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1960 YEARBOOK OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES
1960
YEARBOOK of Jehovah’s Witnesses containing report for th© service year of 1959
Corporate Publishers WATCH TOWER BIBLE & TRACT SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA WATCHTOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF NEW YORK, INC. INTERNATIONAL BIBLE STUDENTS ASSOCIATION 124 Columbia Heights Brooklyn 1, N.Y., U.S.A.
Branch offices appear on last page
Copyright, 1959, by Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society of Pennsylvania
Made in the United States of America
WATCH TOWER BIBLE & TRACT SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA
OFFICERS
N. H. KNORR President
F. W. FRANZ Vice-President GRANT SUITER Secretary-Treasurer
UI I I' I !■ I II 1 ■ —— «■ , —
WATCHTOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF NEW YORK, INC.
OFFICERS
N. H. KNORR President
F, W. FRANZ Vice-President GRANT SUITER Secretary-Treasurer ---------------- . --------------
INTERNATIONAL BIBLE STUDENTS ASSOCIATION
OFFICERS
N. H. KNORR President
A. PRYCE HUGHES
Vice-President
E, C. CHITTY Secretary
GRANT SUITER
Ass’t Secretary-Treasurer
Page
Anguilla .................. 202
Central-African Republic . 137
Congo, Republic of the .... 137
Page
Leeward Islands (Antigua) 200
Page Page
Madeira ............... 250 St. Martin
Malaya ........... 258 St. Thomas, V.!
Malta .................... 105 St. Vincent
Martinique ............ 166 Samoa, American
Mauritius ................ 209 Samoa, Western
Mexico ............ 211 San Marino
Midway island ........... 173 Sarawak
Montserrat ............... 203 Senegal .....
Morocco ..................213 Sierra Leone
Mozambique ............. 238 Singapore
Netherlands .............. 215 Solomon Islands .
(Curasao) ..... 217 South Africa
Nevis .................... 203 Southern Rhodesia ....... 266
New Britain .............. 83 South-West Africa
New Caledonia ........... 143 Spain
Newfoundland ............ 220 Sudan
New Guinea .............. 84 Sulawesi
New Hebrides ............ 144 Sumatra ................. 183
New Zealand ............. 223 Surinam
Nicaragua ................ 225 Swaziland
Nigeria ................... 226 Sweden
North Borneo ............ 259 Switzerland
Northern Rhodesia ....... 229 Tahiti
Norway .................. 235 Taiwan
Nyasaland ................ 236 Tanganyika
Okinawa ................. 192 Tchad, Republic of
Pakistan .............. 239 Thailand
Panama ..................241 Tobago
Papua .................... 85 Togoland Republic
Paraguay ................. 243 Tortola, V.1
Philippine Republic ...... 247 Tunisia
Poland ................... 305 Turkey
Portugal .................. 249 Turks Islands
Puerto Rico .............. 251 Uganda
Qatar .................... 200 Union of Soviet Socialist
Romania ................. 308 Republics
St. Croix, V.1............. 253 United Arab Republic ....
St. Eustatius, N.W.1......201 United States of America .
St. Helena ................261 Uruguay
St. John, V.l.............. 253 Venezuela
St. Kitts ............ 204 Vietnam
St. Lucia ................. 237 Yugoslavia
Service year chart, page 36
Pictures: new addition to Brooklyn Bethel home, and new branch office in London, England, insert after page 64; new branch offices in Paris, France, and Wiesbaden, Germany, insert after day’s text and comment for June 25
I960 YEARBOOK
of Jehovah's Witnesses
Religious organizations, such as the Protestant and the Catholic, make much ado about ordaining their clergy. A pastor of a congregation must have first studied in a theological seminary for a number of years, and after he graduates then he is presumed ready to enter the clergy class. Now comes an elaborate ceremony with much pomp and pageantry. Many dignitaries are on hand to officiate and watch the ceremony. The individual is consecrated or set apart to the service and worship of his God. As the clergyman advances in his religious rank from priest to bishop or archbishop, it is necessary for him to go through more ceremonies with even greater splendor and display on the part of the ecclesiastical body. Many of the clergy of Christendom are ordained or invested with sacerdotal functions, in great costly cathedrals with lavish display so as to be an elaborate public spectacle. But the founder of true Christianity was ordained with holy spirit from heaven after his being dipped under the waters of the Jordan River by a man with “clothing of camel’s hair and a leather girdle around his loins” and whose “food . . . was insect locusts and wild honey.”—Matt. 3:4.
What a difference in ordination! Jesus went through such a simple procedure to become Jehovah’s ordained minister. Furthermore, there is no record in the Scriptures that Jesus went to any 5
particular school to be trained for the ministry, though certainly as a young man he studied the Word of God, the Hebrew Scriptures. It is quite evident that he was not taught at a special school by the scribes and Pharisees, the religious leaders of his day. We do read, though, that at twelve years of age Jesus was about his Father’s business questioning such men, that is, the scribes and Pharisees. Luke, the historian, said that his parents were looking for him after the Passover while on their way home from Jerusalem and “began to hunt him up among the relatives and acquaintances. But, not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem, making a diligent search for him. Well, after three days they found him in the temple sitting in the midst of the teachers and listening to them and questioning them. But all those listening to him were in constant amazement at his understanding and his answers.”—Luke 2:44-47.
This young lad, only twelve years old, said to his parents: “Did you not know that I must be in the house of my Father?” However, Jesus traveled home with his parents, and the account reads: “Jesus went on progressing in wisdom and in physical growth and in favor with God and men.” —Luke 2:49, 52.
The time came, however, for Jesus to be at his Father’s business all the time, and when he reached the age of thirty he went to John the Baptist, a prophet of Jehovah who was baptizing in the river Jordan. In this out-of-the-way place there was “a voice of a man crying out in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of Jehovah, make his roads straight.’ ” He was John the Baptist, and he put Jesus completely under the water and raised him up out of it. In this way Jesus symbolized his dedication to the doing of his Father’s will, and Jehovah acknowledged him as his beloved Son in whom he was well pleased. “After being baptized Jesus immediately came up from the water; and, look! the heavens were opened up, and he saw descending like a dove God’s spirit coming upon him. Look! also, there was a voice from the heavens that said: ‘This is my Son, the beloved, whom I have approved.’ ” (Matt. 3:3,16,17) Jesus was now the Christ, the anointed one. He was ordained of God and must begin his great preaching work as an ordained minister. “Furthermore, Jesus himself, when he commenced his work, was about thirty years old.”—Luke 3:23.
No one can say that the ordination of Jesus was one of show, done with many priests or clergymen around. There was no procession. Neither was he a graduate of any prominent theological school. He was a carpenter’s son, a carpenter himself, who had now stepped forward to take up the vocation of the ministry.
All of Jesus’ disciples were similarly baptized, fully immersed in water, and, after instructing them concerning God’s kingdom as being at hand, Jesus sent them out to preach the Kingdom message just as he was doing. They were well trained. They knew the word and will of God and lived as Jesus told them to live. No theological seminary for them, but still they were ordained ministers of God. Jehovah later used them to organize the early Christians into congregations and they appointed overseers to shepherd the flock of God, not to lord it over them. In those days every person who became a Christian became an ordained minister, because Jehovah made them “ambassadors substituting for Christ, as though God were making entreaty through [them].”—2 Cor. 5:20.
It was after Jesus’ resurrection from the dead that he spoke to his assembled disciples and said: “Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you.” (Matt. 28:19, 20) The apostles were not told to do anything different in the way of baptizing true followers of Christ Jesus from what had been done in their own case, or from the example that Christ Jesus set. So, then, there is no formalistic religious ritual that one must go through in order to become one of God’s ordained ministers. Christ Jesus set the simple pattern.
Of course, being baptized in water does not make one an ordained minister. God does the ordaining of the one being baptized, who has already recognized Jehovah God as the sovereign Ruler and Christ Jesus as his Savior, recognizing also that he himself is a sinner and that he needs the merit of Christ’s sacrifice in order to have a proper standing before God. When one is baptized in water it has great meaning, for here the baptized one is declaring publicly that he is dedicated or set aside for Jehovah’s service and worship. Of course, he must know what he is doing and must continue to prove himself worthy of this very high purpose. God accepting the baptized one, he ordains him to the divine ministry.
To be ordained means to be invested with ministerial functions, or to be appointed authoritatively. Jesus was appointed authoritatively by God to do specific service, which was God’s will for him. Jesus in the synagogue of Nazareth read his ministerial functions from the scroll of Isaiah: “ ‘Jehovah’s spirit is upon me, because he anointed me to declare good news to the poor, he sent me forth to preach a release to the captives and a recovery of sight to the blind, to send the crushed ones away with a release, to preach Jehovah’s acceptable year.’ With that he rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were intently fixed upon him. Then he started to say to them: ‘Today this scripture that you just heard is fulfilled.’ ’’—Luke 4:18-21.
It was prophesied at Isaiah 61:1, 2, that Christ would do this work, and that is why Jesus could quote this scripture and say that he was fulfilling it. Jesus was ordained, appointed to this service, at the Jordan River at the time of his baptism. There Jehovah’s spirit came upon him and now he was authorized to do God’s work. It was now time for him to speak and to make a public declaration. Jesus certainly did that!
All persons who have read the Greek Scriptures know of the tremendous preaching and teaching program Jesus carried out during his three and a half years of ministry. They also know of the work the apostles did, work of which the apostle Paul spoke when he said: “For with the heart one exercises faith for righteousness, but with the mouth one makes public declaration for salvation.” (Rom. 10:10) Christians today can do no different. The same commission that fell upon Jesus to declare good news, to preach a release to captives, to bring sight to the blind, and to preach Jehovah’s acceptable year, was passed on to his faithful Christian followers. A similar and very positive expression of this matter was made for our day by Jesus himself when on the Mount of Olives. He said: “This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for the purpose of a witness to all the nations, and then the accomplished end will come.” (Matt. 24:14) But the apostles and all of Jesus’ followers were to make the preaching of good news their commission in life.
SCOPE OF THE MINISTRY
This matter of one’s being an ordained minister before God or before worldly governments is not a light matter. It involves one’s every word, thought and action, a real following of the principles as set down by Christ Jesus, yes, walking in his footsteps. Just how far-reaching is this ordination of a Christian before God? Is a minister one ordained just during the time he is preaching this good news to someone? Or is this ordination, because he is dedicated to Jehovah God, a twenty-four-hour-a-day ordination? Can an individual step out of his professed vocation for a short period of time and act differently, or is he obligated to keep his ministerial garments on constantly? The Scriptures show that Jesus as a young man was a carpenter, but he changed his vocation. He would have liked to change his vocation earlier in life, but it was not God’s will. He had to reach thirty years of age first, the age for a Levite to become a full-fledged priest under Jewish Law. Then when he was ordained by God he put foremost in his mind the doing of his Father’s will, which was the preaching of the kingdom of the heavens as being at hand. His disciples he trained to do the same kind of work, or follow the same vocation.
The theological meaning of the word vocation is: “A calling to the service of God in a particular station or state of life, esp. in the priesthood or religious life, as shown by one’s fitness, natural inclinations, and, often, by conviction of a Divine invitation. The station or state of life to which one receives such a calling. An official invitation to a particular ecclesiastical office, as a pastorate.” Jesus indeed had “a calling to the service of God.” He had a summons to a particular activity or career. His vocation was now “seeking first the kingdom and his righteousness.” (Matt. 6:33) So, too, any individual becoming an ordained follower of Christ Jesus must henceforth live a Christian life in that way. Jesus’ apostles had to do this in order to prove that their vocation was that of an ordained minister before God, even though before worldly governments men looked upon them as fishermen, tax collectors or tentmakers.
Being a dedicated Christian today is not a parttime occupation any more than it was then. It is a full-time vocation. A true Christian is not just a Christian on Sunday for a few hours while he is in his church or at a prayer meeting. A truly dedicated person, an ordained minister before God, must be a Christian his whole life from the time he takes up following Christ Jesus and walking in his footsteps. In the world an individual may say that his vocation is that of a carpenter, a mason, an engineer, a doctor, and that he does make his living by such occupation. But if that particular individual dedicates his life to Jehovah God and is baptized in water, then that secular occupation he pursues becomes secondary and his Christian ministry must become the thing of first importance, really now his vocation, because he was called to God’s service. Jesus said: “Keep on, then, seeking first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you.” A Christian’s first job, his principal interest, then, is his call to a Christian life. It must be that. His vocation must be that of an ordained minister before Jehovah God. He may quit his secular work, but he may never quit his divine call to God’s service. If a Christian quits the ministry he loses his eternal life. Which is more important, then?
Dedication to Jehovah’s service and symbolizing that dedication by water baptism is not a joining of some earthly religious organization. It is not such a minor step as that. It is the biggest thing that one has ever done in his life. His being immersed in water is a declaration to all fellow Christians and peoples of the world that henceforth he is dedicated to God, to serve as his minister. This is his vocation and from then on the whole word of God as it is set forth in the Bible must be his guide. He as a true Christian has acted as Paul said: “When you received God’s Word which you heard from us you accepted it, not as the word of men, but, just as it truthfully is, as the word of God, which is also at work in you believers.”—1 Thess. 2:13.
‘You have received God’s word and accepted it,’ have you? What, now, is involved? The apostle Paul said it involved even one’s eating and drinking. That may sound absurd, but let us read what he wrote to the Corinthians: “Therefore, whether you are eating or drinking or doing anything else, do all things for God’s glory. Keep from becoming causes for stumbling to Jews as well as Greeks and to the congregation of God, even as I am pleasing all people in all things, not seeking my own advantage but that of the many, in order that they might get saved.” (1 Cor. 10:31-33) Paul was interested in saving lives through his “eating or drinking or doing anything else.” But how does one’s eating and drinking tend to save lives? Paul explains it in the eighth and tenth chapters of First Corinthians.
Paul knew that Christians were ‘to keep themselves from things sacrificed to idols’ (Acts 15: 29); but he explained to the Corinthians: “Everything that is sold in a meat market keep eating, making no inquiry on account of your conscience, for ‘the earth belongs to Jehovah, and so does its fullness.’ If anyone of the unbelievers invites you and you wish to go, proceed to eat everything that is set before you, making no inquiry on account of your conscience. But if anyone should say to you: ‘This is something offered to a god,’ do not eat on account of the one that disclosed it and on account of conscience. ‘Conscience,’ I say, not yours, but that of the other person. For why should it be that my freedom is judged by another person’s conscience? If I am partaking with thanks, why am I to be spoken of abusively over that for which I give thanks?” (1 Cor. 10:25-30) It may have been that the meat sold in the meat markets had been offered to idols, but how would a person know? He might not have inquired whether the animal, or even the part of it that he bought, was offered to an idol. So, Paul says, if a person invites you to dinner, eat what he has. Paul knew “that an idol is nothing in the world and that there is no God but one.” (1 Cor. 8:4) But, if someone eating with you says, “This is something offered to a god,” then because of that man’s conscience do not eat any of it. Because of your own conscience? No, but because of the conscience of the other person. You may stumble that one by your eating.
Paul argued that a Christian’s freedom or knowledge should “not somehow become a stumblingblock to those who are weak.” If you should eat the food offered to idols after thanking God for it you might still ruin a man. “But when you people thus sin against your brothers and wound their conscience that is weak, you are sinning against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat flesh at all, that I may not make my brother stumble.” (1 Cor. 8:9, 12, 13) Paul’s ordination, his being set apart for God’s service, included how he ate and drank. It involved his every action in everyday things. Paul wTas interested in saving lives. So he said: “Do not by your food ruin that one for whom Christ died. . . . For the kingdom of God does not mean eating and drinking, but means righteousness and peace and joy with holy spirit.” “All things are lawful; but not all things are advantageous. All things are lawful; but not all things build up. Let each one keep seeking, not his own advantage, but that of the other person.”—Rom. 14:15, 17; 1 Cor. 10:23, 24.
May Christians today look at things differently and allow their eating or drinking to stumble a Jew or a Greek or a brother in the congregation? No! We are in the same position as was Paul. He would rather be “pleasing all people in all things, not seeking my own advantage but that of the many, in order that they might get saved.” (1 Cor. 10:33) Would you do the same? If you are an ordained minister like Paul you would.
EATING, DRINKING, SPEECH AND WORK
But, someone says, things like that do not happen today. People do not offer food to idols. Well, then, how about your drinking habits? There is plenty of drinking done today, and Paul mentions drinking as something to watch. People drink all kinds of beverages, but the drinking causing the most disturbance in the minds of some people is the drinking of alcoholic beverages. Maybe a person who wants to drink wine will argue that Paul admonished Timothy to drink a little wine for his stomach’s sake. Another may say that Jesus’ first miracle was the making of wine. Still another will say that wine makes glad the heart. What is said is true, and in most countries and states it is lawful to have and use alcoholic beverages, but is it to the advantage of another brother? Will your drinking such a beverage serve to “build up”? Let us think not of our own advantage, but of that of the other person.
Suppose there is an overseer in a congregation of God’s people, a man of influence, one looked up to, who goes out some evening with friends but he does not control his drinking of intoxicating liquor and he becomes drunk. The Bible states very definitely that drunkards will not inherit the Kingdom. “What! Do you not know that unrighteous persons will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be misled. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, . .. nor thieves, nor greedy persons, nor drunkards . . . will inherit God’s kingdom.” (1 Cor. 6:9, 10) Even though some of you were like this before coming into the truth, Paul says, you were washed clean. So why go back to this sort of practice again and stumble your brother? Now a brother may see this intoxicated overseer walking down the street in a zigzag fashion. This observer is shocked, disturbed and offended that an ordained minister of his congregation should think so little of his ordination before God that he should become a drunkard. This carelessness in drinking has become a cause for stumbling a brother in the congregation of God.
Let us follow this drunken man a little farther. As he nears his home his neighbor with whom he studies the Bible observes his drunkenness, and he, too, is stumbled, because he thought that this ordained minister was living a Christian life. Well, the neighbor decides he will no longer study the Bible with this individual, and says to his wife: “If that is what the Bible did for him, there are better men than that to associate with not even having faith in God. Why should I change my way of life and take up something new when here one of the prominent ones in the congregation, who claims to be an ordained minister, is drunk?”
How very right Paul was when he said: “Therefore, whether you are eating or drinking or doing anything else, do all things for God’s glory.” (1 Cor. 10:31) Was this to God’s glory? Certainly a Christian does not want to stumble a Jew, a Greek, a neighbor, a friend, or one of his brothers in the congregation of God. What every ordained minister must be interested in is saving the lives of all people for God’s new world. “So, then, let us pursue the things making for peace and the things that are upbuilding to one another. Stop tearing down the work of God just for the sake of food. True, all things are clean, but it is injurious to the man who with an occasion for stumbling eats. It is well not to eat flesh or to drink wine or do anything over which your brother stumbles.”—Rom. 14:19-21.
A Christian must watch his step in other things too. Paul presents this truth when writing to the Colossians: “Let the word of the Christ reside in you richly in all wisdom. Keep on teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, praises to God, spiritual songs with graciousness, singing in your hearts to Jehovah. And whatever it is that you do in word or in work, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, thanking God the Father through him.”—Col. 3:16, 17.
Paul says to watch your words and work, which take up a good part of our time every day. Just how do we speak to people and how do we work for our employer? One’s Christian training certainly expresses itself in these two things.
Are the words that come out of our mouths decent, clean, helpful and respectable? Would we be pleased to have God listen to us in everything we say? James wrote about our words when he said: “A fountain does not cause the sweet and the bitter to bubble out of the same opening, does it? . . . Neither can salt water produce sw’eet water.” As for that little member in the body, he says: “The tongue is a fire.... Not one of mankind can get it tamed. An unruly injurious thing, it is full of death-dealing poison. With it we bless Jehovah, even the Father, and yet with it we curse men who have come into existence ‘in the likeness of God.’ Out of the same mouth come forth blessing and cursing. It is not proper, my brothers, for these things to go on occurring this way.” The mouth of an ordained minister should be teaching and admonishing others with graciousness. There should be no such thing as bragging and lying against the truth. The mouth should always praise Jehovah. “Moreover, the fruit of righteousness has its seed sown under peaceful conditions for those who are making peace.”—Jas. 3:6-12,18.
Ordained ministers of Jehovah cannot have dual personalities with two vocabularies, one clean and upright, the other filthy and wicked. A Christian can train himself and be able to use good words that express his thoughts clearly and forcefully. The Christian does not have one vocabulary he uses in the congregation of God’s people and then another set of cruel, harsh, dirty words to be used where he works. Remember what Paul says: “Whatever it is that you do in word ..., do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, thanking God the Father through him.” Peter confirms this, too, using good expressive words: “For, ‘he that would love life and see good days, let him restrain his tongue from what is injurious and his lips from speaking deceitfully, but let him turn away from what is injurious and do what is good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For Jehovah’s eyes are upon the righteous and his ears are toward their supplication, but Jehovah’s face is against those doing injurious things.’ ”—1 Pet. 3:10-12.
Then there is that other part of the Christian life—work. Considerable time is spent at some kind of labor, but how does one perform his work and earn his daily bread? All individuals in effect make a contract or an agreement with their employer. When an employer hires a man to do a certain work he agrees to pay the worker a certain wage. The employee should not shirk his work, do less than he agreed to do. He should be honest and give his employer full measure. If one is hired as a carpenter for so many hours a day and he receives so much pay for those hours, then certainly during that period of time he should be diligent in doing good carpenter work for all those hours. He is not paid to loaf. He is paid to work. If a Christian is working in a store owned by a rich man he has no right to steal from that rich man because he is wealthy, nor has he the right to steal from customers by charging them more than the goods are worth and keeping the difference. That is stealing. A man can steal, too, from his employer by loafing on the job. The man expects to be paid by his employer. Why cannot the employer expect the work to be done for the money he pays out? “Whatever it is that you do ... in work, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Do you?
Paul did not feel that Onesimus, a slave of Philemon, should be kept from his employer. When Onesimus became a Christian, Paul found out he was a slave and sent him back to his owner. The slave, now a Christian, still belonged to Philemon even though Philemon was a Christian too. Paul, writing about Onesimus, said: “I am exhorting you [Philemon] concerning my child, to whom I became a father while in my prison bonds, Onesimus, formerly useless to you but now useful to you and to me. This very one I am sending back to you, yes, him, that is, my own heart.” Even though Paul found Onesimus, who had run away from his owner, most helpful to himself, yet Paul wanted him to go back to his owner, because that was right, and there was where he belonged by law, and so that Philemon might “have him back forever, no longer as a slave but as more than a slave, as a brother beloved, especially so to me, yet how much more so to you both in fleshly relationship and in the Lord.” (Philem. 10-12, 15,16) The Scriptures indicate that no matter what condition one finds himself in, as a slave or a free workman, a Christian should work as though he were doing it “in the name of the Lord Jesus, thanking God the Father through him.”
Christians must be honest. They must be truthful. They must prove they are ordained ministers, not only when they preach the good news, but in everything they do, so that all kinds of men might get saved. By this they prove that ‘the word of God is at work in believers.’ Are you a Christian doing good works in your eating, drinking, talking, working, preaching or doing anything else, doing all to God’s glory in order that someone might get saved? Are you ‘seeking peace and pursuing it’? A Christian knows “Jehovah’s eyes are upon the righteous,” his ordained ministers.—1 Pet. 3:11, 12.
DO YOU LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE?
An ordained ministei* of God carries a heavy responsibility. He starts in where Jesus left off. It was the Master who said to his faithful followers: “You are the light of the world. A city cannot be hid when situated upon a mountain. People light a lamp and set it, not under the measuring basket, but upon the lampstand, and it shines upon all those in the house. Likewise let your light shine before mankind, that they may see your right works and give glory to your Father who is in the heavens.” (Matt. 5:14-16) This light of truth shines in the world day and night because of the activeness of true Christians. When ordained ministers preach from house to house the light shines. But that is not the only time he lets his light shine. It must shine during his eating, during his drinking, during his general conversation, during his working as well as when he is in the congregation of God’s people. At no time can a Christian hide or turn off his light. “You are the light of the world. . . . Let your light shine before mankind.”
An ordained minister of God looks to the future. So, then, if he would “love life and see good days, ... let him seek peace and pursue it.” (1 Pet. 3:10, 11) While pursuing peace he has no time for wrongdoing and so getting out of harmony with God’s Word. If he does, it will be seen. As a minister he must for twenty-four hours a day prove that he is living a Christian life. He is observed just like a city situated on a hill; there is no hiding it. It is there to be seen for many miles around. You cannot hide that city any more than you can hide the light of a true Christian. An ordained minister’s light shines continually. It is always aglow, unless the minister deliberately smothers the light by the way he eats, drinks, talks, works or preaches the good news of God’s kingdom. But never let that happen! Let people of all kinds see your right works, because when they see your right works all kinds of men will give glory to your Father who is in the heavens.
The house-to-house preaching that the kingdom of God is at hand is vital, very important; and this good news helps people to see more clearly the great blessings God has in store for believers. But let them also observe the Christian’s right works, the way he lives, how he conducts himself at work and at play, the way his children behave themselves, the way he mixes with people in the congregation, along with his teaching ability. Yes, all this tells if he lets his light shine.
An individual who has dedicated himself to Jehovah’s service and has been baptized in water cannot say that he is a part-time Christian. He must be a full-time Christian. He may not be able to spend all his awake hours preaching from house to house and conducting Bible studies as do pioneers and missionaries. But that makes no difference as to being a Christian. God’s commandments are the same for all Christians. Many Christians among Jehovah’s witnesses are referred to as pioneers and missionaries, full-time preachers. These individuals have been able to arrange their affairs so that they can spend all their time in teaching and ministering to other persons by going from house to house and conducting Bible studies in the homes of believers. It is easily seen that not all persons who have dedicated their lives to Jehovah God and have been baptized can devote all their time to the preaching work, but certainly they must devote all their time to the Christian life. They must prove that they are ordained ministers before God just as surely as one who evangelizes all his wakeful hours. All Christians must be full-time light bearers just as Jesus was, because they are walking in his footsteps.
What, then, must we conclude? This: A Christian, whether he be a pioneer, a missionary, or a person known as a congregation publisher, must be an ordained minister before God full time. According to the Scriptures, in Paul’s writings as well as Peter’s and in Jesus’ own words, one living a Christian life must “keep on, then, seeking first the kingdom and his righteousness.” Furthermore, Jesus said: “If you observe my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have observed the commandments of the Father and remain in his love.” (John 15:10) There are no exceptions; all Christians have the same commandments, the same Redeemer, the same God.
WORKS BECOME MANIFEST
What a person really is will eventually manifest itself. Paul pointed out to Timothy: “The sins of some men are publicly manifest, leading immediately to judgment, but as for other men their sins also become manifest later. In the same way also the right works are publicly manifest and those that are otherwise cannot be kept hid.” (1 Tim. 5:24, 25) A simple example will help us see Paul’s point. There was a thief in a certain city who had been robbing homes for two years and another man who for the first time tried to rob a home. On the novice’s first venture of this kind he was caught leaving the house with the stolen goods. He was turned over to the police. The trial was held. The witnesses gave their testimony and he was proved to be a thief. The judgment: six months in prison. This man’s sins were “publicly manifest, leading immediately to judgment.”
But how about the first thief, who has been stealing for two years now? He decides to make another robbery. This time, however, he is apprehended. The police arrest him. He is brought before the court, and in the evidence presented it is proved not only that he robbed in the last home he unlawfully entered, but that he had robbed many other homes during the past two years’ While this thief may have had a good reputation in the community up to this time, now his “sins also become manifest,” but only later, after two years. One cannot always hide his real way of life. If he is a thief, eventually it will become manifest.
Paul reasons that just as the sins of some people are manifest immediately and other men’s sins become manifest later, so the same is true with the right works of some persons. Maybe another illustration will show this truth clearly. A woman zealous in preaching the good news from house to house has excellent success in interesting people in God’s Word, resulting in many home Bible studies. By her right works, in but a short period of time several persons come to the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s witnesses, study with the congregation, start preaching the good news themselves, dedicate their lives to Jehovah’s service and are baptized. This woman’s right works are publicly manifest immediately to all in the congregation.
On the other hand, there is another woman in the same congregation just as zealous in going out in the witnessing work, but for some reason the people she meets and has studies with do not come to the Kingdom Hall so quickly. She studied with them for well over a year, but no results yet.
It so happens that the husband of this second woman is not interested in the Bible and its message and for two years he has been very much opposed to her taking up the ministry work. When they were married ten years ago they were very worldly people, going out to parties, night clubs and getting drunk. It was a wild life but a rather unhappy one, with many family brawls during their sobering-up period and at other times. Their children kept them home some a little later on, but real happiness was missing. There was no peace at home. However, a little over two years ago this woman began studying the Bible with one of Jehovah’s witnesses. It did not take her very long to appreciate what Paul wrote to the Thessalonians: “We also thank God incessantly, because when you received God’s word . . . you accepted it, not as the word of men, but, just as it truthfully is, as the word of God.” (1 Thess. 2:13) She wanted salvation, for now she learned she could enjoy a better life. She dedicated herself to Jehovah’s service. She was baptized in water and proved herself to be an ordained minister, making her mind over and living a good Christian life along with her preaching work. She let her light shine. She attended all the meetings at the Kingdom Hall and brought her children with her in addition to studying with them at home. But her husband never came to the Kingdom Hall with her. Her fellow witnesses in the congregation did not know much about her husband or home life, because the husband would not allow any of Jehovah’s witnesses to come into his home.
This woman, now an ordained minister, had to show right works at home as well as on the outside, always following the commandments of God. She looked to Peter for advice, who wrote under inspiration of holy spirit: “In like manner, you wives, be in subjection to your own husbands, in order that, if any are not obedient to the word, they may be won without a word through the conduct of their wives, because of having been eyewitnesses of your chaste conduct together with deep respect. And do not let your adornment be that of the external braiding of the hair and of the putting on of gold ornaments or the wearing of outer garments, but let it be the secret person of the heart in the incorruptible apparel of the quiet and mild spirit, which is of great value in the eyes of God. For so, too, formerly the holy women who were hoping in God used to adorn themselves, subjecting themselves to their own husbands, as Sarah used to obey Abraham, calling him ‘lord.’ And you have become her children, provided you keep on doing good and not fearing any cause for terror.”—1 Pet. 3:1-6.
This dedicated woman, a good housewife, a loving mother, was not allowed to speak the truth to her husband. This he forbade. However, the great change he saw in her through her right works spoke louder than words. No longer would she become drunk. Her disposition changed. Her home was clean and always in order; her meals were better and served on time. The children were well behaved and taught to love and respect their father. Conditions at home were much better than they used to be. But why?
Well, after two years of living as a Christian and at the same time putting up with some rough treatment, one day on her coming home from the field service her husband said to her: “There has been a great change in you. What made it?” Of course, the only answer was: “I am trying to live according to the Word of God, seeking peace and pursuing it.” He answered: “If the Word of God made you do so many right works, maybe if I let the Word of God work on me, I, too, can become a believer.” He did!
So in the life of this woman we see her right works “manifest later.” Yes, God’s Word is true: “In the same way also the right works are publicly manifest and those that are otherwise cannot be kept hid.”—1 Tim. 5:24, 25.
While some people’s right works produce good results quickly, still other persons’ right works become manifest eventually, even after many years. Never become discouraged because there seem to be no results from your right works. Keep on being a Christian. Salvation will come to some because of your letting your light shine even though it be observed in small things, eating, drinking, conversation, working or doing anything else. Be sure that, whatever you do, it is for God’s glory. One should not be seeking one’s own advantage, but that of the many in order that they might get saved! Remember, this Christian woman was not seeking her own advantage, but that of her husband, so that he, too, might get saved and share the joys of living in God’s new world. Be a Christian all day long, prove yourself to be a fulltime ordained minister before God.
An ordained minister in his going from house to house or doing right works for his employer or at home toward his wife and children, and conducting himself properly in the congregation is not trying to show off. The Word of God must be guiding him, and, because of his following the Word, life becomes pleasant and peaceful. “For Jehovah’s eyes are upon the righteous and his ears are toward their supplication.” (1 Pet. 3:12) We are admonished to “take good care not to practice your righteousness in front of men in order to be observed by them; otherwise you will have no reward with your Father who is in the heavens.” (Matt. 6:1) “Do all things for God’s glory.” Do not be a hypocrite!
Do not do the things you are doing to be seen of men, but, whatever you do, do it as to Jehovah God and let him give you the reward. Do not appear to be a minister of God in the same way as the clergymen do in the world today by putting-on an appearance of holiness before their congregations. Do not be classed or described by Jesus as the scribes and Pharisees were in his days. Jesus said of them: “All the works they do they do to be viewed by men . . . They like the most prominent place at evening meals and the front seats in the synagogues, and the greetings in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by men. . . . Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you shut up the kingdom of the heavens before mankind; for you yourselves do not go in, neither do you permit those on their way in to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you traverse sea and dry land to make one proselyte, and when he becomes one you make him a subject for Gehenna twice as much so as yourselves.” (Matt. 23:5-15) A real ordained minister directs the attention of people to God, not to himself. By paying constant attention to God’s Word and preaching it one will not only save himself but those who listen to him.—1 Tim. 4:16.
CONTROLLED BY GOD’S WORD
A Christian’s whole life must be controlled by the Word of God. He must believe what it says and delight to do Jehovah’s commandments. He must appreciate God’s righteousness and want to live according to what is written in the Bible. It was Jesus who said: “Keep on, then, seeking first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you.” (Matt. 6:33) Some individuals when reading this text only read “keep on, then, seeking first the kingdom,” for that is the extent of their interest. They are anxious for Armageddon, the battle of the great day of God the Almighty, the time when Jehovah will destroy all wickedness from the earth and establish his righteous new world. Why so anxious? Because they want to live in paradise, have perfect life, peace and happiness, food and shelter and all the good things that the new world offers.
However, those persons seeking only the Kingdom and not Jehovah’s righteousness now should read the whole text. Jesus said: “Keep on, then, seeking first the kingdom and his righteousness.” His righteousness, too, is something to keep on seeking. It is now that we must know Jehovah’s principles of truth and righteousness and how to live. If a Christian is seeking Jehovah’s righteousness, then he will want to know what a Christian should do. For example, the Bible says that a single man or woman should not live in fornication. “If they do not have self-control, let them marry, for it is better to marry than to be inflamed with passion.” (1 Cor. 7:9) When married, neither mate can live in adultery, because that is not seeking his righteousness. “You heard that it was said, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ ” —Matt. 5:27.
In the Word of God there is excellent admonition on how single persons should live and on the conduct of married couples, on the raising of children, on the work to be done by the congregation of God, and on how overseers should deport themselves. There is counsel given on loving our neighbors and being hospitable to strangers. Advice is given on one’s moral way of life as to his language, his eating, his drinking, his working, his honesty, his general disposition. He surely cannot be a murderer, a thief, a drunkard, an idolater, a liar, a greedy person, an extortioner, a reviler. A Christian’s whole life is governed by Scriptural principles set out clearly in God’s Word. So, then, let us keep on seeking God’s righteousness as well as the Kingdom, but not just the Kingdom. If you do right, the promise is that all other things will be added to you.
By doing what is right a Christian puts on a new personality and conforms his life to God’s will in true righteousness and loving-kindness. The apostle Paul in writing to the Ephesians said so: “You should put away the old personality which conforms to your former course of conduct and which is being corrupted according to his deceptive desires; but that you should be made new in the force actuating your mind, and should put on the new personality which was created according to God’s will in true righteousness and loving-kindness.” (Eph. 4:22-24) A Christian knows that Satan, the god of this world, “has blinded the minds of the unbelievers” and keeps them in darkness. The Devil wants all human creatures to conduct themselves according to their own deceptive desires. “Because everything in the world—the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the showy display of one’s means of life—does not originate with the Father, but originates with the world.” (1 John 2:16) So the Devil would like to keep everyone ‘conformed to his former course of conduct which is being corrupted.’
But when one learns the truth he can change his personality, putting away the old one with its ugly language that he once used. He will also put away his lazy or dishonest working habits, and so many other bad habits that would interfere with letting his light shine. He knows that “Jehovah’s face is against those doing injurious things.” So the Christian makes a big change in order to “seek peace and pursue it,” for he knows that “Jehovah’s eyes are upon the righteous.”—1 Pet. 3:11, 12.
The Word of God has a powerful effect upon an individual who is sincere. Hundreds of thousands of persons have allowed God’s Word to guide them until they have seen the importance of becoming an ordained minister before God, even though most of the worldly governments do not recognize them as such. Still they keep letting their light shine. No longer do they conform themselves to the old course of conduct, but they take on an entirely new outlook as regards life, knowing that the Word of God is at work in still other believers and that these other believers are letting God’s Word have an effect upon their lives. Paul knew that “you should be made new in the force actuating your mind.” And what is that force that actuates the mind? It is God’s spirit, his active force, which is revealed to us through his Word. Study the Word of God so as to put on the new personality, one befitting a full-time ordained minister and pleasing to God. Surely the personality that God gave Adam in the original creation in the garden of Eden was according to God’s will; and it was in true righteousness and loving-kindness that he made this man. He was a perfect creature. He was put on a perfect earth. His personality must have had the quality of one seeking peace, for there in the garden of Eden he was at peace with all the animals, a condition that the prophet Isaiah describes will exist in the paradise earth under the kingdom of heaven after the battle of Armageddon.
It is certainly God’s will today for one to seek peace with God and show meekness and righteousness, for it may be that he will be hid in the day of Jehovah’s anger. (Zeph. 2:3) Jehovah’s witnesses in all parts of the world want to prove themselves worthy ministers of God by steadfastly preaching the good news of God’s kingdom. They want to show appreciation for the ordination they have received from Jehovah and prove by right works that they can live Christian lives. Their vocation is their call to the divine service of their God. By putting on this new personality, which was created according to God’s will in true righteousness and loving-kindness, they can serve better and accomplish more. Jehovah’s witnesses, God’s ordained ministers, will devote their full time to Christian living and will conduct themselves in this old world as Jesus did. They remember what he said: “If you were part of the world, the world would be fond of what is its own. Now because you are no part of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, on this account the world hates you.” (John 15:19) But even though the world hates them, Jehovah’s witnesses are going to show love toward all persons in the world and are going to stay at peace with them. They “will seek peace and pursue it. For Jehovah’s eyes are upon the righteous.”
As ordained ministers before Jehovah God, Jehovah’s witnesses will carry out His will. “In fact, to this course you were called, because even Christ suffered for you, leaving you a model for you to follow his steps closely. He committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth. When he was being reviled, he did not go to reviling in return. When he was suffering, he did not go to threatening, but kept on committing himself to the one who judges righteously.” (1 Pet. 2:21-23) To him also his ordained ministers commit themselves in ever doing right.
THE PEACE AND UNITY OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES
To do the right thing always brings satisfaction and an inward peace. The doers of Jehovah’s will know that “abundant peace belongs to those loving your law, and for them there is no stumbling block.” (Ps. 119:165) This is certainly true concerning Jehovah’s witnesses, who live together in peace and unity world-wide. As ordained ministers they recognize that loving Jehovah’s law and abiding by it are essential to peace and happiness in life. Seeking peace and pursuing it is the wise course, and one can be confident that Jehovah’s eyes will be upon him.
While many men do not recognize or believe that real satisfaction in living can come from doing Jehovah’s will, yet others rejoice to learn what the will of God is and then do it. The Bible informs us that the angels listen to the voice of his word. Should not we humans? “Jehovah himself has firmly established his throne in the very heavens, and his own kingship has held domination even over everything. Bless Jehovah, O you angels of his, mighty in power, carrying out his word, by listening to the voice of his word. Bless Jehovah, all you armies of his, you ministers of his, doing his will.” —Ps. 103:19-21.
Surely the angels of heaven in Jehovah’s organization are not obstinate. Rather they appreciate Jehovah’s sovereignty over everything and that his will is done. Furthermore, “you ministers of his,” Jehovah’s ordained ministers on earth, must recognize that Jehovah is the Sovereign Ruler and that you, too, must be “doing his will.” His will is for you to preach this good news of the Kingdom in all the world for the purpose of a witness.
Without question, Jehovah God has a visible and invisible organization. As to Jehovah’s visible organization the apostle Paul says that it will work together as one man. No one individual can claim really to be a Christian and still say that he is not needed in God’s organization and separate himself from it. Isolationism does not fit in with the doing of Jehovah’s will. Paul had this fact very clearly in mind when he wrote to the Corinthians, saying: “If the foot should say: ‘Because I am not a hand, I am no part of the body,’ it is not for this reason no part of the body. And if the ear should say: ‘Because I am not an eye, I am no part of the body,’ it is not for this reason no part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If it were all hearing, where would the smelling be? But now God has set the members in the body, each one of them, just as he pleased." (1 Cor. 12:15-18) So all
Christians must be in this body or the one organization that God is using. There is no isolationism in your own body, is there?
One who professes to be a Christian must always be part of Jehovah’s visible organization. He must always be a “working part” of the body, not dead tissue and waste or useless matter, which are cast off through the proper channels. To be a part of this Christian body one must always be a full-time minister, “listening to the voice of his Word” and “doing his will.” No Christian can ever say to another Christian, “I have no need of you.” Only peace and unity, oneness in organization, must exist for Christians to be really doing the will of God. Paul went on to describe this oneness of Christians: “The eye cannot say to the hand: ‘I have no need of you’; or, again, the head cannot say to the feet: ‘I have no need of you.’” (1 Cor. 12:21) Jehovah’s witnesses recognize this principle and that is why there are no divisions in the New World society of Jehovah’s witnesses. All of them together are his ordained ministers and individually they must live as Christians. All of them have an obligation to preach the good news and around the world they do just that.
THE RESULTS OF DILIGENT SERVICE
In their preaching assignment Jehovah’s witnesses’ sole desire is to help others understand the Word of God. They are diligent in their teaching work and that of helping others to seek peace and pursue it. In the year 1959 there were 803,482 of Jehovah’s witnesses, on the average, who preached the good news of God’s kingdom every month. Comparing this with ten years ago, there were 279,421 preaching regularly every month throughout the year 1949. This means a growth in the organization in but ten years’ time of 524,061 of Jehovah’s witnesses. It was peace and unity in the organization that made this possible. “For Jehovah’s eyes are upon the righteous.”—1 Pet. 3:12.
Let us see just how much growth took place during the year 1959. In the year 1958 there were, on an average, 717,088 of Jehovah’s witnesses preaching every month, and 803,482 in 1959. That means that during the year 86,394 persons from all nations, kindreds, tongues, tribes and languages have joined themselves with Jehovah’s witnesses so that they, too, may declare this peaceful message to the world. A 12-percent increase in the number of those who “seek peace and pursue it” was made. —1 Pet. 3: 11.
But note this too: before the service year of Jehovah’s witnesses ended there were 871,737 persons who associated themselves with Jehovah’s witnesses and did ministerial work. That means that from the average number of ministers in 1958, which was 717,088, to the peak in 1959 there was an increase of 21.5 percent.
These are not just people who have associated themselves with Jehovah’s witnesses—that number is far greater—but these are Christian persons preaching the good news. How can it be proved that they have been doing good work? Consider their hours in field service! The 1959 service year report shows that these men and women from all walks of life have preached 126,317,124 hours. This is an increase of 15,926,180 hours more than during the previous year. You may remember how John, in the writing of the Revelation account, in the seventh chapter, said: “I saw, and look! a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb,. . . and they are rendering him sacred service day and night in his temple.” (Rev. 7:9, 15) We can say that this great crowd is literally doing this now. If you reduce this 126,317,124 hours to represent days and people, it means that there would be 14,414 individuals preaching twenty-four hours a day, day and night, for 365 days of the year. Where is there another organization today that has that many ministers preaching twenty-four hours each day from house to house, actually talking to other persons about the wonderful promises of God?
Many individuals ask why Jehovah’s witnesses are having such a marvelous increase in numbers. Why this fast upsurge in persons wanting to do good? It is because Jehovah’s witnesses are preaching the truth from the Bible, and the truth frees them from false religious error. It is as simple as that. God’s ordained ministers have a real faith in the Bible and they want others to have that same faith. They do not hide their faith. They let their light shine, and when other persons see the truth they let that truth in them shine too.
On March 23,1959, Jehovah’s witnesses celebrated the death of Christ Jesus, and there were 1,283,603 persons at their meetings around the world. There were only 14,511 of those in attendance who claimed to be of the body of Christ and who properly partook of the emblems, the wine and bread. The rest so declared themselves to be, or wanting to be, of this "great crowd” who are before the throne of God rendering sacred service day and night along with God’s anointed remnant. Very likely, on the tenth day of April, which falls on Sunday in 1960, there will be many more joining this great throng in the celebration of the death of Christ Jesus. This day is truly worth celebrating because “salvation we owe to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb.” (Rev. 7:10) Salvation comes no other way, and Jehovah’s witnesses are happy to declare that they believe in the ransom sacrifice of Christ Jesus, not only by going to this celebration of the Memorial just once a year, but, in addition, by working one with the other, doing the will of their God all year long.
In 1959 many more persons in the world wanted to show their faith in Jesus Christ and be Christians and they proved it by their works. There were 86,345 men and women who were baptized by being completely immersed under the water, indicating that they had dedicated their lives to the service of Jehovah and that henceforth they were going to live full Christian lives to Jehovah’s praise. They are now demonstrating their faith by good works.
These individuals who were baptized during the year were first helped to understand the Bible by having Bible studies in their own homes. Jehovah’s witnesses visit the homes of interested persons weekly and carry on a one-hour-long free Bible study in one of the publications of the Society along with the Bible itself. During the 1959 service year Jehovah’s witnesses in all the 175 lands in which they are carrying on their work conducted 606,075 Bible studies every week.
What a marvelous increase in the number of Bible studies has been achieved! Comparing 1958 with 1959, we see there W’as an increase of 97,755 Bible studies. Ten years ago Jehovah’s witnesses were conducting 174,404 Bible studies every week. Now they are going into 606,075 homes weekly presenting God’s message for mankind. How far-reaching this good work is Jehovah knows, for his “eyes are upon the righteous.”
Jehovah’s witnesses appreciate that if they can sit down in peace and quiet in the homes of the people and use the Bible of the person with whom they are studying, they can show him what the true purposes of God are and what his will is. Any individual that will study the Bible one hour a week with a teacher is going to be amazed at what he will learn in that very short period of time. The more time one spends in the study of God’s Word, the more anxious he will be to see fulfilled that prayer that most persons throughout Christendom have prayed some time or other: ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.’ True Christians want to do that will now and forever.
Jehovah’s witnesses, in trying to help as many people as they possibly can, augment their preaching work by
offering Bible-study helps to interested persons. They distribute Bibles, bound books, booklets, obtain subscriptions for the Watchtower and Awake! magazines and distribute individual copies of these magazines. Millions of tracts that arouse interest in Bible study are distributed yearly by them. They sponsor public talks at their Kingdom Halls, and all these different avenues of preaching the good news have a tremendous effect on those who will listen and learn. To give you an idea of what Jehovah’s witnesses do in a year the comparison of work done in 1958 and 1959 is set out in the following table.
