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The Herbert W Armstrong Papers Collection (HWAP)

Additional Items

Below is a collection of papers, letters, photographs etc from various sources which may well form part of the HWAP. In addition to the bulk of items kept at GCI, there are possibly other items residing with ICG, CGI, PCG.

Radio/Worldwide Church of God Constitutions etc Constitutions, Bylaws, Articles of Association etc from 1946-1990s
Early Bulletins and Letters to the Members Bulletins 1933-1940s, Good News, Good News Letters and Coworker Letters 1934-1940s
Early Members of the early Radio Church of God an attempt to assemble information on the earliest members - to honour and remember them - something which has been woefully overlooked.
Worldwide Church of God Pioneers & Researchers  
Extracts from the HWAP Kept by GCI
 

Item

Comment

Letters
1917-20s
Mr. Armstrong wrote this letter to his mother, 23 July 1917 Written en route to Chicago when he expected to be drafted at any moment.
HWA's letter re Loma Armstrong's healing, 9 Aug 1927 Further information in The Autobiography, chapter 18. New
Loma's ltr to HWA's Mum re dream, Nov 1917.pdf HWA's comments on this dream below*New
Loma's ltr to Sadie, 21 Nov 1927 Booklet extract version
HWA to Mrs Clarke, 1 March 1928 Explains that he is not SDA. New
Dugger to HWA, 16 Aug 1928  
HWA to Mr Dillard, 2 Oct 1928

Outlines his calling and background. Much of this and more is contained in his Autobiography (Vol. 1). New

Dugger ltrs to HWA, Feb & July 1929.pdf Re the 'lost' tribes of Israel. New
HWA to Mr Dailey, 13 March 1929 Discusses his manuscript – apparently What is the Third Angel’s Message? etc. This manuscript evolved into The United States and Britain in Prophecy. New
HWA to Andrew Dugger, 8 May 1929 Writes about how there was opposition to his baptism by a Sunday preacher. New
1930s
Ltr to High Schools of Oregon and Southwestern Washington, 26 April 1937

HWA to Marvin, 28 Nov 1938

 
Bulletins and letters to the members 1933-40s Some are missing. Perhaps gone forever or with the GCI.
1940s

Bobby Fisher to Richard Nickels re a 1942 HWA ltr

Information on Bobby Fisher here

Marvin to Bobby, Sept 1942

Bobby & Merlin to Marvin, Sept 1942  
A letter to Uncle Frank Armstrong 1947.docx
Armstrong-Private Letters (1947).pdf  
One of the numerous letters written during the Armstrongs trip to Europe.docx During 1947
HWA letters to Basil Wolverton New
1950s
   
1960s
GTA letter to ministry to pray for his sons There is a report also, but pages missing. Uploaded with permission
   
Interactions with the Churches of God
CG7 Salem, WVa ltr re HWA  
CG7 Salem, WVa ltr why HWA credentials withdrawn  
CG7 Salem, WVa views on HWA  
HWA ltr to Andrew Dugger (mentions spiritual gifts)  
HWA ltr to CG7 Salem, W Va c. late 1933  
HWA ltr to CG7 Salem, W Va 29 Jan 1934  
HWA ltr to CG7 Salem, W Va 16 Aug 1934  
CG7 Salem, WVa to HWA 5 Nov 1934  
CG7 Salem WVa periodical reports on HWA's works.pdf
General Conference of the Church of God (7th Day) ltr re HWA 1970s
General Conference of the Church of God (7th Day) ltr re HWA to an inquiry 12 Oct 1979. He is incorrect, HWA's credentials were withdrawn by the Salem group in 1938. New
Ministerial Certificates
Ministerial Certificate (2nd) (1932).pdf 2 March 1932 - issued by the Church of God (Seventh Day) (Stanberry, MO). See Autobiography, Vol. 1 (1986 edition), between pp. 504-05. NB: the 1st certificate is missing which HWA mentioned that he could not find. (unless it was the 1st certificate that was issued late)**
Ministerial Certificate (2nd) (1932).jpg 2 March 1932
Ministerial Certificate (3rd) (1933).jpg 11 July 1933 - issued by the Church of God (Seventh Day) (Stanberry, MO). See The Inside Story of the World Tomorrow Broadcast, p. 53
Credentials of Discipleship 1934.jpg (ie 4th Ministerial Certificate) 1 Oct 1934 -  issued by the Church of God (Seventh Day) (Salem, W Va).  See Autobiography, Vol. 1 (1986 edition), between pp. 504-05
Credentials of Discipleship(colour) 1934 (ie Ministerial Certificate) 1 Oct 1934. See extract from The Autobiography: Credentials of Discipleship(colour) 1934; HWA plays with his children.pdf
Earliest Writings
Can A Sabbath Keeper believe in Evolution? HWA's first booklet published 1928 or 1929
What's Wrong With the World Today? Brochure c 1934. Large version here. New
The Bulletin etc from the 1930s  
Development of Our Co-Worker's Bulletin to the Good News Letter  
Early publications of Church of God at Eugene, Oregon  
HWA's typed manuscripts re Sabbath  
Original Plain Truths.docx  
Original articles.jpg  
Proposed PT 1929.pdf  
Bible Study Quarterly. The Kingdom 1930s. New
Bible Study Quarterly. Truth about Israel Series Probably early 1940s. Word version
Truth about Israel (Plain Truth series) 1938
The United States in Prophecy Plain Truth series 1942
Church of God Expositor-Conversion 1930s. New
Original Church Organization Restored 1930s. Perhaps from the 1939 Good News or a stand alone article written earlier. New
Tithing article draft 1930s. New
Miscellaneous Items
Mrs Loma Armstrong. Handmaid and Servant of God Written early 1970s. New
Detailed Statement of Activities, History, Operations c1956. Interesting background information to the Church
Letter from HWA to staff re issues Berates them because Christ and grace are being left out of the Church's letters. Dated 12 Dec 1958
Pint Point Facts about the Radio Church of God Dated 20 Jan 1955
Ten Daily Questions His way of keeping on track. From the 14 February, 1941 Co-Worker Letter
Early 1920s laundry ads by Herbert Armstrong.docx  
Early broadcast scripts from 1930s.pdf  
First pages of scripts HWA wrote by hand in his 90th to 93rd years.pdf  
HWA Teleprompters during his 90-93 years.docx  
HWA's borrowers card from Eugene Public Library etc.pdf  
HWA's media ID for UNO conference 1945.docx  
Handwritten Notes1.jpg  
Mimeographed evangelistic campaign fliers.docx  
Mr. Armstrong's evangelistic campaign sermon notes .docx  
Rceipts from KORE etc.docx  
The front of his draft card carries the signature that would become known to millions.docx  
The handwritten cards use to prompt the speaker c1955.docx  
The passports of Armstrongs for 1956 trip.docx  
Income: 1934-56 Handwritten notes. New
Income 1958-62 Handwritten notes. New

