Paul Zapf dies

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga.--Paul Joseph Zapf, 63, died Feb. 5 of an apparent heart attack.

Mr. Zapf, a former elder of the Worldwide Church of God and the Associated Churches of God, was born in Festus, Mo., June 8, 1942. When he was 15 he and his family began attending services of the Radio Church of God, including festivals near Big Sandy, Texas.

When Mr. Zapf came to Ambassador College, Pasadena, Calif., in 1958 at age 16, he was the youngest student to have entered AC.

The WCG's Web site noted that Mr. Zapf is credited with beginning the selling of concession-stand items by students during the annual Rose Parade to help pay for student activities including field trips.

He is survived by five children, Aletha Zapf Buckley, Katrina Zapf-McMillan, Elizabeth Triplett, Derek Zapf and Carita Zapf; six grandchildren; his former wife, Patsy McHale; and a sister, Sarah Sneider.

Dwight Armstrong hymns shift to public domain

GLENDORA, Calif.--Worldwide Church of God officials announced June 26 that they have placed all hymns composed by Dwight Armstrong for which it owns the copyright into the public domain.

Effective immediately, any person or group that wishes to copy or use these hymns may do so without receiving permission from the church, according to an announcement on the WCG's Web site, www.wcg.org.

"Time has proven that numerous persons wish to use these hymns in praise and worship, and the church wishes to facilitate such use," said Joseph Tkach Jr., church president and chairman.

The WCG announcement noted that the hymns it has released are only those by Mr. Armstrong for which the church holds the copyright.

"No other hymns or materials of any kind are being placed into the public domain, and the responsibility is on the user to ascertain whether the work it wishes to use is one of the released hymns," the announcement said.