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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, January 31, 1980
Page 9
July--and responses poured in for months afterwards. By July the New
Zealand office had already received more mail than during the whole of 1978
Through the loyal support, prayers and efforts of the members, Christ had
doubled The Plain Truth mailing list in just three months!�
In September the number of responses from the householder cards topped the
30,000 mark--representing 30,000 brand new Plain Truth subscribers! A
month-long advertising campaign was also carried out in Fiji's two leading
newspapers, aiming to double the mailing list there too. By November
almost 4,000 responses had reached the office, and the mailing list in Fiji
had more than doubled--Christ had trebled it!
The year finished as dramatically as it had started. December's income
totalled 46.5% more than the same month the previous year and was the
highest income in the history of the Work in New Zealand! That meant an
overall income increase of an excellent 28.3% for the year as a whole.
Over 65,000 pieces of mail had been received, an increase of 74.4% on
1978's figure. Church attendance was running about 50% higher than the
previous year, with seven new churches having been added during 1979. The
Plain Truth mailing list in December was 115% higher than December 1978,
and during the year the size of the magazine had also been increased from
32 to 48 pages. Truly, Christ is blessing His Work in New Zealand and the
South Pacific in a remarkable and encouraging manner.
News From France
On January 19, the Church of Paris will be holding its services in its new
location. Forty members happily lent a helping hand on January 1 to pre
pare and set the new location in order for their grand opening. The enthu
siasm, the fellowship and the zeal the brethren are showing express the
unity that now exists in the French-speaking churches.
In France, the total income for the year was 5.1% higher than in 1978.
For the months of November and December alone, the increases were 22% and
25% respectively.
People are beginning to respond to coupons and ads we have been sending
out. So far as least 296 people have responded and asked for La Pure
Verite.
Mr. Apartian plans to visit the French churches in Europe from March 5 to
April 8. At the beginning of his trip, he and Mr. Andrist will appear on
the television show "L'Antenne est a vous," to speak about the Church.
This program will enable us to preach the gospel to the Swiss people!
News From Cameroon
Since arriving in Cameroon, Mr. Raymond Clore (our local elder there) has
had at least one note of encouragement. On December 15, he performed his
first baptism. Remember the Church in Cameroon is still encountering
difficulties with the government in registering the Church so that regular
meetings can be conducted. Until that time the Church cannot conduct
services in the Cameroon. Your prayers are requested so that this situa
tion may soon be rectified.
--Joe Tkach, Ministerial Services