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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, AUGUST 2, 1985
PAGE 3
tralian Department of Aviation has since approved the display we plan to
use.
In addition to having an impact on all who pass these lighted displays, the
Church will be able to distribute PLAIN TRUTH magazines from racks that
will form part of the displays.
Negotiations are also underway for lighted displays in major airports and
high traffic areas in other states.
The article on Sri Lanka in the July-August PLAIN TRUTH was received excep
tionally well by the Sri Lankan government. As a result of this article,
the Prime Minister's Department in Sri Lanka requested 1,000 copies of this
issue for distribution to cabinet members and to visitors to the Village
Reawakening Programme mentioned in the article.
The article also drew a most exceptional response in Australia. The High
Commissioner for Sri Lanka in Canberra asked for 2,000 copies to be sent to
him for distribution to his staff and the Sri Lankan community in this coun
try. In addition, he asked that the High Commission in Canberra be placed
on The PLAIN TRUTH mailing list to receive ten copies per issue. This one
article has resulted in additional thousands being exposed to Christ's mes
sage in a most unexpected way.
Incoming mail broke all records this month. The letter count was 33,964-
our highest count on record. Responses to Mr. Armstrong's semiannual let
ter totalled 14,355--15.9% of the mailing list. Of these, 77.5% requested
both booklets offered--THE UNITED STATES AND BRITAIN IN PROPHECY and A
WORLD HELD CAPTIVE. Responses from Asian readers are just beginning to
roll in.
In June, 64,261 pieces of mail (excluding The PLAIN TRUTH) were placed in
the post, bringing our year-to-date count for outgoing mail to 603,292.
This represents an 18.0% increase over the first six months of 1984. Income
for June increased by 6.3%, bringing our year-to-date increase to 9.8%.
During the past twelve months, circulation of our magazines in Australia
and Asia has continued to climb. The following table shows percentage
increases for The PLAIN TRUTH, GOOD NEWS and YOUTH 85:
PLAIN TRUTH
GOOD NEWS
YOUTH 85
Australia
99,958
16,234
5,163
17.0%
56.1%
54.2%
66,727
2,421
934
Asia
57.6%
67.2%
100.9%
From Mr. Bram de Bree At the.beginning of June, Mr. Ralph Helge from our
Legal Department in Pasadena visited our office in Nieuwegein. Later in
the month, Mr. Don Patrick and Miss Peggy Warkentin from Publishing Ser
vices in Pasadena came to our office to supervise the installation of the
Bedford computer typesetting system, and Miss Warkentin is now training our
operator.
We are already able to produce galleys (first printouts) for De ECHTE
WAARHEID (Dutch PLAIN TRUTH) and International GOOD NEWS articles. Once
the system is fully operational, sending translated article material to and