FROM MINISTERIAL SERVICES

Recent Ordination

On July 24, the final banquet of the seventh Ministerial Refreshing Program ended joyfully with one ordination. Mr. Dennis Johnson, who serves as the associate pastor in the Glendale and Reseda, California Churches, was raised to the rank of preaching elder.

Update for U.S. Ministers Who Own Their Homes

U.S. ministers who are living in homes they have owned (or had a contract to purchase) prior to January 3, 1983 have been given another year to include mortgage interest and property tax as an itemized deduction on their income tax return. The Tax Reform Act of 1984 has made provision to continue the deductibility of these items until January 1, 1986.

This means your "double deduction" benefit is available through the 1985 tax year. Even though your mortgage interest and property tax is paid with your housing allowance (which is exempt from income tax), you can still list these expenses as itemized deductions on your tax return. This effectively excludes another substantial portion of your income from income tax.

Those ministers who purchased homes after January 2, 1983 are not eligible for this benefit even during the current tax year. For them the benefit was terminated on June 30, 1983.

International News

Canadian Update: "Second class mail permit pending" now appears on the Canadian PLAIN TRUTH magazine, reflecting the status of our application for this new postage rate. Canada Post wrote us late May asking for more details and assured us that they would continue processing our application when they received our reply. A reply was mailed to them late June containing pertinent information about our organization, plus evidence that The PLAIN TRUTH generates much revenue for the Post Office. Now we continue to wait and hope that approval will come in the near future.

The decision was made for England to print their own newsstand copies of The PLAIN TRUTH each month and Canada will simply reimburse them the expense upon receipt of invoices. This is much better for Britain and also saves the Canadian Office the cost of freighting the magazines to England.

The WATS line this year has seen a 30% increase in responses over last year. Canadians are still slow to call in, nevertheless we are slowly but surely picking up more requests from this source. Incoming mail for June was up by 49.3% over June 1983. Outgoing mail was down due to last year's mailing out of the semi-annual letter at this time.

June's income was up 4.8% over June 1983, bringing our year-to-date increase down to 13.6%. There was one less income day in June this year than in 1983, which contributed to the lower increase. However, we are still running ahead of budget and finances are in a healthy position.

Appreciation for Ministerial Refreshing Program III

Dear Mr. Armstrong:

Thank you and all the ministry and teachers at Headquarters for the third Ministerial Refreshing Program. The presentations were powerful and their impact dramatic. It is material sorely needed by our local churches and by the world.

Thank you as well for the display of teamwork and harmony. We do appreciate your example.

We will now strive to follow your fine leadership in our areas so that the brethren will also grow and profit.

Dear Mr. Armstrong:

Norm and Kay Strayer

I want to express my appreciation to you, Mr. Tkach and the entire staff for their labor and service of love for us in the Refreshing Program. This third series showed me continual growth in understanding the human needs God's Church is here to address in helping those God calls toward eternal life. It is not enough to cry "sin"; it is imperative to offer spiritual aid for healing.

God's Spirit continues to lead you and the Church as a whole into a greater depth of understanding God's will and mind; each successive Refresher reflects God's power at work to bring us into greater harmony with Him. Thank you for your active service in all aspects of the Church and ministry and permission for me to be a part.
Jim Lichtenstein

Dear Mr. Tkach:

Please convey our gratitude to Mr. Armstrong for our time in Pasadena during the current MRP. Thank you also to Mr. Armstrong and all the staff for the dynamic and inspiring presentations.

As the information is presented to the congregations in sermons and Bible studies, there have been many positive comments of appreciation from the members. There was such a wealth of knowledge and material presented that two months later only the tip of the iceberg has been presented to the local congregations.

The process of digesting the whole experience is a very enjoyable one indeed.
Lyall and Wynnis Johnston

Comments From Monthly Church Reports

From the United States

AMARILLO, TX — JAMES O'BRIEN: Our YOU is having terrific results! One of the girls confessed to her mother that during some family trials this past year the only thing that kept her from quitting school and running away from home was the YOU meetings. YES classes have caught the kids on fire.

FT. COLLINS, CO — CHUCK ZIMMERMAN: We have had a few move here for work from other church areas over the last year. The majority made sound decisions based on ministerial advice, showing that the information printed in the PGR is being used and that there appears to be unity in this area.

KANSAS CITY (NORTH), MO — BRUCE GORE: I have noticed that those in my area who are having spiritual problems also never attend Bible study. We have put stronger emphasis on this midweek picker upper. People have been very responsive to the topical study of the book of Proverbs.

YANKTON, SD — GEORGE AFFELDT: The weather was the big factor of the month — most of eastern South Dakota was flooded. The fourth Sabbath most members were unable to get to services. Many of the farmers won't get a crop this year.

GRAND RAPIDS, MN — STAN McNIEL: A five-year-old girl whose home is near the Mississippi River fell into the river on a cold day. A neighbor lady had a sudden impulse to hang her clothes on the line, rather than use her clothes dryer as normal, even though it was cold and windy outside. As soon as she went outside, she heard our member's daughter splash into the river. It is almost certain she would not have made it out of the icy cold river without the neighbor's help. The neighbor still wonders why she had such an unusual and insistent urge to hang out her clothes. Our members continue to be grateful for God's protection, especially as part of His blessing of our children.

— Joe Tkach, Ministerial Services