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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, JULY 24, 1981
PAGE 4
R.S.A., and 18,300 in Salisbury, Zimbabwe. We place 40,000 on newsstands
every month but will do 10,000 more this month because we have a combined
issue. Our response is still a very fine 4.13% for our newsstand copies.
We reach a milestone this month as all our subscribers to The PLAIN TRUTH in
South Africa will receive a 48-page magazine. We shall continue to print a
32-page magazine in Zimbabwe and for our newsstands.
The PLAIN TRUTH
magazine remains our frontline vehicle to expose the people to the Gospel
of the Kingdom of God. The doors of television and radio are still tightly
shut, except for a small radio station in Swaziland which broadcasts The
WORLD TOMORROW program every Friday evening at 9 o'clock.
Since 1 April 1981 we administer the areas of Zambia and Mauritius from the
Johannesburg Office. We have 1,026 PLAIN TRUTH subscribers in Zambia and
25 members. In Mauritius 1,360 receive The PLAIN TRUTH magazine and we have
27 members.
I have now visited both regions--Mauritius 17-25 May and
Zambia 1-8 June. I counselled members and prospectives in both countries,
baptizing one in Mauritius. Mr. Andre van Belkum will follow up my visits
with visits in Mauritius 4-8 August, Zambia 9-12 August.
We have decided to temporarily mail The PLAIN TRUTH from Cape Town to Zambia
and Mauritius--it will get there a lot sooner. We found out from the postal
authorities that a PLAIN TRUTH mailed in Salisbury, Zimbabwe to Lusaka,
Zambia would go from Salisbury to Botswana to South Africa to Maputo to
Malawi and finally to Zambia! The round trip would take about five weeks!!!
A bush telegram by forked stick would be faster!
We have made arrangements for the Feast of Tabernacles in Mauritius. The
brethren will all stay in one hotel--Hotel Club in the Blackwater region of
Mauritius, a tiny island 40 miles long by 30 miles wide with a population of
945,000! Mr. Syd Hull and his wife will be visiting with the brethren for
the eight-day period.
In Zimbabwe the Festival will be at Victoria Falls--a beautiful and spec
tacular sight. Here we shall have all the Zambian brethren meet with the
Zimbabweans. We could have about 380 in attendance. The ministers present
here will be Mr. Ron Stoddart and Mr. Adriaan Botha. Although accommoda
tions are plentiful, we shall have to set up a large marquee tent in which
to hold services. Anything can of course happen in these parts of the
world. The other day a golfer on the fifth fairway hit his ball into the
bush. He went after his ball and came face to face with a pride of five
lions!
Preparations at the other sites in South Africa--Durban, Umbgababa, Sonesta
and George--are going very well. Total attendance at all the sites could be
2,750--there were only 90 in 1963!
Our financial situation in South Africa gets better and better. God is
pouring out a blessing. We thought we had a most excellent year in 1980.
Our year-to-date figure shows an unbelievable 45.9% increase over January
June 1980 in our operating account. Our members still contribute 78% of the
income and-God has certainly blessed them abundantly. In Zimbabwe, too, we
see the same trend--the year-to-date increase there is 39% at the end of
June 1981.
Australia God continued to bless His Work in Australia this past month.
Pentecost attendance was up 5.7% over last year, and members responded with