Members of the charity reappointed Laura Payne as a member of the National Council and ratified the budget for the financial year ending June 30, 2009. Chairman Bryan Ellams highlighted the increasing involvement of young people in the Council's business and announced that the ministry had reappointed David Fenney as a ministerial member of the National Council. Chief Executive Officer Peter Hawkins reported that there is increasing interest in the work of the Church, and there has been congregational growth during the past year. This financial year UCG–British Isles distributed 40,000 copies of The Good News, about equal with last year. The resulting mail was 16,600 items of normal mail plus 7,900 Internet requests, resulting in over 27,000 items of literature being sent from the office. This excludes the 6,100 Bible Study Course lessons sent by volunteers in Warrington. The Church also sent around 380 copies of World News and Prophecy per issue, 220 of United News and 289 of Vertical Thought. The National Council approved an advertisement in the form of an advertorial, which will probably be placed shortly after the summer break. In March a subscriber letter sent to 4,790 on the mailing list offered The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy, receiving 528 responses, or 11 percent, with 51 donations included. A total of 4,820 new readers received The Good News for the first time during the financial year. The average response to the renewal sent after the three issues was 20 percent, including 165 new donors and 1,124 requests for the Bible course. UN