This is an article from the December 1980 issue: Edinburgh 1980 Reports

From the Director

From the Director

Dear Friends,

Our next issue will dazzle you with the flood of exciting events and accomplishments here at the U.S. Center during 1980. This issue highlights the Edinburgh meeting, surely one of the most significant events in this century: a new world level coalition of mission agencies focused on frontiers, and the largest gathering of its kind in history.

The following facts are astonishing, too.

Note well (can you believe it?) that we make no reference here to our operational budget. That has always been self sustaining. We seek donations only to pay for the campus property. Then we will no longer ask for funds at all!

Year Legal Obligation on Campus We Have Paid 1977 $850,000 $850,000 1978 $650,000 $650,000 1979 $544,000 $544,000 1980 $700,000 $700,000

$300,000   2nd half of campus' $300,000*

(down payment on 85 residences) *borrowed 1981 $700,000 ( + $300,000 borrowed above)

1982 $700,000 1983 $700,000

1983 end $6,000,000 final payment on first half of campus 1984 no payments 1985 no payments 1985 end $2,500,000 final payment on second half of campus

We thank God for what He has done. Our peril is that virtually all of you reading these lines, virtually all who know about us, have already given. (Ever since 1977, we have asked for only one time gifts of $15.95, nothing from church budgets, and only 50 gifts per congregation.) Everyone agrees that this is the hardest way to raise funds but also the best way, if we can do it. Why? We avoid competition with the mission agencies we want to help, and we'll give vision to far more people in the process.

But we need an explosion of vision and thousands of new, one time people. Please ask the Lord about the new approach outlined on the last

Tear off that sheet and drop it in the mail. Your own vision is the most valuable gift you can give at Christmas or any other time.

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