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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, October 18, 1979
Page 9
STAR-NEWS, PASADENA, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17. 1'79
Worldwide Church of God
chiefs draw wide support
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Many members of the
Pasadena-based Worldwide Church of God say they
do not care that the church is tangled in a legal
fight with the state of California over the way
church leaders hand.le finances.
Interviewed at the church's annual Feast of Tab
ernacle celebration here this week, many of the
7,000 gathered from around the country made
comments similar to those of church member Ri
chard Boedeker:
"When I give my tithe, basically I give my money
to God. I've upheld my end of the bargain, and I
know I will get my return."
His comments came on questions concerning
California officials' attempts to get financial ac
countability from church founder Herbert W.
Armstrong and his No. 1 aide, Stanley Rader. Both
live in Tucson.
''I don't have to worry where the money goes
each step up the ladder," said Boedeker, of Olym
pia, Wash. "If they have done wrong, God will take
care of them."
:
Y
JERVIEW OF COURT CASE GIVEN AT FEAST
California officials have placed the church in
receivership, alleging its leaders have misspent
money on expensive houses here and high-priced
travel on evangelical trips around the world.
"He
(
Armstrong) is an apostle to us. He is like
the king or president," said Samuel Tunthank of
Somerset, Ky. "You· don't want your king to go
second-class. do vou
?
"
Many church ·members said they did not, and
others echoed comments that if church leaders are
doing wrong, God will punish them. Meanwhile,
they said, they will continue paying tithes of 10
percent of their incomes to the church.
"It's God's money to start with, and Armstrong
has to answer to God, not us," said Gary Carring
ton of Wichita, Kan.
Rader, who. has moved up rapidly in the church's
ranks and recently was ordained as an evangelistic
minister, said church members' sentiments are
clearly with Armstrong. He said the church is
stronger than ever and donations are up 13 percent.
(Editor's Note: At Mr. Armstrong's request, the following comments by Mr.
Rader were made just prior to Mr. Armstrong's sermon during the afternoon
services of the Last Great Day, October 13. We are including Mr. Rader's
comments in the Pastor General's Report for the benefit of our inter
national ministers who were not privileged to hear the services as were
the brethren in the U.S. and Canada.)
Most of you by now have probably seen the film which dealt with comments
that I made last July concerning the state of affairs as they were then
in this great conflict between the Church of the Living God and the State
of California. I want to stress that the film was made in July before my
two months in China. After attending several functions here in Tucson with
ministers and some members from around the country and also answering
questions from the press, including the television media here in Tucson,
I realize that not only is repetition the best form of emphasis, but there
are also blind spots concerning this entire affair.
What I intend to do today is to give you a very brief overview--a very
brief summary--so that everything can be fixed firmly in mind and you can
be prepared to deal with announcements and things that you will read in
the forthcoming months.