Flashback: Meredith Appointing Wally Smith as TV Presenter

From the August 10, 2006 Weekly Update:

Greetings Fellow Ministers,

All is well here at Headquarters and we are happy to have Dr. Winnail back with us from his trip to the Caribbean. Although the income is kind of dragging this time of year, we are very grateful for the wonderful growth that God has given us overall in responses to the television program and especially in the wonderful growth in prospective member visit requests.

The last few months have shown a lot more such requests than ever before in the history of the Global/Living Work! As I reported in the new co-worker letter which you will be receiving in the next week or two, “We had 106 such requests in June of 2005. With various ups and downs—but mainly up—the chart I have been given describing these responses now indicates that we reached 216 such responses in July of this year—with an even higher number, 269, in May of this year! So God, through this Work, is now bringing in twice the number of people wanting to actually act on God’s Truth and become involved in living God’s way of life and sharing this precious way by worshiping together with others who also understand. Thank God!”

Another bit of good news I would like to share with you is the selection of Mr. Wally Smith as our new television presenter. As many of you know, Wally is now pastoring our churches in St. Louis, Columbia and Rolla, MO, and is doing a fine job. He worked with Mr. Rand Millich full-time, and Rand gives him the highest recommendation. Wally has been in God’s Church for many years and was highly recommended by Mr. John Ogwyn for the full-time ministry. Interestingly, he will be filling the very presenter slot Mr. Ogwyn had when he was still with us. So John Ogwyn is still serving and helping through his personal recommendation of my wonderful secretary, Monica, and now Mr. Wally Smith as a television presenter—plus a number of other key individuals that Mr. Ogwyn brought along through his fine teaching and example.

Wally Smith is a husband, and the father of four little boys. He has been an extremely dedicated and helpful member of the Church, and is an unusually intelligent young man. As we viewed the tapes of six different ministers who auditioned for the job of the next television presenter, it became extremely obvious that Wally Smith is a “natural” as far as being on television! Some of the women in our group said, “Wow!” when they first viewed him. He just seems to have an unusual knack of presenting himself on television and explaining world news and human situations in a very interesting and provocative way which will reach the carnal mind out there in “TV land.” Our other young ministers all did a good job and are an extremely dedicated group. But we must pick the one most qualified for this particular responsibility, and it was obvious to all of us that, as I said, Wally Smith is a “natural.”

So please pray for him and for his fine wife and family. He is a humble and dedicated fellow minister, and will need our prayers in the weeks and months ahead more than ever. We thank God for such a talented and personable young man to fill this slot, and pray that God’s richest blessing will be upon him in this additional responsibility as he flies here to Charlotte three or four times a year to make television programs as the “third presenter.” This gives us a fresh face and a younger presenter—hopefully reaching another section of our audience and especially the youth out there as our television program grows in its reach and impact.

Again, the Work is moving ahead, but the income is certainly somewhat lower than it should be—partly because we were late getting out the semi-annual letter and therefore didn’t have a co-worker letter for two different months—first time in LCG history this has happened. So please encourage the brethren to pray fervently for the Work and to give generously as they are able. Thanks again for all of your love and support in the Work, fellow ministers. Please pray for us here and we will remember you regularly in our prayers that God will use you, guide you and protect and bless you and your families.—Roderick C. Meredith