August 13, 1946 Co-Worker Letter - Herbert W Armstrong
Reports on Vacation/Baptismal Tour

 

OUR CO-WORKERS' BULLETIN


Published every little while, to keep our Co-Workers informed of the progress, the problems and future plans for carrying on God's work in these closing days of this age;---broadcasting "The WORLD TOMORROW;" publishing The PLAIN TRUTH, and other Gospel liter- ature. HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG, Box 111, Eugene, Ore.


VOLUME VII, Number 3. Galveston, Texas August 13, 1946


 

Dear Co-Workers for Christ:

The BULLETIN is three weeks overdue. My wife, two sons and I are now on the summer baptizing tour of the country, and I simply have not had an opportunity to write the BULLETIN---or, for that matter, as yet, The PLAIN TRUTH.

It seems every moment is taken---we must rush, just every moment. We are meeting many of our Co-Workers scattered over the country, visiting and baptizing many who have been converted thru the broadcast. I find we are unable to spent as much time as we would like with each one, but must hurry and keep moving, in order to see and baptize a larger number.

So I am pausing here in Galveston just one extra hour this morning before we take the ferry across to the highway leading to Lake Charles, La., Lafayette, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans, with people waiting for us at each place to be baptized yet today. In this one hour, till the next ferry, I'm writing you this brief new- letter to tell you just a little of our trip so far, and the MARVELOUS, wonderful progress of God's work, under His guidance, and His blessing.

I have been baptizing people almost every day, and most days several, often at different points. It has been one of the greatest JOYS to me---one of the greatest encouragements and sources of inspiration---of my life. Just yesterday or day before Mrs. Armstrong was remarking to me that she was so happy every single one baptized so far has been really and thoroughly repentant ---wholly surrendered to God, just like a little child. They have had that spirit of the "first love," and it has been a precious thing for us to see. We have known SO MANY who came at first to Christ in that meek spirit---so CHANGED from their former selves ---and yet who later permitted worldly interest or associates, self desires or temptations of the flesh to come in and choke off that sweet and lovely spirit with which God had filled them at the first. Remember, dear friends, you can RETAIN that yielded, meek spirit and that first LOVE, only if you grow DAILY spiritually by being fed daily on spiritual food---prayerful study of God's Word, and private prayer and communion with God---that is, getting CLOSER to God, and separating yourself from companionship and fellowship with the world. That is the BASIC ESSENTIAL to you ultimate salvation, for he that endureth unto the end shall be saved, and one can endure in the spiritual life no other way.

After leaving New Orleans we have people, or groups of people coming from surrounding points, awaiting baptism at Gulf- port, Hattiesburg, Jackson, and other points in Mississippi, then back down from northern Mississippi thru Alabama, into Northern Florida, then up thru Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina. In the interest of the growth of the work we then must go north to Washington, New York and Boston. Then back in the middle west are many more awaiting baptism. We expect quite a large group to meet us at Tulsa, Oklahoma to be baptized. Then we must hasten on back home, for both our sons will be seniors in high school this fall and we must be in Eugene by the time school starts.

Now about the future of the work. On this trip I am also laying plans for a greatly expanded campaign for this coming fall, winter, and spring. I have to tell you, however, that at Del Rio, Texas, the agents for our largest Mexican Super-power station demanded a 75% increase in the already tremendous charge for the time we use on that station---XEG. I spent one whole day there with them fighting every way possible to avoid such a great in- crease in cost---almost double! But to no avail. Here is the situation: We have the very MOST VALUABLE time of the entire 24- hour day, EVERY NIGHT except Saturday, on that station, which is the most powerful in the Northern hemisphere. More people listen at that hour, 8:PM (Central Standard Time), than any other half- hour period. It is utterly impossible to get any really GOOD time on any super-power station in the United States---the big net-work programs have all the best time under contract. I learned that three other large users of radio time were trying to buy our time away from us on XEG---offering the station this very high increased rate---even offering to pay for one year advance, spot cash---and for a year that would run into a great many thousands of dollars. Under the circumstances I was unable to hold this valuable time for a cent under the large increased price they quoted me. I told the station agents it was problematical whether we would be able to keep paying such a high rate. They were perfectly willing for me to give it up, and leave them free to accept a check running into many thousands in advance from one of these others who want the time. It was a hard decision to make. I prayed for wisdom, and for God to work it out. And I believe He did.

We have been having the program re-broadcast, each night, at 11:30 PM on this station. Our mail indicates that very few people are listening at that late hour---nearly ALL the mail is from the 8:PM broadcast. I find that a large percent of farmers, as well as more than one might imagine in towns, are up by 5:30 in the morning. Most radio stations do not come on the air until 6:AM. Between 5:30 and 6, a LOT of people are trying to get some- thing on the radio while they get dressed and get breakfast. At that hour, radio waves go out with less static, reach farther than at any other time---just before dawn. These agents managed Dr. Brinkley's famous station several years ago, and told me he found more people actually listening at that hour than any other, except 8:PM, or between 7 and 9:PM. Yet the station cannot charge much for that early time because no one realizes how good it is and they can't find anyone who will buy it. So I make them a proposition that I would pay their increased rate for the 8:PM period, and transfer the 11:30 PM re-broadcast to the 5:30 AM time, at the same additional charge I have been paying for 11:30 PM, which is not heavy. They telephoned the owner, and it was approved. So I believe God worked it out where, although we will have to pay just DOUBLE what we have paid for the 8:PM broadcast, for these two half-hours every day, yet we ought to have about DOUBLE THE AUDIENCE, and thus I believe the way is opened so that we still have to pay only about the same rate PER THOUSAND LISTENERS. We will pay DOUBLE---but I am praying this will give us twice as many listeners. I ask you to pray, too. And if our Co-Workers will stand by me loyally as you have in the past, and PRAY with me, I'm sure God will work it out where this apparent obstacle that looked as if it would be a fatal blow to the work will prove to be only a blessing and lift the work up to still greater power for good. Yes, ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD to those that love the Lord!

