Latest News Flashes!--No.271     Changes at the GPU       FM 9/98
By Peter

Dear Family,
         God bless you! Thank you for your love and faithfulness in caring for and feeding His sheep. You are a blessing to millions, who will be eternally grateful for your love and sacrifices for them. And so are we! We love you!
         As you know, about two years ago we set up the GPU to help produce materials for the general public. From this initial venture, the Lord led Gary and others to pioneer the Family Care Foundation at the beginning of 1997, which split off to a separate Home. The GPU continued as a smaller unit, with its own responsibilities and leadership.
         One of the GPU's objectives was to produce books, booklets and other materials that could possibly be published and distributed by the System as well as be directly distributed by the Family. In the following months they produced The Future Foretold, Glimpses of Heaven and A Christmas to Remember. They also produced a series of Christmas cards for the Family.
         In the course of things we learned that attempting to publish through the System--that is, the "standard" route of getting our books into bookstores--was something that was beyond us at this point. So during a visit to the GPU in October 1997, Matthew and I presented the two editors, Apollos and Phil (James Pen), with the idea of putting the System book publishing idea on the shelf for now and instead concentrating on producing new material which you, the Family, could use in your outreach. The emphasis was put on producing tools that would target certain countries or ethnic areas instead of trying to publish a "one-size-fits-all" tool for the whole world.
         Over the next eight months the GPU produced five new posters. They also edited and prepared a book of Dad's Letters for the public, Dare to Be Different, which is almost finalized. (Numerous other Letters have been edited and are lined up for other new booklets of MO Letters.) The primary target of these GP products has been Africa, though with some modification these tools will hopefully be usable in other areas as well.
         A full-color version of the Praisin' U series, edited for the GP, was also completed (not yet printed), as well as a new fully illustrated and colored spirit story children's book for the GP, Trudge and Zippy (coming soon!). One of the four pubs workers at the GPU, Jac, also continued to illustrate the GNs, as he has for many years.
         Besides the production of tools, the GPU has done other non-publication work, such as receiving and passing on e-mail, communication with field Homes on pubs-related matters, etc.
         The last year and a half have been very difficult for the GPU for a number of reasons. One of these stems from the fact that since Dad's Homegoing, Apollos, Heather, Jac and Phil have had misgivings about some of the New Wine. Even so, they continued in their work, in the hopes that their concerns could be reconciled.
         As well, it has been difficult for Heather and Jac, as the oldest of their five children has chosen to leave the Family, but has continued to live in the Home because he's underage.
         Due to their landlord selling the house they were renting, the members of the GPU were faced with having to move. Because of their feelings about the New Wine, and since Heather and Jac feel the need to devote more time and attention to the care and education of their children, the four of them (Apollos, Heather, Jac and Phil) have chosen to move to their own Home and to become Fellow Members. The other three adult members of their Home will join other Homes and continue on in their WS work as Charter Members.
         Because of their desire to help update more posters and to produce Mountain Streams books for GP distribution, and because of their editing gifts, after prayer and hearing from the Lord, we have asked them if they would like to continue, for the time being, to work on these materials, and they have agreed to do so.
         Mama and I are happy that they have made the decision to join our Fellow Membership. We love them dearly, having worked closely with them for many years, and our prayers are with them as they make this change.
         God bless and keep you all, and continue to make you a blessing to many.
         Love,
         Peter



Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family