Garner Ted Armstrong in hospital with pneumonia

TYLER, Texas--Garner Ted Armstrong, 73, founder of the Intercontinental Church of God and the Garner Ted Evangelistic Association, entered a Tyler hospital in late August for treatment of a severe case of pneumonia.

As of Aug. 31 Mr. Armstrong was showing "improvement," according to a statement from church spokesman Chris Cumming of Redmond, Wash.

"The worst of the situation is behind him and he is in recovery stage now," Mr. Cumming said. "The next event we are looking to now is him checking out of the hospital for a recuperation at home."

In an official announcement from ICG headquarters dated Aug. 29, Mr. Armstrong's oldest son, Mark, thanked well-wishers for "the outpouring of love, support and concern so many of you have expressed for my Dad and our family."

The younger Mr. Armstrong said his father had made "substantial improvement" since his hospitalization.

Mark Armstrong said he had asked the ICG's pastor at New Orleans, La., Tom Kerry, to travel to Tyler to speak at Sabbath services in the elder Mr. Armstrong's absence.

In a later communique from headquarters, just before the deadline for this issue of The Journal, the younger Mr. Armstrong said his father was "lucid," and his "lung ailment" had "cleared up entirely," although he was still in the hospital. His appetite was returning, and he was gaining strength.

Write Mr. Armstrong and his wife, Shirley, at P.O. Box 747, Flint, Texas 75762, U.S.A., or in care of Mr. Cumming at sunshiner@worldnet.att.net. When E-mailing, include "Greetings to Mr. Armstrong" or equivalent wording in the subject line.