1959
1958 DIFFERENCE
Books Placed
Booklets Placed Subscriptions Magazines Placed Back-Calls Made Bible Studies Cond ucted Public Meetings Held
3,952,160
11,472,134
1,247,972
92,310,778
44,240,218
606,075
631,906
3,394,524
12,643,921
1,255,047 86,498,251
36,398,025
508,320
531,653
557,636 More
1,171,787 Less
7,075 Less
5,812,527 More
7,842,193 More
97,755 More
100,253 More
The work of Jehovah’s witnesses was not confined to just one country or one language. The literature of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society is published in 128 different tongues. Its principal journal, the Watchtower magazine, is printed in fifty-five languages semimonthly and monthly. Awake!, its companion, is printed in twenty-one different languages. The truth is available for practically everyone in the world in some form or other if he wants it.
BEARING THE LOAD
Under the supervision of the Watch Tower Society Jehovah’s witnesses try to reach into every nook and corner of the earth so as to carry on missionary work. Many individuals put in their full time preaching from house to house and conducting Bible studies. There were 28,688 individuals, called pioneers, who devoted all their time to the preaching of the good news. Out of this group there were 5,442 that the Society calls special pioneers who were sent into isolated territory to start new congregations, and these were helped financially by Jehovah’s witnesses through the Society. Many of the special pioneer groups are missionaries who were trained at Gilead School and sent into foreign service.
For the Society to carry on its foreign service, help to support special pioneers and serve the congregations with circuit and district servants world-wide, it cost the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society $2,282,026.14.
1959 SERVICE TEAR REPORT OF
|
Country U.S. of America Alaska Bermuda Eritrea Guam |
1958 Av. Pubs. 202,141 177 29 27 18 |
1959 Av. Pubs. 221,240 237 34 56 18 |
«%Inc. Peak |
Av. Pio. Pubs. 8,978 19 1 12 3 |
No. Public Meet’gs 206,664 188 25 114 | |
|
over 1958 9 34 17 107 |
Pubs. 1959 239,418 271 39 80 22 | |||||
|
Iceland |
17 |
24 |
41 |
31 |
8 |
8 |
|
Argentina |
5,140 |
5,983 |
16 |
6,384 |
308 |
4,049 |
|
Australia |
10,613 |
11,834 |
12 |
12,915 |
480 |
9,909 |
|
New Britain |
18 |
24 |
33 |
46 |
3 |
31 |
|
New Guinea |
11 |
50 |
3x5 |
62 |
2 |
50 |
|
Papua. |
167 |
218 |
31 |
262 |
12 |
114 |
|
Solomon Islands |
7 |
26 |
271 |
86 |
3 |
146 |
|
Austria |
4,840 |
5,361 |
11 |
5,852 |
164 |
3,764 |
|
Bahamas |
148 |
152 |
3 |
168 |
19 |
130 |
|
Turks Islands |
5 |
New |
7 |
2 |
7 | |
|
Belgium |
4,933 |
5,565 |
13 |
6,042 |
174 |
3,634 |
|
Bolivia |
289 |
354 |
22 |
387 |
46 |
323 |
|
Brazil |
12,992 |
15,971 |
23 |
17,517 |
723 |
15,967 |
|
British Guiana |
549 |
603 |
10 |
685 |
63 |
487 |
|
British Honduras |
169 |
200 |
18 |
222 |
29 |
152 |
|
British Isles |
37,416 |
40,884 |
9 |
44,057 |
1,479 |
42,370 |
|
Malta |
5 |
5 |
10 |
1 | ||
|
Burma |
122 |
144 |
18 |
176 |
27 |
148 |
|
Canada |
30,933 |
32 861 |
6 |
36,202 |
1,322 |
21,466 |
|
Ceylon |
141 |
166 |
18 |
183 |
37 |
100 |
|
Chile |
1,433 |
1,724 |
20 |
1,879 |
159 |
1,958 |
|
China |
31 |
3 |
32 |
1 | ||
|
Colombia |
992 |
1,217 |
23 |
1,431 |
142 |
899 |
|
Costa Rica |
2,034 |
2,118 |
4 |
2,304 |
71 |
919 |
|
Cuba |
11,100 |
11,166 |
1 |
12,140 |
501 |
11,798 |
|
Cyprus |
405 |
435 |
7 |
473 |
14 |
151 |
|
Israel |
38 |
47 |
24 |
56 |
7 |
16 |
|
Denmark |
8,638 |
9.053 |
5 |
9,478 |
235 |
9,833 |
|
Faroe Islands |
12 |
■ 15 |
25 |
20 |
6 |
28 |
|
Greenland |
3 |
5 |
67 |
6 |
4 |
1 |
|
Dominican Republic 274 |
370 |
35 |
534 |
1 | ||
|
Ecuador |
354 |
488 |
38 |
542 |
67 |
602 |
|
Eire |
208 |
216 |
4 |
228 |
69 |
386 |
|
El Salvador |
429 |
498 |
16 |
579 |
62 |
667 |
|
Equ. African Reps. |
1,300 |
1,660 |
28 |
1,965 |
33 |
1,303 |
|
Ethiopia |
117 |
104 |
109 |
10 |
510 | |
|
Eiji |
97 |
153 |
50 |
176 |
11 |
201 |
|
American Samoa |
29 |
32 |
10 |
33 |
8 |
27 |
|
New Caledonia |
34 |
27 |
31 |
2 |
20 | |
|
New Hebrides |
3 |
2 |
5 |
1 | ||
|
Tahiti |
14 |
New |
16 |
1 |
2 | |
|
Western Samoa |
33 |
50 |
35 |
54 |
2 |
11 |
|
Finland |
6,859 |
7,475 |
9 |
8,063 |
307 |
9,577 |
|
Erance |
11,094 |
12,983 |
17 |
13,935 |
303 |
8,694 |
|
Algeria |
86 |
113 |
31 |
140 |
6 |
29 |
|
Cameroun |
3.239 |
3,-858 |
19 |
4,300 |
125 |
5,690 |
|
French Guinea |
2 |
2 |
2 | |||
|
Madagascar |
20 |
33 |
65 |
41 |
4 |
17 |
JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES WORLD-WIDE
|
No. of |
Total |
Total |
New : |
Individual |
Av. Bible | |
|
Cong's |
Literature |
Hours |
Subs. |
Magazines Back-Calls Studies | ||
|
4,020 |
6,870,080 |
36,890,221 |
743,176 |
40,936,027 |
13,167,115 |
192,765 |
|
10,286 |
48.387 |
1,123 |
45,789 |
16,088 |
255 | |
|
1 |
1,449 |
5,166 |
231 |
10,421 |
2,796 |
46 |
|
9 |
6,196 |
25,908 |
233 |
8,321 |
10,861 |
169 |
|
1 |
1,739 |
5,660 |
301 |
4,414 |
1,692 |
28 |
|
1 |
5,508 |
14.821 |
138 |
15,635 |
5,235 |
48 |
|
187 |
136,825 |
1,132,914 |
17.741 |
1,019,712 |
563,779 |
5.513 |
|
341 |
251,286 |
1,919,321 |
24,159 |
1,873,163 |
654,902 |
8.501 |
|
1 |
313 |
7,831 |
4 |
217 |
3,923 |
55 |
|
3 |
267 |
7,056 |
19 |
122 |
2,048 |
46 |
|
7 |
3,914 |
41,717 |
135 |
7,675 |
10,640 |
195 |
|
2 |
197 |
9,648 |
3,295 |
33 | ||
|
182 |
111,407 |
774,206 |
5,018 |
827,377 |
366,312 |
3.923 |
|
3 |
8,187 |
37,620 |
534 |
42,034 |
16,301 |
273 |
|
217 |
3,595 |
6 |
1,165 |
1,076 |
12 | |
|
110 |
119,786 |
814,970 |
6,715 |
879,966 |
316,331 |
3,238 |
|
14 |
13,803 |
97,531 |
1,202 |
102,502 |
31,566 |
468 |
|
569 |
367,705 |
2,745,180 |
29,461 |
2,430,854 |
957,755 |
12,570 |
|
17 |
17,405 |
141,316 |
1,582 |
130,980 |
55,845 |
805 |
|
8 |
4,723 |
57,021 |
113 |
43,968 |
21,065 |
245 |
|
893 |
1,127,810 |
6,074,193 |
44,021 |
7,136,280 |
2.989,737 |
31.123 |
|
145 |
575 |
10 |
220 |
262 | ||
|
4 |
37,579 |
57,239 |
959 |
53,643 |
19,483 |
220 |
|
783 |
549,913 |
4,617,874 |
58,133 |
4,355,538 |
1,518,769 |
20,325 |
|
6 |
8,357 |
68,403 |
790 |
40,287 |
22,814 |
245 |
|
56 |
56,077 |
433,052 |
3,696 |
378,217 |
176,678 |
2,514 |
|
1 |
30 |
147 |
91 |
2 | ||
|
31 |
39,150 |
359.851 |
1,646 |
212,631 |
137,086 |
1,676 |
|
59 |
16,653 |
308,153 |
801 |
116,883 |
101,327 |
1,552 |
|
350 |
113,813 |
1,848,322 |
8,727 |
1,147,190 |
664,345 |
10,920 |
|
11 |
6,481 |
56,302 |
421 |
21,638 |
19,410 |
230 |
|
2 |
7,802 |
13,670 |
218 |
6,881 |
4,892 |
51 |
|
199 |
65,402 |
1,109,036 |
3,488 |
1.009,071 |
469,177 |
4,361 |
|
1 |
1,114 |
10,354 |
89 |
12,886 |
3.829 |
23 |
|
550 |
4,910 |
11 |
1,903 |
1,671 |
12 | |
|
13 |
1,167 |
30,529 |
4 |
19,859 |
261 | |
|
20 |
21,295 |
160,340 |
1,345 |
120,574 |
58,503 |
683 |
|
5 |
5,553 |
121,709 |
205 |
53,985 |
33,370 |
209 |
|
14 |
15,549 |
151,133 |
1,087 |
98,185 |
53,989 |
664 |
|
24 |
7,501 |
311,745 |
1 |
133,210 |
1,107 | |
|
10 |
1,789 |
32,925 |
32 |
340 |
9,301 |
118 |
|
Q |
8,260 |
31,676 |
546 |
24,502 |
11,839 |
198 |
|
2 |
1,845 |
14,415 |
108 |
9,040 |
4,785 |
57 |
|
1 |
1,197 |
3,506 |
271 |
6,738 |
1,147 |
18 |
|
58 |
155 |
454 |
47 |
1 | ||
|
1 |
653 |
3.632 |
69 |
271 |
889 |
16 |
|
1 |
1,488 |
9,966 |
15 |
6.590 |
2,395 |
30 |
|
340 |
132,448 |
1,151,334 |
16,551 |
1,312,554 |
453,641 795,010 |
5,205 |
|
254 |
726,058 |
1,741,649 |
24,318 |
1,873,200 |
7,590 | |
|
2 |
21,434 |
21,851 |
818 |
32,685 |
13,160 |
84 |
|
44 |
36,414 |
1,051,274 |
1 |
2,004 |
398.726 |
3,437 |
|
216 |
299 |
2 |
32 |
141 |
5 | |
|
1 |
6,753 |
10,683 |
879 |
6,783 |
4.320 |
52 |
|
1958 |
1959 |
%Inc. |
Peak |
Av. |
No. | |
|
Av. |
Av. |
over |
Pubs. |
Pio. |
Public | |
|
Country |
Pubs. |
Pubs. |
1958 |
1959 |
Pubs. |
Meet’gs |
|
Senegal |
23 |
23 |
25 |
2 |
11 | |
|
Tunisia |
31 |
41 |
32 |
44 |
5 |
23 |
|
Germany, West |
57,280 |
62,393 |
9 |
65.631 |
1,285 |
46,767 |
|
Ghana |
6,595 |
7,103 |
8 |
7,653 |
298 |
5,882 |
|
Gambia |
2 |
6 |
200 |
9 |
3 |
23 |
|
Ivory Coast |
60 |
46 |
75 |
4 |
16 | |
|
Togoland |
124 |
196 |
58 |
270 |
7 |
141 |
|
Greece |
5,857 |
6,499 |
11 |
7,217 |
69 |
1,682 |
|
Guadeloupe |
187 |
209 |
12 |
239 |
10 |
144 |
|
Martinique |
23 |
32 |
39 |
37 |
5 |
35 |
|
Guatemala |
653 |
768 |
18 |
823 |
76 |
1,272 |
|
Haiti |
430 |
613 |
43 |
715 |
59 |
443 |
|
Hawaii |
1.033 |
1,196 |
16 |
1,305 |
74 |
763 |
|
Honduras |
440 |
498 |
13 |
533 |
59 |
541 |
|
Hong Kong |
137 |
172 |
26 |
212 |
35 |
161 |
|
India |
1,222 |
1,392 |
14 |
1,514 |
145 |
752 |
|
Indonesia (Java) |
262 |
316 |
21 |
346 |
47 |
351 |
|
Sulawesi |
26 |
31 |
19 |
40 |
6 |
21 |
|
Sumatra |
23 |
28 |
22 |
35 |
6 |
23 |
|
Italy |
4,248 |
4,832 |
14 |
5,225 |
177 |
1,821 |
|
Libya |
64 |
79 |
23 |
90 |
q | |
|
Somalia |
1 |
4 |
300 |
4 |
4 |
2 |
|
Jamaica |
3,814 |
4,190 |
10 |
4,490 |
141 |
3,801 |
|
Cayman Islands |
5 |
11 |
120 |
16 |
3 |
17 |
|
Japan |
978 |
1,272 |
30 |
1,390 |
186 |
1,304 |
|
Okinawa |
37 |
62 |
68 |
84 |
11 |
54 |
|
Korea |
2.532 |
3,142 |
24 |
3,456 |
332 |
2,638 |
|
Lebanon |
453 |
480 |
6 |
575 |
32 |
414 |
|
Iran |
8 |
12 |
50 |
18 |
5 |
7 |
|
Iraq |
13 |
1 |
1 | |||
|
Jordan |
28 |
40 |
43 |
70 |
7 |
29 |
|
Kuwait |
1 |
10 |
900 |
16 |
2 | |
|
Qatar Leeward Islands |
1 |
1 |
1 | |||
|
(Antigua) |
61 |
74 |
21 |
98 |
7 |
116 |
|
Anguilla |
5 |
5 |
7 |
1 |
10 | |
|
Dominica |
98 |
102 |
4 |
111 |
7 |
110 |
|
Montserrat |
10 |
11 |
10 |
16 |
4 |
24 |
|
Nevis |
27 |
30 |
11 |
31 |
2 |
34 |
|
St. Kitts |
65 |
61 |
76 |
4 |
36 | |
|
St. Martin |
20 |
23 |
15 |
27 |
2 |
55 |
|
Liberia |
292 |
350 |
20 |
415 |
45 |
481 |
|
Luxembourg |
240 |
274 |
14 |
298 |
15 |
141 |
|
Mauritius |
24 |
28 |
17 |
36 |
8 |
13 |
|
Mexico |
15,623 |
18,625 |
19 |
20,215 |
531 |
13,175 |
|
Morocco |
91 |
163 |
79 |
197 |
26 |
65 |
|
Netherlands Neth. Antilles |
10,158 |
11,018 |
8 |
11,825 |
307 |
4,426 |
|
(Curasao) |
130 |
143 |
10 |
164 |
12 |
54 |
|
Aruba |
115 |
125 |
9 |
129 |
5 |
96 |
|
Bonaire |
11 |
13 |
18 |
14 |
28 | |
|
Newfoundland |
388 |
409 |
5 |
450 |
27 |
487 |
|
New Zealand |
2,987 |
3,284 |
10 |
3,585 |
102 |
1,850 |
|
Nicaragua |
280 |
318 |
14 |
338 |
34 |
225 |
No. of Total Total New Individual Av. Bible
Cong’s Literature Hours Subs. Magazines Back-Calls Studies
|
1 |
3,618 |
5,698 |
39 |
874 |
2,535 |
26 |
|
1 |
2,654 |
13,000 |
137 |
12,776 |
4,906 |
43 |
|
848 |
774,183 |
8,431,939 |
44.233 |
8,752,922 |
3,552,672 |
34,184 |
|
154 |
128,529 |
1,774,548 |
2,687 |
263,727 |
516,308 |
7,595 |
|
690 |
3,669 |
25 |
726 |
2,054 |
31 |
|
2 |
1,009 |
15,040 |
41 |
7,215 |
5,111 |
63 |
|
6 |
5,690 |
59,230 |
84 |
5,109 |
14,920 |
270 |
|
300 |
51,926 |
594.085 |
3,074 |
364,138 |
337,752 |
2,702 |
|
7 |
7,989 |
40,332 |
389 |
33,825 |
13,488 |
174 |
|
1 |
4,290 |
11,885 |
356 |
14,908 |
4,293 |
57 |
|
26 |
26,957 |
194,899 |
2 096 |
155,633 |
67,323 |
985 |
|
18 |
13,259 |
155,295 |
832 |
71,773 |
55,286 |
902 |
|
22 |
48,506 |
263,109 |
7,069 |
331,682 |
92,213 |
1,470 |
|
16 |
11,807 |
148.881 |
1,311 |
99,577 |
56,488 |
700 |
|
4 |
5,392 |
67,182 |
1,067 |
50,571 |
27,100 |
360 |
|
51 |
57,815 |
376.644 |
4,058 |
145,984 |
124,657 |
1,346 |
|
11 |
25,680 |
106,369 |
3,315 |
144,127 |
36,894 |
516 |
|
1 |
2,257 |
10.146 |
574 |
21,259 |
3,577 |
55 |
|
2 |
1,362 |
10,984 |
265 |
29,293 |
3,233 |
33 |
|
236 |
108,784 |
655,801 |
5,771 |
579,868 |
322,627 |
3,270 |
|
1 |
558 |
10.469 |
2 |
306 |
4,964 |
59 |
|
606 |
2,675 |
184 |
745 |
1,056 |
11 | |
|
155 |
34,304 |
628,442 |
1,750 |
379,524 |
240,259 |
4.076 |
|
1 |
416 |
5,527 |
31 |
1,838 |
2,120 |
20 |
|
47 |
4.8,427 |
393,242 |
7,432 |
403,349 |
152,602 |
1,790 |
|
3 |
6,607 |
21,280 |
798 |
38,270 |
7,236 |
90 |
|
76 |
81,459 |
817,716 |
5,427 |
345,609 |
301,371 |
3,808 |
|
11 |
15,917 |
85,981 |
6 |
3.981 |
28.164 |
344 |
|
1 |
614 |
5,317 |
60 |
453 |
1,385 |
16 |
|
33 |
1 |
2 |
17 |
2 | ||
|
3 |
82 |
12,815 |
53 |
4,569 |
38 | |
|
1 |
17 |
545 |
7 |
51 |
104 |
3 |
|
52 |
312 |
9 |
59 |
38 |
1 | |
|
2 |
2,419 |
18,775 |
96 |
13.209 |
7,285 |
108 |
|
1 |
206 |
2,053 |
23 |
1,009 |
691 |
12 |
|
4 |
660 |
21,374 |
36 |
9,236 |
6,608 |
110 |
|
1 |
430 |
6,961 |
21 |
2,351 |
2,453 |
33 |
|
2 |
326 |
6,334 |
11 |
3,288 |
3,184 |
52 |
|
2 |
1,256 |
12,675 |
96 |
9,934 |
5,402 |
81 |
|
2 |
781 |
6,162 |
77 |
4,500 |
2.742 |
37 |
|
13 |
20,131 |
160,951 |
545 |
45,156 |
46,329 |
522 |
|
9 |
6,360 |
43,066 |
298 |
65,031 |
19,024 |
212 |
|
2 |
4,099 |
16,377 |
148 |
13,791 |
5,804 |
86 |
|
714 |
231,785 |
2,563,675 |
16,161 |
1,361,170 |
789,473 |
12,864 |
|
5 |
12,865 |
60,778 |
1,091 |
42,730 |
26,231 |
330 |
|
170 |
73,428 |
1,497,182 |
4,007 |
1,072,551 |
656,457 |
5,584 |
|
3 |
6,906 |
30,530 |
1,653 |
38.724 |
13,624 |
161 |
|
3 |
4,431 |
19,916 |
1,003 |
20,766 |
7,400 |
117 |
|
1 |
440 |
2.292 |
55 |
1,365 |
671 |
9 |
|
31 |
9,623 |
65,936 |
999 |
83,528 |
24,055 |
292 |
|
94 |
66.814 |
489,172 |
6,081 |
497,104 |
176,400 |
2,069 |
|
13 |
7,390 |
85,500 |
1,080 |
72,445 |
33.313 |
457 |
|
1958 |
1959 |
%Inc. |
Peak |
Av. |
No. | |
|
Av. |
Av. |
over |
Pubs, |
Pio. |
Public | |
|
Country |
Pubs. |
Pubs. |
1958 |
1959 |
Pubs. |
Meet’gs |
|
Nigeria |
22,926 |
26,729 |
17 |
28,434 |
1,239 |
17,233 |
|
Dahomey |
906 |
928 |
2 |
1,308 |
39 |
580 |
|
Fernando Po |
8 |
10 |
25 |
22 |
1 | |
|
Northern Rhodesia |
25,669 |
26,944 |
5 |
28,338 |
218 |
11,107 |
|
Belgian Congo |
475 |
838 |
76 |
1,162 |
6 | |
|
Kenya |
28 |
54 |
93 |
72 |
4 |
37 |
|
Tanganyika |
325 |
369 |
14 |
429 |
18 |
385 |
|
Uganda |
4 |
4 |
7 | |||
|
Norway |
2,946 |
3,228 |
10 |
3,401 |
132 |
1,777 |
|
Nyasaland |
13,621 |
14,164 |
4 |
15,141 |
583 |
15,482 |
|
Mozambique |
206 |
301 |
46 |
433 |
20 |
196 |
|
Pakistan |
90 |
92 |
2 |
99 |
16 |
83 |
|
Afghanistan |
2 |
2 |
4 | |||
|
Panama |
1,094 |
1,182 |
8 |
1,342 |
101 |
801 |
|
Paraguay |
220 |
246 |
12 |
280 |
29 |
155 |
|
Peru |
762 |
1,001 |
31 |
1,123 |
145 |
1,433 |
|
Philippines |
23,355 |
26,300 |
13 |
30,077 |
1,790 |
9,314 |
|
Portugal |
356 |
544 |
53 |
643 |
21 | |
|
Azores |
21 |
28 |
33 |
36 |
3 | |
|
Madeira Islands |
13 |
13 |
38 |
1 | ||
|
Puerto Rico |
1,194 |
1,438 |
20 |
1,582 |
113 |
1,005 |
|
St. Croix (V.I.) |
23 |
34 |
48 |
43 |
1 |
25 |
|
St. John (V.I.) |
3 |
2 |
3 |
,•> | ||
|
St. Thomas (V.I.) |
28 |
32 |
14 |
41 |
1 |
12 |
|
Tortola (V.I.) |
12 |
13 |
8 |
16 |
1 |
9 |
|
Sierra Leone |
116 |
182 |
57 |
210 |
31 |
433 |
|
Singapore |
84 |
93 |
11 |
108 |
8 |
19 |
|
Malaya |
25 |
39 |
56 |
49 |
11 |
4.1. |
|
North Borneo |
IS |
15 |
19 | |||
|
Sarawak |
3 |
7 |
133 |
8 |
3 |
22 |
|
South Africa |
14,451 |
15,690 |
9 |
16,776 |
812 |
12,964 |
|
Angola |
30 |
20 |
45 |
46 | ||
|
Basutoland |
101 |
111 |
10 |
152 |
13 |
89 |
|
Bechuan aland |
168 |
166 |
192 |
13 |
215 | |
|
St. Helena |
39 |
42 |
8 |
46 |
2 |
25 |
|
South-West Africa |
64 |
72 |
13 |
88 |
9 |
43 |
|
Swaziland |
220 |
289 |
31 |
367 |
10 |
271 |
|
Southern Rhodesia |
11,810 |
12,391 |
5 |
13,469 |
653 |
15,232 |
|
Spain |
894 |
1,231 |
38 |
1,377 |
79 | |
|
Canary Islands |
9 |
New |
17 |
2 | ||
|
Surinam |
282 |
306 |
9 |
328 |
35 |
289 |
|
Sweden |
7,464 |
7.984 |
7 |
8,453 |
333 |
8,102 |
|
Switzerland |
4,168 |
4,543 |
9 |
4,844 |
113 |
2,028 |
|
Liechtenstein |
1 |
1 |
o |
1 | ||
|
Taiwan (Formosa) |
1,429 |
1,673 |
17 |
2,063 |
71 |
3,366 |
|
Thailand |
267 |
310 |
16 |
362 |
37 |
261 |
|
Cambodia |
7 |
New |
*7 |
13 | ||
|
Laos |
4 |
New |
5 |
3 |
3 | |
|
Vietnam |
6 |
9 |
50 |
13 |
5 |
18 |
|
Trinidad |
1,439 |
1,527 |
6 |
1,572 |
93 |
1,376 |
|
Barbados |
539 |
609 |
13 |
636 |
32 |
1,058 |
|
Bequia |
4. |
7 |
75 |
9 |
2 |
5 |
|
Carriacou |
37 |
36 |
42 |
3 |
19 | |
|
Grenada |
145 |
157 |
8 |
172 |
18 |
179 |
|
No. of Cong's 471 19 418 6 |
Total Literature 188,394 8,796 13 126,614 193 |
Total Hours 6,625,238 267,010 3,734 4,592,705 256,251 |
New : Subs. : 7,414 139 3,843 |
individual Magazines 1 591,516 9,485 54 248,778 119 |
Av. Bible Sack-Calls Studies | |
|
1,646,033 70,502 867 1,096,266 78,291 |
30,921 803 44 20,590 847 | |||||
|
5 |
2,148 |
10,027 |
162 |
5,034 |
3,984 |
65 |
|
15 |
11,057 |
104,201 |
63 |
7,803 |
28,557 |
512 |
|
1 |
360 |
458 |
11 |
645 |
297 |
8 |
|
130 |
65,574 |
473,843 |
3,990 |
579,296 |
202,016 |
1,583 |
|
391 |
86,606 |
3,633,755 |
1,655 |
125,640 |
1,140,064 |
11,411 |
|
7 |
4.134 |
81.107 |
41 |
4,321 |
32,193 |
338 |
|
5 |
3,984 |
35,566 |
742 |
20,542 |
13,117 |
133 |
|
33 |
40 |
12 |
40 |
86 | ||
|
39 |
21,939 |
270,633 |
1,451 |
162,667 |
99,541 |
1.597 |
|
19 |
6,093 |
62,826 |
622 |
49,075 |
20,090 |
296 |
|
29 |
46,133 |
316,035 |
3,086 |
283,360 |
113,876 |
1,498 |
|
725 |
245,163 |
5,149.079 |
20,480 |
1,438,773 |
1,169,574 |
22,866 |
|
14 |
17,765 |
99,434 |
751 |
50,455 |
48,036 |
487 |
|
,5 |
579 |
4,599 |
17 |
673 |
2,169 |
48 |
|
1 |
728 |
1.660 |
18 |
335 |
1,004 |
9 |
|
3S |
85,383 |
324,059 |
10,008 |
396,867 |
121,5.37 |
1,884 |
|
2 |
1,798 |
5,746 |
263 |
6,573 |
2,603 |
36 |
|
1 |
64 |
359 |
12 |
203 |
91 |
4 |
|
1 |
829 |
3,697 |
61 |
5,001 |
1.479 |
19 |
|
1 |
170 |
2,404 |
35 |
1,355 |
857 |
18 |
|
9 |
17,492 |
74.248 |
1,387 |
50,788 |
28,401 |
367 |
|
1 |
3,988 |
19,203 |
764 |
24.216 |
6,746 |
97 |
|
4 |
28,748 |
20,025 |
111 |
1,650 |
7,144 |
120 |
|
1 |
47 |
916 |
3 |
329 |
168 |
3 |
|
1 |
1,499 |
5,121 |
135 |
5,918 |
2,014 |
29 |
|
435 |
301,048 |
3,590,829 |
22,398 |
1,343,975 |
948,922 |
14,445 |
|
1 |
213 |
2,816 |
19 |
121 |
909 |
19 |
|
3 |
2.106 |
33.847 |
73 |
4,741 |
8.805 |
145 |
|
5 |
485 |
49,148 |
79 |
705 |
13,210 |
163 |
|
2 |
182 |
5,157 |
9 |
2,704 |
1,628 |
36 |
|
2 |
2,592 |
18,453 |
392 |
17,015 |
6,302 |
83 |
|
9 |
1,434 |
65,181 |
63 |
5,665 |
18,410 |
24.1 |
|
207,249 |
2.875,813 |
3,631 |
418.740 |
793,616 |
12,298 | |
|
30 |
33,493 |
251.471 |
31 |
57,613 |
119,933 |
1,515 |
|
1 |
419 |
2,809 |
1 |
220 |
843 |
9 |
|
’7 |
7,231 |
77,765 |
529 |
75,945 |
30,692 |
348 |
|
295 |
153.288 |
1.228,172 |
14,803 |
1,548,238 |
531,631 |
4,763 |
|
113 |
109,071 |
608,321 |
6,910 |
864,149 |
287,892 |
3,164 |
|
176 |
520 |
1 |
333 |
358 |
2 | |
|
53 |
13,545 |
202,211 |
742 |
44,434 |
107,323 |
716 |
|
20 |
13,182 |
77,907 |
1,252 |
72,106 |
28,292 |
347 |
|
1 |
299 |
3,702 |
233 |
1,389 |
1,497 |
32 |
|
1 |
791 |
2,769 |
186 |
2,422 |
932 |
15 |
|
1 |
1,744 |
8,428 |
786 |
8,937 |
4,184 |
64 |
|
43 |
26,718 |
318,335 |
2,295 |
232,995 |
129,798 |
1,779 |
|
27 |
6,862 |
115,426 |
772 |
66,910 |
40,859 |
711 |
|
62 |
4,234 |
4 |
507 |
1,310 |
19 | |
|
o |
111 |
9,008 |
10 |
1,431 |
2,502 |
43 |
|
5 |
1,707 |
45,832 |
154 |
13,324 |
15,642 |
239 |
|
Country St. Lucia St. Vincent Tobago Turkey United Arab Repub; |
1958 Av. Pubs. 61 62 53 197 lie 421 |
1959 Av. Pubs. 72 64 54 273 467 |
%Inc. Peak |
Av. Pio. Pubs. 15 12 6 10 43 |
No. Public Meet’gs 154 113 73 76 209 | |
|
over 1958 18 3 2 39 11 |
Pubs. 1959 79 75 61 319 515 | |||||
|
Sudan |
12 |
18 |
50 |
20 |
2 |
2 |
|
Uruguay |
1,005 |
1,223 |
22 |
1,415 |
106 |
937 |
|
Falkland Islands |
2 |
4 |
100 |
6 |
1 |
10 |
|
Venezuela |
1,410 |
1,699 |
20 |
1,879 |
119 |
1,091 |
|
2 Places Not Reporting 7 Other Countries |
9 98,781 |
120,952 |
22 |
131,996 |
1,202 |
69,723 |
|
Grand Total |
717,088 |
803,482 |
12 |
871,737 |
28,688 |
631,906 |
Breaking this amount down into its component parts, the Society spent $471,267.66 to support the missionary work in foreign fields, $1,451,145.74 to aid the special pioneers in various countries under the eighty-five branch organizations, and the balance, $359,612.74, for circuit and district servants as they traveled from congregation to congregation. However, in the latter case, this is by no means all the expense, because the circuit and district servants are usually taken care of by the brothers that they visit. These are housed by congregation publishers and food is provided for them, because the brothers deeply appreciate their services rendered to the congregations.
At the close of the 1959 service year there were 19,982 congregations in 175 lands of the world, and these were divided up into 1,492 circuits and 180 districts. Regular circuit and district assemblies are held each year so that Jehovah’s witnesses of the various congregations can assemble together for additional spiritual help and training in their ministerial work.
At the eighty-five branches throughout the world there are large and small Bethel families, and in this group there are 1,236 persons. They have had the wonderful opportunity of making and distributing the literature of the Society and keeping all the ordained ministers supplied with their needs of Bibles and other printed literature, and during the past year they have produced in their printing plants 5,367,197 books, 19,443,542 booklets, 89,007,520 copies of The Watchtower, 71,392,713 copies of Awake!, as well as 477,086,675 other pieces of printed matter like tracts, handbills advertising public lectures, 72,348,403 copies of the Resolution in fifty-three languages, calendars, letterheads and other office supplies.
|
No. of |
Total |
Total |
New i |
Individual |
Av. Bible | |
|
Cong’s |
Literature Hours |
Subs. |
Magazines Back-Calls Studies | |||
|
2 |
1,655 |
26,311 |
190 |
15,378 |
9,621 |
151 |
|
4 |
1,282 |
25,597 |
120 |
11,224 |
9,737 |
152 |
|
1 |
1,145 |
18,118 |
118 |
16,959 |
9,234 |
102 |
|
13 |
4,479 |
46,917 |
205 |
2,815 |
22,122 |
266 |
|
12 |
18,660 |
105,386 |
79 |
2,150 |
38,587 |
462 |
|
1 |
406 |
5,315 |
43 |
1,643 |
1,509 |
17 |
|
41 |
17,812 |
294,750 |
1,293 |
131,801 |
112,666 |
1,522 |
|
93 |
654 |
16 |
93 |
307 |
9 | |
|
38 |
57,140 |
405,235 |
3,095 |
312,885 |
158,770 |
2,050 |
|
4,383 |
587,587 |
8,717,918 |
2,404 |
920,034 |
2,697,576 |
53,157 |
|
19,982 |
15,424,294 |
126,317,124 |
1,247,972 |
92,310,778 |
44,240,218 |
606,075 |
This work and this distribution of the literature in printed form and the preaching from house to house were not all accomplished without any difficulties. As far as the organization itself is concerned, there was peace and unity among these Christians, but great opposition was brought to bear against many of God’s people, particularly behind the Iron Curtain and in communistic countries. But even there it is wonderful to see that there has been an increase in the work despite working underground, because today there are, on an average, 120,952 publishers preaching in communistic lands, and they have reached a new peak of publishers, 131,996, during the 1959 service year. In fact, in the communistic countries there has been a 22-percent increase in the number of those associating themselves with God’s people, dedicating their lives to his service and going out preaching the good news of the Kingdom.
One who reads the 1960 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses will see that being a Christian in this old world is not easy. It has its hardships and its blessings beyond measure. Paul stated it very well: “If one member suffers, all the other members suffer with it; or if a member is glorified, all the other members rejoice with it.” (1 Cor. 12:26) How true that is! Jehovah’s visible organization is bound together so closely that if anything affects one part of the organization it is felt by the other members too, because they are all one body, one in spirit, one in mind, one in faith, serving Jehovah. Within the organization of Jehovah’s witnesses itself there is peace and unity, and no matter what pressures are brought upon it from the outside they will stand these pressures and together press on, proving themselves to be God’s Christian ministers pursuing peace and praising Jehovah day and night.
SOCIETIES USED BY JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES
The Watchtower, Der Wachtturm, La Tour de Garde, La Atalaya, Vakttornet, and many other translations of The Watchtower, have become household words throughout the whole world. The magazine, The Watchtower, is published in fifty-five languages and has a circulation of 3,750,000 copies of each issue. This is the magazine that Jehovah’s witnesses use to help people understand their Bibles better. This religious publication, which shows that the Bible is true and that it is Jehovah God’s Word and provides instructions for the world of mankind, is published by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.
This Society was established in 1884 and is one of many Societies used by Jehovah’s witnesses throughout the world as legal agencies to direct their work. For example, in the State of New York there is the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. In Britain we have the International Bible Students Association, and another similar society in Canada. Many other local corporations have been established in countries such as Germany, Brazil and Cuba; in fact, in all parts of the world societies have been organized by Jehovah’s witnesses to hold property and to do printing of Bible literature for the aid of the people of these various countries.
Jehovah’s witnesses, through the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, have established branch offices in eighty-five countries of the world and through these branches it carries on its work through missionary activity in 175 principal countries, colonies, protectorates and islands of the sea. The headquarters office of the modern-day witnesses of Jehovah is located at 124 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, New York, United States of America. This building is called “Bethel home,” and from this administrative center Jehovah’s witnesses throughout the world receive instruction based on God’s Word.
Jehovah’s witnesses are Christian people and all of them have dedicated their lives to Christian service and have been baptized in water. They prove that they are Christians and that they are carrying out the work of Jehovah as his ordained ministers by what they do. They visit the people in their own homes and try to interest them in a study of the Bible. Where they find interest, regular weekly Bible studies are carried on without cost to the householder. The Bible is their principal textbook, and since Jehovah’s witnesses come from all nations, kindreds and tongues, they use all the various translations of the Bible, whether these be by Catholics or Protestants, or be translations by other scholarly men. Every translation of the Bible sets forth the fundamental teaching of God, for “all Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.”—2 Tim. 3:16, 17.
As readers of the Yearbook have seen, Jehovah’s witnesses are a fast-growing organization. The reason for this is that they are teaching the truth, and those who love truth and righteousness will be drawn together by God’s Word to study it together and preach it together to all who mourn. As one reads the reports on the countries throughout the world where branch offices have been organized by Jehovah’s witnesses, one will learn that it becomes necessary from time to time to enlarge branch offices, and then the Society constructs new buildings to take care of the greater expansion work.
During the year 1959 the new branch office in London, England, was completed. (See insert, page 64.) Another was finished in Paris, France, and a third one reached completion in Wiesbaden, Germany. (See insert after day’s text and comment for June 25.) The occupants of these homes are all ordained ministers, both men and women, who have dedicated their lives to Jehovah’s service. The majority of them have spent the greater portion of their lives in preaching the good news, either as pioneers or missionaries, or in the Bethel homes preparing literature for the benefit of the world of mankind so that they might have a clear understanding of God’s Word. Others work in the offices of the Society, and still others take care of the homes. Every one of them is a Christian giving Jehovah God exclusive devotion. Such a life is required in order to be a member of the Bethel family. Each and every one must be an ordained minister who has dedicated his life to the full-time service and worship of Jehovah God.
Because of the expansion of the work the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania has arranged for the erection of a new structure in South Africa in order to take care of the printing of the Watchtower and Awake! magazines in the many languages spoken by the African people. Jehovah’s witnesses will soon have a new large addition to their “Bethel home” in New York city. This structure is now being built and the basement and the first three floors have been erected and there are eight more floors to be built skyward to complete this new addition, which covers one half of a New York city block. (See insert, page 64.) It is expected that it will be ready for occupancy around July, 1960. This new edifice is being built by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.
It is a joy to Jehovah’s witnesses world-wide to see this ever-increasing expansion of Jehovah’s organization, and they use these societies in different countries of the earth to excellent advantage in spreading the good news of Jehovah’s kingdom, which must be preached in all the world for the purpose of a witness to all nations. When the witness has been given according to the divine will, then the end of this system of things will come. Ushered in will be the new world of righteousness for the blessing of those who love peace and who now pursue it.
AWAKE MINISTERS DISTRICT ASSEMBLY
This year the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania arranged for Jehovah’s witnesses to have district conventions throughout the world. These conventions were arranged to make it convenient for all of Jehovah’s witnesses to attend. In the United States twenty-two cities were selected to make it convenient for practically every one of Jehovah’s witnesses to get to one of them during the summer months.
The program that was arranged by the Society was used world-wide and Jehovah’s witnesses appreciated the excellent provision of spiritual food that was presented. The talks were practical and had to do with the counsel that Jehovah God sets forth in his Word for the way of life of a Christian. Especially appreciated were the talks entitled “Keeping ‘Clean from the Blood of All Men’ ” and “Practical Wisdom in the Space Age.” These have already been published in the Watchtower magazine so that the brothers in all parts of the world, as well as those persons interested in the work of Jehovah’s witnesses, can read this important material.
The talk that attracted the greatest attention was the one given on Sunday afternoon, the subject being “When God Speaks Peace to All Nations.” In the United States alone 230,566 persons attended the public lecture at the twenty-two assemblies. In all other countries of the world too this talk brought the greatest audience because it was well advertised. We feel that at least one-half million people heard it. It has already been published in the Watchtower magazine, which has gone into the hands of more than 3,650,000 persons; and, in addition to that, the lecture was released in booklet form at the conventions and is now published in many languages and is being distributed world-wide. It is a message that many, many more millions of persons will read and give serious consideration to.
Another outstanding event at the Awake Ministers District Assembly, particularly in the Englishspeaking world, was the release of a new book entitled “Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Divine Purpose.” This was joyfully received and appreciated not only by Jehovah’s witnesses but also by persons interested in the work of Jehovah’s witnesses. It takes up the history of the modern-day witnesses of Jehovah from the year 1870 right up to and including 1959. It is factual in its report of the activities of Jehovah’s witnesses for more than eighty years in these modem times. The Society feels that it will play an important part in helping the hundreds of thousands of persons who are coming to the Kingdom Halls of Jehovah’s witnesses to find out quickly what has been done by the Watch Tower Society and these “unusual Christians” who are so much like the early Christians of the time of Christ’s apostles. The book shows how Jehovah’s witnesses for all these years in modern times put up a good fight for the faith and that they are standing firm as one people regardless of language, nationality, race, color or country in which they reside. It sets out factually the persecution that has come to Jehovah’s witnesses because of the firm stand they have taken in order to live a Christian life in this advanced age in civilization. One of the amazing things that is brought to light is that Jehovah’s witnesses, who are living Christian lives, are persecuted most of all and most severely in the countries that call themselves Christian. The complete history of Jehovah’s witnesses in modern times is not complete with this volume, because life goes on for Jehovah’s witnesses and there is still much work to be done. World-wide these ordained ministers of God are willing to take on this heavy responsibility of proving that even today men and women can seek peace and pursue it, for they appreciate that Jehovah’s eyes are upon the righteous. (1 Pet. 3:11, 12) Jehovah God has truly blessed his witnesses and they give Jehovah all the praise and credit for what has been accomplished.
Another release at the Awake Ministers District Assembly was the booklet “Look! I Am Making AU Things New.” This was especially prepared by the Society for use in Asiatic countries, but the material is so interesting and appealing that the booklet is having very wide circulation in all of Christendom.
Many newly associated persons came to the various assemblies throughout the world. In the United States alone there were 4,890 persons who symbolized their dedication to Jehovah God by water baptism. Arrangements were made at all the conventions throughout the world to baptize those persons who had dedicated their lives to Jehovah God and had declared themselves as wanting to do the divine will to the honor and glory of Jehovah’s name.
RESPONSIBILITY OF OVERSEERS
With persons associating themselves with Jehovah’s witnesses in the tens of thousands each year it places a great responsibility upon those who are overseers in the congregations of God’s people to see to it that these newly interested ones come to an accurate knowledge of the truth. All overseers among Jehovah’s witnesses should appreciate what Peter said: “May undeserved kindness and peace be increased to you by an accurate knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, forasmuch as his divine power has given us freely all the things that concern life and godly devotion, through the accurate knowledge of the one who called us through glory and virtue.” (2 Pet. 1:2, 3) When one hears of Jehovah’s glorious purposes for man and of how by doing the will of God one can gain eternal life, it is not just a matter of the individual’s saying, “I want to live,” and letting it go at that. It is truly a matter of getting an accurate knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ our Lord, for to know Jehovah and his Son means eternal life.
Overseers must appreciate the responsibility that is theirs to see to it that all within Jehovah’s organization get an accurate knowledge. Not only do those who are in the truth a long time need to keep up with the light of truth that God continually brings to his people through the Watchtower magazine, which truths are always based on Bible teaching, but overseers must be keenly interested in the new ones who, as the apostle Paul said, are babes. These must be taught many things. The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society has made ample provision for this teaching work to be carried on through the various studies and meetings arranged for, particularly the study of The Watchtower each week and then the study of various books that have been published by the Society, in addition to the theocratic ministry school and the service meetings.
In every country where a branch office is located the Society has appointed a branch servant, whose responsibility is to look after the welfare of everyone in his country and all the territory assigned to him. He must truly be devoted to the interests of all. Assisting the branch servant are many persons who hold responsibility within the branch office. Some of these are assigned to keep in constant correspondence with the congregations of God’s people, some look after the Society’s property itself, some care for the printing and the many other things that must be cared for. All these people are ordained ministers, keenly interested in the progress of God’s people.
In addition to the overseers in the branches there are specially appointed representatives that visit these branches. These are known as zone servants. The president’s office of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society selects these men and makes out routes for them so that they can visit the branches to check and see that each branch servant is taking care of his assigned work. Undereach branch servant there are district servants who are responsible for looking after the welfare of all the brothers in a certain area within the assigned territory of the branch. There are also circuit servants appointed by the Society to look after smaller groups, usually eighteen to twenty congregations. These are visited at least every six months. The work of the circuit servant is to assist the overseer of the congregation as well as all the ministers within the congregation to carry on their work better.
The organization of Jehovah’s witnesses worldwide is a closely knit organization. Just as the apostles in the days of the early church visited the various congregations and appointed other men to do the same kind of work as they did, so today the Society that has the responsibility of the organization appoints men through its governing body to look after the interests of every dedicated person so that he may gain this accurate knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ by the undeserved kindness and peace that comes to those who are truly dedicated to God’s service. It is necessary for the Society to see that all these men appointed to special positions as branch servants, persons living in branch offices, zone servants, district servants and circuit servants are of the highest caliber, living Christian lives and setting the right example themselves as overseers for all the congregation of God. The Society cannot list all the overseers that it appoints, but those that are special representatives throughout the world and who are sent out to visit the congregations of God, even to the most remote sections, are herewith listed.
ORDAINED MINISTERS APPOINTED TO SPECIAL
SERVICE
Aaron, Gray Aaron, Ledson Abad, Ervin Jores Abasto, Silvestre Abbuhl, David Abrahamson, R. E. Abungan, A. T. Accardi, Litterio J. Ackermann, Heinz Acquah, Daniel Sasu Adams, Don Alden Adams, Elmer Polk Adams, Floyd Adams, Frederick W. Adams, Joel Cameron Adams, Karl Appleby Adjei, Emmanuel K. Adu-Manuh, David E. Agan, Lloyd Ellis Agbayant, Pacifico M. Agbor, Sylvester T. Agnew, Hugh M. Ahuama, Friday A. Aigbeuboile, Patrick Aigner, Franz Ajibade, Abel O. Ajose, Matthew Ade Akakambama, G. Akanbi, Emmanuel A. Akpabio, Asuquo O. Akwamoah, D. Y, Alderson, G. R. Aldrich, Lloyd E. Alegado, F. R. Aleman, Francisco Aliferis, George Aligundiya, Daniel Allen, Malcolm S. Allen, Paul A. Almatl, Leo G. T. Almeida, Humberto Alsup, Robert R, Alvarado, Jose Alvarez, Jose Amadi, Eugene U. Amenele, Simon P.
Ames, John M. Amores, Victor C. Amorim, G. B. de Amorim, Jose Amy, Donald Duane Anders, Donald L. Andersen, Willy Anderson, Eric M. Anderson, Fred A. Anderson, Marvin F. Anderson, R. L. Anderson, Willie Andersson, Allan Andersson, Karl I. Andres, Ceriaco Andrzejewski, Paul Anguiz, Rosalino Anstadt, Edmund Antao, Sergio A.
