President's Message

We have been thrilled to hear from so many of you recently. Please feel free to drop us a note. If anything is unclear or unsatisfactory, be sure to let us know. Your ideas on how we can be of better service to you are very important to us! Keep them coming!

Q: Is this Newsletter, Insights, free?

A: Yes, for the first four issues. If you want to stay on the list for 1985, however, we will need to hear from you. A minimum $10 contribution will guarantee keeping you on the list.

Q: How did I get on the F.A.R.M.S. mailing list?

A: Our list (15,000 people) is entirely self-generated. Your name is on our list either because you requested it or because one of your friends told us they thought you would be interested.

Q: How often is the Newsletter published?

A: Approximately four times a year.

Q: How can I get in touch with F.A.R.M.S.?

A: By mail, P.O. Box 7113, University Station, Provo, UT 84602; or by phone, (801) 378-3295.

Q: Can I order materials by phone?

A: If you wish to charge your order to a VISA or Mastercard, yes, we welcome telephone orders during business hours.

Q: Can I also use my VISA or Mastercard for making contributions?

A: Yes. We can even set things up to charge your account once a month if you would like to spread your annual contribution out over the year.

Q: How long does it take to fill orders?

A: Usually a couple of weeks, but if the item is out of stock it may take quite a bit longer. Let us know if your order needs to be rushed to you. We appreciate your patience.

Q: Can I help F.A.R.M.S. where I live?

A: Yes! See the article in this newsletter about how you can become a Local Volunteer.

Q: Who can contirbute papers to F.A.R.M.S.?

A: Anyone!

Q: What criteria are used in deciding which papers will be published as Preliminary Reports?

A: Papers are reviewed and edited by several readers in our research group. We publish papers which contain "substantial research and documentation." Subsequent researchers should not have to re-invent the wheel; if good work has been done on a subject, we want to make it available, even if the results are still "preliminary." Every paper submitted will be kept in the F.A.R.M.S. archive.

Q: Does F.A.R.M.S. need papers, books and magazines for its library?

A: Yes. If you would like to contribute any published or unpublished materials that you think would help build the F.A.R.M.S. Book of Mormon Library, write us a letter telling us what you have and we will tell you whether we already have it or not.

Q: Is the Book of Mormon available on diskette for my home PC?

A: Not quite yet, but a committee has been organized to get this done in the best possible way.

Q: Is F.A.R.M.S. a business?

A: No. F.A.R.M.S. is a non-profit, volunteer organization sponsoring, coordinating and distribting research about the Book of Mormon. No directors or advisors get paid anything. We try to make our materials available as inexpensively as possible, so that everyone who wants them can afford to get them.

Q: Does F.A.R.M.S. need money?

A: Yes. What we can accomplish is directly related to teh amount of money we receive. We rely entirely on donations to fund further research projects and media presentations. We match each dollar contributed with many hours of volunteer support. This makes your contribution go as far as possible.

Q: Is F.A.R.M.S. an independent organization?

A: Yes, but it coordinates closely with many other groups. F.A.R.M.S. is particularly appreciative of the key support given by Brigham Young University. Valuable cooperation exists with CES, Church magazines and many other organizations. F.A.R.M.S. does not speak for nor represent any other organization.

Q: What does F.A.R.M.S. plan for the future?

A: We have many more Reprints and Preliminary Reports on the way. We are working on several book length manuscripts to be published by Deseret Book Company. We would like to get some Book of Mormon lectures on audio tapes. We would like to sponsor several summer research internships. We are working toward creating a massive Book of Mormon computer data base and toward completing a Book of Mormon encyclopedia, and many other exciting projects. We plan to hold a two-day Book of Mormon study conference in Provo next summer; let us know if you would be interested in coming.

Hope this is helpful. We appreciate all your support, enthusiasm and interest. We always enjoy hearing from you.