May 14th, 1941 Dear CO-WORKERS in the services of Christ: GREETINGS! in Jesus' name. Here is your copy of The PLAIN TRUTH. With it I feel I must send this heart-to-heart letter, just to the comparative few of you who are co-workers with me in the Master's work. The time has come when I must take you into my confidence about some conditions and problems in this work. It has grown till we face a grave crisis. The past two months our radio audience, especially over KRSC, Seattle, has doubled and tripled. When we were forced to change our time to 8:30 Sunday mornings, it proved a great blessing in disguise. Truly, ALL things work together for GOOD to those who fear and love God. This new time has made it possible for me to go to Seattle every Sunday, broadcasting in person from the KRSC studios each Sunday morning since the change in time,--then driving to Portland in time for the 4 o'clock afternoon broadcast. These long 640-mile trips every week-end have been arduous and tiring, but they are bearing rich fruit for God's kingdom. Letters are coming in by the hundreds. The mail response indicates our radio audience has grown to more than a QUARTER OF A MILLION SOULS over these three North-West stations alone! The work has now completely out grown our present facilities for handling it. We are faced with a serious problem. To solve it, I feel I must take you into my confidence concerning certain phases of the work. Eight years ago Mrs. Armstrong and I came to realize, by experience, that any man must SERVE the man or organization who pays him his salary. We found that if we were dependant for livelihood on some denomination or religious organization, we would be FORCED to preach doctrines we knew to be false and contrary to God's Word;--and to be silent where we know God speaks. We learned there was but ONE WAY we could be FREE to preach the whole Truth as God reveals it, honestly, truthfully, fearlessly,--and that was to look to the One we serve for financial needs, as well as every other need. Then and there Mrs. Armstrong and I solemnly pledged our Father in heaven we would henceforth look only to HIM, in living FAITH, for every need. Men told us it could not be done. No man, they said, would DARE preach the plain truths of the Bible --the WHOLE truth--for people would never support it. But we saw in the Bible where God PROMISES to supply every need. "Seek ye FIRST the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness," is the instruction, and the PROMISE is that all material needs shall be added. Well, we believed God was able, and we took Him at His Word. The first Sunday in 1934 The RADIO CHURCH OF GOD went on the air on sheer FAITH. God opened the way, and the small expense then required was supplied. Often it came in strange and unexpected ways--often at the very last minute--but it came! Gradually but surely this work has grown until a quarter of a million souls are now reached every Sunday. Thru these years our faith has been sorely tried and tested. We pay AS WE GO, day by day, week by week, running no bills. I leave a check for each broadcast at the time we go on the air. If the money were not on hand by then, this great work would have to be stopped! Time after time we have come right down to Saturday night or Sunday morning without the money for the Sunday broadcasts. But always, at the last moment, the necessary amount has come. God says "Owe no man anything," and I have found that if we OBEY Him, conduct His work His way, and TRUST Him, He never will leave or forsake us, no matter how discouraging things may appear. We never beg for money over the air. We do not ask for it in The PLAIN TRUTH. The Gospel must go FREE--not sold for a price like merchandise. To beg for money over the air is NOT a work of faith--but only to hold the Gospel up to ridicule before the unconverted whom we wish most to reach. We have put God's promises to the acid TEST, and we have learned He is always faithful. For years we have carried on this work from a very small office in Eugene. It is an inside office, without windows or fresh air, and without ventilation. We can only work in it an hour or two at a time without going out for a bit of fresh air. It is not a healthful place to work, but it has kept our expenses down. Here, without modern office equipment, with only some old tables and shelves--without even filing cabinets--Mrs. Armstrong and I have been carrying on this work almost wholly by ourselves. Twice, for a brief space of time, we had a woman to help in the office, but neither could take shorthand or operate a typewriter. For years we have mimeographed and printed The PLAIN TRUTH ourselves in this office, with only the occasional help of some volunteers for folding, addressing, stamping, and mailing. We have sacrificed and worked hard. We have had to get behind in answering letters, but the work has kept going--AND GROWING! Hundreds have been converted--even atheists