Aoanan, Catalino C. Appenzeller, Werner Arango, Julio Arata, Luis Araujo, C. E. C. Araujo, Edmundo E. Araujo, Roberto C, Araujo, Ruben A. Arbore, John M. Arciga, Justino Areniego, Clemente Armacost, Russell F. Armour, Robert C. Arnett, Douglas D. Arnott, Harry W. Arredondo, Rolando Arroyo, Arnulfo Ashby, Dennis N. Atiemoh, Henry Atkinson, A. G. Atkinson, George Attwood, Anthony C. Atzemls, D. C. Aufdengarten, B. C. Aveline, Andre R. J, Avey, Arthur W.
Avila, Jose
Avoletta, Agnelo N. Avoletta, Raimundo Ayinla, Amasa Aylward, Kemmer S. Ayquipa, Jesus Azada, Bayani M. Azcuy, Juan Azevedo, Paulo de S. Babinski, Joseph E. Back, Johan Take Baczynski, Francois Baeuerlein, John A. Bahus, Per Bailey, Ronald C. Bajec, Ludwig Baker, Ernest W. Baker, Glenn S. Baker, James L. Baker, Robert L. Baker, W. C. (Jr.) Balboa, Renato Ballinger, B. H. Banda, Florentino Bangle, Aleck Banks, Thomas E. Barabas, Robert S. Barber, Carey W. Bareuther, Oskar Barker, Lester Barlaan, L. U. Barler, Per Henry Barlow, Albert L. Barnes, Stuart F. Barnett, Herald Lee Barnor, Joseph C. Barr, John Edwin Barrera, Eleodoro Barreto, Juracy Barrientos, Luis Barry, William L. Barth, Josef Bartja, William D. Bartl, Rupert Bartlett, Milton E. Bartrip, T. G. Bartzsch, Otto
Barwell, Sidney G. Bassani, J. A. Easwel, M. B. Bateman, Roger Batuke, John Batul, Emilio M. Baud’huin, R. Bauer, Enrico Bautista, Pedro C. Bautista. Wulberto Baxter, Donald E. Baxter, Lester E. Baxter, Wallace H. Bayonne, Augustin Beamont, Walter Beaudier, Jean Felix Beavor, Ernest E. Becerra, Jaime Beda, Louis Bedendo, Pedro P. Behunick, Stephen Belfiore, Salvatore Belflamme, A. H. J. Eellegante, Anthony Eello, Jose O.
Bellotti, Norman D. Belokon, Nicholas Benavides, Manuel Bennett, Ernest S. Bennett, Ralph G. Bennett, Walter K. Benson, Raymond C. Bentley, Halliday Bentsen, F. T. Eerecochea, Alvaro Berg, Eskil N. Berg, Lloyd Martin Bergersen, Willy Bernard, Guy N. Bernardino. *T. P. Betsis, Christie Beukes, Petrus J. Bicknell, Ronald V. Biehn, James F. Bigler, Paul Bingham, Cecil L. Bittner, George G. Bivens, William A. Blaine, Ray Arnold Blais, George G. Blalock, Charles W. Blane, Abner Blaney, John Beech Blankson, John Ottoe Blankson, Nee A. Blaylock, James L. Blenman, Egbert E. Bluemel, Wilhelm R. Bockaert, Jean-Marie Bodinier, Joseph Bodner, Michael Boeckel, Dale R. Boer, Marinus W. de Bogard, Gerald J. Bogard, John Hohman, Donald Bolli, Eugene
Booher, Phillip G. Booth, John Charles Borchardt, Arthur L. Borges, Emerson P. Borges, Steffanson Borglin, G. A. G. Borre Hansen, Egon Borroto, Rolando Borys, Fred Bosompem, C. K. Bostick, Dale Clark Botes, J. H. M. Botha, Joseph F. Bower, Arthur Noble Bowers, Frederick C. Bowman, David F. Bown, Chesley A. M. Boyd, Donald A. Bradbury, Rupert M. Braddy, Lindsay J, Bradley, David G. Bradley, Lester D. Brame, Earle Roy Brand, Ernst Brandt, Eugene R. Brandt, Richard H. Bravo, Orestes Breit, Frederick O. Brekke, Norman A. Bribina, Nathaniel A. Brillantes, M. Z. Brink, Karl Richard Brisart, Nicolas Brissett, Henry L. Britten, Eric Broad, Albert W. Brobst, R. H. (Jr.) Brodie, Ralph Brodie, Roy Bromwich, Neville C. Brown, Donald Gene Brown, Geoffrey W. Brown, Sidney James Brown, Victor E. Brown, Victor H. Brown, Wilberforce Bruton, John Gist Bryen, Foi M.
I Buchta, Egon Buck, Samuel D. Buckingham, E. F. Buckingham, G. Buckingham, J. F. F. Buenger, Philip Bull, William John Burczyk, Benno O. Burgunder, Joseph Burnett, Charles Burns, Clark Denny Burns, Henry Clay Burt, Donald H. Burt, Gaylord F. Burtch, Lloyd Byron Buschbeck, Guenter Busman, Jose Butler, Jack Edwin Buttinelli, Leopoldo Cabral, Jacinto P. Caister, John H. Calderon, Manuel Callaway, Neal L. Calsbeck, Cornelius Campau. John Leslie Campbell, Ian Louis Campbell, Merton V, Canete, Cornelio Q. Cantwell, Henry A. Cantwell, Jesse Lee Cantwell, Russell D. Canty, Clyde Cappello, Andrew J. Cardoso, Edmundo V. Carl, Gotthold Carlson, Karl Erik A. Carmichael, G. P. Carnie, William Carrasco, Ismael Carrbello, Peter R. Carter, Gilbert M. Carter, Ronald D. Carter, Thomas Casartelli, Federico Casola, Peter A. Castillo, Ramon Castro, Benito Catanzaro, Angelo A. Cattle, Roland Ceirano, Amado Chae, Soo-Wan Chantraboon, B. Chapman, Percy Charles, Ellison Charlwood, Edmund Charuk, Michael Chavez, Heriberto Chavez, Rufino Chen, Ah Pang Chen, Chin Ting Chiaffredo, John W< Chibvamushure, S. Chifuka, Elie Brown Chingati, Jordan Chinyere, Simeon Chinyoni, Gibson Chipwaka, Muleba Chisaka, Ayton Chiseko. Edward Chitty, Ewart C.
Chitty, Kenneth J. Chitundu, Peter Chivweka, SiLas Choate, G. M. (Jr.) Cholet, Daniel E. C. Christiansen, Eric B. Christiansen, Ole D. Chun, Young-Soon Chyke, Calvin M. Chynn, David W, Cialini. Giuseppe Cleon, Michael Steve Cimwaza, Lester Ciuffa, Francisco Ciuffi, Francesco Clare, Donald Alfred
Clark, William K. Clarke, Cecil Percy Clay, Edgard Allan Clegg, Douglas G. Clep, Michel Clutterbuck, P. A. J. Cole, James Douglas Collier, Roland E. Collins, Boyd W. Combs, Hiram T. Conceicao, F. I. da Confehr, Donald A, Conley, Donald S. Conradi, Robert W. Constantlnides, G. Conte, Anthony Cook, Roy Cooke, John Roy Coonce, C. Harold Cora, Albert M. (Jr.) Corsat, Roger Corsini, Annibale Cortez, Juan Costa, Jose I. (Jr.) Cotterill, Richard S. Couch, George M. Couch, William D. Coultrup, Charles R. Courtney, Eric John Coville, Allan Stanley Covington, Hayden C. Cowles, Paul J. Cowles, Richard J. Cowling, R. M. Coysh, Eric G. A. Crichlow, B. F. (Jr.) Critti. Alfred Crowley, James E. Cruey, Carl David Cullen, John Foster Cumming, Albert E. Curry, Vernon Austin Cutforth, John A. Dakos, Dennis W. Dalfsen, A. Z. G. van Daniel, Rabson Danley, Albert F. Danyleyko, Maxim Dargies, Paul Darko, Theodore A. Darko, William T. Datisman, Donald C. Daudo, Goodwin T. Davey, Oliver Lester David, James P. Davies, J. W. (Jr.) Davis, James Walter Davis, Randall V. Deane, Eldon De Boer, Adrian DeCecca, Giovanni DeCinque, H. (Jr.) Dehnbostel, Heinrich DeJulio, Robert Gene De Leon, Saul Jesus Dell’Ellce, Romolo Del Pino, Rogelio
Del Rio, Juan De Lucy, Richard G. Demaillot, Francois Deninger, Orville E. Derderian, D. P. Detofiolli, Jose E. De Vera, Rodolfo M. DeVoe, J. M. (Jr.) De Wandel, George Diamond, Robert H. Dias, Gentil F. Dias, Joao Dickmann, Heinrich Dideriksen, Bent Didur, Alexander M. Didur, Thomas A. Diehl, Willi Dies, Harold James Dietz, Frederick M. Dixon, Russell D’Mura, Peter Dobart, Edward Doehrmann, Ralph Dominguez, R. Donaldson, Norman Donaldson, William Doncel, Roberto Dones, David M. Donley, Carl T. Dooh Ngoh, Jean Dorant, Franz Doulis, Athanassios Douras, George Dowell, Roy Lee Drage, Ronald Drager, Wilmer E. Drake, Grenville Dressel. Siegfried Droussiotis, Savvas Dryden, Wesley N. Dube, Meshack S. Duffield, Harry W. Duffner, Herbert Dugan, Lester M. Duncombe, V. R. Duncombe, Yorke Mt. Dunlap, Edward A. Durlique, S. G. L. Duterte, Ulysses S. Dwenger, Heinrich Dycus, James W. Eames, Joseph R. Eaton, Andrew Kirk Ebel, LaVerne J. Eckhart, D. L. (Jr.) Eckley, Fred G. Egenti, Philip Egipto, Mauricio Eicher, Charles E. Einschuetz, Willi Eisenach, Franz J. Eisenhower, C. R. Ekanem, David E. Ekitanie, Etim A. Elder, Donald J. Eldridge, Francis R. Eleas, Tom
Elliott, Ernest C. Elliott, George Elmer, Preben K. Eloranta, Vilho Emerson, Karl J. Emter, Ernst Eneroth, Johan H. Engelkamp, R. J. Englund, OUe A. E. Englund, R. E. Erb, Glenn John Erickson, R. R. Eriksson, Gustav A. Eriksson, Kurt H. Ernst, Donald E. Errichetti. John Eslava, Simplicio S. Espadas, Hector Esparza, Pedro Estelmann, Otto Estelong, Baltazar G Estepa, Alfredo Ewald, Klaus M. Ewetuga, Amos Fahie, Robert John Fajardo, Felix S. A. Fajardo, Manuel Fajardo, Quintin Fallick, Ronald C. Fanin, Fernando Faria, Justino R. Farmer, Herbert J. Farneti, Walter Fayad, Samir Federchuk, John Federko, Paul (Jr.) Fegid, Pedro Fe Fejumoh, Francis E. Feke, Preston B. Fekel, Charles John Felix, Eduardo F. Feller, Jules Fernandes, David Fernandez, G. J. Ferrari, Salvino Ferreira, R. A. Ferreira, Sebastiao Fetzik, Harry A. I'euz, Gottfried Figo, Ernst Filson, James W. Filteau, Hector M. Fisch, Wilbert D. Fisher, Charles W. Flack, Fritz Fleischer, Pahl R. Flekal, Ferdinand Fletcher, John R. Fleury, Maurice W. Florentino, E. A. Flores, Alfredo Flores, Amadeo Flores, Priscillano G. Foerster, Dietrich K. Foerster, Johannes Fogarty, H. M. C. Ford, Walter Stanley Foster, Edward W. Fraga, Dracon Leao Franceschetti, R. Franck, Alvyn L. Frandsen, Egon Frank, Ronald D. Franke, Konrad Max Franks, F. N. Franske, Franklin J. Franz, Fred William Franz, Raymond V. Franzone, Franco Fraser, Gordon S. Fredianelli, Bruno Fredianelli, George Friend, Maxwell G. Friend, Samuel B. Frost, Charles Edgar Frost, Erich Hugo Fry, John Searle Fujikura, Kazuro Funk, Ernest Furchtmann, Heinz Furrer, Werner C. Gabaldon, H. F. V. Gabardo, Guy Gabert, Diethelm Gabrielidis, P. Gadiano, Esteban D. Gaertner, H.-K. Gailer, Walter Galbreath, D. M. Gall, Frank Herbert Gameng, Leonardo G. Gangas, George D. Garcia, Adalberto Garcia, Gabriel Garcia, Humberto Garcia, Israel T. Garcia, Jose Garcia, Josue Garcia, Leonardo S. Garcia, Samuel Garepi, Enoch Garrard. Gerald B. Garrett, Floyd F. Gaskin, Archibald S. Gates, James F. Gatti, Piero Ga vino, Pedro C. Gay, Vivyon Gee, George Geiger, Henri A. General, Reginald H. George, Arnold E. George, Saleem Georges, Ronald K. German, Nicholas Gertz, Arthur Georg Geyer, Benjamin P. Gheys, Valere Zeo Giannone, Salvatore Gibb, George R. W. Gibbard, John Gibbon, James S. Gibbons, James E. Gibson, Stephen D.
Gielenfeldt, D. C. Gier, Wallace Lee Giffin, Bruce E. Gil, Jose Antonio Gilks, Walter R. Gilmore, Edmund J. Gilmore, T. H. (Jr.) Glaeser, Kurt Glass, Ulysses Vanell Glendining, C. C. Gloria, Gorgonio C. Glueck, Herbert Gobitas, Walter W. Goebel, Ludwig H. Goff, Cecil Joseph Goffi, Nazareno Gohl, Otto Goings, Chester Goiic, Antoon M. Gomes, Antonio V. Gomes, Telsforo C. Gonzales, Toney P. Gonzalez, Benito Gonzalez, Ramon M. Gooch, Wilfred Good, Harry C. Goodwin, Neil V. V. Gorra, Joseph Toly Gosden, Eric Gosden, Percy Gott, John Gott. Robert Elwin Gough, Robert Goux, Arthur R. Govea, Ruben Gowero, Daston Graham, Allen L. Graham, W. R. G. Grahn, Rune Gray, S. W. (Jr.) Greaney, John W. Green, Kenneth A. Greenlees, Leo K. Greis, Bernhard Grencer, Andrew Griesinger, T. A. Griffin, Oran Lynn Grist, Frank Eugene Grlica, Peter Grogg. Harold Lee Grogg, Wanzel James Groh, John Otto Grover, Erwin A. Gruetter, Max Grundy, Gerald E. Gucwa, David John Guerrero, C. M. Guest, Douglas A. J. Guiver, Ernest J. Gumbo, Stainer E. Gumede, Jeremiah Gunda, Grant Gundersen. John C. Gunther, Charles D. Gustafsson, Lars M. Guy, Harold J. Guzamaya, Herbert Hachtel, Floyd H. Haegele, Karl Hagen, Roar A. Hagensen, L. K. Haigh, Joseph H. Hall, James E. Hall, Raymond G. Hamilton, Milton R. Hamilton, Wallace C. Hammer, Paul Hanemann, W. Haney, Arthur Hankins, Robert J. Hannan, George E. Hannan, William T. Hanni, Fritz Hansen, Hugo Eogh Hansen, Julius Hansen, Victor Hanson, Bengt Olof Hansson, Jan-Olof Hansson, Karl G. Harbeck, Martin C. Hardjopranoto, P. Hargis, Calvin Harman. Dennis A. Harper, Eric Thomas Harriman, Volney A. Harris, Harley R. Harrop, Stuart A. Harteva, Kaarle A. Hartlief, Markus Hartman, Daniel D. Hartmann, Manfred Hartstang, F.
Harvey, Frederick E. Hathaway, James W. Hatton, Barry G.
Hatton, Wilfred A. C. Hatzfeld, Robert H. Hau, Aage Haupt, Dean Havlin, Paul D. Hawkins, Alonzo Hazelhurst, Maurice Heard, Franklin M, Heatley, Leonard V. Hector, William E. Heide, Gerhard Heidelberg, John T. Heiberg, Leonard C. Held, Douglas Ede Helstrom, Daniel N. Henderson, R. N. Hendrickson, H. B. Henry, Charles V. Henry, Herbert (Jr.) Henry, Herbert T. Henschel, Herman G. Henschel, Milton G. Hepworth, C. E. Herms, Juergen Hernandez, Felipe Hernandez, H. Hernandez, Pedro Hernandez, Ruben Herrera, Hector
Herrera, Juan Hershey, Monsell Hess, Laverne E, Heudens, Joseph M. Heuse, E. C. (Jr.) Heuwieser, Manfred Hewson, Arthur D. Heyward, Joseph Hibbard, Orin J. Hlbshman, David Z. Hickerson, David H. Hilborn, Howard M. Hillyard, Jack W. Hinderer, James A. Hinkle, Dwight D. Hlatshwayo. John Hodgson, Oliver J. M Hodgson. William H Hoerst, Franz Josef Hoffmann, Filip C. S Hogberg, Paul Holien, Marvin L. Hollander, Loy D. Holmes, Calvin H. Holms, Robert A. Holnbeck. R. A.
Holz, Kurt Homolka, Charles P. Hooper, Edmund W. Hopkinson, Denton Hopley, Alfred Hopley, Randall Hoppe, Karl Horton, Bert Hosie, Douglas M. Hoskins, Hayes Houston, Joseph M. Hove, Cirindo W. Howard, J. C. (Jr). Howze, Weldon L. Hrytzak, Lewis D. Huber, Emil Hughes, Alfred P. Hughes, Gwaenydd Hull, Willard M. Hunda, Isaac Hunick, Hollister A. Hunter, Wayne Hurst, Billy Ray Husby, Kjell Georg Hutchinson, R. E. Hutchison, M. F. Hutchison, Neil U. Hyrkas, Kauko U. Ibanez, Orestes Ibanga, John J. Ibarra, Carlos Ibbott, Geoffrey S. Idowu, T. A.
Idreos, Plato Igbalajobi, Joseph F. Ikpesah, Daniel A. Ilebiyl, Benjamin J. Ileogben, John O. E. Ingold, Reeves Insberg, Ans Inzunza, Trinidad
Irwin, Dale C.
Ishii, Seiji Itty, V. C. Jabulin, Bernardino Jack, Andrew' Jacka, Ronald N. Jackson, Harold K. Jackson, William K. Jahnke, Pierre Henri Jakobsen, Egon Jalandoon, M. J. Jandura, John R. Jaracz, Theodore Jarquin, Maximino Jarzyna, Edwin S. Jason, John Jennings, Herbert Jensen, Bent H. Jensen, Bertran Jensen, Finn Jensen. Hermod
M.
Erling
Jensen, Klaus Jensen, Svend Jensen, Svend Jiah, Gilbert
Jiya, Rankin
Johannessen, Preben
Johansen, John
Johansen, Svein
Erik V. Hans Jerker A. Lars Ove Sven G.
Johansson, Johansson, Johansson, Johansson, Johansson,
John, Seth Kennedy, H. C.
John, Wlldred Henry Kerasinls, C.
Johnson, C. E. (Jr.) Ketchum, Harry E.
Johnson, Curtis K.
Johnson, David Paul Johnson, George A. Johnson, Harry A. Johnson, James W. Johnson, Joseph H. Johnson, Lennart A. Johnson, M. D. (Jr.) Johnson. Ronald R. Johnson, Verville G. Johnson, Wayne L. Johnson, William D. Johnston, Dennis Johnston, Paul E. Johnstone, Alan C. Jones, Cecil J.
Jones, Charles Jones, David Gus Jones, Mack Callies Jones, Stanley E. Jones, Thomas R. Jontes, Leopold F. Joseph, A. J.
Joven, Ignacio Q.
Judge, Benson Kachepa, Potlpher Kadzalero, Joseph D. Kalaj, Arnold Peter Kalekesha, Sosala Kaliande, Wenstone Kalle, Rudolph Kallio, Leo Donatus Kamblya, Shadreck Kaminaris, M. E. Kamm, Albert Kammerer, Walter C. Kammerud, Gordon Kamoli, Michael M. Kampe, Herbert B. Kangale, A. K. T. Kankaanpaa, E. J. Kankaanpaa, H. A. Kankaanpaa, T. J. Kapindula, Grey Kapininga, Fermson Kaptein, Maarten IKarakashlan, J. N.
Karamalis, N. C. Karanassios, Peter Karanassios, S. Karkanes, V. C. Kashunda, Cullen Katantha, Z. M. Kattner, Erich Kawasaki, Robert K. Kawicz, Richard S. Kays, Harry Isaac Keeble, Melford G, Keen, Grant Street Kehinde, S. A. O. Kellaris, A. N. Kelsey, Richard E. Keltz, John Allen Kennedy, Edgar C.
Khanyanga, Fasten Khumalo, Owen Kibezi, Jacob Kiefer, Franz Kilburn, H. C. (Jr.) Killian, David R. Kim, Jang-Soo Kim, Sung-Kon KInaschuk, E. H. King, Gordon D. King, Harold George Kinney, Robert Ora! Kinzonzi, David Kipke, Helmut Kirchner, Carlos Kirchner, Werner Kirk, Robert W. Kirkland, Powell M. Kirksey, Curtis E. Kjellberg, Gustaf Klawa, Hans Adolf Klein, Karl F. Kleinke, G. W. R. Klenk, Hans Klinck, Walter E. Kluth, Orville Knecht, Rudolf Knight, Beverley R. Knight, Kris H. Knoch, Ray W.
Knorr, Nathan H. Knott, Wayne M. Koerber. Anton Kogga, Wladislas Kolar, Matthew M. Konstanty, Willi Kotze, Andries S. Kovacic, Richard Kovalak, N. (Jr.) Kraker, Simon P. J. Kramer, Carl F. Kraushaar, Lawrence Krebs, Donald R. Kretschmer, Horst Kriefall, Edwin W. Krieger, Cecil E. Kristoffersen, Bent Krivulka, Daniel L. Krochmal, Chester Kronvold, Kurt Vagn Kroschewski, Leo Krueger, Walter Kruijfi, A. D. de Krzyzanowski, M. Kuenz, Guenter Kugler, Lothar Kugler. Otto Kuhn, Kurt M. Kuhn, Wenzel Kulkys, Albertas Kultoniak, Jean Kumbanyiwa, Jarnett Kunze, Wilhelm Kuokkanen, Raimo O. Kupheta, Ernest P. Kurkutas. Panayotis Kurzen, John G. (Jr.) Kurzen, Russell W. Kushnir, John Kushnir, Paul Kusiak, Michal Kutch, John A.
Kuwaza, Michael M. Kwakye, Alfred B. Kwazizira, Gresham Kwembeya, Davies Kyllonen, Kalevi Lacson, Dionisio Laguna, Andrew Lamb, Warren L. Lamborn, Robert E. Lambs, Georges Laming, David Lovell Lamp, William Lang, Julius Lange, Gerhard Langley, James T. Langley, Roy W. La Pastina, F. A. Larsen, Bent Larsen, Jar gen Larsen, Jorgen H. Larson, Max Harry Lash, Dale Edward Lastima, Geronimo Lategano, Carmine J. Latimer, William A. Lattanzi, Ernest (Jr.) Latyn, Mike Frank Laukkanen, A. U. H. Lauridsen Soren K. Law, Paul Frederick Leach, Raymond B. Learned, Alvin E. Leathco, Charles D. Lebid, Michael Leech, Dennis Leffler, Ralph Homer Lehky, Ladislav V. Leibensperger, C. F. Lembcke, James E. Lemos, Delfino A, Lentz, Norman A. F. Lentz, Peter Lentz. Sidney-Leone, Louis A. Leoppky, Stanley P. Leroy, Marceau Lester, Cornelius Letonja, Anton Levering, Walter Lewinson, Bror A. A. Lewis, David U. Leyva, Elleser Liang, Fu-Lone Lletzke, Georg Lietzke, Joachim Lietzke, Wilhelm E. Lin, Kun Sheng Lin, Lung Hsiung Lin, Yee Yia Lindem, Ralph T. Linden, David W. Linder, Emil Lindsay, Ludwell M. Linton, James S. Lisiak, Adam Lisle, Jack L. (Jr.) Llttau, Harold A. Little, Kenneth A. Liwag, Salvador A. Lloyd, R. W. Loctonagan, P. T. Loeffler, Helmut Lopez, Bartolo Lopez, Cesar Lopez, Juan Lopez, Samson L. Louvouezo, Paul Lovato, Pedro Lovinger, Royal P. Lowe, Russell A. Lozano, Rodolfo S. Lozano, Ruben Lu, Lorrln K. Lubeck, Joseph Ludwig, Albert Lukuc, Fred Lukuc, Harry Peter Lund, Romayne D. Lundgren, Herbert B. Luning, G. A. (Jr.) Lunkenheimer, O. Luts, John
Luz. Geraldo Paes da Lyambela, Solomon Mabilat, Guy' MacAulay, Daniel F. Macdonald, Oliver A. Macdonald, Robert J. Machado. Wilson B. Mackey, Weldon MacLean, Donald H. Macmillan, A. H. MacNamara, A. W. Macpherson, John F. Maday, Caesar W. Madden, Patrick C. Madona, Widdas J. Madsen, Harald Madsen, Kaj Fog Maestas, Daniel Mafambana, A. Magarino, Miguel Magni, Nicola Maguetas, M. da C. Mahecani, Cornelius Mahlangu, Adam Mais, Montague Makayi, Esiraeri Makela, Otto Makhato, Felton K. Makumba, Stanley L. Malaspina, Frank D. Malassab, Irineo B. Maldonado, Aurelio Maltby. Albert E. Mama, E. M. K.
Mampouya, Simon Manera, A. C. (Jr.) Manfredi, Elmer L. Mangussi, A. M. Manfoni, Jones Mann, Albert Henry-Manning, John H. Manns, Warren H. Mansavage, Victor Mansilungan, A. D. Manussakis, Titus Manyochi, Robin Maphuta, Ephraim P. March, Richard Allan Marcy Victor L. Marechera, Jeremiah Maree, Randall Markus, John F. Marlot, Edouard Marquez, Juan M. Martikkala, Emil A. Martin, Douglas W. Martin, Stredic A. Martinez, Antonio Martins, Ramiro Martinsen, Kjell Martlnsen, Martinlus Marumazwitswa, N. Masanga, Elijah Mase, Samuel Mashaba, Alfred Mashazi, Helvie M. Mashele, William S.
Mason, Benjamin B. Mason, William C. Masondo, Andrew Matare, James Matawanyika, Nesbet Mathenjwa, M. R. J. Mathes, Harlan C. Mathew, Karote T. Mathiesen, Andreas Matikainen, Tuevo V. Matthews, Arthur E. Matthews, Dennis J. Mattshula, Joseph Matya, Wilford L. Manna. Frans Ivlaxwell, Ivan L. Mayer, William E. Mayo, Jorge Mbock, Pierre Mbuqe, Humphrey McBrine, John W. McCabe, David Joel McCormick, Billy D. McDonald, Alan W. McDonald, Denis N. McDonald, W. A. McGregor, Lorne Mchiswe, Barry McInnis, William McKay, Homer K. McKee, Burleigh F. McKee, Charles M. McKinney, N. H. McLellan, Neil McLellan, William McLemore, Lester L. McLenachan, John McLuckie, Robert A. McLuckie, W. L. McWilliams, R. G. Mdema, John YoungMedina. Guillermo Meier, Karl-Heinz Melegrito, Catalino Melin, Alt Gabriel Memba, Noah Mendoza, Mario A. Meng, Charles J. Mensah, Stephen K. Merry, David George Merto, Gregorio B. Mesiona, Ismael E. Meszaros, Steve J. Meyer, Heinrich Mhlongo, Joshua P. Michalopulos, John Miles, John Calvert Miller, Grant Dallas Miller, Harley E. Miller, James Arthur Miller, Juan Miller, Milan James Miller, N. T. (Jr.) Miller, Raymond C. Milliken, F. H.
Mills, Donald M. Mills, John J. (Jr.) Mills, Ned Duane Mills, Woodworth E. Mirasol, Rolando I. Mishler, Janies B. Misterfeld, Carl S. Mitchell, Frank P. Mitrega, Peter Mkhwanazi, W. G. Mock. Russell V. Mokowe, Richard Molohan, Charles V. Molohan, F. Jerry Monteiro. Cleber Monterroso, Manuel Montoya, Merced Mora, Jose Mora, Rogelio Morales, Randy Morales, Raul S. Moran, Farah Moreton, Ernest V. Morgan, George E. Morgan, Roger Lee Morrell, Clayton E. Morris, Harold A. Morrison, Donald J. Mortlock, Albert A. Morton, John C. Moser, Earl Andrew Mouritz, Douglas L. Mozo, Adrian Mpange, William Mphezulo, Joel M’Poumpiel, Ernest Msinga, Bernard Muchaka, Nathan Mudzongo, Noah Mueller, Herbert Mukaronda, Nason Muller, Bohumil Muller, Christoffel F. Muller. Emile Mulumbe, Stanley Mundell, James S. Muniz, Juan Munoz, Alvaro Munsterman, D. R. Murcia. Luis Musandinane, Arnold Muscariello. Blosco Mussio, Otavio Mutate, John Mutanhaurwa, E. Muurainen, Eero M. Mvelley, Samson Mwadzila. Frank N. Mwango. James L. Mwene, Dixon Mwenva, Washington Myhre, Paul Gary Mzanga, Emmas B. Nagel, Ernst _ Nail, James H.
Nail, Lonnie R. (Jr.) Nathan, Jack H.
Naude. Gideon J. Ndumo, Solomon Nedd, Zephrine O. Negre, Guy Nel, Gerhardus C. Nelson, Eric Eanar Nelson, James M. Nelson, John Dee Nervo, Toivo Israel Neuenschwander, H. Neumeister. Erwin Nevar, Nick Newberry, LeRoy E. Newcomb, Clarence Newman, Alfred W. Newton, Robert D. Ng, Daniel Nguipoguo, Paul Ng way a, Albert Nield, Dennis Nielsen, Aage Martin Nielsen, Arne Severin Nielsen. George W. Niemi, Veikko J. Nilsson. Borje Nilsson, Gerhard Nironen, Eero Njemboh, McPherson Nkabinde, Stanley Nkume, Mordecai O. Nogaj, Edmond Nonkes, Goitze Nonkes, Paul Joseph Nonkes, William H. Nordin, Kenneth H. Nordstrom. Erik North, Philip A. Noseworthy, E. A. Nsalika, Bessiam Nsomba, Trophim Ntande, Ravent Ntentha, Wales Nti, Kofi Nunez, Jesus Nussrallah, Alfred J. Nwazomoh, Cletus O. Nyamujarah, F. A. Nylen, Roland F. Oakley, Joseph A. Obadan, Gabriel O. Obarah, Peter Ono Obiebi, Clifford Sini Obot, Edet Nsa Obrist, Paul Odemo, Stephen Ojo Oertel, Henry Carl Oettel, Herbert M. Ogosi, Zigbonghan S. Ogura, Kan Ojie, Ashadi O jig we, Daniel M. Ojoh. Isaac A.
Ok, Yei-Joon Okada. Masayoshi Okerezi. Agwu Ono Okunniwa, T.
Ole, Kalu Onuma Olih. Albert Nwafor Olipaz, Benigno de V.
Olipaz, Leon de Vera Olivar, Vicente G. Olofsson, Inge E. Olson, David A. Olson, John H. Olson, Nels Willis Oltmanns, Gerhard Omavuayenor, J. A. O’Neill, Dunstan J. Oniyide, Timothy O. Onogharo, James A. Opara, Samuel W. Opitz, Gerhard Ordahi, Tufi Ortega, Phillip F. Oshunloye, Simon A. Osterloh, A. H. (Jr.) Osueke, Benjamin Ott, Carlos Owen, Donald Oliver Owens, Daniel James Oyeniyi, James O. Oyewole, Ladipo Pacific!, Luigi Padilha, Nestor R. Paixao, Agenor da Pakathl, flick Pallari, Vaino Jaakko Palliser, Peter Stuart Pantas, Pacifico E. Papageorge, D. Papargyropoulos, A. Papyros, Pheovos C. Park, Chong-II Park, li-Kyun Parkin, Ronald J.
Parr, Glynn Paruli, Jose M. Paschoal, Jair A. Paschoal, Jose Paschoal, Moacyr Passlow, Mervyn H. Pate, Arden Paul, Gilliati Pazdyka, Francois Peace, Clayton L. Pearce, Eric Andrew Pearce, Ian Leonard Pearson, Vernon L. Pedersen, Bent Bjorn Peloyan, A. Harry Peltonen, Aarne I. Pena, Jose Pena, Ramon Penda, Martin Perez, Jacinto Perez, Nicholas Perez, Santos Perholtz, Michael Perkins, Keith E. Perry, Graham A. Perry, John Alves Perttula, Erkki Peschel, Klaus Peter, Egon K. Peters, August H. Peters, Norris J.
Peters, Raymond W. Peterson, William Petrizzo, Robert J. Petrowski, Paul Pettersen, Rolf Pfitzmann, Martin Phillips, George Ross Phillips, William E. Phlri, Partson Smart Photinos, Peter Piccone, D. A. Piechota, Louis Piet, Gerrit J. Plispa, Veijo B. M. Pinder, Jack Pinheiro, Noel Pippa, Spiro Pittman, Edward D. Pizzimenti, F. Plati, Esperandio Platt, Frank Gordon Pletscher, Reinhard Plumhoff, Fred H. Plumhoff, Sidney H. Plummer, Lee R. Pobuda, Kenneth E. Poetzinger, Martin Pohl, Will Charles Polello, Raymond L. Pollard, W. C. (Jr.) Porno, Gideon Ponting, John H. Pope, Lester Gordon Porter, Robert Earl Porter, Sydney C. Powers, Jack D. Powley, Arthur Pramberg, Jack Price, Alan Prighen, Matthew O. Prince, William J. Prisi, Jean-Louis Proctor, Anthony D. Prosser, Calvin S. Puerta, Joao Pulver, Harold M. Puster, Robert W. Pysh, Elmer Quilter, Roy Stuart Quintanilla, Jose Rachuba, Erich Rainer, Adolf Rajalehto, Raimo J. Ramirez, Pedro Ramseyer, Andre F. Randall, Charles A. Rann, George A. Raper, Archie V. Raras, Clem (Jr.) Raseboka, P. J. W. Rasmussen, C. M. Rasmussen, Hugo N. Rasmussen, J. E. F. Rasmussen, Jprgen Rawirl, Rudolph W. Rawls, John Wesley Reano, Pablo
Reaves, Gerald J. Redford, Jack D. Reed, Alexander Reed, Charles Henry Reed, Kenneth M. Rees, Philip D. M. Reijntjes, Willem C. Reimann, Karl Reiter, Ferdinand Renoldner, John Renton, John (Jr.) Repo, Veikko Olavi Resuello, Daniel C. Reusch, Lyle Elvern Reuter, Georg Reyes, Jacinto Reyes, Martin Reynolds, Stanley E. Rhode, Samuel Ribeiro, Pedro Ramos Rice, Ossie Neal Rice, Usher Lee Richardson, N. (Jr.) Rico, Luis Ridenour, Roger Lee Rieger, Charles W. Riemer, Hugo Henry Rijts, Max
Rikhoto, Hamilton B. RImmi, Pentti Helge Rinne, Antti Ripley, Stephen Ritokoski, Vaino I. Ritt, Horst Robbins, James C. Roberts, Claude Robllio, Joe John Robinson, W. S. (Jr.) Robison Corwin A. Rocha, Antonio A. Rodriguez, Dario Rodriguez, Gonzalo Rodriguez, Joel Roe, Wendell P. Roesner, Ted Roy Rogers, Rufus S. Rohrer, Arnold Rojas, Hector Romano, Joseph A. Rombe, Isaac Ronco, Philip Gerald Rooy, Pieter C. de Roper, Lester Lee Rosam, E. D. (Jr.) Rosas, Isael Acaclo Roschkowski, Heinz Rose, Gerald Stanley Rose, John Darryl Rose, Raymond R. Rosenborg, Kaarlo A. Ross, Gerald V. Ross, Lawrence Ira Ross-Jensen, W. R. Ruan, Allison B. Rubio, Raul Rubio, Reynaldo M. Rucker, Charles H.
Rudtke, W. H. W. Ruggero, Kenneth A. Ruggixn, Arnaldo Ruggles, Paul R. Ruiz, Alvaro Ruiz, Erasmus Rundel, Juergen Runnari, Pertti F. V. Ruohomaki, V. O. Ruryk, Theodore H. Rusk, Fred (Jr.) Russenberger, Hans Rust, Ralph Alton Ruth, Wilmer Besco Ryan, Roy Ansi! Saenz, Dionisio Saia, Joseph Sainthill, E. C. (Jr.) Sakatos, R. G. Salango, Felix C. Salavaara, Kalle Salazar, Fructuoso Salih, Natheer Salinas, Adulfo Saiindong, A. S. Sallis, Gilbert W. Salonen, Antti U. Saltmarsh, George H. Salvatierra, W. C. Samayoa, Armando Sammek, Reinhold Samuelsen, Kare Samuelson, Ivan Sanchez, Leonardo Sanchez, Octavio Sanchez, Renato Sandeen, Harold P. Sandner, Max Sansom, Robert D. Santoleri, Antonio J. Santone, Antonio Santos, Amaro J. dos Santos, B. N. dos Santos, Januario B. Santos, Roberto Sarachini, Jose Sarakin, Charles W. Saturnino, A. B. Saumur, Laurier Saungweme, Daniel Savoy, Kenneth R. Sawalich, Howard S. Scaglione, Joseph Schaffer, Konrad B. Scharner, Josef Scheibner, Erwin Scheider, Wilhelm Scheller, Peter J. Schemmel, Jose N. Schlumpf, Walter Schmidt, John J. Schnabl, Alfred H. Schnake, Willy Schneider, Gottlieb Schoenfeldt, Helmut Scholz, Joachim Schroeder, Albert D.
Schuette, Alfred Schuette, Werner Schuetz, Hermann Schuler, Gerald J. Schulz, Reinhard Schuster, Heinz Schwartz, Dale A. Schweinoch, Walter Schwensfeier, H. R. Sciascia, Frank W. Scurti, Bruno Seabra, Antonio Secord, Arthur H. Seegelken. G. D. Seegers, C. J. C. Segal, Mario I. Selgnobos, Jean Elise Seiji, William van Seitz, Hans-Werner Sekela, Vasil Sekerak, Joseph Selby, Douglas W. Serrano, Bruno Sewell, John Edward Sexton, Jerome C. Shakhashiri, G. J. Shalkoski, H. E. Shawver, Windell G. Sheldon, Charles C. Sherman, C. O. (Jr.) Shewchuk, Julius J. Shuter, Sidney A. Shyers, George F. Sibiya, John E.
Sibrey, David Sideris, Anthony Siemens, Allan B. Signell, Kenneth A. Siivonen, Pauli V. Sijula, Elijah Silva, Carl Silva, Carlos B. Silva, Fabio Celso Silva, Jose Rolim Silva, Jose Rufino da Silva, Lino Silva, Nobile Eloy da Simcox, James E. Simpkins, William J. Simpson, James John Sinaali, Mukosiku Sinclair, David G. Singer, Earl V.
Siolkowskl, John Sloras, John Peter Siverson, Lars Skalecki, Antoine Skinner, Francis E, Sklavounos, T. Slik, Henry Small, Albert E. Smilnak, Michael Smith, Keith Neville Smith, Leonard E. Smith, Louis D. Smith, Raymond H. Smith, Stephen Smith, Thomas E. Smith, Walter Paul Snider, Donald N. Snow, Frederick W. Snyder, Ralph Leroy Sokela, Samson Solis, Alejandro Somberg, Werner Sondermann, Guenter Sosa, Filemon Sosa, Reynerio Sotiriou, Michael C. Souza, Josias Souza, Mario R. de Souza, Silvio Dias de Sowell, Arthur F. Spacil, Frank Spangenberg, W. Spangler, Stanley R. Sparks, Ronald A. Spear, Frank W. Spence, Silbert E. Spidel, Bernard John Spilling, Barry John Spitzke, Edgar Irwin Spotta, Karl Springer, Walter Staff, Eugene T. Stafford, Neville B. Stallard, Esel D. Statton, Clare Edsal Stauffer, Alvin J. Stebbins, Keith W. Steele, Charles A. Steele, Donald LeRoy Stegenga, Dirk J. Stelgerwald, Helmut Stelndorft, Wilhelm Steinemann, Hugo Steiner, James Burt Stephen, Eliya Stepien, Erwin Sterke, Frederik de Stevenson, Paul M. Stevenson, William C. Steward, Albert O. Stewart, Earl K. Stitz, Clarence V. Stoermer, Clarence A, Stokes. Alan Stanley Stone, Roscoe A. Stoute, Arnold T. Stovay, Kenneth Stow, Roger F. J, Stradone, Joseph J. Strand, Roy Ivar Strandberg, John R. Streit, Walter Strom, Rolf Stuefloten, John W. Stuhlmiller, Alois Suess, Oscar F. Sugiura, Isamu Suikkonen, Rauni J. Suiter, Grant Sullivan, Thomas J. Sumen, Hemming A.
Sunia.1, Rudolph Sutherland, John P. Svantesson, Erik Svennback, Alfred G. Svensson, Allan Svensson, Curt Svensson, Hugo Swader, Robert E. Swingle, Lyman A. Swisher, Gordon Sydlik, Daniel Sypsas, Athanassios Szewezyk, Heinz J. Szurnlga, Marian Szymczak, Daniel Tabios, Julio Manalo Tablos, Santos M. Tafts, Siegfried R. Taggueg, Percy Talabi, Michael O. Tamangani, Dickson Tanare, Diosdado M. Taylor, John Edward Taylor, W. Richard Tetnbo, Amon Templeton, R. R. Terry, Roger L. Tetzner, Walter Teubner, Titus Teunissen, C. W. Tharp, Alexander E. Thieme, Guenter Thomas, David J. Thomas, Fritz Hans Thomas, William R. Thompson, A. deL. Thompson, Gene E. Thompson, J. A. (Jr.) Thompson, Martin F. Thompson, W. L. Thongoana, Joshua S. Thunberg, Curt L. Tiainen, Matti K.
Tiolo, Jonas Toikka, Esko Taplo Tolenaar, J. H. D. Tolentino, G. G. Tomlanovich, J. R. Tordzroh, Adolf Kofi Torgeson, Bruce E. Torso, Edward W. Toth, Frank Joseph Touveron, Paul M. J. Tovar, Juan Towara, Walter Townsend, Keith S. Tracy, Frederick A. Tracy, Robert Nelson Tracy, William A. Trapp, H. Daniel Tremeaux, Charles Triff, Joseph David Trost, Alexander Trost, John Donald Trost. Ron Trujillo, Florentino Truman, Ivan W.
Tseckalis, Vasslllos Tselikas, Nicolas G. Tshazibana, Martin Tuazon, I. D.
Tubini, Giuseppe Tuendemann, S. B. Tumia, Michele Turnbull, Douglas Turner, Lawrence Turpin, Walter E. Tymkovich, Ed W. Udoh, Reuben A. Uhlig, Guenter Ukpong, E. U. U. Ulrich, Clarence Umek, Bernard Ungululanl, Bright Uwaeme, Dick O. E. Uzomaka, N. C. Vainikainen, A. M. Vainikalnen, Eino I. Valdez, Eusebio Valdez, Jose Valdivia, Jaime Valentino, Luiggi D. Valerio, Nazario Van Assel, Karel Van Daalen, Emil H. Vanderhaegen, P. J. Van Ike, Donald G. Van Leeuwen, B. Van Sickle, William Van Sipma, S. M. van Vuren, J. W.
Van Zee, Fred Post Vayrynen, Jorl Reino Vazquez, Manuel Veenstra, William Veesenmeyer, Alfred Velasco, Arnulfo Ventura, Felipe P. Venturini, H. S. Vera, Luis Vergara, A. G. Versari, Sergio Verschoor, A. R. J. Villareal, Jesus Visser, Melis S. G. Vitez, Rudolfo R. Voigt, Walter E. Vorster, Jacob R. Voss, Paul Otto Fritz Waffell, Charles Wagner, Andrew K. Wagner, Ludwig Wakefield, W. H. Walden, William C. Walker, A. Vallan Walker, David Lee Walker, James R. Wall, Levi Wallen, Robert W. Wallis, Wilfred A. N. Wallworth, Paul F. Walters, Gilbert T. Wandres, Albert Wanner, Jakob
Ward, Donald E. Wargo, Michelle Warienchuck, G. A. Washington, A. W. Wauer, Ernest Waziwadi, Jalson Weber, Jean Webster, James Oscar Weekstrom, Erik A, Weidner, Harold J. Weigel, John Allen Weinlng, C. H.
Weiss, Friedrich Weltner, Heinz-Kurt Welz, Heinrich Wenas, Max H. Wenek, Geremias Wengert, Joseph Wenik, Maximiano Wensauer, Hermann Wentzel, Petrus J. Werden, Claude H. Wesley, John Basil Wesley, Nicolas West, Keith S.
West, Therlo Henrv Wetzler, H. D. (Jr.') Wheeler James S. Wheelock, Richard C. White, Victor Wiberg, Carl Emil Wicke, Alfred Emil Widell, Jan Billy Wiedenmann, David Wiegel, Arthur Wiegersma, Aalzen Wieland, Edward W. Wlhlborg, Ingvar Wijngaarden, J. van Wildman, Lewis A. Wiley, L. F. (Jr.) Wilkes, George P. Willhite, Lovell G. Williams, Albert S. Williams, Charles F. Williams, Frank Tai Williams, Harry R, Williams, John E. Williams, John H. Williamson, Otu G. Wilson, Ennis Robert Wilson, Frederick J. Wilson, J. L. (Jr.) Wilson, John Alfred Wilson, Miles La-Carl Wilson, Smith Wimmer, Gustav Winberg, Arne Winkler, Robert A, Winterburn, V. E. Winther, Curt Wischuck, John N. Wisegarver, V. C. Wissmann, Walter R. Witherspoon, L. E. Wong, Arthur Chong Wood, Eden Reginald
Woodburn, Martin Woodland, Kenneth Woodworth, H. P. Woodworth, W. E. Woody, Charles Worsley, Arthur A. Wo.su. Amos Anucha Wozniak, Andre Wriedt, Heinz Wright, William H. Wrobel, Paul Wulle, Otto Wuttke, Richard Wynes, Emlyn Wynn, John Alfred Yacos, William
Yamano, Kinji Yaremchuk, William
Yates, Allan John .Yeatts, Hugh M. ■ Yeatts, Lowell K.
Yeatts, Thomas R.
Yeatts, William R.
Yllera, Fred S.
Yoram, Kenneth Young, Charles W.
Young, Gordon Keith
Young, R. G. (Sr.)
Young, William Loyd Yuchniewicz, S. S.
Yurkevitch, Joao Y. Zachariades, John
Zakian. Arthur S. Zanker. Desmond A Zarate, Roberto Zbylut. Michel Zedi, Ernst Zeller, Horst Zenke. Howard W. Zielinski. Alfred ZiJke, Otto Ziwawo, Delson Zondo, James H. Zondo, Welcome Zook, Aquilla B. Zoumbos. Lambros Zuercher. Franz Zurich. Stephen R. Zyto, Casimiro
GILEAD SCHOOL EXPANDS ITS WORK
The Watchtower Bible School of Gilead continued to make its grand contribution toward carrying out the global commission to preach this good news of the Kingdom in all the inhabited earth for the purpose of a witness to all the nations. While preparing students of this school to preach in all the world, students have been called from many nations to this international training center, men and women who were already ordained ministers and experienced in the field of preaching. These have come to Gilead School from ninety-five different lands. All these dedicated, ordained ministers of God wanted to be used in a greater capacity as missionaries somewhere in the world. So they volunteered their services to such a work. These ordained ministers were of the anointed remnant and the other sheep.
