November 4, 1946 Co-Worker Letter - Herbert W Armstrong
Church Employee Bilks $50,000

 

"The WORLD TOMORROW" A NATION - WIDE BROADCAST

HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG Analyses Today's News, with the Prophecies of The WORLD TOMORROW

Publishing: November 4, 1946

The P L A I N T R U T H A Magazine of UNDERSTANDING

Dear Co-Workers:

Again I must write you an EMERGENCY Letter.

For ten days this work has faced the most desperate crisis of the nearly thirteen years since it was started. For a few nights, now, the program has been off the air on our two most powerful stations---XEG and XELO. Letters by the hundreds---even telegrams---have been pouring in asking what has happened.

I can't very well go into detail explaining just how the devil has tried to stop this most important work on earth, further than to say that he has used the greed of one or two men involved who were apparently attempting to put over a fast financial deal whereby they could get the immediate use of more than $50,000 into their hands to finance their own private enterprises. This doesn't make it very clear to you, I know---but I cannot state the facts plainly for obvious reasons, because where there is crooked work in this world those guilty of it would not stop at anything to gain their ends.

This whole matter burst like a bomb shell, suddenly and unexpectedly. It came at a time when I could not leave Eugene to go to Mexico and try to straighten it out in person. Consequently, I have had to stay right on the long distance telephone almost constantly for days. It has been the most baffling problem I ever was confronted with, because for days I was unable to find out WHY we were off the air, WHO was responsible, or how to cope with the situation. All I could do was PRAY, trust God to take care of His work, and to keep trying to ferret out the real trouble. Even now I couldn't prove what has become self-evident. All I can say is that the man responsible is a man I feel quite certain would not be alive today, had not our God healed him when he was at the doors of death with pneumonia several months ago---when I earnestly interceded with God in his behalf. Even as David prayed to God in his times of trial and trouble, our enemies are often those we have helped and treated the kindliest---returning evil for good! God have mercy on such a world!

Nevertheless, we have God's PROMISES that He will never leave us nor forsake us---that He will not stop the work He has begun---that He will deliver us from our enemies---that He will deliver us from every trial, and will prosper those who serve and rely upon Him! And God never breaks a promise! Dark tho things may look for a time, GOD'S PROMISES CANNOT FAIL!

So I have known all through these dark hours the past several days that if I just kept doing, with determination, every- thing I could do---and continue to trust God for the result, that everything would in the end work together for GOOD, and not for harm. Always before when such calamity threatened the existence of the work, it has in the end proved a BOOST---and the work has plunged on to GREATER scope and power. By faith I have known, and still know, it will turn out that way this time. Satan cannot stop God's work! This is the work of the Almighty and no human or satanic power can stop it! At this writing, I can only tell you this: I have the promise of the manager of XELO that the program will go back on XELO, 800 on the dial at the same time 8 o'clock every night except Saturday---within a few days---I hope by this next Sunday night. Keep tuning in, till you hear it. The manager of XEG promised by long distance the program would be back on XEG ---1050 on dial---next Sunday night, and continue at least Sunday nights and also at 5:30 every week day morning. I had contracted for this and also week nights Monday thru Friday. Whether or not we will be able to hold the program on XEG at 8 o'clock (Central Standard Time) week nights is still unsettled. I am surely content to leave the result of this in God's hands, because the price they demand for this time this year is almost double what we have been paying up to now.

Now, in addition, I tentatively contracted for, by long distance telephone this morning, a broadcast EVERY DAY except Saturday, on the super-power KWKH, Shreveport, Louisiana, 1130 on the dial, at 11:15 every Saturday nite, and also at 5:30 every morning, Monday thru Friday. I hope to have the program start this coming Sunday night, so tune in---though the early morning programs will probably not get started on KWKH for two or three weeks. We also expect soon to have the program on super-power 50,000-watt stations KVOO, Tulsa, 1170 on the dial; WCKY, Cincinnati, 1530 on dial; and KFAB, 1110 on dial; and either KFEL, Denver, 950 on dial, at 6:15 A.M. Sundays, or a better Sunday morning time over KVOD, Denver, 630 on dial.

