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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, JULY 2, 1982
PAGE 9
tacts resulting fram the telephone responses are a help. The
economic pinch is being felt here too, but it hasn't dampened the
general spirit of the Church at this time.
BELLEVILLE/MT. VERNON, IL--HAROLD SMITH: In spite of having eight
members living in the city limits of Marion, Illinois [struck a
few weeks ago
by
a tornado l only one woman, a widow, lost her liv
ing quarters. She lived in the apartment complex immediately be
hind the shopping center that was destroyed. Another member had
her windows blown out of her house. And one other widow who had
left her car to go to services with another member suffered
severe damage to her automobile. Since the tornado struck while
services were being held in Mt. Vernon, we were blessed not to
have members just leaving or getting home at the time it hit. All
are in very high spirits.
TERRE HAUTE, IN--STEVE NUTZMAN: This congregation continues to
remain solid, stable, involved locally and very supportive of Mr.
Armstrong and Headquarters.
I suppose I_ could always ask for
more involvement on the part of some, but overall, their hearts
are really in God's Work. The Holy Day offering on Pentecost was
a record, and that from brethren who aren't very well off as a
whole because of high unemployment and low-paying jobs. Their
example inspires my wife and me.
--Joe Tkach, Ministerial Services
FROM MAIL PROCESSING
Third Tithe Year Blessings
Members continually write Mr. Armstrong to share news of their special
third tithe year blessings. Sometimes they have experienced difficulties
and tests of faith to start with. But then it seems that all of a sudden
God opens the windows of heaven and pours out blessings! Here are some
recent examples of such blessings:
Blessings Include a House and Several Pay Raises
I grew up in the Church, but never realized how much God blesses
us during our third tithe year until this year. This is the first
year I have had to pay third tithe and support a family. We cal
culated before the Feast last year that we would be $15.00 per
week short to just cover our bare necessities. We figured we
would have to deplete our savings and maybe I would have to find a
second job later in the year to cover our needs. But God did
supply what we needed.
The first week we were back from the Feast I received a $20.00 a
week raise. That was only the start of God's blessings. Next we
sold a car that we had been trying to sell for a year and a half
but couldn't find a buyer. Then we found a house selling for
about 60% of its value, which was less expensive for us to live in
than the apartment we were renting. We also got our deposit back
from our apartment even though we broke our lease agreement to
buy the house. And just before we closed the deal on our house,
the interest rate dropped one percent which lowered our monthly