Herbert W Armstrong

One of the Crowd? An article recently given to me pointed out that many modern clergymen in the Protestant and Catholic world are more interested in being accepted as "one of the crowd" than in being spiritual guides.

I hope that is not true of any ministers of God's Church. Are any of us more concerned with how others perceive us, or what others think of us, than we are with making full proof of our ministry? God has indeed called us to a most marvelous and weighty responsibility. The ministry are called "helpers of your joy." God holds us responsible for the spiritual health and well-being of the brethren in our care. But if we are not careful, our human desire to be popular and well-liked can cause us to try to blend in rather than to set the pace.

On occasion each of us should carefully reread Paul's description of the qualifications of elders in I Timothy and Titus. As we go over each point, we need to honestly consider how we measure up. We need to ask God to show us where we need to improve and grow and ask for His Spirit to empower us to change. God's ministry is serious business. He takes it seriously. So should we!

Packets for Newly Baptized I'm sure you will be glad to know that a new packet of material has been designed to send to newly baptized members, welcoming them to the Church. The key item in the packet will be a reprint {in letter form and format) of Mr. Armstrong's article "Open Letter to Newly Begotten Brethren Recently Baptized." This should help focus the new member's attention upon his responsibility as a part of the Church, building upon a foundation already laid by the local minister.

If the newly baptized individual has a mate who is already a member, Mr. Armstrong's letter is all they will receive. The member's mate will have already received the additional material. However, if newly baptized individuals don't have member mates, they will receive an additional letter — from Mail Processing — explaining literature requests, asking them to communicate any address changes promptly, g1v1ng directions on contribution procedures and explaining contribution receipts. They will also receive a copy of the following:

• God's Sacred Calendar

• A copy of the pocket calendar that shows the dates of the Holy Days for future years

• Reprint articles entitled "Which Bible Translations Are Best?" and "Should You Try to Convert Others?"

• An order form for additional literature

Since the last two i terns will be mailed to all members, some newly baptized members will receive them in the packet, while others will receive them as a part of the general member mailing. That will depend upon the timing of their baptism. (This highlights the need to send in the baptism card immediately when a baptism is performed.)

Taping As a reminder, pastors should be audiocassette-taping the entirety of services each Sabbath and regular Bible study. If any were under the impression that only the sermon or only the sermon and sermonette were to be taped, please begin this Sabbath taping the entire service. As mentioned in the December 27, 1985 "Pastor General's Report," these tapes should be retained for a full year before being reused.

D & R Guidelines I thought it would be helpful to again review the guidelines for writing up divorce and remarriage cases. I hope each pastor realizes the importance of doing a thorough job on these writeups. The report can be brief, but it must contain all pertinent information.

No divorce and remarriage decisions are to be made at the local level. And, of course, it is wise to wait until you hear from Pasadena before discussing any "probable" outcome with the members involved. This will prevent potential misunderstanding, disappointment or embarrassment.

Also, be sure to remember that all divorce and remarriage cases should be written up and sent to Pasadena regardless of how clear-cut or simple the case may seem. Even these "clear-cut" write-ups give us necessary background for later reference should divorce occur or should a case be reopened. Following are key points to keep in mind while preparing the reports:

1. Be sure to pray about each write-up before preparing it, realizing the importance of Christ's wisdom and mind in putting it together.
2. Put the date on the write-up.
3. Sign your name on the write-up.
4. Type it, or write or print clearly and legibly.
5. Give the full names of the people involved in each marriage at the beginning of the write-up. Make sure you clearly identify each individual throughout the write-up.
6. State the city or location of each party involved.
7. State the present age of each individual involved, as well as the age at the time of any marriage under consideration.
8. Use full names in specifying who married whom each time you mention it.
9. Be specific about key dates involved in the courtship, marriage ceremony, divorce, separations, fornication, etc.
10. Include the length of each marriage.
11. Be very careful not to slant the write-up in any way. Keep it totally objective and factual.
12. Ask the members involved to prepare a complete writeup also, including all information that is pertinent.

Prayer Finally, thank you again for your continuing faithful prayers for Mr. Armstrong. God is our Father — a faithful, merciful, powerful all-wise and all-knowing Father. Jesus Christ is our Master, our Savior, our Lord, our Elder Brother and the Head of the Church. We could not be in better hands.

International News

Proa Braa de Bree The autumn advertising campaign in October and November 1985 has given the "Echte Waarheid" list a fine boost. In October a full-page ad appeared in the monthly magazine of the Dutch Automobile Association at a response of 0.25 percent. At the beginning of November a flyer was placed in the weekend edition of "DE TELEGRAAF" with a response of 2.2 percent.

The total number of subscribers in the Dutch language areas is now 54,762. The International "Good News" list has increased to 7,724 Dutch readers. Several requests for visits have come in on account of the article contents in the International "Good News."

During the "Echte Waarheid" advertising campaign one of our readers expressed his appreciation, as an editorial staff member of the POLITIE SIGNAAL, for the contents and quality of the "Echte Waarheid." A four-color monthly, is distributed to all members of the Dutch national police force. He suggested that we place a flyer in their magazine.

From November 18 through 22, Regional Director Bram de Bree and Business Manager Johan Wilms attended the Regional Director's Conference in Pasadena. At this conference the Dutch-language-area budget for 1986 was presented to Mr. Leroy Neff and the budget team. The budget presentation was based on the instructions of Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong as a "no-growth" year and maintaining the 1985 circulation of 60,000 for "Echte Waarheid."

Our incoming mail for November increased by 265.2% while our outgoing mail decreased by 57%. Income for November shows a year-to-date increase of 6.7%.

Church membership increased by 4.6% during the same month compared to one year ago.

— Joseph Tkach, Church Administration