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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, JANUARY 22, 1982
PAGE 6
During 1981 we received 80,451 letters, 73.5% of these coming from New Zea
land and 26.5% from the Pacific Islands. This was a slight reduction on the
total for the previous year, although the Pacific Islands mail count was
31.5% higher than for 1980. The lack of increase in incoming mail reflects
the cessation, in late 1980, of locally-produced Subscriber Development
letters.
We ended the year with 657 members, 670 co-workers and 1,250 donors sup
porting the Work. GOOD NEWS circulation is 1,200: WORLDWIDE NEWS,
640:
and
YOUTH 81, 240.
The 1981 S.E.P. was held on Montuapu Island, near Auckland, at the end of
December.
Some 40 staff and 90 campers enjoyed a most enjoyable and
profitable session with excellent weather throughout.
--Joe Tkach, Ministerial Services
LEGAL UPDATE
Federal Appeals Court to Rule on Important School Board Case
You may (ecall that approximately a year ago a federal judge in Amarillo,
Texas held that the local school board had violated the constitutional
rights of Worldwide Church of God children in penalizing them for taking
off from school to observe the Feast of Tabernacles. The court also ordered
that the school board grant the children makeup work for the time of the
Feast, allow them to take any missed tests and give them grades accord
ingly. The school board subsequently appealed that ruling to the Fifth
Federal Circuit Court of Appeals.
The briefs on the appeal have now been filed and the case is set for oral
argument before a panel of the Appeals Court in New Orleans on February 4,
1982. A decision of the Court of Appeals can be expected within a few
months after the oral argument.
A favorable decision by the Court of Apf,eals would have a binding preceden
tial effect on the states of Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi--states
covered by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeais. It would also have a persua
sive effect in the other states irt the United States and all of its terri-
tories.
Thus, many thousands of the children of Church brethren stand to be bene
fited by a favorable decision on the part of the Court of Appeals. We are
confident that the legal issues are all favorable to the Church and believe
that the court will uphold the ruling of the trial judge. However, we must
remember that we have an adversary, Satan the devil, who, if God allows,
will use governmental power against God's people in an attempt to dis
courage our brethren and cause them to give up on following God's way of
life.
Therefore, we should urge the brethren to pray that God will grant favor in
the eyes of the court so they may rule favorably to the Church. This will
help many of our brethren by relieving them of present or potential
problems with their children's schools, and enable them to focus more
wholeheartedly on the effort of getting the Gospel out to the whole world
before the end comes.