CHURCH of GOD o CHURCH of GOD o eW(J Headquarters District Edition Volume 1, Number 2 November, 1964 Book Requests Smash All Records EVENING READERS-Large mail response to new book necessitated extra help in Mail Reading Department. Qualified Spokesmen were given the opportunity of evening reading. Here you see one such group with Mr. John Wilson, department head, at for right. Oratorio Elijah to be Performed by Combined Chorale and Church Choir One-hundred-twenty-six voices of the combined Ambassador College Chorale and the Pasadena Church Choir are going to perform the oratorio, Elijah! This joint effort will be presented in the San Gabriel Civic Auditorium at 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 10, 1965. In case you are wondering, an oratorio is a dramatic text, usually on a Scripture theme, set to music. It has recitatives, solos, arias and choruses, but with no action, scenery or costume. Handel's Messiah, which the College Chorale has performed several times, is an oratorio. Elijah, composed by Fe- A torrential flood of 225,045 letters smashed the old monthly letter record by the gaping margin of over 53,500 letters! This downpour came from an enthusiastic response to the Semi-annual letter announcing, "GOD SPEAKS OUT on 'The New Morality.' j, More mail flooded into the Mail Receiving Department during the first eight days of October 1964 than did for the complete month a year ago. An all-time high for letters in one week was set with a count of 65,400. When the month ended there was a whopping 273 per cent increase in mail. The Department swelled its regular staff to sixty-seven employees to handle (Continue on page 2) lix Mendelssohn, is equally famous and has been performed by the world's leading choral groups. Mendelssohn, whose full name is Jakob Ludwig Felix MendelssohnBartholdy, was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1809. His father, Abraham, had him baptized a Lutheran, but his early training was from his Jewish grandparents. Perhaps the most famous of his compositions is Midsummer Night's Dream, but his works are performed wherever good music is appreciated. This early (Continued on page 4) FIRST BOOK-Here is a close-up of the first full-sized book ever published by Ambassador College. First edition will produce a quarter of a mil/ion copies-and all given free I The CHURCH OF GOD NEWS November, 1964 r~~t==3~t==3~l rn (t~HURCH of GOD" W \J~,. JVeWJ ~ ~ News of interest to members of the ~ Radio Church of God, Headquarters District ~ ~W © 1964 Radio Church of God ~ MINISTERIAL ADVISOR m, DAVID JON HILL ~~. W EDITOR W m,' DONALD E. SCHOON m,' W REGIONAL EDITORS W m, ~~:NS~:~y ~.. ~: ~:;=:~ ~~,' W TULLIO PANELLA ~ STAFF REPORTERS ~ ~ ~ Carl Tarver Jay Vance ~ Richard Holum Keith Wells Edward Metz William Mott ~ Ted Phillips William Morgan ~ George McManus I ~ IEII I~I I~I lEi "One of the World's Three Great Tragedies" Some' of the members of the San Bernardino Church attended a lecture at the University of California, Riverside, by Dr. S. Chandrasekhar, India's leading demographer-world population expert. The Professor said the three great tragedies today are: 1) population explosion,) 2) race problems, and 3 ) communism. The UNESCO researcher called number one a "pressing and grave subject." Within 70 years four times the present population will fill the earth! He said, "By the year 2010 A. D., if we all live that long, there will be so many Africans I don't know what Mississippi will do!" The Doctor explained that these figures are not based on "guesstimates." He said all experts agree that there is an overwhelming problem in the number of people not to mention the problem of health around the world. We asked the Professor at the end of his lecture, "What if nothing is done about the population explosion?" He ran his forefinger across his throat and said, "Economic strain will develop and people will start fighting each other for they will rationalize that God is fighting on every side!" We all can be thankful that the BOOK REQUESTS , , , (Continued from page 1) the deluge but was unable. Within a relatively few days they were 70,000 letters behind! Reinforcements from the Spokesman Clubs in the areas were called on to volunteer their services. Groups of twenty-five to forty Spokesmen donated many valuable man hours two evenings each week. Their muchappreciated effort cut down the backlog considerably. Many older people are asking for the book. Ages given in the sixties and seventies are not uncommon. There are even some in the eighties and nineties! Many of these people say they want to help younger people to avoid the same pitfalls which snared them. During the year pathetic problems arrive in the office daily dramatizing how urgently this book is needed. More help and advice is required on problems that stem from or center around this one facet of life than any other. Here is a typical comment: "I am a widow of 63. I'll tell you why I want to read this book. The intimate part of my marriage was not enjoyable, for I was in constant fear from some cause or other. I never knew why but it was there even though I felt it was my duty as a wife. I never could shake myself from the fear. It stayed with me and I could not even tell my husband about it. Mom was a timid woman and never told us anything about sex. We didn't know that women had to have a change from girlhood to womanhood until