Greetings Everyone,
I hope you have all had a profitable week! Everything is calm here at San Diego. Mr. Meredith is in good health. Mr. Ames has also totally recovered, and all of the staff is back full force. I had a bit of trouble with my gall bladder this week, so I took the homeopathy route and flushed it with the "Gall Bladder Flush." I do not wish any more apple juice now, thank you! In addition, I have no desire for lemons and olive oil just now either!
LOCAL CHURCHES:
Some sad news from Mr. Karl Beyersdorfer, Pastor of Joplin, Missouri came this week. Mrs. Carole Plotner, a member of the Joplin, Missouri congregation, lost her house last Sabbath to a fire. The brethren and community are helping her, and the entire Church will be assisting her in getting into another house through the third tithe fund. We are presently waiting for additional information from Mr. Beyersdorfer. Mr. Beyersdorfer said most of her immediate needs were met, but a long-term need of housing will take a bit of time to meet properly.
MEDIA:
Mr. Ames reports for the week of January 6-12, 2K:
This week was VERY strong for Web site activity. We had visits from three countries for the first time-Saudi Arabia, the Slovak Republic and Uruguay. We had 916 users visit the site for the first time last week, and we had 206 users who had visited just once before come back for a second visit. We have now had 35,806 unique visitors at our site, out of which 6,755 are repeat visitors. Of these, 930 have visited our site 10 or more times. This week we had a first time request for printed literature from the Slovak Republic.
INTERNATIONAL:
Mr. Bruce Tyler has moved the office and his personal dwelling from Canberra to Brisbane, Australia. He reports that the move has been accomplished, and they have a new phone and fax number now.
Phone: (07) 3841 8360
Fax: (07) 3841 8325
Free call number remains unchanged. The old Canberra numbers will still be operational for a while, and any calls or faxes will automatically be forwarded.
Mr. Tyler reports:
"We had a very good response to the past two Tomorrow's World programs. "Insight Into Christmas" brought in 57 responses (two airings only-Brisbane and Adelaide) and "The Real Millennium" (from four airings-Brisbane, Adelaide, and PerthX2) had in 87 responses. Auckland's responses for both programs were 45 and 71 respectively. We are quite pleased with the 260 responses for the two programs.
So far, 20% of our Tomorrow's World subscribers in Australia have signed up for the new Bible Study Course. Fifty-one percent have requested the new booklet, "Is This the Only Day of Salvation?" Last year (1999) our office received almost 3,500 letters and calls. In the first two weeks of this year, the number is already 225. If this rate is maintained, we should receive about 5,800 by year's end. However, we are expecting to add at least one more television station in the near future and that will have a positive bearing on the figures as well.
Total responses received in New Zealand for the year of 1999 were 1788. Of these, 1383 were made by different individuals. 5289 pieces of mail were sent out."
PHILIPPINES:
Mr. Rod McNair reported January 12: "In spite of the fact that there were only a handful of responses last week to the radio program on DWBL, two of them were calling for personal counseling with a minister! It seems that there are many "out there" who have been prepared by the Work done by Mr. Armstrong in the past, and who have had some familiarity with the Truth, and may respond to it now! We are also beginning to get more letters from North-western Mindanao, responding to the radio program there."
KENYA:
Mr. Ernest Owino reported, "My trip to Sultan Hamud went very well. We had a wonderful. indeed spiritually uplifting service with the Sultan Hamud family. We were only seven but there was much warmth. I'll be going to Ndhiwa on January 29. Please pray for us as we do you. Growth is slow but steady here."
A PERSONAL THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:
I want to thank those of you who have written us that you appreciate the weekly update. I am happy to give you news from headquarters and around the world because I know how much you hunger for it. I know that a free-flow of information from us to you is encouraging and spiritually uplifting.
However, I have received a few reports of a negative nature. It is reported that some of you receiving the update, either by e-mail or from the Web page, are causing the Host or Elder in your group to be pre-empted by copying and sharing the update before services begin. This affects their planned announcements. Fair complaint.
I think a proper solution to such a complaint is to show our respect to the Host, Elder or Pastor by waiting until after services to distribute the update. If there is a question in your case (those of you who are copying the update for others,) please discuss the matter with your Host/Elder/Pastor. I am sure that we can work together and accomplish the result we all desire - a free-flow of information from headquarters and Church offices around the world.
Have a GREAT Sabbath!
CEMcNair