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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, JULY 2, 1982
PAGE 6
society and conditions of life! If the case goes in favor of this organiza
tion, it will set a precedent which could hold significance for God's
Church.
On the Sabbath of May 8th, a prayer request was made on behalf of Michel
Saint-Jeannet who was imprisoned in France for refusing to serve in a com
batant capacity in the military, and his determination to observe the Sab
bath and the Holy Days. Our prayers were answered. Mr. Saint-Jeannet was
able to attend Sabbath services on May 24 as well as Pentecost. In addi
tion, he will be given a non-combatant office position in a regiment where
he will not only be able to keep the Sabbath and the Holy Days, but also
return home every evening!
On the legal front, Mr. Donat Picard, Pastor of the Montreal, Quebec
Church, appeared as the key witness in a trial.
The Commission for Human
Rights has taken on the defense of four of our people who lost their jobs
for observing the Feast of Tabernacles three years ago. The trial was held
before the Superior Court of the Province of Quebec in Montreal. While the
judge seemed to favor the position of the members, the judgment will not be
pronounced for several months. A victory for the members would set a favor
able precedent for members throughout all of Canada.
Our statistics for May show 4,181 new subscribers around the world (exclud
ing French Canada), with 479 in Belgium, 2,191 in France, 119 in Switzer
land, 42 in Guadeloupe, 46 in Martinique and 48 in Haiti.
Appreciation for the Second Ministerial Refreshing Program
Dear Mr. Armstrong:
Thank you very much for the privilege of attending session four
of the Ministerial Refreshing Program II last April on God's
beautiful Headquarters campus. We deeply appreciated the steady
help of all those who have made the program both a spiritual and
physical success.
We went away with the distinct feeling that the program has
brought our goals into much sharper focus--much like a new, more
powerful set of eyeglasses for a nearsighted person. Undoubtedly
God is giving you more acute spiritual vision in order to better
lead God's Church on to our goal of God's Kingdom as the end draws
closer. The program has given us a much clearer understanding of
our role as ministers. We were particularly impressed with our
responsibilities toward our children and Church youth.
In last year's MRP (in March) we missed seeing you at A.C. This
year you more than made up for it! In addition to your address to
the ministry on the second day of the program, we also had the
wonderful blessing of hearing your sermons and a Bible study in
the Ambassador Auditorium during the three Sabbaths we were
there. Truly God is inspiring you to give God's Church--and
especially us in God's ministry--the correction, as well as the
encouragement, we need.
We thank our great God for setting His Church and ministry back
on the right track through you as His instrument. Our prayers
are with you each day.
Pete and Paz Melendez