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PBI Annual Report and Financial Statement The financial report of the Pastoral Bible Institute (PBI) for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2018, appears below this year-end summary of activities.
The primary activity of the Institute is the publication of The Herald of Christ’s Kingdom. Published continuously since 1918, the magazine is targeted primarily to consecrated Christians who long for the promised kingdom of Christ on earth (Matthew 6:10), and who have dedicated their lives to its
cause (Romans 12:1, 2). The Institute is organized as a corporation under the laws of the State of New York, with a board of seven directors, elected annually by the membership. Membership in the PBI is open to all who agree with its purpose and express such interest with a one-time payment of $5. Current membership totals 188. Directors serve a one year term beginning with each year’s annual meeting in July. Their primary responsibility is to direct the activities of the PBI and to appoint each year a group of five editors who are responsible for the
content of the magazine.

The Herald of Christ’s Kingdom is published six times per year, and during 2017 was mailed to 1,488 subscribers in North America. Issues were mailed to 325 foreign subscribers in 32 countries throughout the world. Our theme-based issues remain unique among Bible Student publications, and we believe this provides an opportunity for thorough study of a subject by our readers. We have now finalized the preparatory work of publishing a new Bible, the Revised Version Improved and Corrected (RVIC). It is now available in PDF format on our website, and in a search capability on the Christian Resources
App. Soon, a limited number of print versions will be available. Annotated with extensive footnotes, the RVIC represents over 50 years of research into ancient and modern manuscripts, providing an opportunity for readers to compare various versions of scripture to assess accuracy.

We continue to support Bible Student activities in other countries. During the past year, we supported printing of The Herald in India and Poland and provided technical support for printing in Croatia.  Directors traveled to conventions in Brazil and Australia.

Annual Membership Meeting. The Pastoral Bible Institute’s annual membership meeting will be held on Friday, July 13, from 9 am to noon, at the University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown, Pennsylvania.  Members and non-members are welcome to attend.  The meeting will also be available by conference
call. Those interested in attending in person should contact Bro. Ernie Kuenzli, the registrar for the General Convention and a director of the Institute. The General Convention begins on Saturday, July 14.

PBI Directors. The annual nomination and election of seven directors was held in April. As is the PBI policy, current directors are not identified on the nominee ballot, each director stands for election annually, and written ballots are received and opened by a member who is not standing for election. Nominations were supervised by a three-member independent committee. Sr. Arlene Jones received and tallied all votes. The directors elected to serve for the 2018-2019 fiscal year are: Bros.
Todd Alexander, Dave Christiansen, Len Griehs, Ernie Kuenzli, Tom Ruggirello, George Tabac and Tim Thomassen. These directors will begin a one year term following the annual meeting. The current directors wish to thank all members of the PBI who participated in the election. We also thank all those members who were willing to stand for election and those who supervised and monitored the election process.

Respectfully submitted,
Leonard F. Griehs, Director, Treasurer,
and Managing Editor of The Herald of
Christ’s Kingdom

_________________________________________
Fiscal 2018 Financial Statement
of the Pastoral Bible Institute, Inc.
STATEMENT OF NET WORTH (Unaudited)
Cash and Investments ……………………… $138,767
Fixed Assets ……………………………………….. None
Liabilities …………………………………………….. None

Net Worth, April 30, 2018 ……………….. $138,767

ANALYSIS OF NET WORTH
Income
Bequests ………………………………………… None
Contributions ………………………………….. $6,580
Sale of Material ……………………………….      643
Herald Subscriptions ……………………….. 3,276
Interest ………………………………………………..     59
PBI Memberships ………………………………     15
Miscellaneous Income …………………….. 1,585
_______
$12,158
Expenses
Printing and Reproduction ………………..  7,991
Postage and Delivery …………………………..  7,042
Pilgrim Reimbursement ………………………. 2,369
Purchase of Material for Resale ……………. 750
India Printing Reimbursement …………… 1,951
Administrative and General ………………   1,166
_______
$21,269
Net Loss………………………………………….        ($9,111)
Net Worth, May 1, 2017 …………………… $147,878
Net Loss for Fiscal 2018 …………………..      (9,111)
Net Worth, April 30, 2018 ………………… $138,767

