Behind the Work

Pcg mail operations are now officially being directed from the new Mail Processing Center, located on the northeast corner of the Imperial College campus. The opening of the mail center has made obsolete the pcg’s nearly 20 storage sheds scattered around Edmond, saving thousands annually. For the first time, the entire stock of pcg literature is stored under one roof. The 17,400-square-foot warehouse contains all literature inventory along with offices for the Mail, Correspondence and Television staff.

This move has also freed up much-needed office space in the pcg’s office suite in downtown Edmond for the Editorial staff, the Trumpet News Bureau and the business department. These operations will continue at this location until an administration building is constructed on the Imperial campus, scheduled to begin in the fall.

Stationed on the first floor, along with the warehouse, is the call center—with 23 work stations set up to handle response from the Key of David’s toll-free number. The call center is making improvements to handle the increasing number of requests—one of those being more staff to handle the calls, including operators participating in the Church’s in-home wats (wide-area telephone service) program. The response team is taking 85 percent of the calls on viewers’ first attempts—a significant improvement over past seasons.

On the mezzanine level of the Mail Processing Center sits one of the more beautiful aspects of the pcg’s building program—the new Key of David television studio.

The spacious studio houses the set handcrafted by Delton Burch, a pcg member. Incorporating over 600 square feet of red oak, the set gleams with a glossy finish. The studio desk, 12 feet long and 5 feet deep, is more than twice the size of Presenter Gerald Flurry’s previous desk.

The 900-square-foot studio is 21/2 times larger than the old studio. The size of the room allows for more camera angles, and a higher ceiling provides better lighting for the program. Dennis Whitney, a pcg member from California who works as a head electrician for cbs, installed the studio lights. About 70 strategically placed gray acoustical panels cover the walls of the studio, providing for better sound.

On May 4, only three weeks after the television department moved from the headquarters building in Edmond to its new home on the Imperial campus, Mr. Flurry broke in the new studio with a program titled “Noah’s Flood—Myth?” which offered, for the first time, Herbert Armstrong’s The Proof of the Bible. Despite being aired at the beginning of the “summer slump” of viewership, it gained the sixth-highest response this season.

Mr. Flurry plans to continue a regular filming schedule throughout the summer, setting a program record of over 40 original episodes this year.