 

*The Dream:

Within 30 or 60 days after our marriage God spoke to my wife in what might have been an intense unusual dream, or a vision — but it was years later before we came to realize that this really was a message from God. I'm pretty skeptical about God speaking to anyone today, by direct vision or dream. God speaks to us today thru HIS WRITTEN WORD — the BIBLE. My wife "saw" an angel, revealing that God was calling me and her to the mission of WARNING this world of the fast-approaching END OF THE AGE, and the Second Coming of Christ. When she told me of this impressive dream, I was embarrassed, and somewhat awed, but didn't recognize it as any message from God — and tried immediately to dismiss it from my mind. I certainly didn't heed it.” (H.W. Armstrong, Brethren and Co-worker letter, 28 November, 1956) 

 

“One night my wife had a dream so vivid and impressive it overwhelmed and shook her tremendously. It was so realistic it seemed more like a vision. For two or three days afterward everything else seemed unreal — as if in a daze — and only this extraordinary dream seemed real. 

 

In her dream she and I were crossing the wide intersection, only a block or two from our apartment, where Broadway diagonally crosses Sheridan Road. Suddenly there appeared an awesome sight in the sky above. It was a dazzling spectacle — the sky filled with a gigantic solid mass of brilliant stars, shaped like a huge banner. The stars began to quiver and separate, finally vanishing. She called my attention to the vanishing stars, when another huge grouping of flashing stars appeared, then quivering, separating, and vanishing like the first. 

 

As she and I, in her dream, looked upward at the vanishing stars, three large white birds suddenly appeared in the sky between us and the vanishing stars. These great white birds flew directly toward us. As they descended nearer, she perceived that they were angels. 

 

“Then,” my wife wrote a day or two after the dream, in a letter to my mother which I have just run across among old family pictures, “it dawned on me that Christ was coming, and I was so happy I was just crying for joy. Then suddenly I thought of Herbert and was rather worried.” 

 

She knew I had evidenced very little religious interest, although we had attended a corner church two or three times. 

 

Then it seemed that, from among these angels in her dream, that, “Christ descended from among them and stood directly in front of us. 

 

At first I was a little doubtful and afraid of how He would receive us, because I remembered we had neglected our Bible study and had our minds too much on things apart from His interests. But as we went up to Him, He put His arms around both of us, and we were so happy! I thought people all over the world had seen Him come. As far as we could see, people were just swarming into the streets at this broad intersection. Some were glad and some were afraid. 

“Then it seemed He had changed into an angel. I was terribly disappointed at first, until he told me Christ was really coming in a very short time.” 

 

At that time, we had been going quite regularly to motion – picture theatres. She asked the angel if this were wrong. He replied Christ had important work for us to do, preparing for His coming — there would be no time for “movies .” (Those were the days of the “silent” pictures.) Then the angel and the whole spectacle seemed to vanish, and she awakened, shaken and wondering! 

 

In the morning, she told me of her dream. I was embarrassed. I didn’t want to think about it, yet I was afraid to totally dismiss it. I thought of a logical way to evade it myself, and still solve it. …

 

Do not hastily ascribe a dream to God. True, the Bible shows that God has spoken to His own chosen servants by this means of communication — primarily in the Old Testament, and before the writing of the Bible was completed. But most dreams mean nothing. And false prophets have misled people by telling false dreams, representing their dreams to be the Word of God (Jeremiah 23, where God says, “I am against prophets who recount lying dreams, leading my people astray with their lies and their empty pretensions, though I never sent them, never commissioned them” — verse 32, Moffatt translation).  

 

Certainly I did not ascribe this dream to God. It made me feel a little uncomfortable at the time, and I was anxious to forget it — which I did for some years. I was twenty – five at the time. God left me to my own ways for five more years. But when I was age thirty, He began to deal with me in no uncertain terms… (H.W. Armstrong, The Autobiography of Herbert W. Armstrong, 1973 edition, pp. 187, 193-94).

 

**Ordination Certificate:

I have in my old files my Ministerial License Certificate, which is reproduced in this autobiography, dated March 2, 1932, and signed by O. J. Runcorn as President, and Mrs. I. E. Curtis as Secretary. This was almost a year after I was ordained -- probably my second certificate.” (The Autobiography, Vol. 1, Ch. 23)