So, dear Co-Workers, LET US HAVE FAITH! I have been under the darkest cloud of my life these past several days. It has been a terrible ordeal---the entire work threatened---the thought of millions of you all over the United States being unable to hear the broadcast any longer, and just when I have the most important things to say, that MUST be forcibly proclaimed, without fear, to this nation! Yet through FAITH in God's promises, and years of EXPERIENCE with God in keeping His promises, and delivering us time after time from lesser calamities, there has been no fear---just the ordeal of going thru it and doing my part to the very utmost of my ability, depending on God for wisdom, guidance,---and the RESULT!

The forces working against us have not yet given up. Unless God intervenes they would even now be able to throw God's program off these two most powerful stations in the Western hemisphere, even yet. But God IS intervening in our behalf, and His work cannot be stopped!---it must continue in ever-increasing POWER!

CO-WORKERS, I have to appeal to you to STAND BY ME IN THIS SUPREME GRAVE CRISIS! I ask everyone of you to PRAY---go to some private place where you can pray ALONE with God, and pray earnestly, asking God to PROTECT HIS WORK,---to intervene in our behalf---to turn back those who would harm His work and bring their efforts to naught---to give us grace and favor in the sight of those whose favor we need---to give me WISDOM to know His will, and GUIDANCE in all I do. Ask Him to DOUBLE the power of His work--- the vast number of people reached and helped, thru this coming season. Pray as you never did before---claim God's PROMISES, then BELIEVE!

And STAND BY ME in this dark hour with more liberal offerings than ever, in addition to your tithes. When the program is off the air, hundreds stop sending in money. If the money stops, the work stops. MONEY is the only thing that TALKS, in the final analysis, with some of these radio stations, and without it I could never continue this great and glorious work! So try to stretch to a larger offering than usual, and rush it air-mail! Again, while most of our co-worker family are people in common and poor circumstances and cannot send very large amounts, some of you are in better circumstances and CAN, if you permit God to make your heart willing, put into God's work a real sizeable contribution at this time. I have to pray, earnestly, that God will touch several hearts at this time to make a sacrifice for His work and send in a considerable sum to help carry us thru this crisis. Some have money laid away as SECURITY for the FUTURE---but money is very poor security for so uncertain a future as this world stares in the face today! The only SECURITY for our future, now, is THE PROTECTION OF THE ETERNAL GOD. Let us put all our trust in HIM---not in mammon, for we cannot serve both God and mammon, and if we lay up treasures in heaven by putting our money into God's work, our reward shall be great in the kingdom! I hesitate to make such an appeal, because usually some in poor circumstances will be the ones who will take this to heart, and make a greater sacrifice than God would expect them to make, even bringing real hardship upon themselves in order to do it. I ask you not to do that. God does not expect one of us to give more than he is able. This appeal is directed at those who have not given what they could with God---and to all such, if you will let God get hold of your hearts and your pocketbooks as well, this is the very best time to make up for some of the past by putting into God's work a really sizeable sum.

This great work has grown until its expenses are now several thousand dollars every month. I have assumed personal responsibility for this, yet I have NOTHING, but faith in God and our co-workers, with which to keep meeting these very large obligations. A contribution of several thousand dollars this time would help God's work as never before---and there are a few who are able to make such contributions. Frankly, Mrs. Armstrong and I are the only ones who have ever made a contribution for this work larger than a thousand dollars---which we did by selling our home for the works' sake. We have not home now---merely rent a furnished bedroom. We are happy in it---GLAD to do it because we know what is in store for this world---how short our time is to warn this nation and the world, and carry on the commission God has raised us up for---and our hearts are wholly in that work, not in material things. I only mention this that you may know I do not ask others to do what I have now proved willing to do myself, setting the example. But there are others in our co-worker family who could match or exceed, maybe several times over, what we did, and without making any such sacrifice---and I most certainly would not ask anyone else even to think of sacrificing their home for the work. I don't want hardship to come to any---but I do know the blessing that will return to you if you make reasonable sacrifice, to the very limit, and send in whatever is the largest amount with- in YOUR means for God's great cause. And this I DO earnestly ask every co-worker whose heart is in God's work to do---AT ONCE---and remember AIR MAIL is only five cents now, so RUSH IT AIR MAIL in the enclosed reply envelope.

May God bless you all! I will write you again as soon as I have definite news.

Sincerely, in Jesus' name,

Herbert W. Armstrong