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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, NOVEMBER 4, 1986
International News
Proa canada The highlight of the month of September was the visit of Mr.
Tkach and party to the Vancouver office. This was his first time to visit
British Columbia and he was enthusiastically greeted both by the office
staff and by the west coast churches.
With the new telecasts starting in September, the WATS responses continue
to increase. A new record was set with David Bulme's program •will Russia
Attack the
o.s.1•
We received 1,294 responses, 60.2 percent of which were
people calling in for the first time. We were also over the 1,000 mark
with David Albert's program on child rearing. With winter drawing on we
are confidently expecting our responses to exceed 1,000 most weeks. The
new set has been enthusiastically received by the viewers and many
positive comments have been made on how professionally the telecast comes
over.
Our latest direct-mail campaign got under way and by September 30 we had
already received about 20,000 responses, roughly half of what we expect by
the end of the campaign. With the added work load, it looks as if we will
have to add one more staff member.
Incoming mail was 36,830, or 9 percent increase over 1985, bringing the
year to date to 7.3 percent. Outgoing mail was 161,880, a 70.9 percent
increase over last year. This gives us a total increase of 26.7 percent
for the year to date.
Pastors report an increasing number of cancer cases among members. on·
September 27 the 5-year-old son of a Victoria church member died after a
long illness. It seems that sickness is increasing in the Church, which,
along with serious economic problems affecting members, is having a
sobering effect. Parmers in the prairie areas have been affected by late
rains that prevented harvesting being completed before the Peast. After a
bumper crop in most areas some members are predicting a loss due to rot
and poor commodity prices. However, these same members remain positive.
(Submitted by Colin Adair, Regional Director)
Proa the lletherlands The highlight of the month of September was the
ordination of two local church elders and the beginning of the •world
Tomorrow• program on Sky Channel.
On Sabbath, September 20, Mr. Johan Wilma, business manager of the Dutch
language office in Nieuwegein, was ordained a local church elder by
regional director Bram de Bree in the De Bilt church. Mr. Wilma has been
a full-time employee in the Work since the Dutch-language issue of the
·Plain Truth• started in 1968.
On the same day Mr. de Bree ordained Mr. Gerard Evers a local church elder
in the Zwolle congregation.
The Dutch-language area now has one full-time minister and three local
church elders.
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