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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, JANUARY 15, 1982
PAGE 7
cial assistance of the Canadian office. The program was last telecast here
in 1972.
December ended with a fine 32% increase in income compared with December,
19go. The year's income was 25% better than 1980. This reflects excellent
performance on the part of the membership, since there have been many odds
against them during the year.
This past year has been a year of typhoons (over 20 of them!) and national
economic debacles. The unemployment rate in the country has been estimated
at a staggering 26%. This is up from 14% in 1980 and 8% in 1979. Several
church members have been affected. Also, members in the southern Philip
pines have had to live in fear for their lives because of confrontations
with rebel forces fighting against the government. And most of them are
still recovering from the ravages of the torrential rains which hit them
early in the year.
On top of all this, the Work here has had less co-workers and donors to help
carry the load than in the previous year. There were 103 baptisms during
the year and a total of 2,221 members at the end of December--a 12.6% in
crease over the total membership in 1980.
The office received 92,319 pieces of mail last year--down by 3,442 from the
preceding year. Our PLAIN TRUTH circulation now stands at 33,573.
The brethren have made up for these negative physical factors with a great
er spiritual effort. This is evident in the increase in average church at
tendance this past year--2,291 or 16.6% better than 1980. Feast attendance
also registered a 14.6% increase over 1980.
This undoubtedly has been
helped by the fact that we hired six more men into the ministry last year.
We now have 17 full-time elders pastoring 21 churches.
With Mr. Armstrong's campaign and telecast this year, we look forward to
tremendous growth in 1982!
News of the Work in Germany The ministers of God's Work in German-speaking
Europe did a lot of traveling in December, 1981. John Karlson and Tom
Lapacka visited the Bonndorf/Black Forest Feast of Tabernacles site in
order to nail down accommodations and conduct talks with local officials.
Regional Director Frank Schnee, and Winfried Fritz traveled to Prague,
Czechoslovakia to talk with Czech travel bureau officials in regards to the
1982 FOT in Brno. So far everything looks good for a great Feast at both
sites!
The 1981 Youth Winter Camp was held for YOU members, singles and some at
tending parents in Radfeld, Austria, from December 20th to the 31st. Bible
studies every other day and a church service on the Sabbath provided
spiritual food. Excellent weather and deep snow made for ideal sledding,
skiing and skating (not to forget snowballing!}. Meals eaten together at
the "Sonnenhof" Hotel added to the exuberant fellowship enjoyed by young
people from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Holland, England, France and
Norway.
The ministry also had the chance to spend a week at the youth camp. Unity
and friendship were strenghtened by joint family expeditions to sledding
and skiing territory. We also really enjoyed getting to know our youth