It is interesting, when reviewing the records of the 3,477 graduates during the past sixteen and a half years, to see that 268 of the graduates professed to be of the anointed class. The rest professed to be of the other sheep. This means that only 8 percent of those who have finished school have been of the remnant in Gilead’s thirty-three classes. Interesting, too, is the fact that in the earlier classes that blazed the trail for this missionary service as high as 20 and 23 percent of the students were of the anointed. Today we find these brothers and sisters of all the classes carrying on the missionary service in more than a hundred different lands and speaking upward of eighty different languages.
At Pentecost, A.D. 33, the holy spirit miraculously equipped the first 120 anointed ones to preach in tongues, that is, to speak different languages to the peoples of different countries. Today new languages are not gained by miracles, but the missionaries acquire the ability to express the Kingdom message in additional tongues, other than their own, and Jehovah has richly blessed them in their efforts.
During the past service year the thirty-second and thirty-third classes have finished school. These two classes were made up largely of students from outside the United States. It might be pointed out at this time that the Society has financed the bringing of the majority of the students from all parts of the world to the school and that those who have attended school from outside the continental United States have totaled 1,599 and the other 1,878 who have finished school were from the United States itself. Thus we see that 46 percent of Gilead’s graduates during the past thirty-three terms have been non-Americans. This is certainly a gratifying number, which proves that Gilead has served as an international school of theocratic training.
Then, too, something new has been added to the Society’s great educational campaign and that is a new school, the Kingdom Ministry School, which was begun this last service year at the Gilead School in South Lansing, New York. This is the beginning of a far greater work, the training of overseers in all parts of the world. What is now started here in the United States will soon reach out into all branch offices where the Kingdom Ministry School will be used to train overseers of the congregations so that they, too, may have a more accurate knowledge of the truth and understand their privileges of service and see their responsibilities better.
The registrar at the school gives us a report on the thirty-second and thirty-third classes as well as experiences gained from the starting of the first Kingdom Ministry School.
THIRTY-SECOND TERM OF GILEAD
This term opened September 10, 1958, about five weeks following the historic Divine Will International Assembly in New York. From the convention delegates, 130 were called from fifty-three lands to make up this postassembly student body. None came from the United States. This was truly an international class. For five weeks before school opened special English classes were operated to improve the English of all these foreign students. This class proved to be Gilead’s largest on record and most colorful as well. What an international blending of personalities from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas! A splendid living example of the potential of New World unity after Armageddon.
Winter weather was a new experience for most of these students from the tropical parts of the earth. Generous contributions of clothing came to the school from the Brooklyn Bethel family and other American brothers to enable all these students to be warmly dressed for New York state’s rigorous wintry weather.
All survived happily to share in a blessed weekend of graduation festivities. For the sessions Saturday, February 14, 1959, there were in attendance 1,684. On Sunday, February 15, graduation day, 1,924 rejoicingly assembled to extend their well-wishes to these enthusiastic graduate missionaries of many nations. The Society’s president, Brother Knorr, gave the principal graduation talk on the subject: “Ordained Ministers— Before God or Before the Nations of the World?” A very fitting and stirring talk was this. On this day 130 graduated, with 117 receiving diplomas.
GRADUATES OF THE THIRTY-SECOND CLASS
Alexander, John S. Aron, Annemarie L. Assadourlan, Mardig Atlemoh, Henry E. Ba Aye, Doris Z. Backhouse, June (Mrs. G. B.)
FEBRUARY IS, 1959
Baird, Reginald H.
Baker, Jean D.
(Mrs. P.)
Branca, Antoine
Brlsart, Nicolas
Brisart, Liliane
(Mrs. N.)
Calsbeck, Jennifer (Mrs. C.)
Casartelll, Federico
Casartelli, Ana
(Mrs. F.)
Cejudo, Jose
Chavez, Rufino
BETHEL IN U.S.A. International headquarters at Brooklyn, N.Y. Under construction, 12-story home for extra staff required in world-wide expansion work.
EC E Cl £ EC EC EC c cc c ir Fl I» R ife F «F RR I fl a SS
BETHEL IN BRITAIN. In London’s scenic Mill Hill a new home, printing plant, school and Kingdom Hall.
Chiffelle, Olga Christopher, G. A. Cilliers, Johannes Conroy, Robert L. Constantinidis, G. Darko, William T. Darko, Grace A.
(Mrs. W. T.) Daube, Karin Dawkins, Redolfo deGraaff, Elisabeth Dooh-Ngoh, Jean Drayer, Carla Ebberg, Friedhelm Faergestad, Unni Fjelltveit, Kare F.ielltveit, Reidar Flekal, Ferdinand Flowers, Sylvester V. Forster, Johannes Forster, Josefine
(Mrs. J.) Fraga, Dracon L. Funk. Minerva
(Mrs. B.) Garrard, Eugenie
(Mrs. G. B.) Gbondo, Bayo Goerth, Hans-Ulrich Gomes, Cesario Gomes, Ofelia
(Mrs. C.) Goto, Tsuneko Graham, Alicia
(Mrs. R. F.) Groothuis, Jacob Guinart, Niida Gustafsson, Laila Hahn, Alfredo R. Hansen, Ruth Harley, Jean Hartmann, Ruth Heide, Roberta Henry, Herbert T.
Henry, Margaret
(Mrs. H. T.) Hernandez, H. Hernandez, Ruth
(Mrs. H.) Hoeller, Helga Holgersen, Willy Homann, Ruth Hongal, Victor Y. Horvath, Walter Hyrkas, Kauko Ishii, Seiji Johansson, Jerker Johansson, Gurli
(Mrs. J.) Johansson, Sigurd Joseph, Adrian Joubert, Terry Karkada, Harsha J. Kazandjian, Alice Kim, Jang Soo Kim, Kyung-Hi Kuenz, Guenter Kuhn, Kurt Langbroek, Jan L. Larsen, Jorgen Larsen, Anna
(Mrs. J.) Lee, Hae Young Lopez, Samson Lunkenheimer, Mabel
(Mrs. O.) Lyambela, Solomon Mafambana, A. Marechera, Jeremiah Matare, James Michael, Tryphon Mier y Teran, Horacio Miralles, Jorge Moessinger, Gabriele Muller, Martha
(Mrs. G. F.) Munoz, Elena Neal, Fallah Nohrer, Erika
Nyberg, Glenard Nyberg, Greta (Mrs. G.)
Olivar. Vincente G. Pantelidis, Electra Park, Chong II Pedersen, Bent B. Penda, Martin Phillip, Kennedy Poetzinger, Martin Pophal, Gunter F. Pophal, Mary
(Mrs. G. F.)
Redmond, Georgianna Reffell, Robert R. Reffell, Celestine (Mrs. R. R.)
Rene, Andre L. Rijts. Max P. Rodriguez, Olga Rombe, Isaac H. Sanderson, Hadyn Sanderson, Melody
(Mrs. H.)
Smedstad, D. A.
(Mrs. H. A.) Sotiriou, Michael Sotiriou, Ketty
(Mrs. M.)
Spotta, Karl Svensson, Evy Taggueg, Percy Thomsen, Erna Tomlanovich, Joseph Torruellas, Johssie Ubazuka, Morio Weber, Joachim E. Weckstrom, Erik Weckstrom, Meri
(Mrs. E.) Wegener, F. C. Wegener. Shirley
(Mrs. F. C.) Williams, Clinton Woudstra, Hendrika
THIRTY-THIRD TERM OF GILEAD
After Gilead’s previous largest class, this thirty-third class became Gilead’s smallest, for a happy reason stated later. Eighty-four registered for school February 25, 1959. It became necessary for two to leave later on, so the final class at graduation time numbered eighty-two. Fifty-six of these graduates were from outside continental United States, representing thirteen countries. All these non-American students had been convention delegates at last summer’s grand assembly in New York, but since the previous class had been full, they had to wait their turn to attend school. Most of these waited in Canada for six months doing pioneer work there and enjoying- the rich hospitality of the warmhearted Canadian brothers.
Graduation day came August 2, 1959. Amidst perfect summer weather, outdoors on the paradisaic campus of Gilead the weekend sessions were held. On Saturday 2,981 attended and on Sunday 4,406 were assembled together. After the instructors and the farm servant made their short speeches, Brother Knorr delivered the appropriate key address of the graduation, entitled “Instructions in the Art of Witnessing.” Of the eighty-two graduates, seventy-six received diplomas. To twenty-seven different lands abroad these missionaries had been assigned to take up their preaching work within the next few weeks. So another group of loving servants of Jehovah were being scattered to the four corners of the earth as spiritual jewels to enlighten men of good will in many nations.
GRADUATES
OF THE THIRTY-THIRD CLASS
AUGUST 2, 1959
Alexander, G. T. Barnes, H. Leonard Barnes, Beverley
(Mrs. H. L.) Bethel, William H. Beutnagel, Patsy Beveridge, Eric Beveridge, Hazel
(Mrs. E.) Bowman, Walter W. Bowman, Patricia
(Mrs. W. W.) Bush, Stanley M. Carter, Glenn T. Coombe, Ernest J. Cripps, Sheila Deeg, J. Theodor Dussia, Earl C. Dussia, Juanita
(Mrs. E. C.) Earl, Christabel Ferdinand, Jocelyn Gaedcke, Edgar S. Gaedcke, Velma J.
(Mrs. E. S.) Gray, John Gray, Valerie
(Mrs. J.) Greco, Sarah Gunn, George Gunn, Olive M.
(Mrs. G.) Gunther, Richard O.
Gunther, Rita J.
(Mrs. R. O.) Hancock, Patricia Hart, Norman A. Hart, Betty
(Mrs. N. A.) Hatfield, Ray L. Hatfield, Inger
(Mrs. R. L.) Hinds, Janice R. Hines, Doreen L. Humphrlss, George Humphriss, Frances
(Mrs. G.) Hundertmark, P. W. Hundertmark, Evelyn
(Mrs. P. W.) Ikehara, John M. Jenkins, George L. Jenkins, Callie
(Mrs. G. L.) Kensall, Clifford A, Kopelchak, Evelyn Lopez, Joseph Lopez, Leila R.
(Mrs. J.) Lourenco, Armando Mahoney, Eileen Martinez, Walter T. McRae, Eric D. McRae, Eunice M. Mills, Evanson J. Mills, Tyra J. Mouritz, Harold V.
Mouritz, Ann Y.
(Mrs. H. V.) Nako, Richard T. Permell, Sylvia R. Pratt, Neal D. Ravenscroft, Peter H. Roberts, William Roberts, Dorothv
(Mrs. W.) Scott, Winifred Smook, Lena Springate, Sonia Stanbury, Barbara Stewart, Raymond D. Tareha, Charles A. Thomas, Owen Thomas, Marion L.
(Mrs. O.) Thorne, Brenda J. Tyson, Barbara Unwin, Jean Vaisey, Albert L. Vaisey, Beryl P.
(Mrs. A. L.) Valdivia, Jaime Walters, Ronald J. Walters, Heather
(Mrs. R. J.) Wargo, John E. Wheeler, Geoffrey Willis, Joan M. Winfield, Sheila Wooding, Brian L. Yazedjian, V.
KINGDOM MINISTRY SCHOOL
Something new has come to be our lot here at this Gilead School. Following the thrilling announcement at the Divine Will International Assembly in New York in the summer of 1958, the Society arranged for the first classes of the Kingdom Ministry School to be brought to Gilead School, and this school operated at the same time that the missionary school operated.
The first class consisted of twenty-five students. This was made up of overseers who were circuit servants, and their wives were asked to come along with them. They were all circuit servants from the United States. This class, along with the two that followed it, certainly were happy with the school.
The Kingdom Ministry School’s program consists of twenty-four days of training. There are six school days in each of the four weeks that the overseers go to school. The course is very thorough and it has been specially prepared by the Society to help the overseers of congregations to appreciate their responsibilities first of all toward Jehovah God and then toward God’s congregation.
Seventy-five students have now graduated from the Kingdom Ministry School, which began March 9, 1959, and here are some of the comments that were made by the different graduates of the first three classes.
Following is an extract expression made by the first group: “We have been refreshed and strengthened by a keener appreciation of Jehovah’s truths and His purposes. We have reviewed the principles of the Christian ministry. We have found practical solutions for our field problems. We have grown in maturity. We have become more adequately qualified as his ministers to follow the example of the greatest teacher, Jesus Christ. How happy we have been here at school! How happy we are now to take the benefits of this training into the field!”
The second group expressed themselves as follows: “Throughout the course we have come to view with more understanding the spirit, the Word and the organization of Jehovah God. The study on the subject of overseers has shown us that our privilege and responsibility to preach together in unity is certainly important. We have come to appreciate the practical application of all features of the field service. We feel that we will more effectively live the ministry as we teach others.”
An extract from the third group’s expression reads: “Jehovah carefully provides for all His sheep, and the Kingdom Ministry School seems to be another of a long list of His provisions for us. We are reminded of His counsel at 2 Peter 1:5-8 as a preventative of ‘being either inactive or unfruitful regarding the accurate knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ This course should be a real boon to all of us in keeping fruitful ministerially.”
So you see, Brother Knorr, it has indeed been a very happy privilege to share in the opening of this new Kingdom Ministry School.
Once more, on behalf of the faculty, I wish to express to you, the Society and, above all, to Jehovah our gratefulness for being privileged to serve here at this school. May we be blessed with yet another year of such happy service. We are looking forward to serving not only the thirty-fourth class of the Missionary School but also the many further classes you have assigned to come to us for the Kingdom Ministry School.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Population: 174,084,000
Peak Publishers: 239,418 Ratio: 1 to 727
The Divine Will International Assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses held in New York city in the summer of 1958 had a telling effect on the work in this country during the service year of 1959. All who were in attendance at that wonderful gathering received great spiritual assistance and during the following twelve months reflected the good that they received. It was a wonderful year for helping people of good will to take their stand on Jehovah’s side, and one of the outstanding things in this regard was the way Jehovah’s witnesses in the United States took hold of the Bible study work. The Bible studies increased from 159,904 in 1958, on the average, to 192,765 weekly Bible studies. With so many persons being assisted in their homes privately by an ordained minister, it helped them to see and appreciate what their responsibilities are in these last days, and so many more individuals in the United States took their stand on Jehovah’s side. In fact, there were 21,951 baptized, which was in expression of their dedication to Jehovah’s service and their determination henceforth to be living the lives of Christians. They took up a new way of life, no longer to
serve the old world, the Devil’s organization, but now to serve Jehovah God, seeking peace and pursuing it.
In order to take care of the great increase in the work in the United States alone the Bethel family was increased in numbers during the 1959 service year. There were, on an average, 512 members in the Bethel family, to compare with 437 seven years ago. This means there has been an increase of seventy-five members in the Bethel family in only seven years. The present Bethel home in Brooklyn is too small to accommodate all these full-time ministers, but the new addition to the Bethel home is under construction, to the delight of all the family.
The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., operates two farms where brothers work to produce food, meat, dairy products, vegetables and fruits, which are trucked into the Bethel home in Brooklyn, and these fresh products direct from the farms have kept the Bethel family in good health, at least aided greatly in that regard. We in the Bethel home in Brooklyn appreciate the excellent services rendered by our fellow workers at these farms, and, because of their services, we are able to keep the cost of food bills low, and, in like manner, this helps to keep the cost of literature down.
Not only do all the members of the Bethel family in the" Bethel home and on the farms enjoy their daily labors in the home, or factory, or office or in the fields, but they also have the privilege of engaging in field service weekends and conducting their own home Bible studies and seeing the congregations grow, and they have helped greatly in this growth. One must keep active in the house-to-house witnessing, preaching and teaching the Word as well as doing his other labors of love in order to appreciate to the full the need of printing the Word so that others can read it. The Bethel family in the United States appreciates very, very much their glorious treasure of service and are grateful that they can assist their brothers in all parts of the world by furnishing them with Bibles, magazines, booklets, books, tracts and any other thing that is needed for the preaching of this good news of the Kingdom. Some interesting field experiences have occurred in the United States and these are set out in this report along with the results of the accomplishments at the printing plant at 117 Adams Street in Brooklyn.
On learning that the stirring Resolution passed at the Divine Will International Assembly would be widely distributed, all publishers and pioneers anxiously looked forward to December. From the first of the month till all Resolution tracts were put out, all shared wholeheartedly in the distribution. It was suggested by the Society that publishers give a brief introduction, place the Resolution in the hand of the householder and encourage him to read it, and tell him a return call would be made to hear his comments on it. The effectiveness of doing this is shown by the following report from a December vacation pioneer: “Casper, Wyoming, is receiving the tracts very well. Acceptance at the doors is quick and courteous in at least 99 percent of the homes. A college graduate with whom I study tells me that the tracts have caused quite a reaction among her friends, most of whom are wives of business and professional people. She says that most would not have given it a second glance had it not been for our “very clever bit of strategy’’ in requesting their comments. Due to this, most of them have read it very carefully and are eagerly awaiting a chance to express their opinions. Already I have started seven studies and could start more if only I had time.”
Thousands of persons, on reading the tract, did not await the return visit of the publisher before doing something. At the rate of well over a hundred a day for weeks householders sent to the Society the coupon on the back of the Resolution tract requesting a copy of the booklet.
In all, 4,408 individuals wrote to the Society for the booklet. Back-call slips were made out in the office the very day requests were received, and these were forwarded to the congregation. Many reports have been received from congregations receiving Resolution back-call slips telling not only of studies started, but of goodwill persons’ being helped to dedication. Here is one: “It is a great pleasure for us to write in reply to the enclosed slip on this person of good will. The woman and her husband are now publishers. They attend all meetings and comment, and are planning on being baptized at our coming circuit assembly.” How important it is for congregations to follow up good-will slips sent to them!
As for results of congregations in following up tract placements, one congregation in Washington writes: “We were able to start sixteen new home Bible studies by following through on Resolution placements with the back-call sermon.” A service center group with 329 homes in their territory advises: "Twenty-one Bible studies were started as the result of follow-through on Resolution placements, sixteen of which are still active after being conducted for four months.” Follow-through on Resolution placements was a contributing factor in our increasing back-calls from last year’s 10,546,196 to 13,167,115—a 25-percent increase!
Another very pleasing feature of our report is the fine Bible study increase. From last year’s monthly average of 159,904 we went up to 192,765—a 21-percent increase! Much of this can be attributed to the Resolution back-call work and use of From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained. From the outset, on using the Paradise offer, the Society suggested starting studies on the initial placement where possible, and, if not, to make definite arrangements for a back-call. Was it successful? Note this letter from a circuit servant’s wife in the New England area: “This letter needs no answer as I know how busy you are. It is just that we are having such marvelous results with the Paradise book that we just had to let you know of it. Here is yesterday’s exact service for me, and others did equally well: four Paradise books placed in the morning, and one new study started on the spot. In the afternoon a sister and I started two new studies with fond owners of Paradise. In the one-hour evening work before the book study, I placed one more Paradise book and started a study on the spot. And the point is—it is so easy. We are having a grand time and are so grateful for the opportunity to offer this God-given aid.”
Door-to-door witnessing has been interfered with by the Green River ordinance more than any other law. There was such interference 229 times. All these efforts to stop ordained ministers from preaching were overcome, either by direct correspondence from the legal office to the officials or in the courthouse. Very few cases ever reached the courthouse, and even then none were forced to trial. All were dismissed. One case was appealed to the high court in South Carolina. The Supreme Court of South Carolina held that congregation publishers are ministers exempt from the payment of the license tax for book agents and solicitors under an ordinance of the City of Darlington.
Zoning laws have been used to interfere with the building of Kingdom Halls in 103 instances. Many of these zoning cases went to court in many states throughout the country.
The fight for freedom must continue. We know that if we give an inch we will be forced to retreat a mile, so there is no letup.
A pioneer brother working in Oklahoma has had a very interesting experience aiding an ordained Lutheran minister to accept the truth. Not too long after a home Bible study was started with him, the Lutheran minister of some thirty years (with three children now scattered over the world in missionary work) attended the Missouri Synod gathering for ministers. The subject of Jehovah’s witnesses came up. He took exception to the criticism made against Jehovah’s witnesses, telling the group of ministers he was studying with one of Jehovah’s witnesses and attending Kingdom Hall meetings. Among the things he told them was this: “I was amazed to learn how much more Jehovah’s witnesses know about the things we are supposed to believe than we know ourselves.” He said: “Jehovah’s witnesses cause me to realize that after thirty years of telling Bible stories and giving sermons there are very few scriptures that I can turn to in the Bible and give a logical, sensible explanation of.” The bishop spoke up: “If you feel that way about them, why don't you join them?” The reply, “Just don’t push me.” To the bishop’s question, “Are you serious?” he answered: “I was never more serious about anything in my life.”
That he was serious about the matter was evident in that soon thereafter he began teaching the truth about the trinity in his church. Church officials, in an effort to get him to break from the truth, offered him not only a new church with parsonage and large salary, but also his doctor’s degree, which he had coveted for years. Wisely he turned it all down for something of greater value, the truth. The pioneer brother wrote on August 17: “He was baptized at our circuit assembly in June and since has made wonderful progress. He attends every meeting, except on Tuesday when he has secular employment. He never misses a Sunday morning without being in the service and has prepared and delivers his sermons at the door, just as outlined by the Kingdom Ministry. He has enrolled in the ministry school and regularly participates on the program at the service meeting. He often speaks of getting into the full-time service and would like very much to get into some foreign assignment, as he spent twenty years in Bolivia as a missionary of the Lutheran Church.”
PUBLICATIONS PRINTED AT BROOKLYN
It was a delight to see the orders for the new publications that were released at the Divine Will International Assembly come into the Brooklyn office. It kept the printing plant taxed to its limit. In fact, during the year a number of publications ran out of stock because it was impossible to keep up with the demand. Because of the great increase in the number of home Bible studies conducted regularly each week, many more persons saw the privilege of dedicating their lives to Jehovah’s service and these engaged in the work, and this also required greater supplies of literature.
The Brooklyn factory alone was required to ship out 1,809,389 more bound books during the past service year than it did during the preceding one.
In the latter part of the year the Society placed an order for more bookbinding equipment, and when this is installed during the coming year the production of bound books should be stepped up by 10,000 volumes each day. The two new books, From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained and “Your Will Be Done on Earth,” were in great demand and it was necessary to print and bind 1,946,664 copies of the Paradise book and 1,534,354 copies of “Your Will Be Done on Earth.” It is our sincere hope that the demand will continue just as great during the 1960 service year for these two publications.
It is of interest to note also that the booklet “This Good News of the Kingdom” has had an unusual distribution. The publishers of the Kingdom are using this to good effect in starting Bible studies. In the five years since its release this booklet has been printed in sixty-one languages, to the grand total of 25,829,440 copies in the Brooklyn plant. So that the reader of the Yearbook may have an idea of the production in the Brooklyn plant during the 1959 service year in comparison with former years the following table is set out.
BROOKLYN FACTORY PRODUCTION REPORT
|
Books and Bibles Booklets The Watchtower Awake! Convention Reports |
1957 3,007,727 11,669,375 59,701,150 46,909,450 |
1958 4,220,812 12,842,434 68,840,840 55,527,425 695,000 |
1959 5,081,553 16,941,303 63,957,860 48,616,100 414,630 |
|
Total |
121,287,702 |
142,126,511 |
135,011,446 |
|
Advertising leaflets |
135,065,550 |
121,949,000 |
131,882,500 |
|
Calendars |
214,652 |
259,525 |
284,772 |
|
Miscellaneous printing Magazine bags |
51,019,434 7,403 |
64,939,365 7,689 |
54,571,855 |
|
Tracts |
7,685,550 |
16,379,500 |
64,055,603 |
|
Total misc. printing |
193,992,589 |
203,535,079 |
250,794,730 |
In considering the above, some may wonder why the decrease in the printing of the Watchtower and Awake! magazines in the Brooklyn plant. The reason for this is that the Society installed two high-speed rotary magazine printing presses during the year, one in Canada and the other in England. These two presses have relieved the Brooklyn plant of some of its magazine work. When one looks at the over-all printing of the Watchtower and Awake! magazines for the world in all its branches, it is observed that there has been a definite increase in the distribution of both magazines.
The primary reasons for installing these presses in these two branches were to take advantage of better mailing service and saving in postage and shipping charges. Now many of the countries in Europe and especially Africa will be able to receive the English publications much more quickly than they did when they were shipped from the United States.
With the tremendous increase in the production of books and booklets during the year it was necessary for the Society to get even greater quantities of paper. It was necessary to purchase 1,089 tons more paper this year than during the previous year. In fact, the paper used during 1959 amounted to 8,798 tons, or a little more than seven carloads of paper coming into the factory every week, being printed into magazines, books and booklets and then delivered to the various shippers. Each carload of paper is about twenty-five tons. This will give the reader a fair idea of the amount of work that must be done in handling all of this, putting it through the many machines in order to turn out a book or a magazine.
There are many other products used in making books besides paper, such as ink. Of this commodity, ink, we used 110 tons. We not only used it, but we manufactured it in our own printing plant. We also consumed seventyseven tons of paste and glue, along with 492,052 yards of cloth and numerous other products.
It is the hope of the Bethel family that their brothers in the field will keep them busier during the 1960 service year than ever before, and the Society has arranged to be busier by getting more machinery, which will require more brothers to operate it. This, in turn, means a larger Bethel home. So expansion is our watchword, and by Jehovah’s undeserved kindness we will try to keep up with the great work that Jehovah wants done in the earth in these last days. Those persons living at Bethel appreciate the wonderful provisions made for them in the home. They express their gratitude daily in prayer and they are happy to be united as a family serving together in the interests of God’s kingdom and in behalf of their fellow workers world-wide.
REPORTS ON TERRITORIES UNDER THE UNITED STATES BRANCH
There are a number of territories that the Brooklyn office has the supervision of, and the work is directed from that office in these territories. While Alaska has now become a State of the Union, it seems best to continue to keep these reports separate in order to see what is being done in this vast isolated section of our earth and to give it special attention along with Bermuda, a small group of islands in the Atlantic, Eritrea, Guam and Iceland. By consulting the chart, one will see how the work is increasing in these lands and how the people of these various localities are being given attention and being aided in coming to an understanding of the Bible. Reports from representatives in these lands follow herewith.
ALASKA Population: 161,000
Peak Publishers: 271 Ratio: 1 to 594
A study was started with a young couple. Both had been seeking the truth for some time. On one occasion the young man asked the Presbyterian preacher to explain the trinity so that he could better understand the subject. The preacher became angry and said, “We believe the trinity because it is our faith,” and ended the conversation. This convinced the young couple that Jehovah’s witnesses were right as regards the falsity of the trinity. A few more studies were conducted and answers to questions on Christmas and blood transfusions were given, then they began to come to the meetings. Shortly thereafter the man asked what happened to the body of Christ. “It was disposed of by God.” “I could understand that,” he replied, ‘‘since Jesus sacrificed his body to God, it was within God’s right to dispose of it as he saw fit.” This young man and his wife go regularly in the witness work, were baptized at their first circuit assembly, and all within a few short months.
At one logging camp a Witness introduced himself as a minister from The Watch Tower. The woman looked at him a little peeved and said, “What church is that?” He replied, “I am one of Jehovah’s witnesses.” “Well, why didn’t you say so in the first place? Come in. I studied with the Witnesses in the States.” When she left to come to an isolated logging camp she was told she would not see any Witnesses where she was going. She was surprised to have someone calling, but remarked, “Why should I be? The Witnesses are all over.” She said she was ready for a study any time, so one was held right then, with another lady sitting in. Any time a Witness could come out she wanted to have a study.
An unusual experience was related by an Eskimo in Nome at our June district assembly. He was recuperating from an injury when he found the book What Has Religion Done for Mankind? at his aunt’s house and started reading. He wrote the Society for more material. He asked his aunt where she got it and was told it was from a man on his way to Teller by dog team. It was a brother from Anchorage who pioneered in the area for a short time and often wondered if the literature placed would really have any results. He knows now. While at the assembly the Eskimo was baptized. Two brothers went to Nome to assist him for a few weeks. The wife of the brother who placed the literature is having a study with his blind sister in Anchorage, and after reading Isaiah 35:5 she exclaimed, “Oh, I have learned so much today.”
BERMUDA Population: 41,992
Peak Publishers: 39 Ratio: 1 to 1,051
Our magazines are now familiar to all people in the central parts of the Islands. A brother was finishing magazine work one day when, as he neared a bus stop, he was called to by a lady he remembered just having witnessed to but who had not taken any literature. Unknown to the publisher, the husband had heard the offer being made and after the brother left asked his wife why she had not taken anything, as he had heard they were good magazines to have. She left the house shortly afterward and, meeting the Witness, as related above, told him what had happened and took the magazines she had refused at home.
There are now a great number of children associated and attending meetings. It is encouraging to hear their experiences, like the following, which shows the value of maintaining a home study. A schoolteacher told the class that, if they were good, they would go to heaven, but, if bad, they would burn in hell. One eight-year-old girl who comes from a divided house told her that this was not true because some of the good people will go to heaven after the resurrection and others will live on the earth. When the teacher asked her where she learned about good people living on the earth, the girl replied that it was at the Bible study that they have at home with her mother.
ERITREA Population: 1,080,000
Peak Publishers: 80 Ratio: 1 to 13,500
Special pioneers who enter isolated assignments must be extremely cautious in their work in view of the ban, but with training in tactful preaching methods our brothers are still able to accomplish much in this field. One special pioneer entered an isolated assignment a few months ago and tactfully made friends with his new neighbors and accepted “invitations for tea.” During the visits he would work the conversation around to world conditions or other things that would give an opening to quote a few scriptures about the blessings of God’s kingdom. In this way several studies were started in a short time and some interested persons had actually come to the point of taking a stand for the truth before the religious leaders even realized that Jehovah’s witnesses had “moved in.”
Opposition did come, however, when a priest entered a home where a Bible study was in progress and tried to start an argument. Our brother tactfully avoided a controversy, but this only irritated the priest, who went to the police and reported that Jehovah’s witnesses had come to spread their false, foreign doctrine, which was forbidden by the government. When called before the police chief to answer charges, our brother used the priest’s own Bible to defend his work and this made such an impression on the non-Christian police chief that he told the priest that he could not object to the work of Jehovah’s witnesses unless he also objected to the work of the priest, since this Witness was only teaching what was contained in the priest’s own Bible. Our brother was then told that he could continue his work, which he did, and as a result there now exists a small congregation of nine publishers in this village.
GUAM Population: 37,568
Peak Publishers: 22 Ratio: 1 to 1,681
When the sisters learned it was Jehovah’s will through his organization to be trained further by giving student talks they responded one hundred percent. Some sisters might fail to see Jehovah’s provision for training them and refuse to enroll in the theocratic ministry school or complain about giving talks, but not so our 58-year-old Chinese sister who never spoke English until this year. She learned the truth through an interpreter, studying “Let God Be True” and “This Means Everlasting Life.” She symbolized her dedication by water baptism and, wanting to serve Jehovah in a fuller capacity, she has learned to speak English. Each talk has shown a marked improvement, and Jehovah is blessing her efforts.
One of our newer publishers has five children, from four years old to fifteen, but this has not kept her from doing the divine will and going in the service or attending meetings regularly. By having a service schedule she regularly takes out all five of her children every week and she takes them to every meeting. All are enrolled in the theocratic ministry school except the four-year-old. She realized that setting a proper example, not only in word, but in deed, in doing the divine will is important in bringing up the children in the nurture and admonition of Jehovah. Her love and zeal for Jehovah are encouragement to all.
ICELAND Population: 166,000
Peak Publishers: 31 Ratio: 1 to 5,350
Tact is a must for Jehovah’s witnesses. One day shortly before Christmas a pioneer visited with a young couple who had shown good interest to start a Bible study. The couple had waited for her and, to her great surprise, they had also bought a Christmas present for her! The best one for a missionary, they thought! A big and luminous cross to hang on the wall! However, tactfully our missionary was able to tell them about the origin of the cross and what it was a symbol of, and then the couple decided then and there never to have a cross in the house. But that was really only the beginning, for the next topic discussed was Christmas. They took the explanations very well, with the husband checking the information with his encyclopedia. They rejoiced very much to find all to be in harmony, and virtually spoiled the “Christmas joy” for all their guests by telling them all about their new-found beliefs. Moreover, they subscribed for both The Watchtower and Awake! and a home Bible study was begun.
ARGENTINA Population: 19,858,000
Peak Publishers: 6,384 Ratio: 1 to 3,110
About 20,000,000 people make up this vast country of Argentina, and Jehovah’s witnesses there recognize their responsibility to preach the good news of the Kingdom to all that they can meet. They agree with Paul’s words to Timothy: “The things you heard from me with the support of many witnesses, these things commit to faithful men who in turn will be adequately qualified to teach others.” (2 Tim. 2:2) Even though the brothers in Argentina do not have the freedom to preach as they do in many other countries of the world, they have not slacked the hand one bit. Their report shows a 16-percent increase in the average number of publishers during the 1959 service year. The brothers throughout the world had the opportunity of assisting the work in Argentina, and the branch servant tells us something about this in his report for the year.
A special pioneer working in his assignment received a good-will slip from the Society. Since the man lived on bad roads many miles from the assignment of the special pioneer, the pioneer wrote a letter, sending a copy of The Watchtower and of Awake! In answer this man wrote thanking the brother for his letter, saying that he had read the literature and that he saw clearly that this is the organization that is working in harmony with Jehovah and His Kingdom. He said: ‘Please come and visit me, since I want to serve Jehovah too.’ The visit was made and as a result twenty-six persons heard a talk and many stayed to have their questions answered. Arrangements were made for these people to meet and study “Let God Be True.” In many places where special pioneers and congregation publishers have gone, within a few months there are new publishers working with them.
The floods during the months of April and May did much damage but did not dampen the zeal of the brothers affected. In one congregation of 100 publishers the very next month twenty-one were vacation pioneers, and in August this congregation reported 128 publishers. They started the service year with seventy-two. Also they are reporting ninety-five studies. This is surely an expression of their thankfulness to Jehovah for the provision made through the organization to help them with clothing and food. The generosity of the brothers in all the country was shown by the great amount of things sent to these places affected by the floods. Thousands of kilos of food and clothing were sent to aid our brothers. Just to one place 1,260 kilos of things were sent. The comments of the brothers and persons of good will receiving the help were, ‘What unity!’ ‘What love there is within the New World society!’
This report would not be complete without mentioning our fight for freedom of worship. True, we do our preaching work and Jehovah’s blessings are upon it. Great has been the increase, reaching a new peak of 6,384 publishers in August. Several of our assemblies have been stopped by the police or they refuse us the permit that is needed. This is due to a ministerial resolution of the year 1950 that was issued under Peron’s government. Much has been done to try to get full freedom to meet together in assemblies and large meetings, but every road seems to be blocked. A petition was circulated during the month of June and we have received 192,000 signatures. Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay have helped us in this work, and, in all, we have 322,636 signatures. Request has been made to the president of the country for an interview to present him with the petition, but this has been refused. Nevertheless, it will be presented in the presidency asking that the matter be considered. We wish to express our thanks for the co-operation of all the brothers that have written the president asking for full freedom of worship in Argentina. According to a government official, they have received more than 7,000 letters from all over the world. He also stated: ‘Catholics and Protestants can learn much from Jehovah’s witnesses.’ He added: ‘You people study your Bible, get knowledge and then go out and preach what you believe as the truth; your zeal, integrity and determination are admirable.’
The Argentine brothers wrote more than 2,500 letters to government officials and congressmen. Many of these men have answered and expressed their interest in helping when the time presents itself. A witness that would have been impossible by other means has been given to the ones in power. We are known everywhere. All we have to say is that we represent Jehovah’s witnesses and they know who we are.
AUSTRALIA Population:
Peak Publishers: 12,915 Ratio: 1 to 755
Jehovah’s witnesses in Australia, as in all parts of the world, stand alone, definitely separating themselves from Christendom. With joy they can cry out with the psalmist: “I will . , . cause thanksgiving to be heard aloud, and . . . declare all your wonderful works.” (Ps. 26:6, 7) Early in the service year God’s ordained ministers in Australia shared in the world-wide distribution of the Resolution that Jehovah’s witnesses had accepted at their international assembly in the summer of 1958. This message had a telling effect, along with the distribution of the new books, From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained and “Your Will Be Done on Earth.” No publications have been received by the brothers and distributed as readily as these, and the branch servant reports that due to these publications there has been a great increase in the number of home Bible studies, reaching a new peak of 9,600 by the end of the year. Many encouraging experiences are reported from the Australian office.
Thousands of copies of the November 1 Resolution Watchtower were mailed to clergymen, government officials and others. While a few clergymen took the message seriously, leading even to Bible studies in one or two cases, immediate effects were seen in an increase of lectures in the churches against Jehovah’s witnesses and intensified publicity in parish magazines vilifying the Lord’s people. One clergyman had the notes of his talk mimeographed for his parishioners and inadvertently gave a powerful witness to the truth when he listed five points for the progress of Jehovah’s witnesses as compared with false religion, thus himself condemning Christendom’s activity. Among them were such things as “clarity of thought; unrivaled knowledge of the Bible; can count on every member; strong on devilries of modern warfare and extravagance of modern life.”
One of the problems we have is reaching the thousands of scattered persons living in the “outback” and off-the-beaten-path areas. Toward the end of the year five pioneers in two groups traveled all the way from Perth, Western Australia, right around the coast through the northern territory, central Australia and western Queensland and then back home. One party of three publishers traveled 6,263 miles by the time they reached Sydney, placing 685 books, 292 booklets, 971 magazines and 81 subscriptions in 819 hours of witnessing. They say, “Placements of books would have been greater if we had not run out of supplies.” They now intend to sell their property and enroll in the pioneer service.
By keeping the pioneer ministry before the brothers as a way of life unequaled today, we have been happy to see an average increase of 16 percent in these fulltime ranks. Eight hundred and fourteen different persons took advantage of the vacation pioneer service, to compare with 608 the year before. Even those who do not enjoy good health can share in the vacation pioneer work from time to time and receive a rich blessing, as did one sister who vacation pioneered in unassigned territory. “I had always imagined my nerves were too bad to be a pioneer,” she wrote. “Each Watchtower that came along and the letters from the Society showing the need for pioneers made me realize my place was in full-time service. I thought by trying the three months’ vacation pioneering I would know if I could manage the full-time service. I have never felt better. What caused my nerves to be bad was not answering the call.”
An elderly pioneer sister who has done considerable work by letter writing was given names and addresses of some interested native people on an island to the north of Australia. Her letters met with immediate response. One woman, a mother of ten children, wrote for subscriptions for The Watchtower and Awake!, remarking: “It is a great pleasure to write you. Many thanks for your lovely letter and The Watchtower to keep me always on the bright path of life. ... I always pray at home asking our heavenly Father to give me time to give God the chance to put something in my mind, something he wants us to do for his kingdom.” Filled with love to care for the sheep on this island, later in the year this sister and another traveled there at considerable expense. They had many wonderful experiences such as this one: “As a result of my visit to a humble little home seventeen bound books were placed; they went into eight different homes on two other islands.”
When one has the truth of God in his heart, the desire to preach is strong and he feels like Jeremiah, who could not hold it in. A young invalid sister confined to a hospital did some preaching to her bedmates. The hospital authorities objected, but where there is a will to serve Jehovah there is a way. She wrote letters to the interested ones in the room and had them mailed outside by visitors who called to see her. As a result two attended the circuit servant’s public talk and appear to be making progress in the way of life.
NEW BRITAIN Population: 102,192
Peak Publishers: 46 Ratio: 1 to 2,221
In a congregation of only twenty publishers arrangements were made to hold an assembly. Four pioneers had been able to rent a home, and behind the home was a secluded back yard. It was here under the shade of large trees that the assembly platform was erected. High meeting attendances were not anticipated. However, Friday night saw sixty-five good-will persons there; for the public meeting on Sunday there were eighty-three persons; and that night the assembly was climaxed as 210 attended the showing of the Society’s film at the fine Edinburgh Hall.
A happy, unexpected problem faced this small circuit on the Saturday and Sunday mornings of their assembly. Announcement had been made that there would be field service these mornings. On Saturday morning forty-one persons turned up and on Sunday seventy were present! The good-will persons were coming to the publishers, not the publishers going out to find them. This pleasing problem was solved by dividing up the many native good-will persons into ten to twelve groups and placing each group under the care of a mature brother or sister.
This was only the beginning of the training work for this small congregation and its pioneers. Five months have passed since the holding of the assembly. All meeting attendances in this once-small, twentypublisher congregation now average over 100. A large portion of the four pioneers’ time as well as that of congregation publishers is now spent right in the back yard of the pioneer home. A total of more than 500 back-calls are made right here each month, some natives returning as many as thirty times in the month for instruction.
Literacy classes have also been commenced with the more interested ones. At the present time about forty are being trained to read and write. A solid foundation is being laid here for many of these natives to become mature Kingdom publishers.
NEW GUINEA Population: 1,341,268
Peak Publishers: 62 Ratio: 1 to 21,600
During the year several more brothers were able to make arrangements to move into this territory to serve where the need is very great. There are now three active congregations.
One congregation servant reports: “Progress here is limited only by the amount of work we can devote to the ministry; people are very anxious to be taught. . . . When the circuit servant was here he asked us to concentrate on the groups we had, and this we are doing, but countless numbers of times we turn down requests to go out to the local villages. We started bringing a few into Madang at night to study with us at home; the second time we went out crowds came out of the darkness asking to be allowed to come ... At our last service meeting on the island there was a good touch of local color. The men had been out hunting, but at three o’clock they came back for the meeting, piled their spears and bows and arrows together, then joined in with song 82, sung in pidgin. They said: ‘There is a time to eat, a time to sleep, a time to work, a time to hunt, and now we have a time to learn about Jehovah.’ ”
After the showing of one of the Society’s films in Lae the circuit servant was elated to tell the Society: “The showing of the film here was really thrilling. The owner of the native theater agreed to our having the theater and would not charge us anything, even though it cost him £15 in expenses. The attendance was 1,200!”
A European brother enthusiastically relates this experience: “One young native who has been assigned to me soon started going from house to house on his own, finding good interest. Then one of the deacons looked him up and asked him, ‘Why did you join the Jehovah’s witnesses?’ He replied, ‘Well, I now have learned who the Most High is over all [quoting Psalm 83:18]; since he is going to be over all, I want to serve him and hence I am a Witness.’ ”
PAPUA Population: 478,595
Peak Publishers: 262 Ratio: 1 to 1,826
Some brothers have been traveling regularly to a village some distance from Port Moresby. Each time a call was made on the village pastor. At first he was very friendly and showed a lot of interest. Then his mission’s European overseer began to put pressure on him to turn the villagers against the Witnesses and to chase them from the village. But at each visit the brothers would talk to the pastor and he would see reason and would agree that Jehovah’s witnesses were doing God’s work. Finally the pastor one Sunday morning asked the villagers if they would like Jehovah’s witnesses to preach to them in the church, because if they did he would arrange it. He concluded by saying: “I am suggesting this to you, my people, because I have your interests at heart. I want you to find everlasting life.” At the next visit the brothers found the pastor had been removed from office; but he is rejoicing at having found the real way to life.
A European special pioneer serving in remote territory finds the interest so great that he does not need to leave his home to feed the sheep. “Continually people are calling here at my hut to hear more about God’s kingdom. Just now one Papuan is sitting in my hut waiting for me to finish this letter and then to teach him some more. They start coming to visit me from about seven o’clock in the morning through till nine or ten o’clock at night.”
Two European brothers regularly visit their congregation each weekend, making a journey of eighty miles over mountainous roads. In the native village a house has been specially built to accommodate them. An intensive training program commences early Friday night, is carried on all day Saturday and finishes Sunday afternoon. In another congregation arrangements were made for an educated native brother to spend his full time teaching the village of Jehovah’s witnesses. Daily he instructs a group of fifteen to twenty boys. But this is not all, for on two days during the week most of the native men and women of the village come home from their gardens and laboriously learn to read and write English.
SOLOMON ISLANDS Population: 114,300
Peak Publishers: 86 Ratio: 1 to 1,329
Early in the year it was possible to appoint two zealous native publishers to the special pioneer service and they have done excellent work. We were very surprised when one brother wrote the Society and said he was studying with sixty persons, but this was soon followed by another letter that said he had 655 interested people now and needed help! The zeal and devotion of the new publishers in these islands is amazing, putting to shame the efforts of thousands so materially blessed in other parts of the world. A second congregation was appointed in the islands during June, with fifty-eight publishers reporting in the first month!
The circuit servant was granted permission by the government to spend six months in missionary work in these islands. Although certain restrictions on our work still remain, the officials have proved courteous and helpful. It is hoped they will soon be able to see our Christian work in its true light and be moved to take steps to allow the work to proceed unhampered.
Often it was found that whole villages wished to be taught by Jehovah’s witnesses. At such centers most of the villagers were prepared to spend a number of days in intensive Bible education, hearing Bible principles expounded, and then they were divided into twelve to fifteen groups, each with a more mature Witness in charge, learning and rehearsing simple sermons so that they too could help still others.
It was found that in several villages, although there were no dedicated brothers, the good-will persons had already built a Kingdom Hall in anticipation of the Witnesses’ arrival, and in a few instances they had even specially built a house to accommodate these Christian teachers. In each case anywhere from eight to eighty were regularly gathering each morning for consideration of the daily text from the Yearbook. Their attitude as a whole was well expressed by one of the men who said: “We want to learn about Jehovah, we want to understand the Bible, we want to preach. Will you please come and show us how?’’
From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained is proving to be a marvelous instrument in this protectorate and all interested villages have been provided with an initial supply so that studies can be held and advancement made toward maturity.
AUSTRIA Population: 6,997,000
Peak Publishers: 5,852 Ratio: 1 to 1,195
Jehovah’s witnesses in Austria have had a very blessed year. There has been a wonderful ingathering of the other sheep. They have followed the apostle Paul’s advice: “Keep this mental attitude in you which was also in Christ Jesus,” and have pressed on preaching the good news in the cities, in the mountains and on the farms. Many of the people taking their stand for the Kingdom are looked upon as unlearned and ignorant men. But no matter how the people of this world look at God’s ordained ministers they will continue to give testimony to his great name, and very often the peoples of the world are astonished at how these followers of Christ Jesus who have his mental attitude are always ready to make a defense before everyone that demands of them a reason for their hope. The branch servant of Austria gives us two very fine experiences along this line that occurred during the past year in this beautiful land.
A very religious Catholic woman who lives on a farm high up in the mountains became one of Jehovah’s witnesses. She was a member of the “Atonement Crusade,” and the priest, the nuns and all the neighbors were shocked and asked her continually to visit Therese von Konnersreuth. This is a nun who is well known in all German-speaking countries because for many years it has been said that on her body the stigmata of Christ appear. The sister had been pressed for a long time, the journey was paid for her, and somebody came to do her work on the farm while she would be away. She was willing to go, only because she hoped to get a good opportunity to bear witness to the truth. She was accompanied by two specially trained Catholic women, and on the journey she already preached for eight hours. After their arrival her travel companions told everybody they met that tomorrow one of Jehovah’s witnesses would be going to Therese.