brought to Christ thru this work. The true GOSPEL, and the last WARNING Message has continued going out in power to the hundreds of thousands. Yes, we know the sacrifice, the hardship, the test of faith, HAS BEEN WORTH WHILE! But now it has outgrown our ability to handle it longer alone. With hundreds of letters coming in now from each broadcast --with The PLAIN TRUTH circulation now at 5,000 copies and still growing rapidly--with the Los Angeles broadcast now ready to be launched--we have come to the place where we are FORCED to move to a larger office, and have more help in the office. Yesterday a splendid opportunity was opened to us for a larger office in another building. There is ample room, large windows, sunlight and fresh-air ventilation. Adjoining rooms are available later, as the work expands and requires. This splendid and larger office is offered to us for only $5 an month more than we have paid where we are--which is about one-third what such an office ordinarily would cost. We must add now, without further delay, some office equipment, filing cabinets, desks, another typewriter. For years one of my greatest problems has been the need of an efficient secretary who can take dictation, cut stencils, operate the mimeograph machine, take full charge of the mailing list. I haven't known where to turn, because we could not afford to pay a third the salary an efficient secretary would command. Again, above all we needed for this job a Christian whose heart was in this work. We have known of no one who would fit these qualifications at a salary we could afford. But God has now worked that out, too. Just about three weeks ago we heard that one of our recent converts, a young woman whom I baptized only last Fall, is an experienced stenographer. Mrs. Armstrong saw her, and at once she was eager to help. She was willing to work without pay--but she is in need, and God says the servant is worthy of his hire. Of course I cannot let her devote her time to the office without compensation, but she is more than willing to take the job at small salary because her HEART is in God's work. We have had her working in the office last week and this, We have found her efficient, capable, and a fast worker--just the girl we have needed to take charge of the secretarial work in the office. We have tried not to get ahead of the Lord. But God's time, clearly, has come. He Himself is now going before and opening the way. It is for US to follow! And there is NO TIME TO LOSE! Now I want to take advantage of this splendid opportunity and move to the larger office. We have just a few days to make the decision. I want to keep Sister Simmons on in the office. This will add to our weekly and monthly expense, but now is absolutely necessary. In addition, we must have, at once, at least $100 for office equipment. We simply can't carry on this great work longer without equipment for handling it. And we need, NOW, at once, to raise a special reserve fund of not less than $750 to start and establish the broadcast in Los Angeles. This is not too large an order for a work of this size. All things are possible with God, and all things are possible to us if we BELIEVE. This is the greatest test of faith we have ever faced yet. But it is NEEDED--God is moving ahead and opening the way--His time has arrived. "This Gospel of the KINGDOM," says Jesus, "shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the END come!" We are now near the END! Satan now speeds up his activity to horrible fury, working thru Hitler and others. He KNOWS that he has but a short time! Millions, under satanic inspiration, hurl themselves to the battle, willing to SACRIFICE THEIR VERY LIVES! Dear Co-workers, OUR time is equally SHORT! OUR work must be finished before Christ comes! We must throw ourselves to the task with even GREATER inspiration than the Nazi army--WE MUST WORK WITH THE ZEAL AND INSPIRATION OF GOD'S SPIRIT! Time is SHORT! No sacrifice now is too great. Soon our money, our property, will be worth NOTHING to us. We cannot keep it much longer, anyway. I need you, every one, to rally now behind me in this work as never before. Will you respond to the call, and RE-double your own effort, and sacrifice? Send your tithes and offerings just as OFTEN as you can. No amount is too small to help. The smaller amounts are the backbone of the work. God knows your ability, and will reward you accordingly. But there are SOME of you who can, if you are willing to sacrifice and give up other things, send larger amounts, from $5 to $100 and more. And it is only a liberal giving of these larger offerings that can give the work the extra PUSH it needs just now! We are at another crisis--we must go forward, or go backward--no work can stand still! The need is IMMEDIATE--and URGENT! More so than ever before! PLEASE PRAY, earnestly, in FAITH! And GOD BLESS YOU for your generous sacrifice. Your fellow-servant in Christ, Herbert W. Armstrong