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RADIO CHURCH OF GOD
WORLD HEADQUARTERS
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91109
HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG
PRESIDENT and PASTOR
Broadcasting
The WORLD TOMORROW
Publishers of
The PLAIN TRUTH
October 16, 1961
Dear Brethren of God's Church:
GREETINGS, in the name of Jesus Christ! I have to tell
you, now, about our most serious problem in God's work. I made
some mention of this--or part of it--at the Feast of Tabernacles,
both at Squaw Valley and at Gladewater. It is SERIOUS and it is
URGENT, and so I hope you will, as a begotten child of God, take
this to heart, and pray very earnestly about it.
I was ordained and put into the ministry in early June,
1931. But this Philadelphia era of the Church of God did not begin
until July, 1933. At that time I had no car. There was no radio
broadcast-no Plain Truth magazine. A one-room country school house
was opened up for meetings--no rent to be paid. I walked over
country roads--or drove a car loaned to me part of the time--in a
rural district where houses were a quarter to a half mile apart,
inviting people to attend meetings. Average attendance was about
36. It resulted in the beginning of the present Church of God at
Eugene, starting that fall with 19 members. THAT WAS AS BIG AS THE
WORK COULD GROW, THROUGH MY OWN EFFORTS WITHOUT HELP.
You already know most of this history. But it is
IMPORTANT that we all understand one ALL-IMPORTANT point right
here! Jesus Christ said "I will build my Church." He did not
build it to be a social club. He built it primarily for two
tremendous purposes: 1) as HIS BODY--that is, His instrument--
empowered by His Holy Spirit, to carry on GOD'S WORK; and, 2) for
the development in spiritual character of all its members--their
TRAINING to become kings and priests in His Kingdom when it rules
the world. And a large part of the individual spiritual
development of each of us is received through our part in GOD'S
WORK. Primarily, this work consists of PROCLAIMING and PUBLISHING
Christ's GOSPEL in all the world as a witness to all nations. It
also includes FEEDING the members on the spiritual food--conducting
the various local churches.
Now you realize, of course, that I, alone, cannot do all
this work. It is not the work of Herbert W. Armstrong--it is the
WORK OF GOD, and God uses HIS CHURCH to do it. I had no help in
that first school-house campaign. But when radio opened, even at
the unbelievably low cost of $2.50 per week, I could not do this
alone, I didn't have the $2.50. Several members of God's Church
pledged $1.25 per week. I started on FAITH, trusting God to send
in the other $1.25 per week. HE DID! But He sent it through