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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, March 13, 1981
Page 3
In 1980 we were able to put 150,000 magazines per month on news
stands throughout Canada. This program has been handled by the
church pastors and the local congregations.
In December of 1980 we were able to begin the "A Voice Cries Out''
series in the Toronto Globe & Mail--the most similar newspaper in
Canada to the Wall Street Journal. It is a national newspaper and
is read by Canadian leadership.
For the first time, income topped $9,000,000 Canadian. Total
income kept inching one or two percentage points upward each month
toward a 30% increase, ending at 24% increase for the year. In
December we came very close to having our first ever million dollar
month.
During the year, weekly church attendance hit 9,000 for the first
time. We had 309 baptisms and 599 new visit requests. Many minis
ters are reporting a sharp upturn in prospective member activity.
The mail and circulation stats are also very encouraging. Total
mail increased from 199,887 in 1979 to 477,412 in 1980--q 139%
increase!
The PLAIN TRUTH subscribers in English increased 176% to end the
year at 187,651 subscribers. During the year we added 126,663 new
subscribers. A whopping 507% over the previous year.
In the French area, La PURE VERITE circulation increased 82% to
46,970. We added 27,779 new subscribers, an increase of 221% over
1979.
�1r. Apartian and I are working very closely together to serve the
French-speaking Canadians. We have been blessed with unity and
harmony as we work at the specific assignments you have given us.
We both are pleased and delighted to be working as a team!
Surprisingly, total membership has remained about the same as last
year.
Christ is cleaning up His Church! But those members who
remain are doing more than ever before: 82% of our income in 1980
came from members of the Church, 15% came from faithful co-workers
whose number actually fell since December 1979.
One statistic I found particularly interesting. During the first
eleven months of the year the number of donations averaged about
5,450 per month. It never once reached 6,000. In December 1980
a sudden jump to 7,288 donations occurred! We know that increase
comes from God!
All these developments have bloomed since you took direct control of
the churches and began putting the Church back on the track!
Realizing that, I feel I understand as never before what the prophet
means when he wrote "and they shall rejoice and see the plummet in
the hand of Zerubbabel."
I know you will not compromise with God's
truth. If the plummet shows the wall to be crooked, I know you