Now I have made tentative arrangements to have the program go out over the powerful 50,000-watt San Antonio Station KABC at 8 o'clock Sunday mornings, and also either a good Sunday night time, or the 5:30 AM period six mornings a week over Shreveport's great super-power station KWKH, beginning October. I hope, on this trip, to arrange to send out the Message over at least two or three of the following great super-power stations in other parts of the country: WWVA, 50,000 watts, West Virginia; WCKY, 50,000 watts, Cincinnati; WJJD 20,000 watts, Chicago; KSTP, 50,000 watts, St Paul; and a 50,000-watt station in Omaha. We also have plans for more stations on the West Coast.

At Los Angeles I made definite arrangements for having The PLAIN TRUTH printed REGULARLY, at least bi-monthly and later EVERY month, a brand-new 16-page magazine, twice as large as now, in two colors, and much more attractive than formerly. It will have to be mailed out from there, but details have been worked out so we can send the material down from Eugene, and it can be handled for us in Los Angeles by the same publishing house that prints the Pacific Coast editions of TIME and LIFE.

Now I had intended to reveal to you in this BULLETIN, now overdue, the GREATEST SURPRISE I have ever had for you---news of a truly WONDERFUL development for this work. But I will still have to keep you in suspense until another BULLETIN, as space does not permit me to explain it here. GOD IS WORKING IN THIS WORK! He is guiding it---BLESSING it beyond the wildest bounds of our expectations! Friends and Co-Workers, YOUR TITHES and OFFERINGS ought to be WORKING where GOD is working---where God is blessing it with abundant fruit in a great spiritual harvest of souls. And that great spiritual harvest and blessing from God is more and more apparent in this Work as time goes on. How we thank and praise God for what He is doing, in and thru us, and for us all!

People we are visiting tell us it seems almost everybody in their towns and neighborhoods is listening to "The WORLD TOMORROW" broadcasts. People are being stirred up. Some have told us that many preachers are listening, LEARNING, accepting more TRUTH and preaching it to their local congregations. Those we have met tell us they NEVER HEARD THESE WONDERFUL THINGS---these precious TRUTHS---before; that "The WORLD TOMORROW" is so utterly DIFFERENT from anything they ever heard. People are ASTONISHED, just as when Jesus preached they were astonished at the SAME Gospel in that day. Most of the people being reached are not church-goers but people who never had an interest in religion. This powerful broadcast is awakening, stirring THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS into an interest---and hundreds are being converted---GIVING them-SELVES to Almighty God, accepting Jesus Christ as personal SAVIOUR!

You'd be THRILLED if you could go along with us and see and hear what we are learning about the tremendous national and international influence of this work---its growing POWER---of how it is changing lives by THOUSANDS. And I know, more positively than ever, that MILLIONS are listening!

We expect, with God's blessing, to DOUBLE the power and usefulness of this work this Fall and Winter.

But, again, our Co-Workers are FORGETTING, becoming lax ---MONEY IS FALLING OFF. Fellow Co-Workers, I have personally obligated myself to very great expense---thousands of dollars a month---to carry on this great work. I have done it in sheer FAITH---faith that God will, thru YOU back me up in this increasingly powerful campaign for souls, and supply every dollar.

PLEASE get under the burden with me---remember YOU HAVE YOUR PART. God will hold us all responsible together. My office has just told me over long distance the financial situation at the moment is SERIOUS. Those of you who are able, I will count on you to send in AT ONCE, by air-mail or BY TELEGRAPH MONEY-ORDER, the very LARGEST offerings for God's great cause you can possibly send, even at great sacrifice. Such wonderful results---those precious souls I am burying in baptism into Jesus---this harvest of precious souls---the proclaiming of the TRUE Gospel to MILLIONS---is worth ANY sacrifice on your part. You'll be laying up treasure in heaven. So far Mrs. Armstrong and I are the only ones who have ever made a sacrifice larger than a thousand dollars for this work. There are SOME of you who could, if willing, send in an offering of one or perhaps several thousand dollars for this work. If you are one, will you pray earnestly over it, and act as God directs? Most of you are only able to send in the widow's mites---and we need a great downpour of those as we never needed them before. Whether it is a dollar or two, or several thousand dollars, I'll go confidently along on this present mission trusting you'll let God prompt you to RUSH to my office, the largest offering you can make at this time. And now I must rush to catch that ferry. God bless all of you!

With love, in Jesus' name,

Herbert W. Armstrong