The next morning, although it was no visiting day, she entered the room alone. Therese asked her: “Are you a Bible student?” “I am one of Jehovah’s witnesses,” answered the sister. “What do you want?” was the next question. “I want to bring you the message of God’s kingdom.” At this reply the nun only laughed. Now our sister explained that the priest and all in her native place had urged her to make this visit and that all thought that never had a witness of Jehovah visited Therese of Konnersreuth. To this the nun said that many had come, but she had never permitted one to enter. Then she began to argue that the Roman Catholic Church is the true one because it is built on Peter the rock. When the sister replied that the rock is Christ, the nun said in a very loud and rough voice: “If you do not change, you will go to hell.” “I know I shall go to hell when I die, but this hell is the grave.” At this point the physician, the father, and the sister of Therese, and also the two travel companions entered the room. All fell on their knees in front of the nun; only our sister stood upright in their midst. All wanted to persuade her to kneel down also. The physician said she ought to obey, but she answered, “I must obey God rather than men.” A discussion followed during which Therese asked what our hope is, but she refused to look in the sister’s Bible to read the scriptures. When asked to take her own Bible, the nun apparently had none in the house. When leaving, the sister offered the nun two books as a present. She refused them, but the physician was interested. One of the travel companions stayed longer and related afterward that the nun had said: “This woman is very strong, I am unable to do anything with such people, I have no power over them.”
When the sister returned to the inn where she spent the night the innkeeper was glad that she could get two books and some booklets. Our sister was very happy that Jehovah God had helped her, the countrywoman, to be a faithful witness before so many people and also before this nun.
A missionary reported how fearlessly a little girl took her stand. The ten-year-old daughter of a sister who recently came into the truth wanted to leave the Catholic Church. To do this, children who have reached the age of ten years have to go to the municipal office and must declare and sign that it is their personal wish to leave the church, and that their parents have not compelled them to do this. So the little girl prayed at home to Jehovah that she might not be frightened by the officer, and then she went alone. When asked whether she was doing this of her own will, she said: “Yes, I myself want to leave the Catholic Church because I have to decide myself whether I want to serve Jehovah God and to live eternally, or to serve the Devil.” After this she was permitted to sign her notice of withdrawal, but she still had to bring her certificate of birth. To get this she went alone again to the priest next morning. “What do you need it for, Anne Marie?” he asked. She said: “To leave the church.” He clapped his hands over his head and exclaimed: “What’s the matter? Why?” The girl told him that she takes part in a Bible study and that she wants to serve Jehovah because he gives everlasting life in a paradise on earth. A true Christian may not be limping upon two sides, because Jehovah God does not want half a heart,” she said. “Will you continue to pray diligently?” asked the priest. “Yes, I pray to Jehovah that he may teach me the right way.” “Then it is good, little Anne Marie. Pray honestly, and it will certainly be right.” Then he gave her the certificate of birth, which she took to the municipal officer. Now her burning desire is to be baptized at the next circuit assembly.
BAHAMAS Population: 116,530
Peak Publishers: 168 Ratio: 1 to 693
More than ten of the principal islands in the Bahamas have been worked during the year by Jehovah’s witnesses. In some places there are just a few inhabitants, but it appears that they are very happy to have Jehovah’s witnesses call and talk to them again about the Bible, and as time goes on, because of hearing the good news, many take interest and begin their own Bible studies. The branch servant reports that the new books released at the Divine Will International Assembly have had good effect and that the people in the Bahama Islands are enjoying them. Here are a few experiences concerning the work in the islands of the Bahamas and a brief report on Turks Islands by the branch servant.
Do you think your territory is overworked? One schoolteacher on Andros has been teaching the children the Bible and to sing Kingdom songs. Some pupils are now publishers. But there are only about fifty homes in the settlement and there is no place else to go; virtually every house is a back-call. Still they do house-to-house preaching with the latest sermons.
One theocratic family had just sold out preparatory to moving away when they discovered they had been robbed of over $1,500. Did they fuss and worry, neglecting the service? No, they were out in the field service, at the service center and meetings just the same. Upon hearing of their loss a brother at the service center remarked how strange it was, for his neighbor, who could not pay his bills on Saturday, was now out buying all kinds of expensive things for himself and his house. A check was made by the police and the man convicted. Most of the money has been recovered. Had the family stayed from the meeting that night such prompt action could not have recovered the money. Do you let worries keep you from meetings?
Vacation pioneers can do much good here in the Bahamas. This past year we have been blessed with several brothers from the States and Canada who came here to vacation pioneer for a couple of weeks to a few months at a time. Five major groups have been worked by them. At Harbour Island the priest circulated a petition to get the vacation pioneers off the island for distributing the Resolution. Other ministers were enlisted by the priest but with little effect. Many people refused to sign and a greater witness has been given. Others have taken a more active interest as a result. We would welcome more vacation pioneers this year to follow up the interest. Can you vacation pioneer this year?
TURKS ISLANDS Population: 6,600
Peak Publishers: 7 Ratio: 1 to 942
This small, barren, isolated group of islands, located in the most southerly part of the Bahamas, is under the control of the Jamaican government and has a population of about 2,000.
Regular meetings are being held at Grand Turk and one or two local people are reporting. The group is quite immature at the moment, but we are hoping through regular meeting attendance to see them improve. Right now it does not seem reasonable to form a congregation there. A small assembly is being planned for October, 1959.
BELGIUM Population: 8,989,000
Peak Publishers: 6,042 Ratio: 1 to 1,487
Jehovah’s witnesses in Belgium, like all of God’s people throughout the world, have had in mind the good text at Revelation 16:15: “Happy is the one that stays awake and keeps his outer garments.” Truly the one who stays awake and continues in Jehovah’s service is a happy person, and the brothers in Belgium have experienced this during the past year. More time has been spent in preaching the good news than ever before and more people have been preaching it, too, to the joy of persons of good will in Belgium. Our brothers there are happy that they reached a new peak of 6,042 publishers in April, and the branch servant gives us some experiences of those who have shared in this work.
Did you ever try to make back-calls on a Sunday evening and start a study? Nothing is easier; try it, and start the study with the booklet “This Good News of the Kingdom.” A circuit servant’s wife was calling at the home of a lady who asked her to come back when her husband would be at home. As he was at home only on Sunday evening, the sister went, along with her husband, to make the back-call. After they had given the sermon and answered some of the householder’s questions, two subscriptions were obtained and a home Bible study was started in the booklet “This Good News of the Kingdom.” Four months later, as the circuit servant and his wife were again visiting the congregation, they were happy to see that the study was going on very well. Arrangements were made with these good-will persons to take them along in the field service during the week, which was done. From that time on they have been regular publishers.
Sometimes it is not possible to start the study at the first back-call, depending upon the circumstances. However, when one is prepared with good back-call sermons, he can eventually find the way to start the study if he is persevering. A special pioneer wrote the following interesting experience, showing how proper preparation and perseverance in calling back can bring results: “One day, as we were calling back, my wife and I used the sermon we had prepared as suggested in Kingdom Ministry. We placed a subscription for The Watchtower with the good-will lady, who listened attentively to our sermon. Although the lady was busy with her little baby, she enjoyed the sermon. The next call was made when we delivered to her the next subscription copy. [Subscriptions are delivered by the publishers in this country, as there is a ban on the transportation of magazines by mail.] We gave her another back-call sermon, hoping to arrange for a study or even start it. However, her interest seemed to have grown somewhat cold, so we could not start the study. With the following issue of the magazine, as we neared the house, we were wondering whether we would still give a sermon; the lady had shown so little interest the last time. We decided that we would give her the magazine and go— the sermon would be for the next time. As we arrived at the door, it opened, and the lady invited us in, asking us to wait a minute, tor she was feeding her baby. While she was busy with her baby, we were waiting, politely keeping silent. Suddenly she said: ‘Aren’t you saying anything today? You may start, you know. I listen to you!’ She was waiting for our sermon! Since that day, the study has been started, and the husband is attending too.”
In some fanatical Catholic regions, literature placements are rare. If the minister wants to bring forth fruitage as a minister of Jehovah, he must patiently visit everyone who has shown interest, so that not a bit of the seed sown is forgotten. How many calls do you think one should make before giving up? The answer shown in the experience that follows would be not to give up too easily, but patiently and lovingly call back. “While I was vacation pioneering I made a back-call about twenty miles from my home. The man was a clock repairer and he had accepted the book ‘This Means Everlasting Life.’ Although he had accepted the book, he was not too enthusiastic but would just listen when I would call back. Quite a number of calls were thus made. One day the man saw his younger son writing on his book. He took the book out of his son’s hands and began reading it. Immediately after, he got in his car and drove twenty-five miles to the village where I live. After searching for an hour in the village —he was asking for the family ‘who are busy with Jehovah’—he found my home. He asked many questions that evening. After the discussion, which lasted about four hours, he went back home, happy to have found the truth. A Bible study was started, and since his entire family is opposed to the truth, he comes regularly to my home to have his study. Now he is baptized and is sharing regularly in the ministry.”
Do you use tracts in your ministerial activity? They accomplish a wonderful work! A sister writes us: “One day as I was calling from house to house I met a lady who said: ‘I do not want to hear about Jehovah’s witnesses; I do not want their magazines. However, I shall think over what you told me.’ I told her that she would forget our conversation, therefore I offered to her a tract on the new world, which she accepted. Sometime later I called back. What a surprise when she asked for the two magazines! The tract had completely changed her outlook. A month later she subscribed for Awake! and she continued reading The Watchtower, I also placed a book, and was able to start a home Bible study.”
BOLIVIA Population: 3,278,000
Peak Publishers: 387 Ratio: 1 to 8,457
Every Christian who seeks peace and pursues it will receive Jehovah’s rich blessing. When one learns the truth and continues to study it so as to gain maturity it is only a matter of time until he sees results. As he preaches the good news to others it is not long until he tells them: “Let anyone hearing say, ‘Come!’ ” (Rev. 22:17) And so in this high land in the mountains of the Andes Jehovah’s witnesses of Bolivia are saying, “Come!” and people are coming into Jehovah’s organization, gaining maturity, and are in turn preaching the good news to others. The experiences that the branch servant in Bolivia relates show this to be true. It can be seen that no matter where a Christian lives he still has the opportunity of preaching and doing right works.
A sister in the northernmost part of Bolivia wrote: “Working with the Resolution brought results. In a section of our territory, until then unworked, I left a Resolution tract with a man. This brief contact with the truth roused his interest immediately. The very next day as I passed along the same street he called me over and explained that he owned a Bible but, being a Catholic, had no understanding of it whatsoever. Would I, please, instruct him? Arrangements were made for a regular Bible study and our first study was held within a few days. A week later, when I returned, he asked if our study could be arranged at an hour when his wife could join in. At her place of business, she said, everyone was talking about Jehovah’s witnesses and she wanted to know about them too! Our study about the condition of the dead and the resurrection hope brought great relief to her, as the priest had just been after her to pay a large sum of money for a mass to save her dead mother from the sufferings of ‘purgatory.’ This family is now very happily learning the Bible truths about the divine will. They have begun to attend meetings and are witnessing to friends and neighbors about the Bible.”
Some of our brothers are isolated from their congregations for long periods at a time, but their congregational training stands them in good stead and they
do much witnessing in the campo, or interior of Bolivia. This experience shows the zeal and maturity of a brother in southeast Bolivia: “Brother C----, al
though working full time for an isolated oil exploration firm, manages to stay awake to the extent of having dedicated up to 100 hours a month to ‘awake’ field service as a congregation publisher. Here is how he does it. Being capataz, or foreman, he is free to choose whom he wishes to go with him into the woods to work. Wanting to spread the Kingdom message, he chooses a different one each day. After arriving at the allotted spot, a hole about nine feet deep must be dug for the geological survey. Since it is a narrow hole, one digs while the other hauls up the dirt. The brother makes good use of his time by giving a sermon while it is his turn in the hole. Then, when he is on top he looks up texts and comments in the Society’s publications for his ‘captive’ audience down in the hole. These the ‘captive’ gladly reads when he is back on top again. Naturally, all this work arouses interest and there are more inquiries as to the work and doctrinal points at the work camp. So on arriving home from work tired from a hard day of digging, does the brother collapse into bed, turn on the radio or read some worldly magazine? No! He holds a group home Bible study with as many as ten of the forty persons at the camp in attendance. Then, when on vacation, some of these also attend the meetings at the Kingdom Hall in town. Being alert to use each opportunity to serve has made it possible for him to obtain several subscriptions during the campaign and place all his literature including his own Bible! Just last month he reported that one other has joined him in being an ‘awake minister’ in that isolated territory.”
The circuit servants continue to have a good share in reaching isolated places and helping many on to maturity. From a circuit servant working in central Bolivia we received this experience: “In my circuit there are quite a number of towns where as yet there are no Witnesses; so it is my privilege, as time permits, to take the Kingdom message to these places to give a witness. Although the visit is only for a week, it is fully sufficient to arouse much curiosity and sometimes surprising results.” Then, giving an experience in one such town, he continues: “After printing some handbills inviting the people to the Municipal Hall that night at eight o’clock, I spent the rest of the day working with the Resolution and inviting all to see the picture. Of course, after a few of the children on each of the streets know there is to be a free movie, the advertising is well taken care of. So by that night, almost everyone knew about the movie of Jehovah’s witnesses. The priests were possibly the first to learn of it by their customary informer system. At any rate, the priests were standing in front of the hall before the picture was to begin, undoubtedly thinking that no one would dare to go in with them standing there. Only a few seemed concerned about their presence, and even they went on in. As the hall was about full, I went down to close the door, at which time one of the priests ran in. After the opening comments about the film, the priest shouted out that all Christians should leave at once, that this was a profaning of their faith, and so forth. Not one person stirred. They all remained for the showing of the film. In my experience in showing the films, this was undoubtedly the best audience I have ever seen. Whenever anyone would talk or a baby would cry, someone would always give the signal for them to quiet down. With the mayor’s permission the film was shown again at the end of the week in the plaza, with more in attendance, but the same good attention.”
BRAZIL Population: 63,101,627
Peak Publishers: 17,517 Ratio: 1 to 3,602
How true is the promise: “The little one himself will become a thousand, and the small one a mighty nation. I myself, Jehovah, shall speed it up in its own time.” (Isa. 60:22) Twenty years ago, in 1939, there were only 114 publishers in Brazil. Ten years later, in 1949, they had increased to 1,775, and during the next ten years the number jumped to 15,971. Now the good news of the Kingdom is preached all over this great country of Brazil, and thousands are continually being added to the fold of the New World society. What joy it is to God’s people to see Jehovah’s rich blessing upon their efforts! It is Jehovah who gives the increase, and the branch servant in his report on the country sends in many interesting experiences to prove this.
The reading and writing school conducted by the congregations continues to be of great aid in helping all to become more efficient Kingdom ministers. During the service year 735 persons learned to read and to write. An elderly sister who could not read used to conduct Bible studies with the help of younger publishers who did the reading for her. She has learned to read through the reading school and now she takes publishers along with her, not to do the reading, but, rather, she is taking an active part in training the less mature ones. One publisher writes: “It is a great privilege to be associated with Jehovah’s holy organization. In six months I have learned to read and to write, which helps me to give more praise to Jehovah’s name.” Another young man who did not have the opportunity to attend a school during his lifetime writes: “Ten months after 1 enrolled in the school I am able to read the Bible, the Watchtower magazine and other publications of the Society and witness from house to house using my Bible in giving sermons. Now I can search the Scriptures, and this gives me much happiness, as the words in Revelation 1:3 say: ‘Happy is he who reads aloud and those who hear the words of this prophecy.’"
The efforts put forth by the Society in conducting the school in all congregations have received favorable comments from government officials. Recently the Department of Education extended an invitation to the Society to send a representative to give a report on the progress of the school and what was accomplished. The Society’s representative had the opportunity to speak for fifteen minutes before an audience of about 350 officials and other representatives. Reports were given by other groups, but the report presented by Jehovah’s witnesses was the only one that received applause. A good witness was given and some literature was distributed. Some publicity has been given by a Department of Education circular.
Those who are awake to their privileges of service have much happiness and receive many blessings. A sister whose husband is opposed to the truth conducts four Bible studies despite the fact that she has eleven children to look after. Proper planning has. helped her to accomplish this. She prepares food for the family and does household duties in the early hours of the day so as to be free during the afternoon to conduct her studies and make back-calls.
A young sister who is eleven years of age says that she never misses an opportunity to witness to her classmates in school. One of them became very interested and she conducts a Bible study with her during intermission time. She takes up three or four paragraphs at a time and the average attendance has been four for every study period. Her schoolmate is now attending meetings at the local congregation and participates with her in field service.
A special pioneer who met very much opposition in his assignment continued to witness from house to house delivering well-prepared sermons at the doors at every opportunity. The local priest announced to his flock that the prophecy in Revelation had had its fulfillment and that the “wild beast” (referring to the pioneer) was in their midst. This did not discourage the pioneer and he continued faithfully in his service. At one door the householder refused to take the offer after listening to the sermon. But a young lady, a schoolteacher, who had also heard the sermon, asked the pioneer: “Is it true that you people are the ‘wild beast’ mentioned in the book Revelation?” The brother was well prepared and used the book “Let God Be True” to overcome this objection, asking the young lady to read paragraphs fifteen and sixteen on page 257 of the book. She took the book and a subscription for The Watchtower. After the third study she began to witness from door to door and now is a very active and efficient publisher with eight others in the new congregation.
The circuit servant who serves the Amazon region had a wonderful experience while traveling on a passenger boat on the Amazon River to visit congregations in that area. The captain of the boat gave permission for a public meeting to be held in the dining hall of the ship. The result? Ninety persons attended the talk and some of those who showed themselves to be of good will served as ushers. After the meeting, four books and thirty magazines were placed and three subscriptions were obtained. A young Japanese man, who also speaks some English, obtained a subscription, and a study was started at his home later. On another occasion this circuit servant was able to witness to some Japanese immigrants to that region and some Japanese subscriptions were obtained. They were very impressed with the fact that all kinds of men are members of the New World society. The circuit servant, who is also a Gilead graduate, used the class picture to show that his classmates were from many different countries, including Japan. Regular visits are being made with the group.
Brazil is a country where one finds people of different nationalities, languages and religions. A family who migrated from Italy in 1945 brought with them the book “The Truth Shall Make You Free” in Italian. They knew it contained the truth and wanted to obtain more literature. A friend had two other books of the Society, the books Religion and Salvation, and also wanted to get in touch with Jehovah’s witnesses. They found the address of the branch office in Brazil in one of the publications and wrote for more literature and obtained a subscription. The Society sent a representative to visit these good-will persons and now several have been baptized and a congregation has been formed. A Japanese man of good will, who migrated to Brazil several years before World War II broke out, had read some literature in Japan and remembered reading that the name of the true God is Jehovah. This made an impression on his mind. Coming to Brazil, he did not come into contact with the truth till recently when one of their own people became one of Jehovah’s witnesses and began to preach the “good news” in the Japanese settlement. When he received a copy of the Japanese Watchtower and saw the name Jehovah he literally leaped and shouted for joy. He begged the brother to show him where he could meet with Jehovah’s witnesses. The seeds of Bible truth are able to sprout after many years. There are over two hundred Japanese subscribers in Brazil and several are serving as special pioneers.
The program “Things People Are Thinking About” had great penetration here in Brazil and has helped many persons find the truth. A total of more than 800 programs were transmitted during the year. In some towns and cities use is made of the public squares. Sound amplifiers are used and the program comes on at a marked time regularly every week. In a city in the State of Bahia the special pioneers report an average attendance of 350 persons. A young man who was an Adventist and a regular listener to the program is now an active publisher in the local congregation.
BRITISH GUIANA Population: 508,000
Peak Publishers: 685 Ratio: 1 to 742
Jehovah’s witnesses, after attending the Divine Will International Assembly and returning to British Guiana and telling their brothers about the wonderful things they heard, had good cause for rejoicing. They had one thing in mind and that was what Paul said: “Keep this mental attitude in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 2:5) They were determined to press on in their preaching of the good news and to give it even greater publicity in this English-speaking colony in South America. The branch servant gives us some interesting experiences on what has gone on there and tells us of the joy of the brothers.
The brothers enthusiastically responded to the worldstirring Resolution campaign and determined to do their share. The result was a new peak of publishers, a 23-percent increase! During this campaign one brother called at the home of a Methodist minister who had already read the Resolution in the November 1 issue of The Watchtower. This minister questioned the Bible’s teaching that Jehovah used the Logos in creating all things in heaven and upon the earth. Checking a Greek-English lexicon that gave a meaning for ‘firstborn’ as ‘born from a woman,’ he averred that this was the meaning of the word firstborn as used at Colossians 1:15. His explanation was that Jesus became the firstborn of creation in that, being born of a woman, he was able to take away the sin of the world and thus create from himself a sinless world. However, the publisher pointed out that many angels had not sinned and verse 16 shows that Christ Jesus created all things in the heavens too, except Jehovah God himself. Finally the clergyman shook hands with the brother and said: “I honor you people for the way you study the Bible. I honor you people for the way you keep the world from having any pull on you. I honor you people, for no matter what the world does it cannot prevent your work. I wish my people were like you.” The following Sunday the clergyman sermonized on his experience with the publisher.
Naturally, everyone who is in the truth in British Guiana has been rejoicing over the new books, From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained and “Your Will Be Done on Earth.” One sister, passing on her way to her territory, was alert to speak to some road workers. The sister delivered the sermon on paradise found in the May issue of Kingdom Ministry and offered the book, which the man readily took. One of his workmates who had listened to the sermon also obtained a copy of the Paradise book. The next week the sister saw the men at work again and the first one asked for two more Paradise books. Later he contributed fox' “Your Will Be Done on Earth.” Now he is having a home Bible study.
Many persons who get a knowledge of the truth are afraid how their marriage partners will react if they start going from house to house in the community. One such man who had been having a Bible study with a special pioneer was a deacon at the local church. He wanted to preach, but he felt that his wife would be unpleasant and hostile. The man’s wife was usually at home when the study was held, and one day, at the close of the study, she said to the pioneer: “Brother, I don’t know why my husband is taking all that knowledge in and still siding with the Devil.” The pioneer asked her what she meant, and she said: “He is still going to church. When I see him going to the houses and preaching like you, then I will believe that he is changed and I shall take my stand too.” The next Sunday the husband was in the field service doing his duty to Jehovah instead of serving as deacon in the church.
BRITISH HONDURAS Population: 82,000
Peak Publishers: 222 Ratio: 1 to 369
Private Bible study is an essential thing, and persons who show the least bit of interest in the Word of God should be visited and encouraged to find out what Jehovah has set forth in his written Word. To help people understand what is in God’s Word every Christian must be a teacher, and we must day by day train ourselves for that kind of work. Paul told Timothy: “On the other hand, be training yourself with godly devotion as your aim.” (1 Tim. 4:7) To train oneself with godly devotion as one’s aim is a full-time occupation for congregation publishers as well as missionaries and pioneers. Some of the experiences that were sent in at the close of the service year by the branch servant of British Honduras prove this very point.
Among the many new ones who have joined the happy ranks of the New World society during the past year was a Methodist lady who showed kindness to the Witnesses by letting them use electricity from her house during a public talk. She would not take any payment but accepted a Watchtower and the booklet “This Good News of the Kingdom.’’ An alert missionary followed this up with a back-call and arranged to study the booklet with her, and though the interest was slight at first, she obtained “Let God Be True” and the study continued. Soon she began to see a great difference from what she had always believed and began to talk the new truths to others. Her former minister then called to see why she had not been coming to church, and she told him of the many things she was learning
and asked him to show her what was wrong with the teachings of Jehovah’s witnesses. In the discussion that followed she was thoroughly convinced that he could prove nothing wrong with them and she was determined to continue. Soon she dedicated her life to Jehovah and is now one of his zealous witnesses, realizing how true are Jesus’ words: “Whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water to drink because he is a disciple, I tell you truly, he will by no means lose his reward.” Her small kindness shown brought her the precious truths of life-giving knowledge.
A young Catholic lady had her interest aroused by an article in Awake! and soon agreed to a study in the book From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained. A special pioneer showed her how to prepare ahead so she could get more from the Bible study when he returned. How surprised he was on the return call to find that she had studied not only a few paragraphs but had marked the answers in the first three chapters! This careful study right from the start proved very valuable in the coming weeks when trials came heavily. First, the man she was engaged to marry told her she must choose between him and this religion. Knowing that what she was learning could mean everlasting life, she continued the study. Next, her parents threatened to put her out of the home, and then she was summoned to the convent, where the nuns ridiculed her studies. After this a priest came to her home to try to discourage her. She continued to prepare her lessons well and stood the attacks as the studies went on. When the district assembly was announced, she arranged to attend, and there she found many new friends to make up for the ones she may have left behind. Only by sincere encouragement to study hard and be ‘always ready to make a defense’ has this sheeplike person been able to weather the storms and continue confidently moving forward.
A barber who closed his shop and left town for the first time in twenty-six years so he could attend a circuit assembly and be baptized now takes advantage of every opportunity to spread the good news. He has found the magazines very effective in this, often handing a copy to a customer to read while trimming his hair. One man, when handed a copy of The Watchtower, immediately threw it down, saying that he did not read those magazines. Later, when the same man was back for another haircut, the brother opened to a particular article in Awake! and asked him if he had ever read anything on this subject. He said no and began reading. After finding the article interesting he contributed for the magazine and took it along as he left. Since then he regularly obtains both The Watchtower and Awake! It is in this determined way that the barber is able to place fifty to sixty magazines each month and open the way for many interesting conversations.
One of the important accomplishments of the past year in British Honduras was the building of the new branch building, which will also serve as a missionary home and Kingdom Hall. This was dedicated on August 6, the first day of the Awake Ministers assembly, and on that night 550 persons packed the new hall to overflowing. Among those present were some who were attending their first meeting with Jehovah’s witnesses. One of these was a man who had shown opposition to the teachings of Jehovah’s witnesses, but he found this opening so interesting that he returned to other sessions of the assembly. After it was over he told his neighbor: “As I sat there and heard the different speakers explain things so simply and clearly, it made me wonder: All this is so plain, but none of the other churches know these things. Why is that?” His neighbor, who was well acquainted with the Witnesses, showed him from the Bible that only those who know and fear Jehovah can get true wisdom and understanding, to which he readily agreed. The larger and more comfortable Kingdom Hall will provide an opportunity for more to hear, and the new building provides better facilities to direct the work throughout the country. We appreciate the great amount of assistance that was necessary in putting up this fine structure and want to express our sincere thankfulness and appreciation.
BRITISH ISLES Population: 51,455,000
Peak Publishers: 44,057 Ratio: 1 to 1,167
The great program of education that the Watch Tower Society has been carrying on over the years throughout the world is certainly producing results in Britain. The people of the British Isles are paying better attention to Jehovah’s witnesses, because as the years go on they gain more accurate knowledge. This great throng of ministers is no longer dismissed with a shrug; even the clergymen say that these Christians are people of faith and zeal. The people know Jehovah’s witnesses as the people with the Bible. It is very evident that the more than 44,000 full-time ministers in Britain are making a greater impact in the land than ever before. The Witnesses in the British Isles appreciate Paul’s words to the Corinthians: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God kept making it grow.” (1 Cor. 3:6) As the excellent training program goes on among God’s ministers there, more planting and watering will be done and certainly Jehovah God will give the increase. The branch servant writes that the expansion of the ministry school to include the sisters was warmly welcomed by all and has proved most successful, and the experiences that he relates, which are published here along with a brief report on Malta, are most encouraging.
In a year of many theocratic events the most outstanding for us was the occupation of our new factory and home at Mill Hill in the northeast of London. After the cramped quarters in the crowded center of London it is indeed a refreshing and stimulating change to work in a building made to measure and to look out on trees instead of bricks. We are glad Brother Knorr had us find a site out of town a little. The installation of a rotary press and all the ancillary equipment for printing The Watchtower and Awake! brought joy to us here and gave real purpose to the new building.
The distribution of the Resolution both in The Watchtower and as a tract was an exciting and important campaign. Many letters came in telling of Bible studies that had been started on the strength of the Resolution. One publisher obtained eleven subscriptions for The Watchtower as a result of calling back on one who enjoyed the Resolution.
The marked copies of The Watchtower carrying the Resolution were sent to all the clergymen and officials throughout the land. One clergyman, although disagreeing on doctrine, wrote the congregation as follows after reading his marked copy: “I honour you all for your sincerity and agree with you in deploring the barren unreality of many who profess to be Christians. I believe the deadness of Christendom is one of the major causes of the emergence and success of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.”
Outstanding during the year has been the number participating in the vacation pioneer service: a total of 1,689 different publishers, to compare with 751 last year.
There has also been fine response to the Society’s invitation to serve where the need is great. At least twelve have gone abroad and many more are trying to go. At least 233 publishers have moved to places where the need was great in Britain itself. Three families moved to where there was a small congregation of eight publishers, thus boosting this number to sixteen. As a result, in just eighteen months the congregation was conducting thirty-two Bible studies and had twenty-one new publishers, of whom thirteen have now been baptized. One of the new ones began in the service after his first study and was conducting a study of his own within six weeks. Another writes: “We feel Jehovah’s lead here as never before. Already we are feeling elated at the service prospects. Our health and fitness generally have improved and we have a real affection for this town and population.”
A brother in London determined to sell his house and move north where the need is great. He notified his employer of his intention to leave and was invited to explain why. Appreciating the sincerity of the brother and also his good work for the firm, the employer opened a branch of the business in the area so that the brother could continue with the firm, and he provided him with a new car to help with his traveling, both in his secular and his Kingdom work. From his new home he reports greater success and consequently greater joy than ever before.
Much fruitful work is done by witnessing to workmates, both orally and by example. One attracted the attention of a Catholic workmate by not using the customary bad language and was able to interest this man in the hope of life on earth. The Catholic asked the brother to meet his priest to discuss this point and this was done. The priest had no Scriptural argument but merely declared it to be an “utter impossibility.” Coming away from the priest’s home, the Catholic declared: “When a pitman (miner) can confound a priest, it is time to investigate.” After a few studies in the “Good News" booklet he threw his catechism into the fire and joined the brother in field service.
A lady contacted during the Watchtower campaign said she was not interested, but the publisher managed to leave a single copy of The Watchtower with her. She manifested mild interest on the first back-call and on the second a study was started, but she said: “I must make it clear that I am never going to be one of you.” After a few studies she said: “I must warn you, I am only looking for flaws.” After a few more studies, despite severe opposition from her husband and relatives, the woman who did not want to become one of Jehovah’s witnesses was attending meetings and sharing in the service. At the next circuit assembly she was baptized.
What can one do when a business friend and his family call for a visit on the Saturday evening of the circuit servant’s visit? One couple faced with such a problem, who had just begun publishing that same month, decided to invite them along to the meeting. The visitors had never been in touch with the truth before, but they enjoyed what they heard. The circuit servant met them that evening and, a few weeks later, had quite a surprise, when serving another congregation, to find the businessman and his family there, now in the field service and at the meetings.
We were happy to have two visits from the Society’s president during the year, one coinciding with a district assembly at Leicester and one to arrange for the Kingdom Ministry School for training congregation servants. As the year closes we look forward to this further expansion of the great program of education and praise Jehovah for his loving-kindness.
MALTA Population: 317,182
Peak Publishers: 10 Ratio: 1 to 31,700
A group of sisters has faithfully preached the Kingdom in Malta throughout the year. As a result of their work two new ones have recently been baptized and others are progressing to that point. Twelve people attended meetings addressed by a visiting brother. This good work is being done only among the English people on the island. We hope it will be possible before long to reach the Maltese as well and are watching for Jehovah’s leading in that direction so that we may overcome the difficulties in the way.
BURMA Population: 20,054,000
Peak Publishers: 176 Ratio: 1 to 113,000
Jehovah God has poured out a rich blessing upon the publishers in Burma and these have brought forth good fruits. By their hard work they have shown others how to “put away the old personality . . . and . . . put on the new personality which was created according to God’s will in true righteousness and loving-kindness.” (Eph. 4:22-24) Quarreling and fighting with people will not help them get the truth. It is seeking peace and pursuing it that makes a real Christian out of a person. The branch servant from Burma in his year’s report gives us an experience that really proves the point. True Christians can certainly change their personality and will go through many hardships, too, in order to preach the good news far and wide.
In some districts real faith and determination are required to continue preaching during the six-months’ monsoon season. A special pioneer reports as follows: “On a trip to the seacoast the girls worked almost throughout in continuous heavy rain, often accompanied by quite strong wind. At times they waded for miles through water over uneven ground, in some places going waist deep. They each slipped and fell in at least once, getting wet all over and getting their literature wet. A young man joined them, helped carry their bags and did quite a lot of preaching himself, though so far a Buddhist. They all had a wonderful time and gave a good witness to Jehovah’s supremacy and kingdom.” We might add that in another village three pioneers walk many miles barefoot daily througli flooded paddy fields in order to reach their territory.
In one of the villages in the delta region of the Irrawaddy River, a new publisher is regular at Sunday morning and midweek group activity, although it means a walk of eight miles round trip in pouring rain with only an umbrella for protection. She faithfully makes the trip, accompanied by her six-year-old boy and a one-year-old baby that she must carry besides her bag of literature.
Even young children can start studies in the Paradise book, as illustrated by the following experience: A father took his son out on back-calls. That very day the son had turned thirteen. At the first call the father spoke, gave a back-call sermon and placed the Paradise book. At the next call a young Chinese boy was ready for a discussion. The father had already told the son “this call is all yours,” and sat back to see whether the son had been listening at the previous call. Little did the father realize that the pupil had surpassed the teacher, for, not only did the boy give a good back-call sermon, but he went right on to start a home Bible study, with the father listening, amazed, but highly gratified.
The truth is powerful enough to make a great change in a person’s life. Writes a special pioneer: “After a discussion with a man he exclaimed: ‘This is the truth!’ Next morning he was out in the service with us, and he is now regular in attending meetings. This man said: ‘The truth has changed my mind completely. I used to fight with others. I was one of the bad men in this village. Now I have stopped all this.’ His wife said: ‘Oh, my husband is a new man now; he is not at all like before. I want him to join with you people more and more.’ Now she also is studying with us.”
CANADA Population: 17,048,000
Peak Publishers: 36,202 Ratio: 1 to 471
The Canadian witnesses of Jehovah enjoyed their six Awake Ministers District Assemblies held from one end of Canada to the other. There were 38,901 in attendance at the public meetings and 731 were baptized during this period. Like Jehovah’s witnesses throughout the world, they seek peace and pursue it, for Jehovah’s eyes are upon the righteous. (1 Pet. 3:11, 12) While Jehovah’s witnesses are seeking peace in Quebec, the same as they would in any other province, still there has been much opposition raised in Quebec until recently, when the trouble and distress subsided. Through peaceful pursuits Jehovah’s witnesses have been most successful in bringing many people to a knowledge of the truth, and now they are taking their stand for God’s kingdom. A number of interesting experiences have been sent in by the branch servant from the Toronto office, and these will be enjoyed.
Following up on the interest resulting from our Canadian district assemblies is producing many happy experiences. We report two: “One lady had her interest aroused sufficiently in the public lecture that she left a swimming party to come to the public talk and admitted it was the first time she had heard anyone speak that seemed to know what he was talking about. This lady has been through McGill, a Bible college, belonged to many clubs and organizations and churches, but always felt, as she expressed it, ‘This isn’t the real thing; there is something lacking.’ A study was started and she has now attended book studies, the Watchtower study and a public meeting. The publisher with her obtained her supply of magazines and this lady asked, ‘What are you going to do with all these magazines?’ The publisher explained about the magazine work on Saturday, so this new lady has arranged to go out in the work this Saturday.”
“A businessman that occasionally takes magazines said: ‘This morning I will take time to listen to you; go ahead and talk.’ The publisher replied: ‘You must have been at our district assembly.’ He said he had not been there, but his friends had been at some of the sessions and told him ‘it was just beautiful.’ Besides offering him the two latest magazines, the Paradise book was also referred to. It was time to end the ‘talk’ and he was asked what he would like to have. ‘All of it,’ was the answer, ‘and when you come back again I will subscribe for the two magazines.’ ”
The work in Quebec Province continues to make progress. As the latest publication of the Society, Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Divine Purpose, reports on pages 248, 249, we obtained two great victories in the Supreme Court of Canada involving the damage action (Lamb case) for false arrest and also the Roncarelli case. These victories helped to keep the activities of Jehovah’s people to the fore and strengthened the hands of liberty-loving people and those who desire to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own conscience. In this very strongly Catholic-dominated province there are now 2,500 preachers of the good news of the Kingdom. These ministers continue to be faithful to the commands of Jehovah God and Christ Jesus regardless of the opposition. Few arrests are now made in the province, because those who were responsible for the arrests have been taught to know that they also must be obedient to the law. There are now in Montreal seven Kingdom Halls and others are being built in several places throughout the province, the latest one in the city of Quebec itself. This has caused many good comments, newspaper publicity, and so forth, and the people in the neighborhood have been friendly.
The tracts have been an excellent means of helping people come from darkness to light. In Quebec “a pioneer brother distributed several tracts to people on the street on his way home from service. A man accepted one, though not particularly interested, and left the tract with a friend in a small town forty miles away. A few weeks later the Society received a letter from this man that read: ‘Dear friends of God: I have read some pages of the life of Jehovah’s witnesses. I would like to learn the true doctrines of God. Please send me a Bible and some literature to help me . . . ’ The Society sent the name to the nearest congregation and a young man of twenty-five was happy to meet them and accept ‘Let God Be True1 and have a study started.”
There has been much publicity due to the issue involving faithfulness of our brothers in refusing to receive blood transfusions, resulting in newspaper headlines and opposition through comments over the radio and television. However, it was possible to have a television interview at the branch office in Toronto to explain the position of Jehovah’s witnesses. It was televised from coast to coast, and did much to break through the wall of prejudice. From Winnipeg comes the following experience: “A young man approached a publisher on street work after the Holland boy blood transfusion issue and remarked, ‘It’s not very often you find people standing by the principles of their religious beliefs.’ He was so impressed with the stand of Jehovah's witnesses that he asked for someone to visit his home to study with him. He invited twenty young men to the study at the boardinghouse where he stays. Five of them eventually manifested interest. The young man is progressing. He is in a basement apartment and would never answer the front door.”
Some brothers in Canada have been eager to serve where the need is great and certainly there is need in the Province of Quebec, where there are four and a half million people and where the ratio would be one publisher to every 2,000 people. Over recent years some have moved to Quebec and the Maritimes, a distance of upward of 3,000 miles. In addition, there is record of eighty-four who have left the country to serve in lands such as Kenya, Chile, Peru, Ethiopia, Morocco, and so forth. Others are in the process of making plans to leave for places where a great need for publishers exists. Jehovah has blessed us and has helped us all to produce gladness by doing the divine will.
CEYLON Population: 9,165,000
Peak Publishers: 183 Ratio: 1 to 50,000
Theocratic progress in Ceylon during the past year was once again very successful. There has been a constant growth in the organization. Jehovah’s undeserved kindness has been most manifest and his spirit has been upon his ministers there, because there has been a good ingathering of persons who are sighing and crying because of the abominations that exist in the world. Jehovah’s witnesses have used their mouths well in talking, for they know: “The tongue of wise ones does good with knowledge.” (Prov. 15:2) So under all circumstances they try to preach the good news at every opportunity. The experiences that the branch servant in Ceylon writes about are interesting and encouraging and they show that the brothers and sisters in this island in the Indian Ocean are happy and are striving hard to reach maturity while they help those who mourn.
The joy of those who take Jehovah at his word and enter the pioneer ministry is well emphasized by the experience a special pioneer writes: “One morning I walked into the house of a Methodist clergyman. At first he listened politely to my sermon, but before long he began to shout and call me antichrist and other unflattering names. However, during this outrage his daughter was attracted by the noise and came to listen. While her father continued to fume, she began asking searching and sensible questions. Finally she subscribed for The Watchtower. This enraged the father so much that he got up and ordered me out of the house, warned me not to go to any other houses and slammed the door in my face. This only made me more determined to visit every house on the block. By the time I had finished the morning’s work I had placed ten bound books and ten magazines and started two Bible studies in addition to the subscription left with the parson’s daughter. Needless to say, I returned home that morning with a heart full of thanks to my heavenly Father.”
We have been interested to read of the success in other parts of the world of making follow-up calls very soon after literature is placed and wondered how effective such would be here in the slower-moving tropics. A missionary indicates that here, too, good success can come by calling back soon, before the initial interest has time to cool. “I called back on him within three days and started a Bible study in the ‘Let God Be True’ book. Within three months he came out in the field service and he is now a publisher in the young congregation. He appreciates the New World society structure and the many privileges it holds out. He has enrolled in the ministry school and gives fine student talks. He attended the recent circuit assembly, taking down copious notes of all the talks at the assembly.
He has had many obstacles from his superior at secular work, but has weathered these without fear or compromise. His family’s age-old connections with Christendom have not been a force strong enough to prevent his taking in life-giving knowledge and sharing in the gladsome work of preaching the Kingdom good news.”
Monsoonal rains for several months of the year present a challenge to the alert minister, but Jehovah usually opens the way for those determined to put Kingdom interests first, as this sister relates: “It was a very wet day and I really could not get to the bus to take me to the territory, so I made up my mind to start working right next door! Here I witnessed in Singhalese and placed ‘The Truth Shall Make You Free.’ Next door but one I met a Catholic family. After listening most intently to the ‘Paradise’ sermon, the lady immediately took the Paradise book and right there I discussed a few paragraphs with her. Then I made definite arrangements for a Bible study, which I have continued since.” So the unfavorable weather proved most favorable for locating the sheep.
The book From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained has already proved a favorite with the people in the field. Although we have offered it only for one complete month at the time of writing, August proved a bumper month for book placements and we look forward to seeing fruitage develop from this attractive seed sown.
In addition to the six congregations we now have, there are several isolated groups. The circuit servant reports on his visit to one of these isolated brothers: “We were overjoyed to find that, although of a very timid, reserved nature, he had not been idle. He is a person who suffers with chest trouble and never went out in the evening air and would never dream of going into water. In fact, he had never had his head under water! How to get baptized? He saw it was a must, so he found a suitable water hole and went several times, ducking himself under the water to get used to it in preparation for baptism. Since his dedication he has been busy talking of the truth at every opportunity.”
CHILE Population: 7,121,000
Peak Publishers: 1,879 Ratio: 1 to 3,789
The New World society continues to grow and expand in this elongated country of South America. From one end of it to the other Jehovah’s witnesses are preaching. All appreciate that there is much work yet to be accomplished, much more writing on the hearts is to be done, and Jehovah’s witnesses are anxious to keep on doing it under the guidance of Jehovah. They have in mind the words of Paul in writing to the Corinthians wherein he stated: “You are shown to be a letter of Christ written by us as ministers, inscribed not with ink but with spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets, but on fleshly tablets, on hearts.” (2 Cor. 3:3) Their report shows that the brothers in Chile have been doing just that, because for nine months in a row the brothers have reached new peaks in publishers of the Kingdom. Here are some of the experiences reported by the branch servant.
A full-time worker, while doing magazine work in the business section, placed two magazines with a lady in a store. On calling back a week later a Bible study was started, using the magazine as a basis. At each study there was another lady present who did not take part but merely listened. Finally the pioneer jokingly asked: “When are you going to take a book?” The answer was: “When are you going to offer me one?” The misunderstanding was quickly cleared up and, having obtained her own book, she immediately began to take an active part in the study. In a short time both were participating in the field service with their children. So do not neglect to make back-calls even on magazine placements. A sheep may be waiting for you.
Some special pioneers used the booklet “This Good News of the Kingdom" to start studies, and within three months all were reporting over ten studies each. With the co-operation of a person of good will a small hall was located and meetings were started. They write to say: “How disanimating it was at first when we were the only ones who appeared for the meetings, but we were not going to be discouraged. We prayed to Jehovah and kept on with the meetings. Truthfully we can say that He opened the windows of heaven and poured out a blessing that our small hall could not contain. So with the co-operation of the brothers another hall was obtained on the main street of the town, and in our first meeting forty-one persons were in attendance, fifteen of whom are now reporting as Kingdom publishers. Where did this increase come from? From the back-call and Bible study work, and by bearing in mind the necessity of directing the interested ones to the congregation.”
Another person of good will happened to visit a friend in a city some miles from his own home where a study was being conducted by a missionary. He showed much interest and the discussion lasted into the night; when he returned home he took with him a copy of the book “Let God Be True.” Whenever he had the opportunity he would visit his friend to participate in the study, but the truth had not taken sufficient root for him to break away from the Catholic religion. In the meantime the book was left on the table beside his bed and was regularly dusted off by his wife, a leader in the Catholic Action in the community and opposed to the work of Jehovah’s witnesses. Finally, however, curiosity got the better of her and she opened the book. What she read made her keep on reading so that the book was finished in a couple of days, and the third day she really cleaned house by throwing out her images, and then she sent her husband into the city for more literature. Arrangements were made for the missionary to go to their home, and for the first study twenty persons were in attendance. After continued study and a circuit assembly, soon they were participating in the field service. Now they are organized into an isolated group and enjoy their own visits from the circuit servant. The wife has begun as a vacation pioneer and now others are beginning to join them in preaching the good news. With their monthly report to the branch the couple write: “It is really a pleasure to write to you and to have the privilege of being Jehovah’s witnesses. We are striving each day to get more knowledge of God’s Word to be able to teach others.” So they too have begun writing on other people’s hearts.
CHINA Population: 621,225,000
Peak Publishers: 32 Ratio: 1 to 18,800,000
World-wide publicity was given to the arrest of two of our British brothers who had been serving faithfully as missionaries in China in the city of Shanghai since 1947. On October 16, 1958, the Ithaca Journal, had these headlines: “Reds Arrest Watchtower Men in China.” A report from Tokyo went on to say: “Peiping Radio reported today the arrest in Shanghai of five Jehovah’s witnesses and banning of the religious sect. The five—two Britons and three Chinese—were accused of trying to wreck Red China’s ‘socialist construction.’ ” Of course, all of this was untrue. What these missionaries and their fellow ordained ministers were doing was preaching the good news of God’s kingdom, which will bring life, health and prosperity to those who are worthy of sharing in it and who have full faith in Jehovah God as the Sovereign Ruler of the universe and in his beloved Son, Christ Jesus. Of course communism does not allow for faith in God. They have their own brand of religion, faith in communism.
The Society has been in constant touch with the British Foreign Office concerning the two British citizens who were missionaries in China, but the only word that they have received is that the two men are in good health. The Chinese government will not give the British Foreign Office any other news, nor will they allow any persons to communicate with the branch servant and his assistant there. We do know, however, that those who were in the truth are still faithful and they have continued to preach as opportunity affords. It is very difficult to receive reports. Our prayers ascend to Jehovah God in their behalf, as they do for all our brothers everywhere. Because of these brothers’ sufferings we, of course, have them in mind continually.
Godless communism is certainly preparing itself for final destruction in the battle of Armageddon. ‘There is no God, says the fool.’
