heartfelt gratitude GIVE THANKS! Let us PRAY as never before — and sacrifice as never before!
Co-Workers, come to the rescue! From the heart I THANK YOU, and may God bless you richly!
With great love, in Jesus' name, Herbert W. Armstrong
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