that time came upon us. Then we were told not to let anyone know. In her eyes it was wrong for the younger ones to know. We grew up being shielded from the facts of life." But now the true facts of life-the true, God-ordained purposes of sex, stand revealed! By the thousands, blinded people are having their under standing opened to this vital subject. TRUE God will soon fight for his TRUE Church and cut off the burning fuse of this population bomb that is about to EXPLODE!! Guy Ames Marries Helen Beecher at Feast in Australia "It was just a year ago at the Feast that I met Helen Beecher," writes Mr. Guy Ames, office manager in Manila. "Helen began working in the Australian office of God's Work in February 1963-the same month that was sent to the Philippines. She came down from Grafton, New South Wales where her mother and younger sister live, to work in the Co-worker department at North Sydney. "After corresponding for a year it didn't take long to become engaged upon arriving in Australia this year. And then right after the Last Great Day at 7:00 p.m. we were married in the new tabernacle with nearly eight hundred brethren staying over just to see the wedding in God's church-a first for many hundreds of the members in Australia. "Mr. Bill Myers was our best man and Jessie Emmett sang a couple of solos for us. Jean Beecher, Helen's sister, was the bridesmaid. I had the privilege of accompanying the bride down the aisle. Helen wore a satinwhite street-length gown. "Oh yes, we spent our 3-day honeymoon in Katoomba in the beautiful Blue Mountains of Australia." To Mr. Ames and his new bride, Helen, we send our love and sincere best wishes. FEAST MARRIAGE-Mr. Guy Ames, Philippine office monoger, with his new bride, the former Helen Beecher. November, 1964 The CHURCH OF GOD NEWS Los Angeles Ends Summer Schedule With Beach Outing Los Angeles closed out its summer church recreation schedule by invading Dockweiler Beach, at Playa Del Rey, for a late season beach party and wiener roast. Several hundred of us were blessed with a sun-less day and a crowd-less beach. This allowed us the privacy we desired-and also the raw sunburns which had become such a definite part of past beach outings were missing. Volleyball contests and football were the main strength consumers of the day. Some more hardy souls braved the savage surf of the mighty Pacific. The younger set was provided some thrills by an errant seal playing a game of hide-and-seek in the boiling breakers-and as a finale to the festivities we watched a lifeguard swim out ..into the ocean and rescue-a boat I I Our church functions are a highlight of each month. They provide much good fun and fellowship as well as bringing to the fore latent talents in leadership and organizational abilities. HARBOUR HIGHLIGHTS FROM rONG BEACH How much time did you spend In formal prayer today? COURT ACTION-Photographs of practice game between Pasadena A and B illustrate different approaches to making a basket. Don Royer, left, shoots from far out on the court while Gary Bagley, right, uses the fast-break lay-in technique. Eight Pasadena Area Church Teams Starting Round-Robin Basketball Tourney Basketball season bursts on the local scene as teams from Pasadena, Los Angeles, North Hollywood and EI Monte plunge into an exciting church tournament. Fourteen games will be played with each squad battling the other seven teams twice. The top four at the end of the tournament will have a play-off struggle. The winner is scheduled to have the distinction of representing the local churches in a final game with the faculty of Ambassador College. This championship game will be fought up and down the court of the fabulous new Ambassador gymnasium. The tournament co-ordinator is Mr. Al Carrozzo, Los Angeles Local Elder. We asked Mr. Carrozzo why this tournament was started. He replied, "Last summer we had a very successful softball league. There was good enthusiasm and interest with a bond of unity being prod1.Ked among church members. Such a softball league or basketball tournament is a tremendous opportunity for developing Christian character-plus enjoying Christian fellowship." The teams entered and their coaches are as follows: 1) Pasadena A-Mr. Glover 2) Pasadena B-Mr. Berg 3) Pasadena C-Mr. Duke 4) Los Angeles A-Mr. Atlas 5) Los Angeles B-Mr. Carrozzo How much time did you average In daily Bible study this week? List five sermon titles you heard at the Feast of Tabernacles this year. These and other questions were asked in a quiz given to us here at Long Beach on our return from Squaw Valley by our pastor, Mr. David Jon Hill. Needless to say we all took a closer inward look at ourselves to see if we were qualifying for God's Kingdom. Gladness and sadness have both been present in this area. Gladness because of the new members that God has blessed us with. Mrs. Reed and Miss Jean Anderson, members from the Seattle Church, are now living in this area. Mr. James Kunz, our newly or dained Preaching Elder, has been kept very busy with five new baptisms. We welcome Mr. Jerry Kuipers, Mrs. Marion Stock, Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Foster and Mrs. Conrad Bloomquist. An arrow was added to Mr. Sam Lewis' quiver with the birth of a fine son. Both Mrs. Lewis and the baby are doing well. Congratulations to Miss Roxine Hillis, Mr. Dick Jordan and Mr. Larry Wiseman for the opportunities they have received to be used full time in God's work. We were saddened by the death of our beloved Mrs. Hazel Davis on Oct. 24, 1964. Her excellent example of faith which endured to the end is an inspiration to all of God's people. 