COLOMBIA Population: 13,227,000
Peak Publishers: 1,431 Ratio: 1 to 9,243
Jehovah’s rich blessings were very manifest upon Jehovah’s witnesses in Colombia during the past year. Again they had a very fine increase in gathering together the other sheep. The 23-percent increase in publishers was not gained without opposition. Colombia is known as a Catholic country, and the witnesses of Jehovah meet with much opposition from the clergy. Of course, Jehovah’s witnesses know the scripture that says: “This people honors me with their lips, yet their hearts are far removed from me.” (Matt. 15:8) The Catholic organization does not want to teach people the truth from Jehovah’s Word. They want to keep their people tied to their religious system, but the eyes of the people of Colombia are being opened, as the experiences from the branch servant’s report indicate.
Outstanding was the establishing of a missionary home in Medellin, popularly known as the center of the most fanatical Catholic section of Colombia. Of course, the Catholic Church is much concerned about such expansion of the true faith in this country that they have so long dominated and they oppose us strongly at every turn. In spite of this, our determined efforts were rewarded with a 23-percent increase in number of pub Ushers during 1959.
In Medellin, for example, shortly after arrival of the missionaries, the local Catholic press boldly announced: “A Warning to Catholics. Intense campaign started by Jehovah’s witnesses . . . We warn our readers to reject and destroy any of such literature that gets into your hands.” A priest later demonstrated the church’s attitude by rudely entering a home where two sisters were witnessing. He locked the door behind him, thus making the sisters prisoners, then snatched their literature from them and strongly denounced them until a brother came and they were set free. Within eight months, however, one of the five new congregations organized in Colombia this year was started and now thrives in Medellin.
Two new publishers in ten months is the interesting experience of a missionary. How? By making back-calls where interest was shown but no literature was placed on the initial call. It all began with a sermon on the condition of the dead being read from the lady’s own Catholic Bible. A study was easily started in the booklet ‘‘This Good News of the Kingdom.” The daughter’s suspicions changed to alarm as one by one the traditional teachings of the church were combated with the family Bible. She tried to defend her faith and counteract the truth that her mother was so readily accepting, but false dogma could not hold out against Bible truth in the search for right religion. They progressed rapidly and soon attended public meetings, and in this way they heard about service and were encouraged to participate. The mother started first, was baptized at the Awake Ministers assembly and is now being trained in all features of the service. And the daughter looks forward to symbolizing her dedication soon and surprised the missionary, saying that then she plans to be a vacation pioneer!
Tired of constantly hearing her Baptist minister warn, “Be careful with Jehovah’s witnesses,” a dissatisfied lady decided to let a visiting Witness answer her question as to the hope for her deceased daughter. Surprised to learn of the resurrection hope, she agreed to a Bible study and coaxed other members of the family to listen in. Four generations were represented. After studying a few basic doctrines, they realize why their minister was so determined for them not to know us. The lady and one of her daughters have already passed the happiest moments of their lives: dedication and baptism. Other members of the family are progressing well.
More brothers have come in during the year to serve where the need is great, hence we are happy now to have fifty, including children, within the country. As they express it, it took a great deal of planning along with patience, prayer and perseverance to get here and then a lot of determination to find employment and to complete arrangements to stay here. But, as one stated, surely they all feel that “Jehovah has blessed the efforts of those that have answered His call to serve where the need is great,” and they are now experiencing real joy for having taken this step.
COSTA RICA Population: 1,072,000
Peak Publishers: 2,304 Ratio: 1 to 465
With the admonition in their minds to “thoroughly accomplish your ministry,” Jehovah’s witnesses in Costa Rica pressed on preaching the good news during the 1959 service year. (2 Tim. 4:5) It appears from the branch office reports that the brothers have become more mature in that they are devoting more time to the ministry, conducting more Bible studies and generally improving their work in the field. Nine new congregations were formed during the past twelve months, and one of these is a result of brothers’ moving from a section where there are many publishers into another part of the country where there were very few Witnesses. It is good to read the report that the branch servant sent in, and a few experiences are published herewith.
Within a week after two special pioneers had started work in a village a Catholic lay teacher grabbed magazines from one of the sisters and warned them to get out of town. A few days later he gave a talk in front of their home and urged his listeners to burn down the house. Even in outlying territory these sisters found that all the people had been warned against them, for the priest gave daily talks on the radio with a detailed description of their appearance. But the reaction was not what he had hoped. In their first three months these pioneers placed more than 100 magazines each month, something they had been unable to do in territory considered more favorable.
Another pioneer was greeted by a man who said he had been looking for Jehovah’s witnesses, for he had been told they could answer questions on God’s Word. Both his first and second wives had died and the priest was charging him $3 a month for each wife to get them out of purgatory and had told him that he would live with both of them in the resurrection. He had also paid ten cents a day for a rosary to be said, but decided that he and his children could recite the rosary and thus save the ten cents a day, for he was a very poor man. He was shown what the Bible teaches concerning the condition of the dead and of the resurrection and, as Isaiah foretold, ‘his blind eyes were opened.’ He began to study immediately and is now going from house to house telling others the wonderful truths he has learned.
Blood transfusion has been an issue in several places in the country during the year. When one publisher was taken to the hospital for an operation she was told that a transfusion was absolutely necessary. She refused blood and defended her position with the Scriptures, and the doctor who had tried to convince her finally expressed admiration for her faith. But her fight was not finished. A priest and several nuns came to her bed in a ward of many patients and tried to break her down. Again she used God’s Word to defend her stand, and the priest could only say that he did not understand how anyone without theological training could have so much knowledge.
The faith and integrity of this sister became known throughout the hospital and even in the town. One young woman in the same ward was so impressed that she began to ask questions, and a study was started there in the hospital. She accepted the truth readily, but her new faith was soon put to the test. She too had to have an operation, but resisted all efforts to get her to take blood. The operation was successfully performed without a transfusion. She recovered quickly and on leaving the hospital immediately started attending meetings and going out in the service. The first sister continues to witness faithfully from her sickbed.
CUBA Population: 6,410,000
Peak Publishers: 12,140 Ratio: 1 to 528
The people of Cuba have had one of the most trying years, due to the revolution. Great fear has taken hold of the people. Economic conditions are bad for the present. Communication and transportation facilities have been affected to a great extent. So, many obstacles have been put in the way of Jehovah’s witnesses and their preaching of the good news, but still a good report comes out of that land concerning the brothers and their maturity. Despite the difficulties, they have ‘not forsaken the gathering of themselves together, as some have the custom, but have been encouraging one another and all the more so as they behold the day drawing near.’ (Heb. 10:25) In spite of all the trouble that has occurred in this island of the Caribbean, Jehovah’s witnesses have stood firm, and the branch servant gives us some interesting reports from different individuals’ activities.
In a town of about 9,000 population two special pioneers stuck to their assignment in spite of repeated bombings, strafings and street fighting. One night, while buildings were being bombed and burned and bullets were perforating the Kingdom Hall, this man and his wife lay on the floor and prayed to Jehovah God to remember them in the resurrection. One of the few buildings in that section not destroyed was the Kingdom Hall. The couple survived, the young congregation is prospering, another special pioneer is now caring for it, and the faithful couple are now doing circuit work.
One lady told a pioneer at her door that she had sworn to die in the Catholic religion and there was simply no use even talking about it. However, she did want to know why war had to afflict the human race. The pioneer asked why two Catholic political opponents would plunge a country into war. This jolted her. She ordered a Bible, took two magazines and the booklet “This Good News of the Kingdom” and asked him to return. Results as of now: three home Bible studies with this “stanch” Catholic and her relatives. False religion is not so strong.
One circuit servant writes us that he more than doubled his magazine placements on putting the district servant’s counsel to work. Counsel: Do not miss a single person with the magazines—on the street, in stores, passers-by, on horses, in any and all circumstances. This circuit servant reported 600 magazines one month and his wife 1,000.
Actually the magazines are excellent for all occasions. A special pioneer approached a tobacco factory, placed two magazines with the owner and asked permission to speak very briefly to the eighty-six women workers. Permission was granted and a short sermon was given. Results: 100 magazines placed and three home Bible studies arranged.
A special pioneer, following the district servant’s counsel to be magazine-optimistic and carry fifty or more magazines with him on Magazine Day, giving a brief thirty-second sermon, did so with certain skepticism. Results of meekness: fifty-six magazines placed and two subscriptions obtained in a few hours, later obtaining sixteen subscriptions in two days by following the same counsel to be tactful and businesslike.
Actually back-calls are vital to liberate fully the prisoners from this world’s spiritual darkness. A “lost sheep” writes us from Las Villas province telling how he has now gained this precious freedom after more than a half century of searching. Just before he was to become a Catholic priest he left that religion disgusted. He then spent fourteen years in Masonry without satisfaction. For the next twenty years he served as a member and defender of a Pentecostal sect known as Los Nuevos Pinos. In this last group he became a strong opposer of Jehovah’s witnesses. When a special pioneer witnessed to him, this sincere but blinded person challenged the theocratic minister to discuss a certain publication published by the Baptist sect “exposing” Jehovah’s witnesses. Challenge accepted, the real Bible truth was clarified. After a few more back-calls and studies, this man and several members of his church abandoned the sect. The local minister of the group left the territory, closing the church building. This man and two others have now been baptized and are zealous publishers for the Kingdom. Benches from the sect’s building are now used in the Kingdom Hall.
Thousands of copies of the new booklet Learning to Read and Write have been shipped out. Many of the 350 congregations now have appointed teachers. One district servant tells that a publisher on presenting the subscription offer was told that the householder could not read. The publisher then presented the new booklet on how to read and write, which resulted in placing the booklet and obtaining the subscription. Incidentally, this valuable booklet was recently featured on a television interview by the branch servant as one of the valuable services that Jehovah’s witnesses are rendering to the public. Many complimentary remarks have been made about this educational service.
This year the New World society in Cuba took a long step forward that we feel has put us much closer to Jehovah and his clean theocratic organization. Beginning last April, no one living in a consensual relationship could continue as a publisher. His reports would not be counted. Several hundred, possibly a thousand persons, have been dropped from the files, some who had been reporting for ten or more years. While this has caused a decided drop in the number of publishers, yet it is indeed gratifying to see all-time peaks in averages of back-calls, studies, magazines and hours. At the same time swift action is now being taken by hundreds to legalize their marriages and really get into the New World society before it is too late. Grandparents are getting married properly now, grandchildren being witnesses to their marriage!
CYPRUS Population: 536,000
Peak Publishers: 473 Ratio: 1 to 1,133
Peace made by man appears to have come to this troubled island where there has been so much racial, social and political hatred. It is hoped that there will not be a burst again of a blood conflict, so that the good news of the Kingdom may be preached freely. While certain factions may have come to some agreements, they have not come to the agreement that Jehovah’s witnesses should go ahead with their work peacefully. Even though many are mobbed and maltreated, however, Jehovah’s witnesses feel just as David did when he said: “Judge me according to your righteousness, O Jehovah my God, and may [my enemies] not rejoice over me.” (Ps. 35:24) The final judge of the work done by Jehovah’s witnesses will be Jehovah God, not men of earth who are trying to thwart the onward movement of the good news. In Cyprus and Israel the Word of God has been preached much in olden times and again at present, and we have a report from the branch servant on both Cyprus and Israel.
As regards the preaching work, although no difficulties are encountered in the towns, the same thing cannot be said about the villages. On many occasions brothers were driven out of them, and on at least three occasions they were beaten and maltreated severely. I would like to relate two of these sad events.
In March, over thirty brothers went to a large village to preach the good news. Soon after starting, a mob was formed. The more fanatic ones took all literature from the brothers’ bags, and nobody knows what they did with it. Its value was over $100. Quite a number of the brothers were beaten, some spat into their faces, even sisters were maltreated to some extent. Shouts were coming out of mobsters’ mouths: “Burn them whilst in the bus.” The incident was reported to the police and the case presented before the court. The judge, a Turk, found one person guilty—actually the only one brought before the court by the police—and condemned him to pay for the literature he destroyed. He was also put under probation for one year. The judge spoke for about twenty minutes about freedom of worship and concluded by saying that “we are, under the present constitution, enjoying freedom of worship and it is our desire to preserve it.” The congregation servant was given a chance to give a good witness before the court.
Two special pioneers went to make a back-call in a little isolated village where two persons of good will, very much interested in the truth, are living. Soon a crowd of men, women and children surrounded the house shouting that the brothers should come out. A number of the mobsters jumped over into the yard of the house and were ready to destroy the motorcycle of the brothers. Then the brothers, together with the good-will person, came out of the house to prevent them from doing any harm to the vehicle. Like a strong hail came the beatings upon both the brother and the sister, the mobsters using their fists, their feet and ropes. Even the person of good will had, in her endeavor to protect the brothers, a good share of the beatings. The brothers wrote: “Jehovah, however, protected us and we did not feel any pains at all whilst being beaten. We managed finally, with Jehovah’s help, to leave the village alive.”
Now some happy experiences. A pioneer sister relates: “I have been pioneering in Nicosia for over twelve years now. About sixteen miles away to the north is a beautiful little town called Kyrenia. A few years ago two special pioneers worked that town and, before leaving, they handed me the names of a family, all persons of good will. I was going regularly to Kyrenia with another pioneer sister and, after a few back-calls, we were able to start a Bible study with them. A few months later they were asked by a neighboring family to become godfathers for their baby. They asked me what their attitude should be. After a good explanation about baptism was given to them, they visited the neighbors in order to tell them to look for another godfather or godmother. Since that time all the family of five persons have, in spite of all persecution and threatenings, taken their stand for the truth and have become regular publishers. They attend the Watchtower study regularly, in spite of the fact that they have to travel more than thirty-five miles. They were present at our district assembly and they plan to be immersed in the near future.” These sheeplike persons are now building a beautiful house in Kyrenia, and the father told me that one of the rooms is destined to be a Kingdom Hall.
A high light of the year was our Awake Ministers District Assembly last May, during which we had the happiness of enjoying Brother Henschel’s presence. This assembly proved to be very refreshing and upbuilding after almost two years without any assembly, due to the abnormal situation in the island. All talks were appreciated very much by the brothers and persons of good will, but, particularly, nobody will forget the simple but much-saying talks of Brother Henschel. Thirty-three symbolized their dedication by baptism, the biggest number we ever had at one time, and 471 were present to hear the public talk “Finding the Truth That Makes Men Free.”
ISRAEL Population: 2,000,000
Peak Publishers: 56 Ratio: 1 to 35,700
One of the missionaries, while traveling on a bus at Tel Aviv, noticed a man reading the Awake! magazine in English. She approached him and asked if he had received this magazine from one of Jehovah’s witnesses. He replied: “Yes, my niece living in America is one of Jehovah’s witnesses and arranged for a subscription for this magazine in my name. I enjoy it very much. Do you have any other literature that I can obtain? Where is your meeting place? I have many questions to ask.” The missionary placed the book “This Means Everlasting Life” with him and took his address. Later she, together with her husband, called on him and it was found that not only his family but also his brother’s family who are living in the same house showed much interest. A Bible study was started immediately. Since then they have attended a few meetings, and recently they expressed their desire to go out in the field service soon.
One day while going to the service in Nazareth by bus, two sisters were studying their Watchtower in order to redeem time. A young man sitting behind them overheard their conversation and leaned forward to hear every word. Finally he got into conversation with them and asked if he could borrow that magazine. A subscription was taken from him and he read his copy of the magazine until he reached his destination.
Because there were so many calls to be made in Nazareth, this good-will person was not immediately called on. Later on one of the brothers met this young man at the Y.M.C.A., prior to the weekly meeting held there and invited him in. He showed more interest, and a study was arranged at his father’s home. When he went to Tel Aviv, where he was working, he was given the address of the Tel Aviv congregation and he attended all meetings regularly. He is now also attending the book study at Nazareth when he is up there, and one evening he went out in the service. So we see that Jehovah blesses us when we try to redeem time for knowledge and witnessing.
DENMARK Population: 4,500,000
Peak Publishers: 9,478 Ratio: 1 to 475
The divine will is being done by Jehovah’s witnesses in Denmark, but with real opposition on the part of the clergy. During the year the clergy started a campaign of opposition. They said they would expose and uproot Jehovah’s witnesses once and for all time in Denmark. The newspapers cooperated with the clergy, and because of their long campaigns some persons closed their ears and slammed the doors when Jehovah’s witnesses called. However, others were ready to hear. How true the scripture is that quotes Jesus’ words: “Because you are no part of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, on this account the world hates you”! (John 15:19) True, the Devil’s organization does hate Jehovah’s witnesses, but those who are seeking truth and righteousness do not. The precious things of all the nations will manifest themselves and those who have ears to hear will hear. So the report of the branch servant in Denmark shows through the experiences related that Jehovah’s sheep hear the voice of the Right Shepherd. The report covers Denmark, Faroe Islands and Greenland.
The outstanding campaign of the year was the special distribution of The Watchtower with the Resolution, and the Resolution activity that followed. This distribution reached many good-will persons. One young woman who lived on the farm where she worked had never personally talked with one of Jehovah’s witnesses. On the day a publisher came with the Resolution the family was away so she answered the door and accepted the Resolution. Later she wrote to the Society for the free copy of the booklet “This Good News of the Kingdom.” The Society notified the local congregation of this and a sister called to further her interest. On the second back-call she subscribed for The Watchtower and on the third she began a study in the booklet. By the third study in this booklet she began to ask about baptism and, at the suggestion that she first learn what dedication involves, she arranged to take part in preaching the following Sunday; on one call she expressed to the householder her own conviction that this is the truth. This young woman has attended meetings regularly since the third back-call and has been a regular publisher since she began that Sunday. She symbolized her dedication at the district assembly in July.
The Resolution’s message of peace appealed to a military officer who had returned from U.N. police action in Egypt. He became disturbed when, on visiting his home town, his former priest expressed the thought that they should have taught Nasser a hard lesson. Later he and his elderly father discussed this political and nationalistic attitude of the clergy and concluded that spiritual shepherds of today were not what they should be. In this frame of mind he returned to the town where he was assigned and was soon visited at his home by a special pioneer with the Resolution. He readily accepted its contents as the truth and on the first back-call obtained “Let God Be True” and arranged for a study. This man and his wife made real progress. Already at the beginning they could see enough of the Bible principles that they decided not to extend their contracts for military service, both of which were up for renewal, thereby giving up future economic security. They have continued to make progress in the truth and are arranging their lives to render dedicated service to Jehovah and become a part of the New World society, where they will not learn war any more.
A young man was visited by a brother, but he said he did not believe in God, the Devil, or the Bible. After the brother began to reason with him on the evidences of a God in creation and the evidences of Satan’s influence in the bad conditions in the world, he took two magazines and agreed to a back-call. On this call he took “Let God Be True,” and a study was arranged for the third visit. He took part in the first two studies with great eagerness, but then asked to postpone the next until after his vacation. He was informed about our assemblies scheduled for his vacation period and was so impressed with the one at Slagelse that he also attended the one at Elsinore the following week. The week after this he came to the service meeting and in connection with convention experiences he got up and explained that, while being in the friendly and happy atmosphere of the assemblies where no one smoked, he did not feel the desire to smoke, so he also had decided to quit. Upon hearing of arrangements for rural witnessing that weekend he offered to drive his car. He then arranged for a publisher to visit his brother and sister-in-law, with whom a study has also now been started.
Two magazines were placed with another young man, arrangement made for a back-call and soon a study was started. Later he became interested in a young girl, and after telling her about the truth she also started to study. This young man told the truth to a friend, and soon this friend and his wife were studying with Witnesses. The sister of this young man visited him en route to Sweden, and, though a zealous church attender, she became so interested she stopped by on the way home to hear more. On returning to her home she got in touch with the Witnesses, and this summer she took her stand and started witnessing at the district assembly. The young man and young woman are now married and are zealous publishers. Three are already publishing and two are on the way as a result of two magazines, plus diligent back-call work.
FAROE ISLANDS Population: 32,000
Peak Publishers: 20 Ratio: 1 to 1,600
In one village a sincere believer in hell-fire (Baptist) had obtained the booklet What Do the Scriptures Say About “Survival After Death”? On the next visit he became offended and angry and yelled, "False prophets,” after the publisher. There simply must be a hell-fire. Seeing that this man was sincere, the publisher made several efforts to reason with him on subsequent visits, but all in vain, so he thought it best to let him rest a while. After several months the publisher visited this man and, to his surprise, was warmly received and invited in. During the discussion this man noted down many scriptures regarding the condition of the dead and God’s purpose regarding the earth. He then took the book “New Heavens and a New Earth.” The publisher is looking forward to the next visit.
Two pioneers visited a small village of 200 persons and tried to find a place to show the film “The Happiness of the New World Society.” The parish constable was willing to permit them to use an old school building that was no longer in use, but the schoolteacher in the village talked him out of it because once before it had been loaned to the Pentecostal Church for a meeting and afterward a family in town had joined them. That should not happen again with Jehovah’s witnesses. The brothers, upon leaving the school, mentioned the problem to a worker, who suggested they use the Dance Hall and get power from a nearby house (the clergy some years before had successfully fought against putting electricity in the hall). They got permission to use the Dance Hall and borrowed an extension cord from the constable, and a neighbor agreed to supply electricity. It was then found out that it was against regulations to supply electricity to another house. By the time they got special dispensation to supply the electricity that way, the constable had taken the cord back. As the brothers were walking home they passed by the Dance Hall and saw four men who asked, “Where is the movie?” Upon hearing of the problem, one man replied, “We have been under the religious leaders’ yoke long enough. Come over to my house and we will project the film on the wall.” When the showing began there were thirty-four present, and soon there were fifty eager persons watching the film—one fourth of the village population!
GREENLAND Population: 26,192
Peak Publishers: 6 Ratio: 1 to 4,365
During the summer months the pioneers did much traveling to outlying villages and stations and witnessed to many persons they had not talked to for one or two years. While there is still much clergy-inspired prejudice, yet many others are friendly and show a keen desire to learn, but it takes time for them to make their minds over.
Some time ago, on their first visit to a village, the pioneers met a young Greenlandic woman who took a tract and tore it up right in front of them. Later, while traveling to an isolated station, they met her husband, a seaman, who showed genuine interest and invited them to visit him. This has been done several times and now the wife has become friendly and both are keenly interested in the truth. They provide lodging for the pioneers when they are in town, and now many other members of the wife’s family are showing interest.
A big problem here is to explain to the Greenlanders why we use Jehovah’s name. The brothers were happy therefore when the local newspaper Gronlandsposten carried an illustrated series on Jonah by a well-known professor, Dr. Soren Holm, in which the text often used the name “Jahve.” The pioneers carried this paper with them to show that this learned professor recognized that God had a name. Suddenly the newspaper began to use the title “Lord” in the series instead of “Jahve.” Later the brothers had a discussion with a lay priest who said that the dean over Greenland had given all priests in Greenland written notice to definitely avoid using the name “Jehovah” or “Jahve” in the future, and a traveling representative of the pastoral seminary gave the same advice. In spite of this clergy effort, many Greenlanders are beginning to see that the Greenlandic word “NalagaK” (Lord) is not suitable for the name of the exclusive, Almighty God and Creator, because this title is also used with reference to a governor, a ship’s captain, the man of the house, and also the lead sled dog.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Population: 2,698,000
Peak Publishers: 534 Ratio: 1 to 5,052
Jehovah’s witnesses around the world know of the trials and difficulties that our brothers in the Dominican Republic have gone through and they appreciate the words of Daniel: “But the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” (Dan. 11:32, AV) Certainly the publishers of the Kingdom in the Dominican Republic know their God and are strong and have done marvelous things in our eyes. They have not weakened, nor have they become discouraged because they do not have freedom of speech or freedom of assembly in that country, but they have pressed on determined to preach the good news of the Kingdom. During the past year there has not been too much pressure put upon them, so Jehovah’s witnesses in this land have taken advantage of what they call a “favorable” time for preaching, and they look forward to the future with confidence and hope of having even greater opportunities to spread the good news of the Kingdom. All of them appreciate very much the interest shown by their fellow workers in all parts of the world and they appreciate the prayers of their brothers on behalf of God’s organization on this island. Some interesting experiences have come through during the year and these are set out herewith.
The good increase is proof that the application of theocratic instructions brings results, for the year was one of constantly improving organization and in this the two circuit servants have been helped by Jehovah to “do exploits.” The many brothers who have been encouraged by them to have part in house-to-house work have been surprised at the good reception shown at the homes. In turn, their expressions of joy later at the meetings have given others courage to take part. Thus one of the congregations increased from eighty publishers in January to 123 in May and reported 119 Bibles studies.
In one town the publishers assured the visiting servant that only incidental witnessing could be done in their town. Nevertheless, all eleven of them agreed to accompany him to the people’s houses. The result? In one week nineteen new Bible studies were begun!
Bible study activity has been especially good and Bible studies have increased from 164 at the beginning of the service year to 305 in May. One congregation publisher was reporting eleven studies, but had to turn three over to others due to insufficient time.
For a while, after a wave of heavy persecution had dispersed them, the brothers in a certain rural section had not even attempted to meet together. Finally, some began studying together in isolated coffee patches. Due to the rigid surveillance to which they were subjected, they doubted that a circuit servant could reach them without being arrested. For two years they had had no visit; then in May the circuit servant determined to reach them. Traveling to a nearby town he waited till nightfall and, with a brother as a guide, walked the remaining miles under cover of darkness. Though less than a dozen publishers were reporting, he met with twenty-one persons on the following night, all of whom had previously signed statements renouncing the work, as a result of beatings and persecution. At the close of his talk, when the question was put to them as to how many wanted to seek life in the new world and continue serving Jehovah, all raised their hands in the affirmative. Next night thirty more met for a similar meeting. The following night the circuit servant set out with another brother at nightfall to walk seven miles, at times through mud nearly to their knees, to another section for a meeting with yet another group. Three hours later, as they wearily began climbing the final hill where the home for the meeting was located, the circuit servant was thinking that he would find a tired, weak group of publishers on arriving. The moon had now come out, and how his heart leaped as he made out seventeen brothers and sisters standing in front of the house anxiously awaiting his arrival! As he drew near they ran to meet and joyfully embrace him. All weariness left him and they began their meeting at 10:15 that night. In all, some sixty brothers received counsel and exhortation during the visit to this rural congregation.
Though spies are always active, arrests have been few this year and less than a dozen brothers remain in prison. One prison official said to the brothers: “You are a nice group of people, conscientious, hard workers. The only thing wrong with you is that religion of yours.” To this the brothers replied: “That is what makes us what we are. Take our religion away from us and we would be just like the rest.”
ECUADOR Population: 3,890,000
Peak Publishers: 542 Ratio: 1 to 7,177
Good work has been done in Ecuador during the 1959 service year, particularly in connection with the brothers who have traveled to that country to work where the need is great. These newcomers, along with those who have taken up the preaching of the good news in Ecuador, state, as did the psalmist: “O taste and see that Jehovah is good.” There are still many places in Ecuador where special pioneers and congregation publishers could go and work. They have many cities with populations of 2,000 to 12,000 where very little work is being done. But certainly there must be other sheep in these places if someone could go and find them. How true this is in all parts of the world! Ecuador has had joy in having many join in working where the need is great, and the report of the branch servant reveals this to us. Herewith are some of the experiences.
In the month of November we received a letter in the branch office from a small town in the south of the country. Twelve persons of good will signed this letter and stated that they needed help to study the Watchtower magazine and the books that they had obtained from two visiting missionaries. They even offered to provide a free room for someone who could help them grow in knowledge. A short time afterward, a group of special pioneers was assigned to this town and group studies were started. Within a few days one of the pioneers was approached on the street by a person (not one of the signers of the letter) who had received a copy of the Resolution and wished to have a Bible. On delivering the Bible the pioneer was asked where we held our studies. The person thought that the location was rather out of the way and offered his home for meetings. However, since this was only the second contact, the pioneer thought it better to continue the meetings in his own home for a while and merely arranged to start a home Bible study with the person of good will. The following week this person brought the subject up again, but the pioneer mentioned that there would not be sufficient chairs for those who would attend. When he returned for the next study, the person had already bought more chairs and insisted once more. This time the pioneer mentioned that there would be a lot of street noise and for this reason the study might not be convenient there, but by the following week he found prepared a large interior room away from the noisy street. Still on the hesitant side, the pioneer told him that we customarily hang a sign at the place of our meetings announcing that we are Jehovah’s witnesses and inviting the public to attend. One week later the house owner had the sign painted and ready to be hung on his house, which is right in front of the Catholic church, and he had even made a contribution box. By this time nineteen members of his family and friends were joining in the Bible study and this was more than the regular attendance at the meetings; so the Kingdom Hall was finally transferred to this person’s home and the congregation continues to make progress there. These new brothers will shortly attend their first assembly, where several of them are to be baptized.
Perhaps the most outstanding feature of this year’s activity has been the influx of so many brothers desirous of serving where the need is greater. At the time of writing this report there are 104 brothers who have come to tills country, eighty-one of them during the past service year. This wonderful response to the Macedonian call has done wonders for the work in this land. The very presence of these brothers has been a source of encouragement to all of us. Such a mass movement of willing workers could be accomplished by nothing less than Jehovah’s spirit. Moving to a foreign land is by no means a small thing and there are often sacrifices to be made and many difficulties to be overcome. One family working in an isolated area had serious problems due to a mix-up in the receipt of money from the United States, but in the midst of their difficulties they wrote to say: “We can’t thank Jehovah enough for such a wonderful place to preach. Actually, with our difficulties we haven’t been able to do more than taste the sweetness of the work here. But even this is so encouraging. I have about six studies started and my wife has one.” This was only about three weeks after their arrival in this territory. Since then a congregation has been organized and meeting attendance climbed so fast that they had to rent a larger home to make room for the people of good will. On moving to this new location the brother wrote to say: “Our new Kingdom Hall has impressed the whole city. If someone else comes to live with us, that will burst Esmeraldas wide open.” How surprised they were to receive a visit just a week or so later from some eighteen brothers who had traveled seventeen hours by truck to get to their city; when the public meeting was held that weekend the new Kingdom Hall was still too small for the fifty-one in attendance.
Two other North American families moved into a small town in the midst of extensive rice, sugar and banana plantations. The small congregation there began to grow immediately and this worried the local priest. A smear campaign was started against the foreign brothers and all over town the Catholic Church distributed pamphlets making false and absurd charges against the brothers. There were threats of having them deported, of violence, and attempts were even made to have them fired from their place of secular employment. However trying this experience may have been for the brothers, it rebounded like a boomerang on the instigators. When these brothers came to this country the small congregation in that town had only seven publishers, but by the time the priest tired of putting up opposition there were twenty-five publishers and seven pioneers. Now that small congregation is sending out pioneers to serve where the need is yet greater!
EIRE Population: 2,885,000
Peak Publishers: 228 Ratio: 1 to 12,600
It is a real struggle to reach the people of Ireland with the good news of the Kingdom. Opposition continues to mount. In the eyes of religious fanatics and bigots Jehovah’s witnesses appear to be detestable. Jesus warned: “You will be hated by all the nations on account of my name.” (Matt. 24:9) This seems to have special application in Eire. Many of the individuals who are witnessed to by Jehovah’s witnesses fly into a rage as soon as they see one of the Witnesses at their door, and their rage is vented either physically or verbally. However, Jehovah’s witnesses in Eire love their neighbors and they continue to preach to them. It is this love that enables them to continue faithfully in their ministry. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love throws fear outside, because fear exercises a restraint. Indeed, he that is under fear has not been made perfect in love.”—1 John 4:18.
It is fear that is the main obstacle for the people to overcome in order to come into the truth in Eire. Many manifest interest in God’s Word but are frightened by their priest, family, or neighbors. In the face of the pressures brought to bear they will either stop studying
or emigrate. There are exceptions to this and these are a source of real encouragement to our brothers. A subscription for The Watchtower was placed with an Irish Catholic couple and a Bible study was started with them. After only a few studies the Legion of Mary (Catholic Action) called and told them they were not to have anything to do with Jehovah’s witnesses. Failing to intimidate them, they sent the parish priest. He lasted just thirty minutes with this good-will couple; he was asked why the sudden interest in them since he had not bothered to call on them for the four years they had been living in his parish. Members of the Legion of Mary then asked to meet with the missionary who conducted the study. This was arranged, and the couple was delighted to see these “authorities” put to rout by the logic of the Bible. No return visit was arranged for continuing this discussion. Since then they have continued to call at the home of these people but have been very careful that their weekly visit does not coincide with that of Jehovah’s witnesses. This man and his wife have a deep love for the Bible and eagerly look forward to every study. They continue to welcome the visits of the Legion of Mary because it gives them a chance to try out their newly found Bible knowledge. Only recently the man expressed his desire to know more about the Bible so he can more clearly prove his points when discussing doctrines with his callers. It is a real thrill to see the fearless attitude of this Bibleloving couple.
A lady took two magazines from a brother on Magazine Day. When the publisher made the back-call the husband was present and invited the brother into the house. The man had thoroughly enjoyed The Watchtower and Awake! He had clipped the coupon from the back of Awake! and sent for a volume of the New World Translation, which he had been reading and enjoying. He had already determined from his reading that the trinity was false, and he could see the difference between Jehovah and Jesus Christ and was already using the name Jehovah. A study was started on this first back-call. The first study he had was in “Let God Be True,” and he was able to answer every question and quote scriptures in support of his answers without looking at the book, because he had studied so thoroughly in preparation for his study. This man knew nothing of Jehovah’s witnesses and had never read any of the literature until he received the abovementioned magazines. But he had heard of us; he had heard that if one joined Jehovah’s witnesses he would be equipped with a new suit, and he had heard repeated warnings against us when he went to mass. He was told, “Take the literature and burn it immediately,’’ or, “Do not take the literature under any circumstances.” These warnings made him think, so he was ready to investigate when the opportunity arose. When he told his wife he was not going to mass any more, she congratulated him on his sincerity. When his uncle told him angrily that he was going to bring disgrace on his children by leaving the Catholic religion, he said: “My greatest wish is that my children should be not only hearers of the Word of Jehovah, but teachers of it.”
Eire is a priest-ridden state, with the influence of the Hierarchy reaching into everything. As a result, we are unable to find places to hold assemblies. This year we were able to rent an auditorium in the City Hall at Cork for the district assembly. The clergy brought pressure on the city officials and they canceled it. Since there was nothing that we could do legally, we traveled to Belfast and enjoyed a wonderful assembly with our brothers from Northern Ireland. Many people in Cork were thoroughly disgusted with this attitude on the part of their clergy and city officials and openly voiced their disgust. Three men knocked on the door of the Kingdom Hall one night just as the meeting was about to begin. They said they wanted to know more about Jehovah’s witnesses and whether they could belong to us. They attended the meeting and two of them have attended several meetings since. They voiced the sentiments of many Cork people when they said they were thoroughly fed up with the way things are run in Eire—meaning, of course, the way everything is run by the Hierarchy.
EL SALVADOR Population: 2,350,000
Peak Publishers: 579 Ratio: 1 to 4,058
The delegates returning to El Salvador from the wonderful international assembly in New York were excited and ready for a new service year. The doing of the divine will was their privilege. So on their return it might be said of them, as is recorded in Isaiah 55:1: “Hey there, all you thirsty ones! Come to the water. And the ones that have no money! Come, buy and eat.” Yes, Jehovah’s witnesses were inviting all the thirsty and hungry ones to partake of the real food and the real drink from Jehovah’s table, and with good success, too, for we find an excellent increase in the work that was accomplished in El Salvador. From the report of the branch servant we publish a few of the experiences.
Here is a heart-warming case of a dying man who had studied for five years with Jehovah’s witnesses and now, stricken unto death with a suffocating disease, charged the mother of his children to learn to read in order to instruct them better in Bible truths. He told her to renew their subscription for The Watchtower, which was soon to expire, and his instructions so completely covered every detail of the spiritual welfare of his family that he even included details of how he wanted his funeral conducted so as to avoid any possibility of worldly religious customs worming their way into the life of his surviving family. The brother who had served them as Christian minister during the five years of their Bible studies was asked to continue his visits.
The result is that after the man’s death, in spite of pressure brought on the family by the man’s sister, who is a nun, the children remained loyal to their mother and to the truth, and they have been able to overcome their unbelievably skimpy economic situation, attending the congregation meetings regularly, and the little children have even learned to give their own sermons from door to door. The oldest boy is a regular participant in the theocratic ministry school.
The witness work is so exciting in all its features that there is little wonder that many surprising and thrilling developments keep coming to the attention of the branch office. Consider how a certain elderly brother was able to start off a chain reaction of interest by simply plying his trade as a barber among the numerous employees of a huge hacienda. El Salvador’s rural area is largely divided into many of these haciendas, and they are so large that a barber can reside on one of them and easily earn enough to live on. This brother refused to give in to the traditional barber-gossip, but rather he talked the truth to his clients, and one of them was deeply struck with the simple, unique beauty of the truth, and so after our barber-brother had moved away, this man on his own initiative contacted the branch office on several different occasions in order to keep his knowledge of the Bible alive. But he did not keep to himself what he learned; rather, he began preaching on his own even though he was not a dedicated minister. After several months he invited the branch office to send him a speaker to give a Bible talk to the fellow colonos who lived there. The branch was more than pleased and quickly complied with this request. During the afternoon of the visit the branch servant and his companion discussed the truth with the man himself. Later they visited all the many people with whom he had talked the truth, and they were able to get together almost a hundred listeners for their evening talk. When the Lord uses holy spirit to call forth his sheep, such sheep are sure to respond, even if they have to show remarkable initiative as did this man of good will.
EQUATORIAL
AFRICAN REPUBLICS Population: 4,992,286
Peak Publishers: 1,965 Ratio: 1 to 2,540
Great changes are taking place in Africa. New countries are springing up in old territory, but regardless of the arrangement of government Jehovah’s witnesses continue to preach the good news. God’s people know that “the generous soul will itself be made fat, and the one freely watering others will himself also be freely watered.” (Prov. 11:25) How true that statement is! As the work progresses in this great land those who have gained a knowledge of the truth are becoming stronger in their faith and are building themselves up in it, gaining an accurate knowledge of Jehovah’s will and purposes. The more they share it with others the better equipped they become as God’s ordained ministers. In 1956 there were only two persons who qualified to be general pioneers in French Equatorial Africa, but now there are eleven special pioneers and twenty-two general pioneers who are able to go out in this vast territory. They have been accomplishing a great work along with the congregational publishers, whom they have helped tremendously in gaining a clearer understanding of Jehovah’s purposes. The branch servant in Brazzaville gives us brief reports on each of the new republics that have been established in what used to be French Equatorial Africa.
REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
Politico-racial dissension marked the independence of this Republic. At a time when the elements of Christendom were occupied by taking an active part in these events, the witnesses of Jehovah continued the preaching work and remained perfectly united. Although of different races, they are tied together in brotherly love in the New World society. We are happy to tell you that not one of the brothers participated in the riots and not one of them was killed or wounded.
The work of Jehovah’s witnesses is well known in this land and it is easy to recognize the brothers because they all carry their portfolio along. Therefore it is not a strange occurrence at all when we are stopped in the street by a person who wishes to inquire about a Bible text or to know more about the witnesses of Jehovah. A sister related that she was called upon in the street by a young man who said to her: “I see you are a witness of Jehovah, therefore I would appreciate if you could give me the two booklets ‘This Good News of the Kingdom’ and God’s Way Is Love. I have read these booklets, as a friend of mine had them, but I would like to possess them so that I can study them.” After having handed him the booklets requested, the sister fixed a rendezvous with this person. A few days later on when the sister made the visit the young man was waiting. He had read and underlined the two booklets and he had compared them with some Protestant books. After he had asked some questions on the difference between the beliefs of the witnesses of Jehovah and those of the Protestants, he was quickly convinced by the Bible answers that the witnesses of Jehovah teach the truth. A regular home Bible study was started with him and a few weeks later he attended the circuit assembly in Brazzaville, where 3,716 attended the public lecture.
CENTRAL-AFRICAN REPUBLIC
It is really magnificent to see how the work of ingathering is carried out among the humble population. Entire villages accept the truth and become Kingdom publishers. Consequently, the difficulty is, not to find publishers, but, as the apostle Paul said to Timothy, persons “adequately qualified to teach others.” (2 Tim. 2:2) Illiteracy is a great problem and in some groups of thirty to fifty publishers not a single one of them is a literate person. Therefore the need of capable publishers that can teach is very great.
The false religions do everything they can to put the brakes on our rate of increase. One of their favorite themes is to influence the village chiefs by telling them that they should chase out the witnesses of Jehovah, not permitting them to enter the village at all. “They are a sect composed exclusively of the colored race of Bacongo; there are no white ones among them,” say they. Therefore, when the district servant, a European, arrived in a village to hold a public lecture, the chief of the village was surprised to see a European witness of Jehovah; and after the public lecture he said: “If I ever had known that there are some Europeans in this religion I would never have burned down the meeting home of the witnesses of Jehovah in my village. Consequently, I realize that the Protestants have deceived me in telling me that it is a religion of colored ones from the ‘Bacongo’ race. Henceforth I cannot be on visiting terms with the Protestant religion, because they have deceived me and were the cause that I have been sentenced for two months of prison for nothing.” Since then, the local brothers report, a regular home Bible study has been started with him and he attends all the meetings of the group. He even promised to reconstruct the Kingdom Hall he had burned down.
REPUBLIC OF GABON
In this territory interest in the truth is very great, but there are only a few workers. In fact, only seven publishers are active in the city of Fort-Gentil, whereas the remainder of Gabon is not worked at all. Recently a list of 100 persons claiming to be witnesses of Jehovah has reached us through a brother who traveled in the Plaut-Gabon (High-Gabon). All these persons asked for help. This makes us think about the vision of the apostle Paul and which we read about in Acts 16:9: “During the night a vision appeared to Paul: a certain Macedonian man was standing and beseeching him and said: ‘Step over into Macedonia and help us.’ ” We intend to help these brothers in the course of the new year, and we pray also to Jehovah that he will send us some workers to help these isolated persons of good will.
REPUBLIC OF TCHAD
This new Republic with a population of 2,574,600 inhabitants has only five publishers in the city of Fort-Lamy, the capital. The brothers write us that this territory is hard to work because the whole copulation is made up of Muslims. It is possible to give a good testimony to each individual, but the fatalism of these persons is the reason why the seed of the truth does not penetrate deeply into the heart.
ETHIOPIA Population: 19,500,000
Peak Publishers: 137 Ratio: 1 to 142,000
It is strange that a nation that claims to be Christian should fight everything that has to do with the spreading of the good news of God’s kingdom. How proud can rulers and the representatives of religion become? They think that they are greater than God. Because humble Christians talk about God’s Word and present only the Bible and preach from it, persecution befalls them. Our brothers in Ethiopia are certainly meeting up with what Jesus said they would: “And you will be hated by all the nations on account of my name. Then, also, many will be stumbled and will betray one another and will hate one another. . . . The love of the greater number will cool off. But he that has endured to the finish is the one that will be saved.” Despite persecution and despite betrayal within an organization, the work continues quietly but effectively among those people who love righteousness. Here are a few brief reports and experiences from Ethiopia.
Some of the most serious troubles, strange as it may seern, have come from those who were previously in circuit or special pioneer work, the brothers we would expect to be most mature and reliable. It seems that some have come into the organization for “love of dishonest gain” more than for the love of the truth. When some of these have been disf ellowshiped, they have gone to complain to the police and to the courts in an attempt to betray the faithful brothers and to stop the work of preaching the good news. In one case a former special pioneer who had been disfellowshiped for rebellion charged that certain brothers were blaspheming the Ethiopian church and government. The brothers gave a good witness to the court, freely admitting that they were Jehovah’s witnesses and that their work is of a harmless nature, simply teaching the Bible to the people. After forty-two days in leg irons the brothers were finally released by the court with the warning that the government would not be responsible if they continued their work and any harm came to them as a result. Later their accusers were convicted on the very charge they had falsely made against the brothers.
Until now the brothers have been able to continue meeting in little family groups peaceably to study the Bible, and the work of announcing the good news to others continues. Most of the brothers in pioneer service have had to give up this service for the present because of the constant police surveillance, and a report just to hand tells us that a number of the brothers were arrested and beaten and literature was confiscated during August. Still the brothers know that when it comes to matters pertaining to true worship and the service of Jehovah they must obey God rather than men, and this they continue to do.
FIJI Population: 345,000
Peak Publishers: 176 Ratio: 1 to 1,960
September 1, 1958, the Society opened a new branch office in Fiji. This office takes care of the work in the part of the earth where Fiji is located and has under its jurisdiction people living on many islands in the South Pacific. When this branch of the Society was opened the local brothers in the Fiji islands were very enthusiastic and it was not long until they reached a new peak of 125 publishers. By the end of the year, however, their enthusiasm was so great that another new peak had been reached, namely, 176. The branch that the Society established in the Fiji islands looks after the territory of American Samoa, New Caledonia, New Hebrides, Tahiti, and Western Samoa. Certainly a heavy responsibility falls upon Jehovah’s witnesses to see that these people are witnessed to as well as in other places. Having in mind the scripture at Acts 20:28, which says: “Shepherd the congregation of God, which he purchased with the blood of his own Son,” missionaries, circuit servants, and individuals serving where the need is great have performed a good shepherding work and persons of good will have been directed to Jehovah God and his beloved Son, Christ Jesus. Many obstacles have arisen during the year on some of these islands, but we will let the branch servant, who gives a report on each of these countries, relate them. First of all we will hear about Fiji.
Illustrating the extreme patience necessary in the face of island irresponsibility is the case of one of these new ones. For two years the missionary brother had been studying with him. At first he marvelously enjoyed learning the truth, but never intended to do anything about it, saying to his neighbors: “He’ll never change me.” As he learned more he began seeing clearly the responsibility that comes with the truth and his conscience began to bother him. So when the missionary was due to call he would go to hide in his tapioca patch, instructing his wife to say he was out. Still the missionary persevered, seeing him some weeks, missing him many. Finally, the man, sitting in his tapioca patch one day, keeping his eye on his front door to see when the missionary brother would leave, came at last to his proper senses and realized he was running away from truth itself. Making up his mind now, he began studying with real purpose. His progress was rapid. In a few weeks he was in the field service, his wife and two of the older children joining too. The missionary was sent to another assignment, but the man kept on progressing. The circuit servant visited a couple of months later and the man, his wife and daughter were all baptized. Next month a congregation was formed in their area and all share zealously in the ministry with it. In the last month of the year a district assembly was held on the other side of the island. What a joy for the missionary to meet the whole family there, to see the man’s young son and his old blind father-in-law both immersed and to congratulate the daughter on her first month of vacation pioneering! Perseverance brings results.
With the setting up of the local branch, representations were again made to the Government for the lifting of the ban against our literature, which ban prevented us from importing any publications until first approved. Finally a decision was handed down in May lifting the nineteen-year-old ban, and the work now seems to be gaining a far better standing in the eyes of a long-wary administration.
Helping in this is the way the new Fijian brothers are learning to meet opposition in a Scriptural way. By their obedience to the organization’s instructions to be ‘peaceable with all men, as far as it depends upon you’ they are giving the Government confidence that it need fear no trouble from Jehovah’s witnesses. In one section a group of Fijian chiefs began preventing brothers from entering their villages to preach. Witnesses living in these villages were not even allowed to have their brothers visit them. Some were threatened before the village councils and at one such meeting a sister had her hair shaved off to stop her from going from house to house. The brothers were incensed but followed the Society’s instructions not to push the issue but to keep preaching in other villages under different jurisdiction. The work continued to grow. At the same time a circuit assembly was scheduled for the area and a grand witness of our peaceful purpose was given. As a result the congregation has enjoyed a 160-percent increase and the opposing ones have in some cases become ashamed. One of these chiefs last month told a brother: “You are welcome here now at any time. Our church ministers didn’t want you in the villages and it was they who were behind us to keep you out.” Jehovah certainly blesses the obedience of his people to his organization.
