June 9, 1943 Co-Worker Letter - Herbert W Armstrong - Plea for Money

 

OUR Co-Workers' BULLETIN



Box 111, Eugene, Oregon. June 9, 1943.

Dear Friend and Co-Worker:

Instead of the usual longer BULLETIN, I send you this time just a quick one-page letter, which must be RUSHED to all Co-workers today.

This great and important work for God and His Kingdom has hit a serious crisis. I must ask our Co-Workers, without beating about the bush or mincing words, to come generously to the aid of this work AT ONCE, if it is to continue at all---let alone grow and multiply in power as it has so phenomenally up to now. Frankly, the past few weeks we have been receiving only about HALF enough money to keep this work going. The work cannot survive another week, unless our Co-workers respond quickly and liberally. The crisis is just that serious!

There is a reason. It is a situation I have not been able to prevent up to now, but it WILL be met. In a few words the reason is that we have not been able to send out The PLAIN TRUTH promptly. I'll have this difficulty solved now, if our Co-workers will understand, and stand by me thru this crisis. Here is the situation: I have written our Co-workers before how the very SUCCESS of the Work plunged us into an emergency---how the response from super-power WHO was five times what we had anticipated---how it cost us twice as much to handle the thousands and thousands of requests that poured in as the cost of station time alone. This delayed us at least two months in getting out The PLAIN TRUTH. And when it did come out the mailing list had jumped to 25,000 copies!

We finally hurdled that barrier, but once the magazines were printed we encountered a new problem---and at a time when I was in Southern California and the middle-west and unable to give it my personal attention. Do you realize what a task it is to address, fold, wrap, and sort for mailing, TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND MAGAZINES? Two or three trained and experienced mailers could have wrapped and mailed out this entire edition in a week. They would fold, wrap, and sort eight to ten copies while one untrained in that special job would do one. But the boys we have employed for that job in the past are in military service---not one trained mailer was obtainable. We hired and tried a number of girls. We had to turn most of the mailing job finally over to the printers, who put inexperienced girls on the job part time. Our own staff has devoted what time they could to it. Result, the last copies are going out only today---about two months after the magazine was printed. Had this issue gone out promptly, enough of these many thousands of new readers would voluntarily have become new co-workers to have increased our income by 25%. More stations would have been added. As it is, thousands have been perhaps offended, not understanding our problem. I am going to find a way, somehow, to see that the next number is mailed out speedily. I can only trust you will understand, hold up my hands, and come now quickly to the rescue.

We need and must have an extra three thousands dollars, to meet the immediate crisis, by return mail. Perhaps YOU are one who could send that entire amount---or a thousand, or a hundred. Perhaps you are one who can send only the "widow's mite." I do not know---God knows. But Bible instruction regarding offerings for special emergencies is found in II Cor. 8:12, and 9:6-8, (Moffatt Translation): "If only one is ready to give according to his means, it is acceptable; he is not asked to give what he has not got. . . he who sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and he who sows generously will reap a generous harvest. . . there is to be no grudging or compulsion about it, for God loves the giver who gives cheerfully. God is ABLE to bless you with ample means, so that you may always have quite enough for any emergency..." God provides for his work thru HIS PEOPLE---you co-workers. As Paul made an appeal, so do I. Will YOU send the largest amount you can AT ONCE? It is extremely URGENT! GOD BLESS YOU! Thank you!