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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, August 21, 1979
Page 9
The meeting was conducted by Mr. John Hutchison, long-time member of the
ACLU and professor of religious history at Claremont Theological School.
There was "vigorous i::iternal debate" in the Southern California ACLU during
discussions in its church/state committee and i.ts legal committee meeti�gs.
Nevertheless, the ACLU's unanimous policy decision in this matter was reach
ed, Mr. Hutchison said, because the state;s action in the WCG case could well
mean the end of religious freedom for .9-ll churches. TherE:fore the ACLU must
defend the Worldwide Church's religious rights or any other church may be
next on the list!
V.r. Huf:chison stated the California Attorney General violated the Church's
constitutional rights i� its attempts tc investigate the financial records
of the Church. He noted that although the state professed an interest only
in financial matters, not ecclesiastical ones, the seizure of some church
financial records ,';s well as other confidential papers? interfered with the
Church's religious-activities and First Amendment rights to religious free
dom. "You cannot separate the raising of money from the proclamation of a
religious message. In this case, our conclusion is that the Attorney General
is in violation of the law and his violation of the 13.w is a grave precedent
for all of us."
--Pastor General's Report Staff
fE3TIVAI,, TITHE ASSISTANCE
Preparations for this year's Festival are going quite well as we head into
the last month of work before the Festival. We are beginning to round the
corner and see a little daylight as we emerge from under the mountain of
Festival applications, brochure preparation, Festival Tithe Assistance
Requests, etc. Thank you for your erithusiastic help in preparing for the
Feast in spite of the many unfortunate delays earlier in the year.
There is another area, however, in which we need your help! The problem
is equitabledlstriliution of Festival Tithe assistance to mernbers. Many
have contacted the FestivaY-Office regarding such assistance for needy
members in their areas. As the Church has grown and the amount of
assistance has increased, this aspect of the Festival administration has
become a significant factor in the annual Church budget. The amount required
to assis� hundreds of member families attending the Feast of Tabernacles is
enormous!
Such a vast assistance program needs a basic policy (which has been in
effect since 1977) and wholehearted cooperation between the field ministry,
Festival Coordinators and the Festival Office if it is to succeed. Hope
fully, our present policy is standing the test of time and is providing a
fair and equitable distribution of the monies availa.ble for member assistance.
Please remember, any suggestions which will improve our present program are
always most appreciated!
Perhaps the most difficult question is what detennination to make for a
member family which simply has insufficient funds to attend. A key to
determining such assistance is found in Deuteronomy 14:24-25. The
implication in these verses is that when the way is too long, a family
should attend the Festival "when the Lord hath blessed thee."
If a family has insufficient tithe in any one year, in most cases, they
should remain at home, saving that year's tithe and plan to attend the