Leonard F. Griehs, Treasurer

Religious

Chinese social media users are noticing that Bibles are disappearing online. Searches for Bibles on China’s largest e-commerce platforms including Taobao, Jingdong, and Amazon, as well as DangDang.com — which claims to be the world’s
biggest Chinese online bookstore — have started turning up “no results” responses. Some websites still show listings for “Holy Bible,” but buyers do not have the option to add the item to their cart.  Some Christianity-related books have also been
blocked. Late last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping — who recently abolished term limits for the Chinese presidency — made it clear there would be a crackdown on foreign religions this year. Mr Xi had said religions could operate only if they were “Chinese in orientation” and that Beijing “must provide active guidance to religions so that they can adapt themselves to socialist society” — which experts saw as a part of an ongoing crackdown by the ruling party. — ABC News, 4/4/2018

Social media has been going crazy with reports that Pope Francis has denied the existence of hell.  Even some mainstream media have picked up the story supposedly based on an interview by an Italian journalist. Scalfari presents detailed quotations of the pope despite the fact he does not record their
conversations or even take notes. The Vatican press office issued a mild statement indicating no quotation in the article can “be considered as a faithful transcription of the words of the Holy Father.” The pope’s 2015 explanation of hell (“Hell is wanting to be distant from God because I do not want God’s
love. This is hell.”) has not changed — Religious News Service, 4/2/2018

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom cited more than two dozen countries as main contributors to an “ongoing downward trend” in religious liberty worldwide. “Sadly, religious freedom deteriorated in many countries in 2017, often due to increasing authoritarianism or the guise
of countering terrorism,” said USCIRF Chairman Daniel Mark as the independent watchdog issued its 2018 report. — Religious News Service, 4/25/2018

Social

The U.S. population will exceed 400 million by 2060, according to Census Bureau projections.  That includes an increase in the older population that will have major implications for American transportation. While the size of each age group is expected to grow, the teenage population will rise only 8 percent as the group over 65 nearly doubles in size, growing by 45 million and accounting for more than half the total expansion. By 2040, there will be more people over 65 than under 18. And by 2060, the over-65 cohort will be nearly as big as the 45-to-64 cohort. — Bloomberg, 3/16/2018

“Space genes,” or DNA that doesn’t return to normal after a sojourn in space was included in a NASA announcement corroborating a number of 2017 findings on the effects of space travel on the human body. About 93 percent of astronaut Scott
Kelly’s genes returned to normal after spending one year at the International Space Station. But the other 7 percent remained changed, even after returning to Earth, signaling that space travel can have longer-term changes. — USA Today, 3/17/2018

Every aging society faces distinct challenges. But Japan, with the world’s oldest population (27.3 percent of its citizens are 65 or older, almost twice the share in the U.S.), has been dealing with one it didn’t foresee: senior crime. Almost 1 in 5 women in Japanese prisons is a senior. Their crimes are usually minor — 9 in 10 senior women who’ve been convicted were found guilty of shoplifting.  Why have so many otherwise law-abiding elderly
women resorted to petty theft? Caring for Japanese seniors once fell to families and communities, but that’s changing. From 1980 to 2015, the number of seniors living alone increased more than sixfold, to almost 6 million. And a 2017 survey by Tokyo’s government found that more than half of seniors caught shoplifting live alone; 40 percent either don’t have family or rarely speak with relatives.  These people often say they have no one to turn to when they need help. Expenses associated with elder care helped push annual medical costs at correctional facilities past 6 billion yen (more than $50 million) in 2015, an 80 percent increase from a decade before. Specialized workers have been hired to help older inmates with bathing and toileting.  At some facilities, being a correctional officer has come to resemble being a nursing-home attendant. — Bloomberg, 3/19/2018

Political

North and South Korea took the first steps towards peace on Friday during the 2018 inter-Korean summit.  President Moon Jae-in of South Korea and Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un of North Korea have met for the first time and agreed to end the Korean War. “Chairman Kim, for the first time in our history you crossed the military demarcation line,”  Moon told North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and North Korean delegation as they began talks. “The military demarcation line is no longer a symbol of division but a symbol of peace.” As president Moon and Kim Jong-Un were doing their photo-ops on the South Korean side of the border, Moon lightheartedly said, “I wonder how long until I will get to go to North Korea.” Kim Jong-Un responded, “Let’s do it right now.” During the closed-door morning meeting, the two leaders discussed denuclearization and rebuilding relations. They also agreed that Moon will travel to Pyongyang, North Korea, later this year. — CNN International, 4/27/2018