AMERICAN SAMOA Population: 20,154
Peak Publishers: 33 Ratio: 1 to 610
Those who have taken a firm stand for the truth are really moving ahead blessedly. The response to the Society’s call for pioneers has been tremendous. Together with the missionaries, the total in pioneer service at the end of the year was fifteen out of the total of thirty-three publishers.
One sister, a housewife with three children, began vacation pioneering June 1. School vacation started in the middle of June and she had her plan worked out for all three children to start vacation pioneering July 1. Much work needed to be done in the home and on the plantation before that date and during their pioneer months they had to divide up the duties in the home. The group study conductor helped them work out a schedule and their using it has helped them appreciate the need to organize and be punctual in getting things done. One son remarked that they have gotten more things done at home during pioneering than they did before they ever entered the pioneer service. All four pioneered happily through two months of vacation, and after three months of this service for the mother she was appointed as a regular pioneer.
In some parts of the territory so much work has been done that at some time in the last five years almost every house has had studies conducted there. For various reasons most of these have fallen through. During the last visit of the circuit servant counsel was given to make calls on as many of these as possible to try to rekindle interest and develop deeper appreciation. Good results are coming forth. One missionary renewed studies with six such persons; four are showing good appreciation and one has started publishing. We have found it best to go straight to parents or family heads as soon as someone shows interest, arranging thus for all the family to sit in on the study. This eliminates much of the former misunderstanding and opposition on the part of other family members.
NEW CALEDONIA Population: 66,570
Peak Publishers: 31 Ratio: 1 to 2,147
Despite the political unrest in this land during the year, leading almost to a native uprising and with all public meetings banned, the Government has been very tolerant toward our activity because of the good reputation the brothers have built up in harmony with 1 Timothy 3:7. We now have freedom to hold public meetings granted to us for the first time; we are allowed use of publicity as are other religious organizations, and a brother from Switzerland serving where the need is great has been permitted to work in the territory as a special pioneer, officially representing Jehovah’s witnesses in the land.
The territory in the one city of the island is now worked every four to six weeks and great interest is shown in the Society’s magazines. In May the publishers reached a peak of 64.9 magazines each, on an average. Almost half the publisher force is made up of school children and it is a joy to see them out every week for their own magazine day. This is on Thursday, when there is no school. Their parents have their own magazine day on Saturday, when the children are at school again. The intelligent witness the children can give has made a great impression all over the territory.
We are still hindered by law from witnessing to natives in the villages. Thus it is a joy to note the progress made by one native brother who is isolated at a nickel mine over three hundred miles away at the other end of the island. Contacted only once on an unassigned territory trip, he has had a regular study by correspondence. After that, over a period of more than a year, three more visits were paid. But already he had taken a firm stand for the truth, studied deeply himself, and was witnessing to quite a few around him. At the last visit he expressed his determination to be baptized. After making sure that he had counted the cost, the brothers immersed him in a nearby river. At the same time he surprised them with a new tape recorder he had bought to instruct himself and his friends in public speaking. He gave it to the brothers to take back and record as many Bible talks as possible for his further instruction.
Last month the brothers made the seven-hour trip again to visit him and show the film. The new brother had prepared well. At the mine the director offered the mine clubhouse free, even canceling the ordinary film show for the night and giving a furnished house free for the brothers’ accommodation. One hundred and thirty-five attended the showing and the several families with whom the native brother studies were greatly encouraged. “It was like a little convention,” said one of the brothers. The native brother was instructed how to conduct the Watchtower study and a nucleus for a new congregation was firmly laid.
NEW HEBRIDES Population: 53,739
Peak Publishers: 5 Ratio: 1 to 10,700
There is great mistrust on the part of the natives for missionaries because of the way these have exploited them commercially and in other ways, and as for the Europeans, they show extreme dislike and contempt for anything connected with missions. The two couples serving where the need is great have worked to build up good will by showing themselves honest, hard workers in their secular occupations and they are well liked by natives and Europeans both.
Not wanting the natives to class them with Christendom’s missionaries, one couple were at a loss to know how to speak about the truth with those working on the plantation. The sister finally hit upon the idea of getting the most alert house girl to teach her the local language. Since the only book in the language was the Bible, it was used as the textbook. For each language lesson the sister chose scriptures that made a sermon and wove a witness unobtrusively into each discussion. By going over these things time after time she finally made an impression and the house girl is beginning to show real appreciation for the things she is learning. We look forward to much more than this being accomplished before long.
Witnessing has been very limited also because of the brothers’ not knowing the Government’s attitude. However, at the end of the service year one of the brothers was called before one of the officials and was able to give a good witness as to our purpose in wanting to educate the natives in Bible knowledge, not to stir them up and confuse them, but to teach them reasonably and quietly the Scriptural hope of the new world. The official was very pleased at the brother’s balanced attitude and we feel we can now push ahead a lot more definitely this year. The Paradise book is certainly timely for the territory.
TAHITI Population: 63,000
Peak Publishers: 16 Ratio: 1 to 3,937
At the beginning of the service year three families from America moved to Tahiti to serve where the need is great for as long as their funds would last. Prior to this the only contact the island had had with the good news was two annual visits by circuit servants. So immediately these families began following up earlier interest and finding new contacts. Knowing they would not be able to stay long, they concentrated on the more outstanding interest, studying sometimes several times a week. The happy results were seen when, after three months, just before two of the families left, eight symbolized their dedication by immersion. These new ones continued to study together and to report to the Society.
Four months later two Gilead graduates on their way to another assignment were able to stop over for three and a half months. A congregation was organized and the number reporting quickly grew from five to nine, averaging twenty-five hours and one study each; then a peak of eighteen publishers was reached in May.
A French couple serving on another island within the Colony have started another isolated group. When they arrived there last year they found an attitude of distrust on the islanders’ part due mainly to the fact that most Europeans stand aloof and in one way or another try to exploit the natives. Speaking and living the truth and mixing with the friendly people soon broke the barrier of suspicion and opened the way to many studies. Finally, before leaving for the main island for employment reasons, the French brothers rejoiced to see five of those they studied with symbolize their dedication by immersion. These five are still regularly reporting their service to the Society.
The brother taking the lead among the local ones on the main island has given a wonderful witness because of his stand on the issue of jury service. Feeling conscientiously that he could not share in this, he wrote the officials giving his reasons for the stand. European officials showed great annoyance, but winged tongues carried the news around the tiny island and many became righteously indignant at the pressure being placed on the brother. At his place of business and at other stores friends and other persons he knows only by sight approached him specifically to know his reasons and went away satisfied with his Scriptural answers. He is happy for his stand, as it has aided many others to see Bible truth.
WESTERN SAMOA Population: 97,169
Peak Publishers: 51 Ratio: 1 to 1,905
Since laws were passed five years ago to prevent Jehovah’s witnesses from getting established here tilings have changed. At that time two special pioneers from Australia were ejected and on two following occasions the circuit servant was refused permission to stay, as the Government did all possible to hinder the work and cut off the local Witnesses from outside help. Now they find we are not so terrible. The use of proper tact and reasonableness by the brothers has had its effect.
This year the Government gave permission for four missionaries and the circuit servant to visit at one time to hold the island’s very first circuit assembly. Two hundred and eighty-eight attended and ten were baptized. It was a marvelous experience that helped the local brothers to understand the organization, and the work has forged ahead ever since.
Such stimulation was all the more timely as a handful of rebellious ones had been trying to divide the congregation during the year, setting up their own little organization. This was the climax of several years of constant disturbance by ones who were tolerated because of the newness of the work in the land. But instead of appreciating the undeserved kindness extended them, finally, in their intense pride, these stepped right outside the organization. The refining cost a quarter of the publishers, some by disfellowshiping, the rest following their lead. The result now? Jehovah unfailingly proved his backing of his own organization, blessing those who kept their integrity above any personal pride. The congregation went on growing to enjoy an average increase of 35 percent for the year, and now a truly warm spirit of love and co-operation prevails.
The optimistic spirit was reflected soon after the assembly when one young brother became the land’s first local regular pioneer. Joining him, another youngman entered the vacation pioneer ranks with the intention of staying there six months while attending Teachers’ Training College at the same time. This he did. He had first been contacted by the rebellious group and baptized by them. The assembly came and in his confusion he did not know whom to listen to; he just wanted to serve Jehovah, he said. As the assembly progressed he saw clearly where Jehovah’s organization was, was baptized again and continues as a shining example of devotion to the true God, rather than a follower of the cliques of men.
FINLAND Population: 4,333,000
Peak Publishers: 8,063 Ratio: 1 to 537
The ministers of God have had a most joyful year in Finland. They have been following the instructions in the Word of God, for they know that “the path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established.” (Prov. 4: 18) As they let their light shine, more and more people associate themselves with the New World society, until now there are more than 8,000 persons who have shared in preaching the good news in Finland. There is still much work to be done in this land of trees and lakes. The publishers are scattered throughout the territory and much attention has been given during the year to strengthening the congregational publishers and arranging the circuits so that the brothers would get the most benefit out of the circuit assemblies. Out of the branch servant’s report a few of the experiences are published herewith.
This summer’s Awake Ministers district assemblies were a blessing and many received new courage and zeal in them for service. It was a pleasure to see the brothers enjoy the instruction they received through these assemblies. At one of the conventions we also heard an experience about the determination of one interested person to attend the convention and which led to a happy conclusion. She had planned so that she could be at the convention from the beginning to the end. For this reason the chores at home had to be arranged for, and the greatest difficulty was caring for her two cows. Everything seemed to have gone well, because on Thursday morning one woman had promised to come and take care of things during those four days. However, something had happened, because nothing was heard of her. The interested person was worried a little at first, not knowing what she should do. Anyway, she did not want to miss the convention, because she had already decided to symbolize her dedication by water immersion at the assembly. She did not have any more time to hunt for another person to take care of things, so she called up the slaughterhouse to come immediately and buy two cows, which were to be taken away the same morning. The interested person did not see any other solution than selling the cows. The congregation servant asked this person after the baptism if she intended to buy new cows in their place after the convention. This new sister answered in the negative, and added: “Now I will have more time to use in Kingdom service.”
One publisher tells about his experiences and the effect of studies: “I was able to arrange a study with a young lady in February. The lady progressed rapidly so that in April I ventured to ask her if she could mention someone of her acquaintances who was interested in the Bible where we could go together and study the Bible with them in the same way. The lady gave me the name and address of one of her acquaintances but asked me to go there alone at first. Her acquaintance proved from the beginning to be a sheep. She told about her teaching her children to pray the Lord’s prayer, and so forth. When I asked her: ‘If your son were to ask where this kingdom is or when will God’s will come about on earth, could you answer him from the Bible?’ She answered that she did not know that kind of thing. I showed her how, with the help of the book ‘Let God Be True,’ we could find the answers to these as well as to many other questions. She wanted that book and we started a study immediately. When I went there for the third time to study, her husband received me and said: ‘I will have to find out what happens in our family. I am not religious and for that reason I suggested to my wife about three years ago that we should separate ourselves from the [state] church, but she was against that and now instead she suggests getting a divorce.’ For about an hour the man asked questions and said in conclusion: ‘Yes, you may continue—I will think about the matter a little.’ Four months later he was at the door again and said: ‘At the beginning I decided to think about the matter. I decided on the basis of the discussion we had then that if my wife changed for the better, then you could continue studying but if no change happened, then the study would have to be stopped. I will have to admit that she has changed in many things for the better; therefore, you are always welcome to come and see us. I also noticed that she has begun to understand the Bible, judging from the way she is able to explain things understandably to me also. I have been thinking that I do not want to be behind my wife in knowledge; therefore, I, too, must begin to study.’"
FRANCE Population: 44,000,000
Peak Publishers: 13,935 Ratio: 1 to 3,150
The branch office in Paris looks after a great deal of territory. Not only do they care for the country of France, but they also look after Kingdom interests in Algeria, Cameroun, French Guinea, Madagascar, Senegal and Tunisia. All these countries have made good progress during the year, and seeing the broad expanse of this territory under the French office causes one to think of the scripture: “The eyes of Jehovah are in every place, keeping watch upon the bad ones and the good ones.” (Prov. 15:3) As the report will show, Jehovah’s witnesses have enjoyed many rich experiences and they are determined to go in among the people of the world, which lies under the rule of the wicked one, and to preach to these, and it is not long until some want to get away from their wickedness and associate with the New World society, which is doing good before the eyes of Jehovah. The branch servant gives us a fine report on all these countries, and here are excerpts from the report.
This year, as in the past, many families have moved to serve where the need is great, while special pioneers have been sent into virgin territories. Nevertheless, a great amount of work remains to be done as several large towns of over 20,000 inhabitants, not to mention those of smaller size, are still unassigned and even whole counties (departements') are without a single publisher.
A brother employed by the French Railways asked his chief for a transfer to a town where he knew the need was great. When he was asked the reason why he wanted to make this change, he did not hesitate to give a witness, and to make known that that was what he wanted to talk to the people about. The chief congratulated him and gave his personal support to his application for the transfer; he showed much interest, asking questions and requesting publications.
The following experience shows how the placement of a single magazine by a ten-year-old vacation pioneer helped to bring six people into the truth. She had placed a copy of Awake! with a lady. The little sister returned fifteen days later with a brother. What a surprise! The lady asked for information and requested that they return to visit her. She quickly understood the importance of the message and soon made this known to the persons in the neighborhood. Her husband, her daughter, her brother and her sister-in-law living in the same locality are all interested. Immediately a study was begun with all these persons. Then another of her brothers became interested and took his stand with the New World society. At the present time four of these persons have joined us in the preaching work.
The New World society, when it shines in its territory like a searchlight, does not fail to attract persons of good will, as the following letter received from a brother shows: “One day a workmate came and spoke to me in the street. I was surprised because he looked very serious. I wondered what he was going to say to me. ‘Emile,’ he said, ‘I would like to talk to you about my daughter, of whom I spoke last night when talking about your religion. She is only fourteen but she wants to be with you, because she has noticed that you are not like the others!’
“I understood immediately what he was referring to. I replied, ‘Yes, perhaps we are different from the others, because we are trying to live according to the principles of the Bible, and we belong to a New World society.’ I pointed out to him that in many countries of the world all kinds of men are trying to live up to the same Christian principles. I told him that in 175 countries Christians are also busy explaining the Bible and showing others how to obey God. I added: ‘If you like, I could come one day to your home and we could talk more at length on these things.’
“The same day I took him a magazine and spoke to him again about the circuit assembly we were to have soon near my home. Then my wife made a visit with me. We immediately began a study in the book ‘This Means Everlasting Life.’ This study is now being held regularly, and the young girl is very interested. She quickly accepted an invitation to attend the meetings and has already begun to preach. She went out in the service with the circuit servant’s wife during the circuit servant’s visit. We have also had the joy of seeing her ask to be allowed to present the magazines in the house-to-house work, and this she did with evident pleasure and with a zeal that astonished us.
“Naturally, the study is continuing with this family, not only with the young daughter, but with other children who have joined the study, and we rejoice to see them growing in knowledge and love of God.”
Following Paul’s admonition, “Preach the word ... in favorable season, in troublesome season . . . with all longsuffering,” it is good to take advantage of every opportunity, even at the place of secular work during break periods, in order to give a witness. The following experience of a brother shows the good results thus obtained.
“I have been thoroughly convinced, by experience in the preaching work, of the good that can be accomplished by the use of the tongue in praising Jehovah. For example, in incidental witnessing at the place of work when this is possible during slack periods, or during rest periods or during mealtimes. I work in a large factory in the suburbs of Paris, but in a small workshop where there are about twenty-five workmen. I learned of the truth in July, 1951, and immediately I spoke about it to my workmates. Very few of them listened to me, but I continued to speak of the established Kingdom, giving proof after proof until their skepticism disappeared. I gave an intense witness. In seven years I placed a carton of books in the workshop. Some subscribed and soon fourteen persons were receiving Awake! by post. I formed a magazine route and distributed booklets by the hundreds. The seven years passed and not one made any move, not one appeared to be taking a stand for the truth. Sometimes I became discouraged, but I never despaired. I had confidence in the scripture in Ecclesiastes 11:1, casting my bread upon the waters and waiting for the appropriate moment to act. Recently I had the joy of seeing some of these men take interest in the Bible. Now more than ten possess a copy. And now I have five home Bible studies with my workmates. At these five studies eight persons attend regularly and study seriously. One of them was recently baptized and two more will be baptized at the next circuit assembly.”
From different parts of the country letters come to this office either asking for spiritual help or to express appreciation for the work being done by Jehovah’s witnesses, as revealed in the extracts that follow.
“I am writing to you to ask you for information concerning Jehovah’s witnesses. I am a Catholic and I was educated in a Christian school. I had the opportunity of reading your magazine Awake!, which interested me very much. I asked a nun to talk to me about the battle of Armageddon but she knew nothing about it. If this is mentioned in the Bible, then she should know something about it. I have therefore checked into my religion and find there are many things lacking and some things that are contradictory. In answer to searching questions propounded by students, the mistress replied by saying that they should not seek to understand such things. ... I like very much the title of your magazine—it is very significant. If it will give me the answers to all my questions I will willingly subscribe. . . . My religion has grossly deceived me and I desire to know perfectly that of Jehovah’s witnesses. I know for sure that mine is not the right religion. I will be very grateful to you if you can give me information or tell me how I can get it.”
We would not like to finish this report without expressing our appreciation for the new Bethel of five stories, which we have occupied since April and which will have a printery. We were also delighted with the two visits you paid to this Bethel, Brother Knorr. Soon the printery will begin to function and also the course for the training of the congregation servants.
ALGERIA Population: 9,530,500
Peak Publishers: 140 Ratio: 1 to 68,000
In spite of the troublesome period that this country is going through, fine progress has been made during the past year with regard to the theocratic activities. However, the service year began badly for the Algiers congregation because four of the principal servants were taken away. Due to quick action on the part of the Society the situation was corrected. The number of publishers rose from fifty-six in October to 113 in June.
Two things stand out in this service year: the visit of Brother Henschel in April and the first circuit assembly that took place in Algiers and that brought together 165 persons to the showing of the Society’s film. But, as the report of the Algiers congregation servant shows, the enemies of the truth are jealous of the spiritual paradise of God and are not remaining inactive. Catholics, Adventists and others have distributed slanderous literature concerning our work and our teachings. Several newly interested persons were shaken. To remedy this two public talks were given as an answer. In these talks the doctrines and practices of the sects accusing us were reviewed. Things were soon put in order when their pitiable teachings were examined in the light of the Bible.
CAMEROUN Population: 3,187,000
Peak Publishers: 4,300 Ratio: 1 to 741
A wonderful work is being accomplished in this country. More than 4,300 publishers are preaching with zeal and determination, each one working an average of twenty hours in field service a month. Every day after their secular work the brothers pass some time in the service. Thus it is not surprising to see the progress in the work there.
The hand of the Almighty, Jehovah, has reached out to every corner of the land by means of his servants and his organization. In all the congregations everywhere the brothers have overcome obstacles set up by the enemy, Satan the Devil. This was particularly seen in the Divine Will Assembly in Yaounde. This event was a big one because Yaounde is one of the largest towns in Cameroon. Yaounde, being the capital of Cameroun, is made up of a very mixed population. However, this mixed crowd are one hundred percent Catholic. People worship the priests and even believe that at night God descends to discuss things with the bishop.
It was astonishing to see a special train of twelve coaches draw in to the Yaounde railroad station on the evening of November 12, 1958, filled with singing passengers.
The onlookers wondered what it was all about. Were they the representatives of the United Nations organization? It was nothing of the kind. These “locusts” filled the town, and on the morning of November 13, everyone knew that Jehovah’s witnesses were there.
The visit of the president of the Society to Douala in March, 1959, was a memorable occasion. The solemnity of this visit was doubled by the arrival at the same time of the first servants from Cameroun after their course at Gilead. This visit therefore greatly surpassed in importance the district assembly held in Yaounde. Without any announcement on our part, the hall of the assembly was packed tight. All the churches in Douala (Catholic, Protestant, Baptist, etc.) secretly sent representatives to hear what Brother Knorr was going to say.
The authorities also sent an usher service, which was something beyond our control. During the period following this visit, people were talking only of the assembly of Jehovah’s witnesses and of their president.
REPUBLIC OF GUINEA Population: 2,505,000
Peak Publishers: 2 Ratio: 1 to 1,252,000
In this country, which gained its independence during the past year, the witness work is limited to the activity of just one regular publisher. Here is absolutely virgin territory where the brothers may choose to go in order to serve where the need is great.
The natives are fairly well disposed to listen to the truth. There are many persons interested and the hope is to find some sheep among them. The main religion in Guinea is Islam. The population is composed of Lebanese, Syrians and natives of Guinea.
A special pioneer from Liberia has been visiting this country regularly since March and he has been able to do much preaching among the people. He has even conducted oral teaching classes among the people of good will. It is hoped that regular visits will be possible among these honest-hearted persons during the coming year.
MADAGASCAR Population: 4,913,000
Peak Publishers: 41 Ratio: 1 to 119,800
The great event of the year was the visit of the president of the Society, Brother Knorr. This was his first visit to Madagascar, when he visited the congregation at Tananarive. What a grand encouragement this was to the Madagascan brothers and also to the French brothers! Two other events of the year were two circuit assemblies. At the first circuit assembly, held in January, 1959, thirteen new brothers symbolized their dedication by water immersion. The second circuit assembly, held in July, saw seven more brothers present themselves for baptism. Besides the congregation at Tananarive, two isolated publishers are witnessing in Manakara, a town on the east coast of Madagascar, while five isolated publishers are also working in Diego-Suarez in the north of the island.
In Madagascar there is much work to be done in order to preach this good news of the established kingdom. We pray that Jehovah will send workers into his harvest, having in mind the scripture at Matthew 9:37, 38: “Yes, the harvest is great, but the workers are few. Therefore, beg the Master of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.”
Patience and perseverance are very necessary in the Kingdom ministry, as is shown in the following experience, as related by a special pioneer: “For three years I conducted a study in the book ‘Let God Be True’ with a Malagasy family but no member of the family made a stand for the truth. However, I persevered with the study and this perseverance has borne fruit, for two daughters of this family are now baptized.”
SENEGAL Population: 2,220,000
Peak Publishers: 25 Ratio: 1 to 88,000
The most outstanding event in this country was the visit of Brother Knorr in February, 1959. During the second evening of the visit a maximum of forty-two persons were present at the meeting.
“About two years ago my wife was working her territory in the city and contacted a colored person who received her very favorably. This lady, who was a Catholic and of a very well-known family in Senegal, accepted six booklets. At the first back-call there was nothing special to report. After this visit this lady spoke to her friends and to her family and invited them to her home so as to listen to the message during our subsequent visits. The husband listened but he was rather ironic in his remarks about the message. Following this I accompanied my wife on other visits, which became very interesting, and eventually a study was started.
“During this time a brother of this lady died. Being Catholic, she asked many questions to know exactly where her brother was. We gave her the answers to all her questions, and from that time on her interest for the truth increased.
“The study was held regularly, and the progress was good right up to the moment when this family left for France for a vacation of nine months. We wondered if after their return they would still remember the truth. When they left Dakar we gave them the address of the congregation nearest their home in France. The months passed, then one day, nine months later, they came to visit us. Their interest for the truth had not died. On the contrary, some time later the husband suddenly saw the importance of the truth. Then he and his wife made rapid progress. They abandoned the religious system. This created a scandal in the family and among their friends because they are very well known in Dakar. ‘What! . . . they no longer go to church?’ and so forth. ‘They are now atheists!’ ‘They are now Jehovah’s witnesses.’ This family now attends the congregational meetings.”
TUNISIA Population: 3,800,000
Peak Publishers: 44 Ratio: 1 to 86,000
A new peak of forty-four publishers was reached in Tunisia this year in spite of the departure of nine publishers who went to take up residence in France. Thus the total of publishers who have left Tunisia since 1954 has risen to fifty-three. This service year was a very profitable one, for Brother Henschel visited Tunis in April, 1959, following which successful arrangements were made for the distribution of The Watchtower. Following this, the first circuit assembly ever to be held in this country took place in July.
In December a sister was working her territory in order to distribute the Resolution. She returned several times to the territory in order to visit the “absents” so as to give these persons the Resolution. However, one door was alwaj^s closed, so she decided to slip the tract under the door.
A week later she returned to make the back-call, and there, as a result of her perseverance, the door opened. When the person learned the reason for the visit she expressed satisfaction with the Resolution and said she agreed with the terms of it. She had heard of Jehovah’s witnesses in Paris, but had never come into contact with them, and so she asked many questions and soon a study was started.
Recently this person had to be absent from Tunis for a little more than a month in order to attend to the harvest on some land she has rather a long way from Tunis. The study was suspended, but when she returned she asked the sister if she could come to visit her twice a week so as to catch up on the time lost. Today this person appreciates her responsibility and will soon have a share in Jehovah’s work.
GERMANY Population: 53,839,000
Peak Publishers: 65,631 Ratio: 1 to 812
Jehovah’s witnesses in Western Germany have had a very happy year, and due to the fact that so much of the territory is thoroughly worked the brothers have found occasion to go into isolated spots and even into other countries. Certainly they have showed the industriousness that is peculiar to the people of God and it brings to mind the words of Paul: “But we desire each one of you to show the same industriousness so as to have the full assurance of the hope down to the end, in order that you may not become sluggish, but be imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (Heb. 6:11,12) Our German brothers have been very active in going out where the need is great, opening up new fields, and along with all their brothers throughout Western Germany they have given an excellent witness. The branch servant gives us some of these experiences.
Enthusiasm ran high as the brothers in Western Germany learned that seven million German copies of the Resolution that had been adopted in New York were ready for distribution. Among the 63,908 publishers who reported service during this memorable month were many who had gone out for the first time. We thereby enjoyed an 11.6-percent increase. During the following weeks and months 1,396 persons took advantage of our offer to send them the booklet God’s Kingdom Rules—Is the World’s End Near? Many requested that they be visited immediately, a goodly number of new home Bible studies were started, and just eight weeks later, from among those who first made contact with the truth in December, we had our first publisher.
A wife of one of our circuit servants reports calling with the Resolution on a young lady who showed immediate interest in a righteous government. Since she wanted to hear more, she subscribed for both the Watchtower and Awake! magazines. It was possible to start a home Bible study on the first back-call. From that time on she regularly attended the Watchtower study and even answered questions. She immediately realized that Jehovah’s witnesses were not silent witnesses and began to talk to everyone she met about the hope that had made her so happy. While attending a confirmation ceremony to which she had been invited she made good use of the opportunity to witness and spoke for three hours about the things she had learned in such a short time. She is now a zealous publisher.
Also worthy of mention is the fact that the cry to help where the need is great, which grew louder month by month, caused many brothers to earnestly consider changing their place of abode. There were sixty-four brothers or families who stepped forward to serve in foreign countries; eleven families have already been able to carry out their plans, and the others are busy obtaining the necessary papers and work permits. Four special pioneers and one congregation publisher moved to Iceland; six special pioneers received an assignment to work in Austria; 251 publishers, some as vacation pioneers, worked for several weeks in Austria and at least five families are moving there for good. In addition to this, 110 publishers from six different congregations worked in Austria on their weekends. Another fifty-two publishers, some as vacation pioneers, worked for a time in Switzerland.
Here in Germany itself there are still a number of territories where the need is great. Up until now 291 publishers have offered to move to some other place; seventy-eight of these, in some cases entire families, have already moved. How happy they are to have made this decision is apparent from their reports. One brother writes: “As you will see from my address, my family and I are now living in a new territory. I was able to start the service here last Sunday with real joy as I arranged for a new home Bible study. We have been provided for wonderfully as regards a place to live, and we are deeply grateful to Jehovah for his guidance. Please share with us in our joy and accept our greetings of love.”
Another brother writes: “I arrived here on Thursday, September 11; I had already found work by Friday, September 12; and on Saturday, September 13,1 found a two-room furnished apartment.”
GHANA Population: 4,763,000
Peak Publishers: 7,653 Ratio: 1 to 622
Many interesting things have happened in the new country of Ghana during the past service year. The preaching of the good news of the Kingdom has gone forward in all the territory under the branch office at Accra. The ordained ministers of Jehovah in Ghana and countries under its jurisdiction feel as Paul did when he expressed these words: “We are not peddlers of the word of God as many men are, but as out of sincerity, yes, as sent from God, under God’s view, in company with Christ, we are speaking.” (2 Cor. 2:17) The obligation to declare this good news everywhere without cost to persons is the desire of Jehovah’s witnesses in this African territory under the branch office at Accra. The branch servant gives us some interesting experiences from Ghana, Gambia, Ivory Coast and the Togoland Republic.
Due to political unrest and tensions throughout Africa the distribution of the special Resolution tract appeared to be untimely. But not so! Rather, the tract has helped many people to see clearly where Jehovah’s witnesses stand regarding world affairs and has let them see that God’s kingdom by Christ is the true hope for mankind. Four hundred and fifty thousand tracts were distributed in Ghana in six languages, and various expressions were heard. A Witness made a point-by-point study of the tract with a woman overseer of the Presbyterian Church. She mentioned that the Presbyterian Church also preaches, but in a different way. “Our clergy have said we cannot all be preachers so we need to finance those preaching by paying our dues.” The brother replied: “Jesus did not say, ‘Go and hire laborers with your money to preach for you,’ but that you must preach yourself.” This made the woman think, and a study was arranged in “This Good News of the Kingdom.”
Our Divine Will Assembly had been arranged for Accra but a serious water shortage necessitated moving the whole assembly organization and equipment 160 miles north to Kumasi. There everything was prepared from site to building the booths and platform and rooming in just fourteen days, and a highly successful assembly resulted. A crowd of 10,399 filled the grounds to hear Brother Knorr deliver a public lecture, his first in Ghana in eleven years.
One thing that none of the circuit and district servants in Ghana will forget is the apt counsel and guidance received when Brother Knorr talked with them. The need of really being teachers and not just tellers was amply stressed and the seriousness of being skillful shepherds was driven home to all. This timely counsel did much to stimulate activity for three consecutive new peaks in ministers to end the service year. Brother Knorr’s visit to the branch office in Accra was much appreciated by the Bethel family and many points for expanding the work and increasing the maturity of the organization were discussed and put into effect.
That assemblies aid in gathering the Lord’s sheep cannot be denied. A young man who had been practicing spiritism and who was a polygamist was encouraged to attend an assembly. He came back highly impressed, left off practicing spiritism, dismissed one of the two wives, became literate in just three months and is now busy as a witness of Jehovah.
We cannot fail to mention the marvelous response being made to the introduction of the new book From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained. So fast have copies been placed that it has been impossible to keep sufficient in stock at the branch office. A government minister sent his secretary around to the branch with a list of religious books he wanted to obtain. On the top of the list was the Paradise book. A school headmaster inquired as to whether he could obtain copies for all his students so that they could take religious instruction from it. The district servant reports that he is greeted with the question: "Brother, have you brought Paradise with you?” Throughout the country brothers have placed even their own personal copies to try to keep up with the growing demand.
“I contacted a man of the Presbyterian Church and offered him the booklet ‘This Good News of the Kingdom’ in Ewe. On our next visit to that village I started a study with him. He enjoyed it so much that I invited him to join us in field service. He was reluctant at first, but, after we had given thanks to Jehovah for the knowledge gained and asked his blessing upon the right use of this knowledge, he at once expressed his desire to join us. I spoke at the first house, and at the conclusion he asked if he could add something. I readily agreed. The householder was amazed and asked him, ‘Where did you learn all this?’ He answered, ‘You too can learn them if you associate yourself with Jehovah’s witnesses.’ ”
GAMBIA Population: 311,000
Peak Publishers: 9 Ratio: 1 to 34,500
For Gambia, the 1959 service year has closed on a very happy note. At the beginning of the service year one brother Was active. Now, as a result of a Gilead graduate and his wife getting into the country along with a pioneer brother from Nigeria who is serving here where the need is great, the little group has grown to nine Kingdom proclaimers.
Although the clergy of Christendom have shown their opposition right from the start by intimidating the people, preaching against the Witnesses and by threats, they have not been able to stop the forceful flood of truth. Forty-one persons gathered to witness the celebration of Memorial and were delighted with the Scriptural observance of the “last supper” that they saw.
The Paradise book is doing a splendid work, as shown by the fact that a man of good will obtained one for himself and then one for each of his two sons. He stopped having them attend Sunday school and spends an hour each Sunday training his children by use of the book From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained.
IVORY COAST Population: 2,481,000
Peak Publishers: 75 Ratio: 1 to 33,000
The work in Ivory Coast started off with a new peak of seventy-five preaching witnesses and, although there have been some good features of progress, the number of publishers decreased.
In October some very bad tribal and race riots struck the country. The local natives, feeling that ‘outsiders’ were taking all the best jobs, rioted against the Togolese and Dahomians. Since many of our brothers were of these countries, they were evacuated to Togoland. Thus there was a drop of about twenty-five Witnesses during the year. None of the brothers suffered any bodily harm or great loss of property, and for this we are thankful.
Twenty from Ivory Coast attended the Divine Will Assembly in Ghana during Brother Knorr’s visit and carried back much good instruction.
The first circuit assembly was held in Abidjan, the capital, and proved very successful and of much encouragement to all those attending. Two were baptized and sixty-two attended the public talk.
TOGOLAND REPUBLIC Population: 1,088,000
Peak Publishers: 270 Ratio: 1 to 4,029
Over 150 brothers came from Togoland to the Divine Will Assembly in Ghana. Ninety chartered three lorries and traveled together this way to the assembly. French and Ewe programs were provided for their benefit.
The first circuit assembly ever held in Togoland was a great stimulus to all, and 367 attended the public talk. The film was shown for the first time also, and 401 were thrilled with the things that they saw and heard.
It has been reported by the circuit servant that a local village chief accepted the truth wholeheartedly. Two special pioneers are visiting the village regularly to aid all there to gain the needed instruction.
A former fetish priest, who was well known for this demonic practice, began investigating various religions. He was dissatisfied with the Catholic Church because they were practicing the same things he did as a fetish priest. While studying Islam he came into contact with two pioneer ministers of Jehovah’s witnesses. The Malaam (local leader of Islam) could not satisfactorily explain away the things the Witnesses said about Islam and true Christianity, so today this person is busily engaged in telling his former associates (fetish priests) about the good news of Jehovah’s kingdom.
GREECE Population: 8,050,000
Peak Publishers: 7,217 Ratio: 1 to 1,115
Jehovah’s witnesses still do not have the approval of the government for having their own Kingdom Halls in Greece. However, our brothers there know that they cannot forsake the assembling of themselves together, so they meet regularly in private homes with a limited number in attendance. Lovers of the Kingdom in Greece have opened their homes for such meetings and they are glad that they can gather together even though only in small groups. They lack nothing in spiritual food. Jehovah provides for those who continue to seek to do his will. He pours out an abundant blessing upon them. The branch servant at Athens, Greece, gives the following report.
The carrying out of our ministerial service under so difficult conditions, persecutions and various other mistreatments is a regular thing for us. We are accustomed to conducting the good fight of faith under such conditions and are grateful to Jehovah because we feel his loving protection in each of our steps. However, when considering the hard conditions encountered by our brothers behind the Iron Curtain, we draw real courage and vigor for persevering and promoting the Kingdom work. Our difficulties are trivial when compared with those of our brothers who live behind the Iron Curtain.
Reviewing the service year ended, we find with gratitude that Jehovah has richly crowned this year with his good things by bestowing abundant and rich blessings upon us. And all this in spite of the malicious efforts of religious circles, who declared the year 1959 an “anti-heretic” year, with the object of “exterminating Jehovah’s witnesses,” according to the expression of an Athens paper. Yet Jehovah, who always proves mighty for those of an upright heart before him, has utterly upset the tables, and not only preserved us from the hunters’ traps but even flooded us with his precious blessings. Here are but a few evidences:
During this same “anti-heretic” year, Jehovah God granted us a fine victory in the form of an opinion on the part of the acting attorney at the Supreme Court to the effect that Jehovah’s witnesses are a known religion, and are therefore protected by the country’s constitution. This opinion had particular value because it was passed in answer to a query addressed by the hierarchy of the Orthodox Church to the attorney at the Supreme Court, and it is obvious what kind of opinion was contemplated by the hierarchy when applying to the Supreme Court!
Within the same “anti-heretic” year we enjoyed the top blessing of welcoming Brother Knorr from May 21 to 24. By Jehovah’s undeserved kindness we held a marvelous public gathering in a central theater of Athens, attended by delegates from almost all the country’s congregations. Owing to limited space, only 1,350 attended. However, in the evening of that day and of the next day two more gatherings were held at the Bethel home, attended by another 565 brothers. Thus the grand total of listeners to the valuable speeches of Brother Knorr amounted to 1,915. It is difficult to describe the brothers’ joy and enthusiasm because of the president’s visit. Invaluable is the benefit derived therefrom. We are thankful indeed to Jehovah for the blessed visit paid by Brother Knorr. I would add here that we regarded all these gatherings of ours as a small “assembly,” and we called it “Awake Ministers Assembly.”
One week after the visit of Brother Knorr, we were visited by Brother M. G. Henschel. In addition to the speeches that Brother Henschel delivered in Athens at the homes of brothers, on May 29 we flew to Sal-onica, where for the first time in thirty years we held a public gathering at the Olympion, the city’s largest cinema. Attending were 1,250 brothers gathered from almost all congregations in northern Greece. It was a very blessed gathering and, to the great joy of the brothers, we called it also “Awake Ministers Assembly.”
Two sisters were working from door to door, calling not consecutively from one house to the next, but only at certain houses distant from one another, in each block of houses. An enemy of the truth advised the police, and a plain-clothes policeman was immediately there to arrest the sisters. When he saw them, he asked them: “Have you finished your territory?” The sisters thought he was a brother, and said: “Yes, we finished it, and now we go home.” Then the policeman identified himself and took them to the police station. There the officer in charge severely reprimanded them for calling at people’s homes instead of staying at their own homes and caring for their households. The sisters meekly explained to him with Bible texts why they do this work. The officer became somewhat appeased by the sisters’ pertinent replies and finally told them: “I will let you go home if you promise me that you will not come back into this territory.” The sisters replied that they do this work in obedience to God’s command and that whenever it was necessary they would come back to tell the people the good news of God’s kingdom. “Sorry, officer, we cannot give you such promise. If God sends us back into this territory, we will obey Him.” Finally, the officer set them free, without laying a legal charge against them.
A brother who went to take residence and serve in a town of southern Greece where the need was great accomplished an admirable work during the short time of his service in that area. During the first two months he placed 858 magazines, arranged for home Bible studies with persons who showed interest and effectively assisted the small and weak congregation in that area. The Devil got angry at this good work done and caused the brother’s arrest and his committal for court trial on the charge of proselytism. But Jehovah willed the door open for continuing the witness work and the brother was discharged by the court and is now continuing his work at somewhat greater ease in that area where the need is great.
The study in our magazines trains old and young brothers alike. A little sister, who is a primary-school girl, won a prize for an essay that she wrote on her examination on the theme “The Mother.” When the school director congratulated her father for the nice essay of his daughter, her father said: “Teacher, my children read the Awake! magazine.” Indeed, the little girl had read the Awake! article headed “The Mother’s Role at Home,” and this was exactly what secured success for her. Thus, after a proper witness given by the father to the teacher, the latter asked for Awake! and he subscribed for a year.
GUADELOUPE Population: 229,120
Peak Publishers: 239 Ratio: 1 to 958
The work started slowly in the island of Guadeloupe this year, but after two small circuit assemblies were arranged and the brothers were assisted to see their privileges of service they became far more energetic. Furthermore, each servant was assigned his part in helping weak ones and new publishers and visiting those of good will. Every-
one seemed to take hold of his responsibilities and the organization worked hard and at unity. The year’s text had a real effect upon them, for they were determined to keep on their outer garments, that is, their ministerial identification, and by April they found a rich reward of 28-percent increase in the number of publishers of the good news. How true, then, it is: “Happy is the one that stays awake and keeps his outer garments.” (Rev. 16:15) The branch office in Guadeloupe looks after the work on this island as well as keeping in touch with any interested ones in French Guiana and Martinique. Here are some reports.
How publishers of the good news are watched by the people of good will can be seen from the following experience: A person, by chance, attended a home Bible study once, but as his place of work was in another commune, he could not continue attending. At his work he observed a brother who was working in the sugarcane fields three hours every morning (from 6 to 9 a.m.) and who would leave then to do pioneer service. This man went again to attend the home Bible study and declared to the brother conducting it: “There is one of Jehovah’s witnesses that I see working regularly until 9 a.m., and next he goes from door to door as a ‘postman for the Witnesses.’ ” The brother explained that this Witness was really a postman of Jehovah himself, not of the Witnesses; because he is bringing God’s letters, the Bible, to the people when he goes from door to door. And we may add: “How much more good would be done if more would become ‘postmen’ for Jehovah by entering the pioneer ranks!”
FRENCH GUIANA
Again some work has been done in French Guiana, which is included in the report for Guadeloupe. A young man of sixteen heard the truth in Dunkirk, France, five years ago and very soon was having a share in the preaching work; but the following year his father had to move for his work to Cayenne, French Guiana. There was no congregation, nor any publisher, and this young man was not baptized as yet. But he could not let circumstances deprive him of telling the truth to others, and after a while he found interest in a Martiniquan family. How happy he was! The more he talked to them the more he learned, as he had to study deeper and deeper to quench their thirst for truth. What an experience to start his first home Bible study! How appreciative he was of Jesus’ statement: “For where there are two or three met together in my name, there I am in their midst.” (Matt. 18:20) That study brought good fruit, as four in the family, plus himself, got ready to be baptized early this service year when the Society arranged for a missionary from Martinique to pay a visit to French Guiana. All this group made fine progress, but, as all were students, the four new ones went to France and the original brother is going to leave soon too. However, a new visit had been again arranged before his leaving. From Suriname, this time, a brother speaking French came and spent three weeks with him, gathering the good-will persons and organizing them in a regular weekly study. What progress will be made in the near future one does not know, but it is our prayer that Jehovah will bless these small beginnings into a rich crop of people praising his name.
MARTINIQUE Population: 239,130
Peak Publishers: 37 Ratio: 1 to 6,462
Distributing the Resolution opened the door in many instances to greater activity in the service. A special pioneer reports having been at the entrance of a passage serving several flats. Their occupants were on the doorsteps talking one to the other. The first accepted the Resolution, the second one refused it, while an elderly lady who was listening stepped forward and requested a copy for herself. She commented: “As long as this paper speaks of God, I’m taking it.” Some of her neighbors reminded her that she was affiliated with the Sacred Heart of the Rosary and other societies, so she should not accept anything from Jehovah’s witnesses. But rather than yielding to the pressure she agreed to the pioneer’s proposal to call back. The first call provided opportunity to explain a few points of the Resolution that were not well understood, and to underline the importance of God’s kingdom. She then requested a Bible and attended the Memorial. Since then she has never missed a meeting, once in a while taking along a friend of hers. Of course, her neighbors keep persecuting her, threatening to warn the priest because she is studying the Bible with Jehovah’s witnesses. The sister asked her what she would say to the priest if he would come to see her. She said that she would remind him first that he always says in church that one must read the Bible, but so far he did not make any provision to explain it in the homes of the people or to invite them to attend some course to that end. And next, as one lady of Jehovah’s witnesses is kind enough to do that for her every week, she cannot see how she could refuse her help!
The office received a letter of which an excerpt follows: “Convinced that my poor health will not improve until after Armageddon, I have firmly made up my mind to devote without any delay all what is left of my strength and energy to the grand work of Jehovah. So I kindly request, dear brothers, your agreement to my application for pioneer service.” That sister keeps doing a fine work as a special pioneer and is an inspiration to her fellow workers in Jehovah’s service.
GUATEMALA Population: 3,430,000
Peak Publishers: 823 Ratio: 1 to 4,167
Jehovah’s witnesses in this small country in Central America continue their work of gathering together the other sheep. They have had one of their best years in witnessing with the good news of Jehovah’s kingdom, and the brothers are delighted with their privileges of service. They appreciate, too, the need of coming together at circuit assemblies and there receiving spiritual food. They agree with the words of the prophet: “Not by bread alone does man live but by every expression of Jehovah’s mouth.” (Deut. 8:3) It is essential for every individual to seek the truth and make God’s Word his meat. By doing so he learns the way to life everlasting and he also tells the good things that he has learned to others. The branch servant in Guatemala gives us a few interesting experiences.
With arrangements now being made to open a new missionary home we shall have ministers preaching in all the twenty-two states (departments) of Guatemala. Often persons of good will come to the assemblies from remote mountain sections where the seed of truth has been scattered and has grown. To come to a circuit assembly in Quezaltenango, two brothers who live near the Mexican border traveled on foot for nearly two days and twelve hours by bus. Their joy was boundless at being with their brothers, even though they would have a three-day journey to return home. At this same assembly was related the experience of one who symbolized his dedication to Jehovah and how he learned the truth, showing that opportunities are always available to teach. Two brothers who had been special pioneers were confined for a year to a sanatorium for treatment. They preached regularly, in spite of protests by the nuns, and held Bible studies, with the result that this person of good will received permission to leave the sanatorium for two days to attend the assembly and be baptized. Now the two original brothers have been released from the sanatorium, but the new minister continues to preach and has taught the truth to another patient who is awaiting the opportunity to be immersed. Not all who are healthy and free to preach anywhere have as good results to show for a year’s preaching.
Often the pioneers talk to the passengers on the trains as they go from town to town. One who was the preacher in a small Pentecostal church came in contact with the truth in this way, and when he began to preach about the new world he had to leave his church. But he arranged a room of his own house to be used for Watchtower studies; later he was immersed and became a pioneer and is now a special pioneer.
HAITI Population: 3,384,000
Peak Publishers: 715 Ratio: 1 to 4,732
Another year of internal strife has brought more poverty and suffering to the people of Haiti, but Jehovah’s witnesses must continue regardless of worldly conditions and they must preach the good news so that those who mourn may be comforted. World conditions do not change the work of Jehovah’s witnesses, but as things get worse, then Jehovah’s witnesses must intensify their efforts. They remember the comment of Paul: “For each one will carry his own load of responsibility.” (Gal. 6:5) So, too, Jehovah’s witnesses wherever they are must carry a load of responsibility, even those newly coming into the truth and just learning the things about Jehovah’s grand provisions for life for man. All together must preach this good news. And that is what they have been doing in Haiti, and with good success during the past year. The branch servant gives us some very interesting experiences.
Division is evident in the religions of Christendom. Not only have local and foreign priests taken different sides in political issues, but more than ever the Baptist Church is dividing. In one town, three splits have occurred, making it necessary to have four Baptist churches. That church has been badly shaken in southern Haiti owing to a great issue, and many are losing confidence in the clergy. But some experiences will show that our increase is not due to our using such circumstances as a spawning ground for members, but rather it is the Kingdom good news, the hope of eternal life on earth, that is attracting them to the truth.