6) Los Angeles C-Mr. Bierer 7) N. Hollywood-Mr. Blackwell 8) EI Monte-Mr. Rapp We asked Mr. Glover of Pasadena A if he had a comment for the other teams. He said, "Yes! If they thought Pasadena's softball team gave them difficulty, wait until they play our basketball team!" All church members are urged to come out and root for your team. Check with the team coach for details of the time and place. Games will be reported and results posted each month in your District paper. "Don't pay to see the Lakers," Mr. Carrozzo added. "Watch your church team for tree I" The CHURCH OF GOD NEWS November, 1964 Mr. Billingsley Transferred to Fresno Church Mixed emotions of rejoicing and tears were manifested in the San Diego Church as Mr. Don Billingsley announced that he and his wife with their new daughter, Jeanne Marie, had been transferred to the Fresno and Bakersfield area. Mr. Billingsley pastored the San Diego Church for more than four years during which time all of us grew to love him very much. Now working full-time with the San Diego brethren is Mr. Leonard Schreiber, Local Elder. Phoenix Meeting Hall Gets New Addition The new one-story addition on the north side of the Odd Fellows Hall, meeting place of the Phoenix church, .has aroused much -curiosity. For over a month workmen have been busily pouring concrete, setting forms, erecting block walls, placing conduit, electric wiring and water pipes. The building addition is a new dining hall and kitchen. The hall will seat four hundred people in air-conditioned comfort. The kitchen area provides adequate space in which to prepare and serve food . Electric steam tables preserve dishes piping hot. p.ntil ready to eat. Ample refrigerator space will keep salads crisp and cold. The dining hall can also be divided into three separate private rooms or one large room by folding dividers. We think it is very nice of the Odd PHOENIX GROUP RESUMES MEETINGS The Spokesman Club of Phoenix resumed meetings on October 26, with Mr. Thomas as the Club's new director. This was the first meeting since our recess began on August 16th. After considerable searching for a location, the club is now meeting at a local cafeteria. We have met in many different restaurants, but this was the first time to try it "cafeteria style." The club recess has been fruitful in that the members (and prospective new members) , are eagerly anticipating a jam-packed year of fellowship, leadership, service and development of the whole personality. EI Monte Church Now Has New Spokesman Club Now there are two in El Monte. After a summer's rest, Mr. McCullough has reorganized one bulging speech club into two streamlined clubs. Receiving the opportunity as officers in the A Club are: LeRoy Hershberger, president; Ken Fischer, vice-president; Bob Peoples, secretary; Steve Benicke, treasurer; and Lloyd Syvert, sergeant-atarms. Officers in the new B Club are : president, Jim Thornhill; vice-pres,ident, Dick Church; secretary, Leigh Grant; treasurer, George Mehler; and sergeantat- arms, Harold Shonyo. Fellows to increase our comfort by this building program. It will be especially convenient for the Feast of Unleavened Bread this spring! PHOENIX ADDITION-Expansion of the Odd Fellows Hall, meeting place of the Phoenix church, will provide a new dining area seating four hundred people. Construction is scheduled to be completed by December. ELIJAH . .. (Continued from page 1) nineteenth century romantic composer's music reflects his Israelite heritage. The text for Elijah is recorded in I Kings 17, 18, and 19. The oratorio begins with Elijah's grave recitative predicting, " . . . there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word" (I Kings 17: 1) . King Ahab had instigated Baal worship in Israel. This pronouncement by God's prophet was the result of that wickedness. Later Elijah hid by the brook Cherith. There the ravens fed him. When the brook dried up, Elijah went to Zarephath, a widow. Remember how her barrel of meal was replenished; how her cruse of oil was refilled miraculously for an entire year by a special miracle? Come and listen to Elijah taunting the prophets of Baal, saying, "Cry aloud : for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked." You will live this story as you hear it rehearsed in the beautiful harmonies of Elijah. You will be thrilled by its characterizations. Mr. Gary Prather, director of the Ambassador College Chorale, will lead the combined choirs, assisted by Mr. Anthony Buzzard, Pasadena Church Choir director. Extra hours of practice and coaching by these two dedicated singing groups will insure you of a moving --and stirring night ·of inspired music. Keep January 10, an open date! Participate in this historic "first" of the college-a combined Chorale and Choir presentation of Felix Mendelssohn's ELIJAH. Remember, you are invited! North Hollywood Club Installs New Officers The North Hollywood Spokesman's Club now has new officers. Mr. Bradley Newbrand is president; Jack Foster is vice-president; Steve Etherton is secretary; Kemmer Pfund is treasurer; and Robert Robbins is sergeant-at-arms. Congratulations gentlemen. Continue to display a fine example of drive and enthusiasm in serving the Club.