Phoenix area police have introduced a “Freedom on the Move” surveillance system which pans 360 degrees and stretches anywhere from 12 to 30 feet in the air. It feeds video to police in a command center, who monitor events in real time and coordinate responses to public-safety threats. The system is often stationed at big events scanning the crowds. The camera is operated through the homeland defense bureau. Its presence at some politically charged events has drawn the attention of civil rights advocates, who say the system raises privacy concerns and could have a chilling effect on free speech. Police disavow any use in scanning for facial recognition. — USA Today Network, 3/26/2018

The Government of Australia has announced a $500 million package to help deal with the problems facing the Great Barrier Reef. In recent years, the reef has lost 30% of its coral due to bleaching linked to rising sea temperatures and damage from crown-ofthorns starfish. Crown-of-thorns starfish release the contents of their stomach on to the coral. A single individual starfish can wipe out large areas of a reef. — SunnySkyz, 4/29/2018

Financial

Cryptocurrency investments that were minting millionaires in December 2017 are now an increasing source of misery. The latest setback came when the Securities and Exchange Commission warned that many of the online cryptocurrency trading platforms might be “potentially unlawful.” Google and Facebook have banned all cryptocurrency ads on their sites. The trustee of Japan’s cryptocurrency exchange is selling large amounts of the currency to pay back creditors who lost money after 850,000 Bitcoins went missing. — USA Today, 3/16/2018

Elon Musk started Tesla Inc. with a goal of accelerating the switch to electric cars by about a decade.  That wish is now catching up with him. Virtually every major carmaker is rolling out stylish, sporty electric vehicles in the mold of his Models S, X and 3. Unlike Tesla, they have roughly a century of experience launching models every few months and can spread development costs across a broad portfolio. “The vehicles I’ve seen are far superior to anything Tesla has,” Mike Jackson, the chief executive officer of U.S. vehicle retailer AutoNation Inc., said on an earnings call, referring to German carmakers’
electric lineups. “They are in a massive pivot and shift away from diesel investment into electrification in both pure electric and plug-in hybrid.” — Bloomberg News, 5/2/2018

Israel

An Israeli firm has designed a device that produces clean drinking water from ambient air. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said the water “tastes like it’s off a glacier … glacier water is the only thing better, I think.” How much water? Between 160 and 1,600 gallons a day, depending on the size of the unit. Prices range from less than $1,000 for a household model producing 30 liters of crystal clear wa­ter daily, to over $100,000 for the large-scale unit to be installed, for example, on the rooftop of an office building. Individual companies can lease water-generation systems for less than water deliveries that would otherwise be needed to replenish the break-room water cooler. By playing with the laws of physics and pioneering a small plastic evaporator, WaterGen designed a system producing water with just 300 watts of electricity — about the amount of power used by a strong light bulb. That’s about a third of the energy consumption of the best HVAC systems. A strong selling point is the pristine quality of water drawn from the air. The company calculates it can produce a liter of water for about 2 cents. — NewsMax.com, 3/28/2018

U.S. Government sources say that Israel appears to be preparing for war with Iran. Israeli Air Force F-15 planes attacked a military facility housing the 47th Brigade of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after Iran transferred arms to it, three US officials
said. “On the list of the potentials for most likely live hostility around the world, the battle between Israel and Iran in Syria is at the top of the list right now,” said one senior US official. The same sources said that Israel is increasingly concerned about
Iran’s influence in Syria. — Ynetnews, 5/1/2018

Paraguay’s President Horacio Cartes announced his plan to move the country’s embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Paraguay has voted in support of Israel in the United Nations. When Cartes visited Israel in 2016, Netanyahu praised him for supporting Israel “in difficult circumstances.” The Czech Republic announced it will appoint an honorary consul in Jerusalem, the first in a three-step [process] to relocate its embassy. Romania has also vowed to move its embassy to Jerusalem — The Israel Project, 4/30/2018

Israel Defense Forces celebrated 70 years of groundbreaking technological innovations which include: • The Iron Dome Air Defense System, able to intercept rockets launched at Israel • The Trophy System, creates a 360-degree protective shield around tanks • Drones, unmanned aerial vehicles able to see without being seen • Skylark I-LE, an unmanned aerial vehicle with the sight of a hawk, which unfolds into a light package that can be transported by one person • The Eyeball System, a small black ball that can be thrown inside a building and detect the location of a terrorist. — Israeli Defense Forces, 4/19/2018