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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
January 24, 1962
Dear Brethren:
I have just read the enclosed letter from Garner Ted
Armstrong, and also a few of the teachers' reports. To say that I
was shocked, and deeply hurt is putting it mildly. I should have
felt constrained to take up in Ministerial Council the question of
whether it is not God's will that we simply close the Imperial
schools completely, had I not found, on questioning, that the
serious situations brought out in this letter and the two or three
case-histories I looked over, involved only a very small minority
of you parents whose children are in the schools of God's Church.
Even though most of you are not involved, and I am
informed that the attitude of most of you is very co-operative,
still I feel impelled to write all parents of our school pupils a
few words personally.
I feel strongly that most of you do not realize how these
schools have grown and expanded, and the tremendous FINANCIAL
BURDEN they are putting on God's Work. These schools started with
just two teachers and one part-time helper in teaching. The start
was in the Tabernacle at Gladewater. The thought at the time was
that it would not involve additional expense. The minister sent as
Pastor of the Church and his wife were the teachers. Existing
facilities were used. But the school at Gladewater grew, and we
started the schools at Pasadena. Today at Pasadena we have 12
class rooms--one for every grade through high school, besides a
library room, and a separate building for administration offices.
We have a LARGE payroll of teachers, all highly trained, qualified,
competent, and administrative officers beside.
At Pasadena we have plans for a new PLANT, with one
building for High School, and another for the grades--new and ultra
modern--that will involve the purchase of several additional acres
of ground made possible by the purchase of many houses and lots,
wrecking the houses, and erecting our own buildings and play-
grounds. This will cost in the neighborhood of a half-million
dollars. The City of Pasadena authorities will insist that we
provide this, and vacate our present remodeled houses being used
within some two years from now. The payroll of these two schools
reaches a really staggering sum. I am informed by our auditor and
financial advisor that our payroll for the entire work has gotten
almost out of hand, and is out of all proportion to the income and