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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, MAY 8, 1981
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spiritual fellowship with God and with Christ. Then the new YOUTH 81 maga
zine for the youth of the Church--and a weekly PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT. No
church--Catholic, Methodist, Baptist or whatever, has a publication program
such as God has given us. No church has weekly events, keeping up member
interest, like God's Church. Take our Spokesman's Clubs, our Y.O.U. and
Y.E.S. programs--our basketball and other activities--our annual Feast of
Tabernacles and other feasts to hold us together, and keep us growing
spiritually. THERE IS JUST NO CHURCH LIKE GOD'S CHURCH! I think we need to
realize HOW DIFFERENT--and how much MORE INTERESTING, how much more spir
itually stimulating and invigorating is GOD'S Church.
And our publications are a vital and basic part of the Church--its
life, and its growth.
Now the way is opened for us to place The PLAIN TRUTH into hundreds and
thousands of chain supermarkets--Safeway and others. I will describe this
in a letter to members.
So much of this growth and spiritual development has come through our
publications. Before my conversion, God trained me in the field of publi
cations, and also in public speaking. I think I had not realized, myself,
how vital this early training was in building God's Church and Work.
FROM MINISTERIAL SERVICES
Northern Ireland Brethren Request Prayers for Their Safety
To most of the world, turmoil in Northern Ireland over Bobby Sand's death is
a hot news story, but to brethren there it could become an intense question
of survival! If violence becomes widespread, nearly 300 members might be
affected.
In the twelve years of troubles in Northern Ireland, brethren have escaped
involvement. But now, with tensions running very high, one church member
said he is fully expecting to see the day when a Protestant will come up and
hand him a gun and say, "Are you with us or against us?" If not, the member
expressed fears of being shot on the spot! Following is a report on the
tense situation by one of our men in Radlett, England, dated May 5th:
My family and I had the opportunity of being with the local pastor and
his family in Belfast for the last Holy Day services.
Whilst in
Northern Ireland we took the opportunity to drive through some of the
more wrecked areas of the capital to see the results of the violence
and destruction that have taken place on such a large scale. The
graffiti, anti-British and pro-terrorist slogans are everywhere.
Time magazine and the media generally are full of the current Northern
Irish situation. As the hunger-striker Bobby Sands has died, there
has started a violent backlash. People are hoarding in food almost
with a seige mentality. There have been displays of strength by both