WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD
WORLD HEADQUARTERS
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91123

HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG
President and Pastor

January 14, 1979

Dear Brethren of God's Church:

Satan has struck his master blow to destroy God's Church. We must now FIGHT as never before knowing God also will fight our battles for us.

Satan first struck at this Work, when he tried to have the Christ-child murdered. He struck again when Jesus was about thirty years old, just before He began preaching His Gospel (Matthew 4). Jesus warned us that if Satan had used those in the world to persecute Him, they would also persecute us. Now, through dissidents and enemies of this Work, Satan has launched his most monstrous all-out blow to destroy the only Work that in 1900 years has proclaimed Christ's true Gospel Message worldwide.

Malcontent enemies are claiming that money expended to proclaim Christ's Gospel Message in Japan, in the Philippines, in Kenya, or in Europe or South America, is "lavish spending" and putting millions of dollars into our personal accounts. It is A MONSTROUS LIE!

Now the State of California has appointed a Receiver, whose pay and expenses for his supporting staff are to run much higher than either mine or Mr. Rader's ever did, and who is using GOD'S TITHE MONEY TO PAY PROSECUTION EXPENSES AND TO DESTROY GOD'S CHURCH!

MONEY SENT TO THE USUAL ADDRESS will be used by a Receiver appointed by the State.

The State has seized and tied up all our Church funds. So send a special offering to me, personally, for our legal defense and to save the Work -- to Herbert W. Armstrong, c/o General Delivery, Tucson, Arizona. 85731.

Let me bring you up to date on what has happened. The State of California is acting in direct opposition to the Constitution of the United States, and its First Amendment guaranteeing freedom of Church from State.

The State of California has been attempting to place a Receiver in control of the Church. Contrary to constitutional and spiritual rights, on January 12, the Court ordered that Judge Steven S. Weisman "is to take possession and control of the Church including all of its assets, both real and personal, tangible and intangible, of every kind and description ..." The Receiver has possession of all Church documents. The Receiver has the right to supervise and monitor "all of the business and financial operations and activities of the Church"; the Court said that "The Receiver is authorized to suspend or terminate any employee, officers or agents of the Church in his sole discretion as he deems necessary."

The State has seen fit to give the Receiver and the Court the right to remove me as Pastor General of the Church as well as any other person who has been commissioned for the Work. And if the Receiver deems it necessary, he may "take possession and Control of the funds of the Church forthwith and deposit them in a special Receiver's account" without consulting me or anyone else.

This order is an abomination. It is contrary to the protection this country has always afforded religious institutions.

The Court has further ordered that I and all other individuals in the lawsuit may NOT use Church funds in order to defend against the State and have the order appointing the Receiver nullified.

Brethren, THE LIFE AND DEATH of GOD'S CHURCH is at STAKE!

Tomorrow our attorneys will take this matter into the Federal courts, and we hope, God being with us, to have this entire state ruling OVERRULED. Yet it may drag for days or weeks.

Meanwhile I ask you to stand solidly by Christ's chosen Apostle! So, until I notify you otherwise, please go ALL OUT in support of GOD'S CHURCH AND WORK now. I have to ask you to SACRIFICE AS NEVER BEFORE. Send the most generous offerings it is possible for you to send to defend God's Work.

And please state in your letter, in your own words, that this money is YOUR ENDORSEMENT OF MY APOSTLESHIP, AND THE MONEY IS TO BE USED FOR DEFENDING GOD'S WORK AS I, Christ's Apostle, deem best.

CONTINUE TO SEND, for the defense of God's Work as generously as possible, even at sacrifice, to the address below until I notify you otherwise -- and make it payable to ME, PERSONALLY. THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, BRETHREN! The living Christ will fight this battle with and for us. He is SOON coming again, "Then shall the LORD go forth, and FIGHT against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle" (Zech. 14:3). The time has come to STAND UP AND BE COUNTED, all you who are on GOD'S SIDE! PRAY! SACRIFICE AS NEVER BEFORE! GOD'S WORK SHALL GO ON.

Use THIS MAIL ADDRESS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE:

Herbert W. Armstrong
c/o General Delivery
Tucson, Arizona, 85731

God bless you. I know He will now show us His POWER! As NEVER BEFORE!

With great LOVE, in Jesus' name,

Herbert W. Armstrong

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