A country lay preacher attended a study conducted by a special pioneer. It amazed him to know that the earth would not burn up but rather be the eternal home of man. He returned to his mountain home and told another preacher of the news, who, in turn, summoned the pioneer to his home early one morning. With several others around they searched in their Bibles and found the soul to be mortal, the trinity doctrine untrue, and most thrilling to them was Jehovah’s provision for Armageddon survival and life on earth. Fifteen attended this study; the next week over twenty came; then thirty-two. As they learned, they talked to their neighbors. Finally, this whole rural Baptist “station” became interested, but instead of using their own church to meet in, they built a tonnelle of palm branches to meet under and sent in their resignation to the Baptist Church. Five pastors and two other Baptists came up to coax them to return. But the humble folks said: “We have learned more in a few weeks with Jehovah’s witnesses than we did during twenty-five years in the Baptist Church. You never told us of eternal life on earth. Now show us where the Bible says that the soul is immortal or that there are three persons in God if you can.” The pastors left. These people were later offered money if they would stop studying with the Witnesses! But to no avail. They had found the truth and cherished it. They have preached to the next Baptist “station,” and some of those have taken up the message and preached to yet another station. Together with two or three persons from the pioneer’s town, they form a group of more than forty members of the New World society!
Two brothers from the branch office went up to the central plateau to conduct a marriage ceremony. For an hour before the service they witnessed to the bride’s brother. Explanations of new-world blessings sank deep into his heart. Thereafter he spoke to religious associates about the message, he himself being treasurer and preacher of the Baptist Church, director of the Sunday school and responsible for five rural churches. After trying for one year to convince pastors and preachers of the message, he finally divorced himself from the Baptist religion. But one day the local pastor as an old friend coaxed him to go to church. The pastor there delivered a sermon denouncing the Witnesses, whereupon our friend got up in disgust and left the church, never to return. He started preaching the Kingdom message from door to door himself, until a special pioneer came to his territory and studied with him, teaching him how to preach systematically. The following month he turned in his service report of ninety-one hours and seventy-seven back-calls. After immersion, he enrolled as a vacation pioneer and he closes the service year on the regular pioneer list. His wife is now a regular publisher ready to be immersed.
In southern Haiti the circuit servant reports: “We had a very interesting week with the Aquin congregation. Fourteen different publishers and interested persons came out in the service, including three members of one family. The congregation servant started studying with the oldest boy in June last year. In July he went in the service with the circuit servant. His two sisters, who used to mock and laugh at the truth, attended the public talk that week and took interest. They attended the meetings in October. November found them in the service from door to door. The mother now shows interest and the three remaining boys now attend the meetings, making a potential of ten publishers for one family!” We further note that during our circuit assembly in a near-by bourg, the district servant encouraged the family to pool their resources and send one member of the family to the Port-au-Prince district assembly. They said that they just could not. Came assembly time and five of them showed up in the capital! One is a vacation pioneer and just wrote the branch at the close of the year to be put on the regular pioneer list.
A special pioneer in northern Haiti writes of an interested person that became a publisher: “He became sick with tuberculosis and was taken into the sanatorium of Port-de-Paix. I continued to visit him, giving him spiritual and material aid. During December he worked forty-three hours right in the sanatorium, conducting five Bible studies and making twenty back-calls.” So sickness does not stop us from taking advantage of occasions to preach.
HAWAII Population: 520,000
Peak Publishers: 1,305 Ratio: 1 to 403
Jehovah God is not only the Great Source of the good news but he is also the Most Eminent Instructor or Teacher of the good news. Wanting to do the will of the heavenly Father, we want to be teachers too so that other persons may learn the things we have learned. He sent his Son into the world to teach and to preach, and by his excellent work qualified, ordained ministers came forward to walk in his footsteps. In these days too there must be thousands upon thousands of Christians who are going to do the same thing that Christ Jesus did. Jehovah’s witnesses appreciate this and want to do helpful, instructive work. They appreciate that with the help of Jehovah God and with the help of his visible organization they too will be “adequately qualified to teach others.” (2 Tim. 2:2) This takes a real effort on the part of the individual, but it is an essential thing in the life of a Christian. He must study, take in knowledge and give it out through teaching to others so that they, too, may understand the good news. This is the kind of work that is moving ahead in the Hawaiian Islands. The branch servant there gives us the following report on the work in that place.
Jehovah’s rich blessings can be seen when one tries to apply instructions from His organization. It was pointed out how circuit servants were to try to start two studies while visiting the congregations. Recently a circuit and a district servant started eighteen studies in one week, aiding the publishers of the congregation to become aware of their responsibility to teach.
Along with our teaching work we must also show how to overcome opposition and set the right example, as the following experience will show: “After two months of study a girl was so eager to share the knowledge that it became a burning fire in her bones. At this time her mother was in Honolulu, but friends wrote to her about the daughter’s having a Bible study. When the mother arrived home the local priest, friends and neighbors were on hand to report about the daughter’s breaking away from the church. Upon hearing this the angry mother drove the daughter away from home. However, love of the truth, patience and comforting admonition from the brothers made her realize who her true friends were. The girl not only listened to the truth, but spoke it and was baptized at a circuit assembly.
“The mother? She began to notice the change in her daughter’s way of living. For months whenever I would pass by her home I would say, ‘Hello, Manang,’ and receive only a glare as she puffed on her toscanni. Then one day she called me over to her house. She was curious as to really what the Bible has to say and how it is that I could smile and not get angry at her. ‘Me,’ she said, ‘if somebody throw stone, I throw stone, too. Even my own church members are good today in front but behind you they poke you with knife. But ah! You are good.’ So I said, ‘No, Manang, I am not good; only Jehovah is good, but I try to follow what he tells us.’ ‘All right,’ she answered, ‘I will learn about your Jehovah. He is number one God. Other kind gods all nothing. They fight for members or five cents, ten cents— pretty soon they all die. Maybe I can learn not to get angry so quickly and I learn too about the Bible so I can tell other people.’ ”
Those who attended the Divine Will assembly in New York even cared for those with whom they study who could not attend, aiding them even more than they realized at the time, relates a publisher. “A family decided to become subjects of the Higher Powers. It all began when we wrote from New York informing them of the good counsel and admonition we had been receiving daily and enclosed the convention reports as they were released. Reading these reports, plus the press reports of the many New York papers, they were really able to visualize how Jehovah God was blessing the New World society with rich spiritual blessings and how the New World society lived according to true Christian standards.
“Also, upon our return, we were in for a good surprise. The zeal they had shown in becoming publishers just by reading the releases we were able to send home! Instead of our starting out by training them to become house-to-house publishers, they had already been preaching for a month. They said they could not stay home doing just nothing when they read of the responsibility each one of us has of letting everyone know about Jehovah’s kingdom.
“The invitation to the Divine Will District Assembly in October was just the thing for them. Attending and actually experiencing the warm feeling of being a part of the visible organization Jehovah provides has made them ever more zealous. Since they symbolized their dedication by water immersion at this assembly they have made their home a household of true Christians, in-laws and all.”
MIDWAY ISLAND
The island of Midway has not been completely dormant as far as preaching of the good news there is concerned. During the past year there has been one lone sister who has been doing preaching work there and who has conducted one Bible study. She distributed many Resolutions among friends and made many back-calls. Certainly if Jehovah has some of his sheep on this island he will see to it that they are gathered, just as he is gathering persons in all nations and of all tongues in these last days.
HONDURAS Population: 1,769,000
Peak Publishers: 533 Ratio: 1 to 3,318
Jehovah’s witnesses in Honduras have taken to heart the year’s text for 1959 and have stayed awake. By so doing they have shared fully in the happiness that Jehovah’s witnesses enjoy the world around. Jehovah has blessed the brothers richly in this country, enabling them to pass their quotas for December and also for April. It is seen too that those who do not walk according to the way God directs receive unhappiness in their lives. Those who fail to maintain vigilance in their temple service become displeasing to Jehovah God and they are removed from their service privileges, and sometimes they are even put out of the congregation because of violating Christian principles. However, as a whole the organization in Honduras displayed wakefulness in the ministry and therefore the brothers have experienced the full happiness of awake ministers. The branch servant gives us some interesting experiences on what is going on in the territory.
During the year we have had several young brothers enter the pioneer ministry. These have been enthusiastic in encouraging others to become pioneers also. When two missionaries had to leave their assignment for a while because of sickness, a native brother was sent to do what he could to care for the needs of the people of good will and to care for the Society’s property. A short time later this brother wrote a letter to the branch office expressing his joy. He said, among other things: “This town is for me my ‘promised land.’ I am happy among those who are happy. Here the people respond to the signal raised in their midst.” The letter continued, and he requested enrollment as a pioneer minister so he could care for all the interest he had found.
Three more pioneers have been assigned to work together in this assignment now and the four of them are caring for three isolated groups and working other isolated territory making up the entire department. Another brother in this group expressed his joy this way: “For my part I am ready to be a pioneer until the New World because Jehovah is so good and kind.” This brother had been reluctant about entering the pioneer work.
Not only are Jehovah’s witnesses known by name, but they are also known by their fine Christian reputation. When one of Jehovah’s witnesses fails to walk according to Christian principles, it is not uncommon to have a person of the world approach one of the brothers and report the matter, because, they say, we know that you people do not do such things.
An experience shows the good reputation of Jehovah’s witnesses. A congregation needed a larger Kingdom Hall and so went to see the owner of a new but unoccupied building just about one block away. The owner of the new building was Catholic, but she said that she had been praying that Jehovah’s witnesses would come to rent her building. She had observed the fine Christian conduct of the Witnesses and was willing to rent to them at a much lower price than she would rent to anyone else. Another person was approached about renting a house to Jehovah’s witnesses for a missionary home. When the Witnesses offered to present references, the lady said, “Oh, I know that you have good references. Everyone knows that Jehovah’s witnesses have the best of references.”
HONG KONG Population: 2,600,000
Peak Publishers: 212 Ratio: 1 to 12,200
Hong Kong has held its position in the Far East as a bustling port. It is said that the population of this territory is getting near the three-million mark; so that places a heavy responsibility upon Jehovah’s witnesses to preach. How true it is that “this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth”! (Matt. 24:14) Truly, all kinds of people are given an opportunity to know of Jehovah’s purposes. There has been a fine increase in the number of Witnesses in Hong Kong. There are many there who are hungering for righteousness, and the Chinese brothers and sisters who have come into the truth have proved themselves and shown real ability in caring for the interests of the Kingdom. They rejoice in discharging their responsibilities, are happy at the assemblies, have taken up the special pioneer work and pioneer service, and the experiences reported by the branch servant are very interesting as regards the witness being given to all nations.
Hong Kong is a clearing station, people come and go and we are accustomed to see some of the ones we have studied with and trained also leave; but this year for the first time a family from the U.S.A, came and settled here to serve where the need is great. They were overwhelmed by the welcome they received, and their first deep impressions were of the zeal and ability of the young Chinese publishers.
We are never short of visitors, as all kinds of people pass through the busy port. Sometimes we wonder what our contacts result in. Recently we were happy to hear the good result of a contact with a young soldier who stopped here. He writes: “So much happened in the last three months of my stay in Hong Kong that it would take much too long to explain. . . . When I left the army in February I had by then made up my mind what I wanted to do with my life. I think it was after meeting you all that my attitude to the truth changed. I do not think I was really sincere until then, although I was brought up in it. ... I have now given up full-time regular work and taken on a part-time job to devote my whole time to the ministry. Nov/ only one more month and I sincerely hope I can start to pioneer the beginning of September.”
One of the tremendous problems in Hong Kong has been to house all the unfortunates who have been deprived of their squatter huts by reason of fire, flood or clearance. The government has built huge sevenstory structures in resettlement areas and, while these provide just the bare necessities, the people are more secure, and it is much easier for Jehovah’s witnesses to call on these humble folks. Now some of our vacation pioneers have come from these areas. Here is how one Chinese special pioneer reports on his results in one such area: “The first time round my resettlement territory brought no results, not even a study. But on the second time round I started five studies and now four of the persons studied with are publishers. One of these was a young housewife who showed a true sheeplike attitude from the start and readily subscribed for the Chinese Watchtower. I called back in a few days and arranged to study with her. It quickly developed into one of those model studies where the good-will person has prepared beforehand and has underlined the key points and has a note of the questions she wants to ask at the end of the study. Soon she was attending the Tuesday study, then the Watchtower study and service meeting. She joined in the field service one holiday when we went to the rurals and has been a regular publisher since. She diligently practiced her sermons and was quick to join the ministry school to improve her sermons. Now she has three studies of her own.” In case it might be thought that this was all plain sailing, the pioneer adds that it has all been in the face of intense opposition from the family. She has had visits from church “elders,” and false propaganda against the Witnesses was sent to her, but all in vain, for she just went on gaining maturity. He closes: “It has been a pleasure to be used in helping such truth lovers to become mature servants of Jehovah.”
A missionary recounts that after the last circuit assembly she was given a good-will slip and on calling found a young man waiting for someone to visit him. He said that a friend who was studying with Jehovah’s witnesses had taken him to the assembly and he enjoyed the public talk so much that he wanted to know if he too could have a Bible study. A study was started in “This Good News of the Kingdom” and, although his family followed the traditional Chinese worship, he, week by week, eagerly absorbed the truth. He began to attend the Sunday meeting. Then came the movie on the Divine Will International Assembly. From this time on he became very interested in the preaching work, but met problems as he talked to his friends. The missionary concludes: “After helping him to prepare the Paradise sermon last week he is now ready to join us in the house-to-house work this coming Sunday.”
INDIA Population: 392,440,000
Peak Publishers: 1,514 Ratio: 1 to 259,000
Due to the widespread enthusiasm derived from the great Divine Will International Assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses in New York city Jehovah’s witnesses in India have been stirred up. Twenty-five delegates from India returned and their expressions of zeal have stimulated the entire Indian field. It seems that their theme for the year turned out to be just as Paul stated it: “Become steadfast, unmovable, always having plenty to do in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in connection with the Lord.” (1 Cor. 15: 58) So in this country where very little attention is paid to Christ Jesus and to Jehovah God, the Father of the one who gave himself as a sacrifice for mankind, we have reports that it received an intense witness concerning Jehovah God’s kingdom, and there has been an excellent increase in the number of those seeking to know more of God, and many of these have taken them stand for His kingdom. In fact, a new all-time peak in publishers was reached in April, when 1,514 persons went forth to declare the good news. All there know, however, that there is still a tremendous amount of work to do if India is to get a thorough witness. The brothers are doing all they can by Jehovah’s undeserved kindness. Here are some reports on the work being done in India as related by the branch servant.
It might be mentioned that the circuit work in India often entails much travel fatigue and poor accommodations. We have at present forty-three isolated groups, and many of these are in remote places in the jungle, necessitating many miles of walking, with very primitive living conditions. But the brothers are really doing an excellent work in these isolated places, and some of their experiences are related.
A pioneer in an isolated group had been conducting a home Bible study with a young man for over a year. This man was a “Christian” associated with the Marthomite church in southern India. He was quick to see the answers to the questions in the study book, but still continued to associate with his church as a Sunday-school teacher, and the pioneer was discouraged at his lack of progress, wondering whether he should discontinue the studies. Tiie circuit servant visited them, inspired this young man to attend the local assembly, and that made all the difference. The young man was so impressed by what he saw and heard that he joined in a placard parade around town advertising the public meeting, and on returning home immediately started attending the Watchtower studies instead of going to church, and was baptized at the next circuit assembly.
Still another circuit servant writes: “I gave the baptism talk out under a tree near the spot where the immersion was to be held. There were eight baptized.” This was in another of these isolated territories where newly interested ones have been found by pioneer activity. He adds: “This can be made a congregation as soon as enough time has elapsed for the brothers to qualify as servants. Brother J--- has done a wonderful job
here. The week before I arrived his wife delivered a baby without a soul to assist her. She apologized the day I left because she could not get baptized also.”
A new territory was recently opened up in southeast India, and a missionary home established. One of the brothers there relates that the very first week he was in the territory he met a man who was in the habit of reading the Bible every day before going to work, but that he had felt spiritually sick and had been praying for help. He readily took our Bible-study aids, and a study was arranged immediately. What India really needs is about a thousand good missionaries to search for, find, feed and lead these hungering “sheep.”
Not all our pioneers are youngsters. Here is an experience related by a special pioneer over seventy years of age, but quite young in spirit: “I must tell you of my experience with a Catholic priest who was here in connection with a five-day ‘mission.’ ” This elderly sister (who is on the infirm list) was visiting one of her study contacts for a study when she found this priest already in the room. The sister introduced herself as one of Jehovah’s witnesses doing the work foretold by Jesus of bearing witness to Jehovah’s name and kingdom in these last days. Of course, there was very soon a discussion, which became quite heated on the priest’s side. He ridiculed the idea that this old lady could “preach,” whereupon she showed him Joel 2:28. He picked up her Bible and shouted: “This is not the Bible. Who gave King James the authority to publish
the Bible?” He further declared that the name Jehovah was not in the Bible, whereupon the sister told him that if he were a Hebrew scholar he would know that the Hebrew expression for Jehovah occurred more than 6,000 times. And so the arguments increased. He brought out the favorite text at Matthew 16:18 about Peter and the rock, and Sister N---- was ready with
1 Corinthians 3:11 to refute that favorite argument of Roman Catholics. He picked up “Let God, Be True” and flung it across the room and left. Result? Sister writes: “The contact where the scene occurred is still having her study with me, and she went and told this Irish priest what she thought of his bad behavior.”
Roman Catholics will often deny that they worship the virgin Mary instead of God, claiming that they worship God through Mary. As an illustration of how subtle and false this claim really is, the following is taken from a letter received by a young man brought up in a Roman Catholic family: “I was born in a Catholic family. My parents were stanch Catholics. I was a sort of black sheep. I learned that there is a God, but I never cared two hoots about Him. I had some sort of belief in the virgin Mary and my faith and trust were all centered in her. I loved her, adored her, and venerated her. I believed in her as a goddess. As for religion, I hated it.” This young man then went on to relate how he came in contact with Jehovah’s witnesses and was told about Armageddon and the new world. Quoting his words: “When Brother F--- showed me from
the Bible that the virgin Mary had other children by Joseph and that she was not the mother of God, but merely the mother of Jesus, who later became Christ, it was like awakening from a nightmare. I was shocked for a couple of days, because from youth I had been taught that Mary was the virgin mother of God, and she was God’s Queen. Now, by studying God’s Word and coming to really understand it after nineteen years spent in ignorance, I want to know my God, love him and serve him.”
The vacation pioneer work also bears fruitage. A vacation pioneer writes: “May I continue as a vacation pioneer during January and February? I was immersed almost five years ago and during the various times that I have served as a vacation pioneer I have been blessed with five fleshly ‘letters of recommendation.’ With the many joys that have been mine I never urge the brothers to ‘try pioneering’ but to ‘do it.’ By this means I have been able to maintain my own spirituality as well as that of my family during the long time of reverses in my secular work. I feel as Paul expressed it in Philippians 3:8.”
We are trying to keep up with and to solve our several problems, chief of which are how to get the message of the Kingdom published in all the fourteen major languages of India (to say nothing of the dozen or so minor, but quite extensively used, ones), and how to build up a capable, mature body of undershepherds to find, feed and lead the “sheep” that are still to be found among the teeming millions of this vast territory.
INDONESIA (JAVA) Population: 52,000,000
Peak Publishers: 346 Ratio: 1 to 150,200
There has been a steady increase in the number of Kingdom publishers in Indonesia throughout the service year. This is especially due to the special pioneer work. Many have taken up this service now and have moved out into different sections of the Indonesian territory. They have not done this without opposition. The clergy object strenuously to missionaries’ coming into their territory and talking the truth about God’s Word. Especially have the Catholics taken definite action against Jehovah’s witnesses because the witnesses are encouraging a study of the Bible among the people. But all ordained ministers who have dedicated their lives to Jehovah’s service know that they must let their light shine, just as Jesus said: “Likewise let your light shine before mankind, that they may see your right works and give glory to your Father who is in the heavens.” (Matt. 5:16) Jehovah’s witnesses rejoice everywhere at the steady increase in the gathering together of the other sheep because of letting their light shine, and so it goes in Java, Sumatra and Sulawesi, all islands of Indonesia. The branch servant at Djakarta gives us some interesting experiences about the work of Jehovah’s witnesses.
An interesting event during the service year was the distributing of 55,000 copies of the Resolution tract in Indonesian. The public responded well, with more than one thousand people writing to the office for the free booklet advertised. Through back-calls, studies were started with many of these people.
Training children in God’s Word bears fruit. Many parents who understand English have put the book From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained to good use in instructing the children. One brother, a schoolteacher, returned home to find his seven-year-old child explaining the pictures in the Paradise book to a friend who was waiting for him. The child understood no English but she was giving a very effective witness. The father went into the bedroom to change his clothes and listened for some time with great pleasure to his young child explain about Armageddon, about the lost paradise and the return of paradise in the new world after Armageddon. The visitor was listening with great interest. Later the father came out and asked the visitor if he would like to study the Bible. The visitor readily agreed. Next week he came to the brother’s home for the study that had been arranged and the brother’s seven-year-old child explained to him that what he needed was the Watchtower and Awake! magazines and urged him to subscribe for one year to both magazines, which he did. After studying for two months this person attended the district assembly in Surabaja and is now a publisher. Truly, as Jesus said, “From the mouth of babes and sucklings you have furnished praise.”
A brother and his wife in Djakarta who conduct a private school studied with Jehovah’s witnesses for four years before they were finally baptized. In the three and a half years since they were baptized they have used the opportunity to give a wonderful witness to their pupils, the pupils’ parents and the teachers who work for them. There are six classes in their school and each class has a weekly Bible study conducted by the sister or brother, using “This Good News of the Kingdom” Basis for Belief in a New World, selected Watchtower articles and also the bound books. Kingdom songs are taught the pupils during the music lessons. As a result of this work two teachers have become baptized Witnesses, two parents of pupils and ten of the pupils themselves have been baptized and are regular publishers. The first pupil to accept the truth over three years ago is now a special pioneer and many of the other pupils have been serving recently as vacation pioneers.
Many “Christians” in Indonesia practice various forms of spiritism, such as opo-opo. Two special pioneers were holding a study with a person deeply involved in opo-opo. He believed firmly that the spirits of his forefathers were still alive and that if these spirits were cared for according to set regulations, they would guard or protect one. However, if the spirits were not properly cared for, one could fall sick and even death could result. As the study progressed he increased in knowledge. Finally Ephesians 6:11-17 was discussed at length, pointing out that wicked spirits abound and that the protection against these wicked spirits is not through some opo-opo but by the complete armor from God and particularly by use of the “sword of the spirit,” the Word of God. After much thought this man finally agreed that the Word of God was sufficient to guard one. Immediately after this he fell sick, which he felt was the result of his losing faith in his opo-opo. But he kept praying to Jehovah; he realized that prayer to Jehovah was the thing that could aid one in life. A week later he made known to the special pioneers his desire to destroy his fetishes, but he was still fearful to do it himself. The special pioneers offered to help, so he wrapped up his fetishes and gave them to the special pioneers, who took them to a nearby river and threw them in. Since then this man has progressed in the truth and he attended every session of the district assembly last month.
SULAWESI Population: 5,930,251
Peak Publishers: 40 Ratio: 1 to 148,200
Much of the island of Sulawesi is still in the throes of a cruel and destructive civil war. Preaching the good news in northern Sulawesi for the past eighteen months has been done in troublesome season indeed. Preaching can be done only in the larger towns, as guerrilla-style warfare is still carried on. Several brothers remain isolated owing to this condition.
Two missionary sisters have faithfully remained in their assignment here assisting the local brothers in the art of teaching and keeping balanced in all things. Despite the trying conditions, many good-will people make progress. People are despairing of the scorched-earth policy carried on in the land and are attracted to the spiritual paradise restoration work done by Jehovah’s witnesses.
In central and southern Sulawesi thousands have lost their homes and family members and have flocked into the coastal city of Makassar, swelling the population from 200 to 800 thousand. This concentration enables the three missionaries who have recently been assigned to Makassar to contact persons from far inland. So much interest is reported here that a congregation can soon be formed. After just two months of work by the three missionaries, five new publishers were in the field in Makassar during August.
SUMATRA Population: 12,000,000
Peak Publishers: 35 Ratio: 1 to 342,800
A young brother who was carried away by the rebels into the interior managed to extricate himself and return to the city of Padang. Receiving his first visit from the circuit servant in two years, he expressed his desire to go to Java to receive training from mature brothers and to become a pioneer. This he did and he is now a happy pioneer. This young brother and his father, also a publisher, were formerly strict Moslems.
Serving where the need is great is taken very seriously by many. The congregation servant in one city, the father of nine children, is arranging to sell his home and belongings, migrating by boat to one of the islands of the archipelago 2,000 miles distant, where he and the members of his family will open up the preaching of the good news. Four members of the family will pioneer as soon as they are settled in their new home.
During the year a new congregation was formed by two special pioneers at the city of Medan in the north of the island. Sumatra is more strictly Islam than other parts of Indonesia, but much remains to be done on this vast island.
ITALY Population: 48,353,000
Peak Publishers: 5,225 Ratio: 1 to 9,254
Looking back over the past service year and the work being done by Jehovah’s witnesses gives real cause for rejoicing, for excellent progress has been made in the Kingdom work in Italy. Many years ago, because of the strong Catholic power, it was practically impossible to do any preaching of the good news, but now, to the joy of all, there are more than 5,000 publishers in this land proclaiming the good news. In a country where there has been intense opposition for years God’s ordained ministers have kept right on going, knowing that “God gave us not a spirit of cowardice, but that of power and of love and of soundness of mind.” (2 Tim. 1:7) With this spirit in Jehovah’s witnesses world-wide, and particularly showing itself in Italy, the people of good will listen to the message of truth and are now receiving Jehovah’s rich blessing. Some of the high lights of the year and good experiences that have been enjoyed by the publishers are herewith related by the branch servant. Reports come into this branch office also from Libya and Somalia, where the Kingdom interests are being advanced, and a note is also made about San Marino, an independent country within the country of Italy itself.
The special campaign to distribute the Resolution of the New York international assembly proved to be the most successful campaign of any kind ever had in Italy. The response of the public was far beyond our expectation and, in fact, the first campaign that the public had responded to. Two outstanding experiences are to be noted. A functionary of the Italian Parliament came to the branch with a soiled copy of the Resolution Watchtower. He had picked it up in a rubbish heap in the Parliament building. He read it and liked it. He now wanted the book advertised. After an hour’s discussion he obtained all the literature available in the Italian language, five books and seven booklets. A Catholic priest serving as vice-director at an insane asylum was brought a copy of the Resolution Watchtower by a friend who wanted his opinion on the subject. So impressed was he by the message, that he wrote to the branch office asking to be visited. After a few months of visits and letters he came to the branch office to discuss the truth further. He also attended a talk by Brother Henschel, who was in Rome at the time. He met many brothers and was highly impressed with the unity and love of the New World society. He has now decided to abandon the church and is going to be baptized very soon.
Wonderful and radical changes take place in the lives of those who see the truth and follow its light. One pioneer was invited to have a Bible discussion in a home of ten persons. After a couple of hours it was agreed that a Bible study would be started the following week. After about a year’s study the whole family was baptized. Taking their stand for the truth has had strong repercussions in the whole area of southern Italy. Constant visits were made by the clergy because they had been heavy contributors to the church and were an influential family in the area. In addition, the husband was a member of the world-famous Mafia and was a very feared man, having been often in prison. Even more stupefying to the world is the fact that now all his fleshly brothers are studying the truth. Why? One of his fleshly brothers had killed his own father because of Mafia rivalries. The one now baptized had sworn that his brother was as good as dead in his sight. Having gained a knowledge of the truth, he went to his brother to make up with him. He explained that, as God has forgiven his past, he must do likewise to his brother. It was a very moving scene to see these brothers reunited again as tears streamed down their faces after not having spoken to each other for years. Now it will be interesting to see how many more will be baptized. But already the truth is in the limelight for the above-noted reason. Hence, false religion has spread crime and hate, whereas the healing light of God’s Word brings fruitage in right living, peace and love.
A blind brother had learned the truth while in a school for the blind. On returning home he preached continually for ten years without any apparent results. While going to visit his cousin he talked on the way with a friend, as he always took advantage of every occasion to preach. At the cousin’s home this friend witnessed to her and she became interested. Soon the blind brother started a Bible study in a booklet he had left. He followed the study in his own booklet written in Braille, which he had copied himself. Thereafter the study was continued in the “Let God Be True” book, which this brother had also written in Braille himself! One evening while going to his study, being blind, he fell from a wall six feet high. He broke his hip and was in bed for two months. Returning to hold his study, his cousin was fearful to start the study again. With patience he was able to convince her to start the study. But many other obstacles yet had to be overcome. The husband now warned the brother not to keep coming to the house. The brother’s family also threatened him harm. Finally the clergy added their opposition, angry over seeing one of their formerly most active parishioners leaving them. All opposition was overcome, and now she is a Kingdom publisher and will soon be baptized. Truly, a faithful witness brings healing to the spiritually sick. Imagine the tremendous work needed first to write out the literature in Braille and then to overcome the handicaps of blindness, an accident and fanatical opposition. Truly one can serve Jehovah in whatever state he may be.
A group of brothers while preaching in a small town were stoned by a mob led by the local Catholic priest. The brothers had to stop their preaching and the responsible one went to protest to the mayor of the town. The mayor suggested that a Bible discussion be held with the priest in a hall. The time and place were set. However, after waiting for two hours for the priest to show up at the date set, the brothers went ahead and gave a Bible talk to those present. At the end of the talk the mother of the housekeeper of the local priest came and said that the priest had gone to ask the bishop for counsel in view of the coming discussion. The bishop asked him if he knew who Jehovah’s witnesses were. No, was the answer. The bishop then said: “They are a chosen people, like the Israelites. They know the Bible better than you and I. If you want to discuss with them, go home and learn the Bible by heart and then present yourself.” After a while the local leader of the Catholic Action showed up, saying that the priest had sent him, as the priest was not feeling well. After an hour’s discussion the man was forced to admit: “Jehovah’s witnesses are right and we are wrong.” As a result, fifty-four subscriptions for The Watchtower were taken. Now in that town there is a congregation with sixty-six publishers, of which forty-five are baptized! Among the baptized is the above-mentioned woman, and the place where the discussion was held is now the local Kingdom Hall!
SAN MAKINO
Two special pioneers enter this very small country from Italy every week to engage in the preaching work. Some opposition to the preaching work has been manifested by the clergy and the authorities, but this has been overcome by being careful and persistent. Literature has been placed and Bible studies are being conducted. However, as yet no one has taken his stand for the truth and the Kingdom and actively engaged in the preaching work. Some interest is being manifested, and it is hoped that some fruitage will be forthcoming soon.
LIBYA Population: 1,091,830
Peak Publishers: 90 Ratio: 1 to 12,100
The progress shown in the work during the past year has been excellent and for the most part the persecution of the years past has been overcome. Increases have been splendid even though the work has been carried on underground and the meetings held privately.
However, the police suddenly came to life, and in August, 1959, they had the brother responsible for the work in Libya expelled from the country. Also the Bible study servant has been given orders to leave the country, together with his wife and two infants. Being Italian citizens, they are sent to Italy. These brothers have been in Libya for over twenty years, and now they are deported solely because they are Jehovah’s witnesses. The congregation servant has made an appeal to the Supreme Court, but no action had been taken up to his departure. The appeal is still pending before the Supreme Court even though he is no longer in the country. He could return if a favorable decision comes forth.
The Society has had a legal case pending before the Supreme Court against the Libyan government for several years now. This case was being carried on by the congregation servant. The trial seems never to come up for hearing and apparently the expelling of the congregation servant was because of this case pending. We are waiting now to see what will be the position of the Supreme Court as regards the fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the Libyan Constitution.
Despite these troublesome conditions, the brothers are very confident in Jehovah. They are firm and immovable in their faith and determination to continue doing Jehovah’s will in Libya regardless of what the authorities may say or do.
SOMALIA Population: 1,255,000
Peak Publishers: 4 Ratio: 1 to 313,000
Somalia is presently under an Italian administration, but very soon it is due to become an independent state. In March, 1959, four missionaries arrived in Somalia to take up the preaching of the good news there. However, in August two of these were assigned elsewhere, as there were too few people they could preach to and the remaining two would be sufficient to take care of the preaching work.
An outstanding success has been had by the missionaries in distributing literature and obtaining subscriptions for The Watchtower. It is rather difficult, though, to get the people to settle down and have a regular Bible study. Practically all the preaching is to foreigners, and they are all busy making money. On the whole the people have been warm and hospitable toward the missionaries and much good will has been established.
All this preaching activity being done by the missionaries has awakened the Catholic clergy and now they have taken to making visits on those who have shown interest in the truth. Some have stopped studying as a result. Others, instead, have become stronger as they realize that this belated interest in them is due to the desire of the clergy to hinder the Kingdom message, just as they did in Jesus’ day, rather than a sincere interest in them. As one person of good will put it to the priest: “Why this sudden interest in me when for years I have not attended church? Is it because I am now studying the Bible?” Thus the meek ones and the seekers of truth continue and hence expose the clergy for what they really are.
JAMAICA Population: 1,579,620
Peak Publishers: 4,490 Ratio: 1 to 351
The island of Jamaica in the Caribbean Sea has been thoroughly worked, and it was worked time and time again during the 1959 service year. There is one thing that Jehovah’s witnesses must always remember, however, and that is that no matter how often people are called upon there are still some who are going to follow the truth and become part of Jehovah’s organization, and these need help. Jehovah’s witnesses must study with them and bring them on to an accurate knowledge of the truth. It was Paul who said: “Ponder over these things, be absorbed in them, that your advancement may be manifest to all persons.” (1 Tim. 4:15) It is not just a matter of getting the truth and then forgetting about it. It is truly a matter of continued study, pondering over the wonderful things that Jehovah has revealed to us and being absorbed in them, in that way letting one’s advancement be manifest by right works. Even though the people in Jamaica are called on more often than persons in other parts of the world, everyone must prove himself to be an ordained minister by his works. The branch servant in Jamaica sends us some very interesting experiences and also tells us something about the work that is going on in the Cayman Islands.
Home Bible studies are so essential to help persons gain knowledge and then develop to the point where they can exercise spiritual discernment. This is illustrated by the following experience: Seeds of truth had lain dormant in a man whose parents had taught him the truth from childhood. He is now a married man with several children, and some time ago began to attend meetings at the Kingdom Hall with his children. The congregation servant, being alert, noticed this, and arranged a home Bible study with the family, at which up to twelve attended. Shortly the man with some of his family began to attend the service meeting and ministry school as well as the Sunday meetings. By the time the study reached chapter five in “Let God Be True” he began to share in field service. His children also joined him in service, and his wife, although she has not taken her stand yet, co-operates in getting the children ready for service and meetings. How long would the seeds of truth have continued to lie dormant if an alert congregation servant had not seen the importance of studying with these persons of good will?
How soon should a back-call be made? Here is an experience to show that it can be very quickly. A single magazine was placed with a householder and later the same day the publisher returned and gave a back-call sermon. The folks were delighted with the information, and the lady of the house volunteered to distribute 200 Resolution tracts right away. Meetings? Why, yes, they would all like to attend, and immediately became regular attenders. Field service? Five members of this family are among the new publishers in this congregation. Back-calling the same day is not too soon!
A special pioneer placed two magazines with a young lady in magazine work and arranged to call back. However, other brothers told him that she was really not interested, but just took the magazines because the special pioneer was new in the territory, and the call was let drop. However, it began to bother the conscience of the special pioneer, and he belatedly decided to return. We would expect that any interest would have died, but not in this case! “Let God Be True” was placed, a study started, and within three weeks this young lady began coming to the Kingdom Hall. Three more weeks, and she began to preach from house to house. She was regular in meeting attendance and service right from the beginning and now has been baptized. The special pioneer has this short comment to make: “Follow up your placements!” and we might add, “even if it is only a magazine or two.”
Although Jamaica has one Kingdom publisher for every 351 inhabitants, there are still thousands of persons scattered about the island in isolated and difficult spots who need to hear the Kingdom good news. It certainly reminds us of the prophecy spoken by Jeremiah: “Afterward I shall send for many hunters, and they will certainly hunt for them from upon every mountain and from upon every hill and out of the clefts of the crags.” (Jer. 16:16) Therefore, the invitation has gone out strongly during the past year for persons to serve in such places where the need is great. We are happy to report that one family has responded, moving to an isolated territory. It was possible within a very short time to establish a congregation, and seven publishers now regularly report.
CAYMAN ISLANDS Population: 7,650
Peak Publishers: 16 Ratio: 1 to 478
The Cayman Islands are three small islands to the northwest of Jamaica, with less than 10,000 inhabitants. The work of special pioneers for the past three years has borne fruit, and there are at present twelve congregation publishers on Grand Cayman. These were formed into the Cayman Islands’ first congregation during the service year.
The work branched out during the year to embrace the two smaller islands, and there are now two special pioneers working there. There has always been much interest there, although as soon as the special pioneers began to work, the clergymen became very busy warning their flocks. We can only hope that honest persons will recognize the pure ring of truth and not let worldly prejudice or religious opposition blind their eyes.
The outstanding point of the year was the visit of the district servant for two weeks to the Cayman Islands. What a thrill it was for him and the special pioneers to see five new ministers baptized! Doubtless others will soon follow, making a definite stand during the present opportune time. The Society’s films were shown five times to a combined audience of 722. The work is only starting in this small community, but the foundation is there. May Jehovah continue to give the increase to the diligent efforts of his servants in the Cayman Islands.
JAPAN Population: 90,900,000
Peak Publishers: 1,390 Ratio: 1 to 65,400
For half a century the religionists of Christendom have regarded Japan as an unfruitful missionary field. Jehovah’s witnesses, however, have found it different. The ministers of the New World society look at Japan with optimism when they see that the powerful living message of the Kingdom is something that a great multitude of the humble people of Japan want to know about. Jehovah’s witnesses feel just like Paul and Barnabas, for they had real joy “when those of the nations heard . . . [and] began to rejoice and to glorify the word of Jehovah, and all those who were rightly disposed for everlasting life became believers.” (Acts 13:48) In just ten years Jehovah’s witnesses have grown from two small congregations with twelve publishers to eighty-eight congregations now with 1,390 ministers of God. And the end is not yet in the gathering of the other sheep. The branch servant in Tokyo sends us some interesting experiences in his annual report to the Society’s headquarters. He also gives us a report on Okinawa.
A special pioneer, calling at a house where a Lutheran preacher lived, placed two magazines with his daughter. When she made the back-call, the young lady invited her in, and plied her with questions for a whole hour. A study was arranged, and at the third study the publisher was surprised when the young lady asked for twenty "Good News” booklets. She said that, though her father was the minister, she had never heard such a clear explanation of Bible truth. She wanted the booklets to teach her Sunday-school class what she had learned.
The special pioneers have continued to reap a wonderful harvest of new publishers during the past year. One experience concerns a special pioneer who placed two magazines with a seventy-seven-year-old lady. She called back, but no one was at home. Since most old ladies in Japan are more interested in ancestor worship than the Bible, the pioneer was inclined not to call again. However, she tried once more, and was surprised to find the lady very interested. This person had been baptized fifty-five years ago in the Greek Orthodox Church, but said she knew nothing of the Bible. Admiring the pioneer’s faith, she said she wanted to have faith like that before she died. She studied very diligently, and asked many questions about Pentecost, Peter, and so forth. After two or three studies, she started to attend and enjoy the meetings. Though totally blind in one eye, and able to see only about ten feet with the other, she was soon busy in the field service, witnessing to all the homes in her neighborhood, starting studies in two homes and encouraging many to attend the congregation meetings. As she herself expresses it, though she was walking in the shadow of death, a wonderful light has now come into her life. Let us not neglect the aged in ministering the good news!
Do all use initiative in striving for their magazine quota? A sister who runs a bookstore was able to preach only on Sundays, and hence found the magazine quota difficult. After reading a suggestion in Kingdom Ministry about placing magazines whenever and where-ever the opportunity arose, she decided she could place them with people who came into her bookstore, especially those who browse through various magazines and periodicals. She soon found she could place more than forty magazines a month this way. Two persons who received the magazines at her store are now attending the public meetings and the Watchtower study.
The year came to a joyful finale with the Awake Ministers District Assemblies. These were held in the three cities of Yokohama, Nishinomiya and Nagasaki, with a new peak total attendance of 1,350, and 112 baptized. How Jehovah’s witnesses in Japan enjoyed this happy association! There was none of the stiff formality usually associated with Japanese gatherings, but each assembly overflowed with Jehovah’s joyful spirit. Many children on vacation were in attendance with their parents. At Yokohama, an eleven-year-old boy gave a student talk, complete with expressive gestures. At Nagasaki, a twelve-year-old vacation-pioneer sister gave an excellent student talk, with her special-pioneer mother as the householder. The sessions were all very instructive. One sister, on her way out to field service, noticed an elderly man looking very intently at her convention badge. She started witnessing to him, using the same Bible sermon she had just heard at that morning’s session. He readily took the bound book and promised to attend on Sunday. Badges help! In Nagasaki, the public talk was given fourteen years to the day after the atom bomb blasted its fiery destruction over that city. How appropriate the theme of the talk: “When God Speaks Peace to All Nations.” The new releases were enthusiastically received, and especially the new booklet in Japanese, for which we are deeply thankful to Jehovah and his organization.
OKINAWA Population: 500,000
Peak Publishers: 84 Ratio: 1 to 5,952
One young man had tried from his youth to learn the truth from the orthodox churches on Okinawa. However, they could not answer his questions, such as: “If Christ is God, why did he pray to God?” "Do good people who are not believers go to heaven?” (Finally, they answered Yes to this question.) Though he loved the Bible, he was not clear on these points, and since his family was still tied to ancestor worship, he declined baptism. Then he tried the Mormon Church, but could not reconcile their having the book of Mormon with Revelation 22:18. In disgust, he left their church, and even came to the point of tearing up his Bible, but this he could not do. About this time his sister took some Watch Tower booklets from a caller, but they remained unread, and finally found their way into the rubbish box. Before the rubbish was thrown out, however, the young man’s eyes lighted on the booklet Evolution versus The New World. Curious, he retrieved it, and read it from cover to cover. Then he returned to the rubbish box and found the other booklets. Overjoyed at what he read, he set out to find Jehovah’s witnesses, and there he saw them, in the streets with the magazines! He was delighted to discover that they were ordinary people like himself, and did not require to be called “Teacher! Teacher!” Within six months he had left ancestor worship, was baptized and became a zealous publisher of the Kingdom. He preached to his friend, who has also now been baptized, and has served as a vacation pioneer.
There is a village in Okinawa where a particular family was renowned for its devotion to ancestor worship. The parents in this family were very sad because their eldest daughter had been killed during the war, and they paid money every day for yuta, which meant communicating with the dead before the Buddhist shrine. A special pioneer called at this home and started to study with the second daughter of the family, who rejoiced greatly to learn of the resurrection, the new world and everlasting life. She immediately told her mother that, since the soul dies, it was useless any longer to worship before the shrine. “You fool,” replied the mother, and became very angry. However, the daughter explained what she had learned from the Bible about the resurrection. Now, learning of Jehovah’s promises, the mother too expressed great joy. The family has now abandoned yuta, shut up the shrine, and both parents and daughter are zealously studying the Bible and attending the meetings. The daughter now puts in forty hours a month as a Kingdom publisher, and has pioneer service as her goal. How strange, say all the villagers, that the leading stalwarts of ancestor worship should become Jehovah’s witnesses!
KOREA Population: 22,250,000
Peak Publishers: 3,450 Ratio: 1 to 6,430
Jehovah’s witnesses in Korea enjoyed another wonderful year of gathering together the other sheep. While it is a young organization, still these newly ordained ministers recognize that the words of God apply to them as to all other people dedicated to Jehovah’s service, namely: “This is the way, walk in it, you people.” It is not just a matter of learning the truth, but one must learn to adjust one’s life to conform to Jehovah’s righteous requirements. Jehovah’s witnesses in Korea have made good progress in learning Jehovah’s way and walking in it during this past service year. Our brothers and sisters there are becoming more mature, they are consolidating their past gains, bringing the newly interested ones on to maturity, showing them how to build on a sure, solid foundation for future expansion. Twenty-two new congregations were formed. This requires many more overseers, new circuit servants and others, but this organization trusts in Jehovah to guide them through 1960 to even greater expansion. The branch servant at Seoul gives us some interesting experiences on the work there.
In October we held our Divine Will National Assembly in Seoul, and then in August of 1959 we held three Awake Ministers District Assemblies at three other cities. Having the same material at these assemblies as in other countries throughout the world delighted everyone. That the Awake Ministers assemblies were appropriately named was understood when our new Awake! in Korean was released. Distribution began the last ten days of the service year. What a blessing to have a second magazine each month after many years of being able to offer only one magazine a month! Our hopes are high that Awake! will give a tremendous boost to our magazine work here.
We are happy to report that once again the number being baptized compares favorably with the increase in number of publishers. Since January, 1958, baptism has been restricted to those qualifying in knowledge as well as in moral requirements, and this caused a considerable decrease in the number baptized last year. This year’s report (726) is once again up to where it was before, except that those being baptized now have completed their study of “Let God Be True,” most spending a year in doing it. They have been able to pass a simple oral examination on the fundamental truths. We believe this policy has added much to the maturity of the organization.
As the work spreads out more and more to the little villages where most of Korea’s population lives, the brothers are being faced with many more tests of endurance. The customs of the people centering around ancestor worship are observed as a community and not just as family units. To discard these traditions to walk in the way of Jehovah takes much courage indeed. The nonbelievers in the family believe the loss of face in the community to be the worst thing that could happen to them. So they often oppose our brothers or sisters with violence and many times expel them from the home. These brothers are not always young people. Even elderly ones must endure patiently for the truth.
In Proverbs prayer is made that God’s servant be neither rich nor poor. Rich, he would be subject to the temptations of materialism, and if poor he would be tempted to steal. This is no guarantee that sometime in their lives Jehovah’s people would not have to share in the poor economic conditions of their communities. Some false Christians fling away Christian principles in the name of expediency and turn to immoral or unclean methods to make a living for their families. Many of our brothers in Korea are struggling to preserve their clean standing before God and not compromise before economic adversity. When deceit, dishonesty and immorality are the order of the day, it is not easy to maintain Christian principles and provide for one’s family. They will not agree that Christian principles are not practical. These brothers deserve our daily prayers.
There were 359,600 Korean Resolution tracts distributed. This was a pleasant work that yielded many interesting back-calls and Bible studies. There were 220 requests for free booklets received, often accompanied by letters. One said: “My father is an elder, but I think Jehovah’s witnesses’ tract about Christendom is true. How can I follow the way of Jehovah’s witnesses?” Another letter showed how the tract turned up a lost sheep. The letter read: “I was baptized in 1956 but then moved away from Seoul. I attended a church but realized that the only truth is with Jehovah’s witnesses. May I distribute some tracts too?” A spot check indicated that a good number of these special back-calls became immediate Bible studies.
Some elderly sisters have learned to tactfully utilize the Oriental respect for age and can present the witness where many others might fail. One sister of sixty-four thought she was too old to pioneer. As the service meetings continued to stress pioneer service and others encouraged her, she decided to try it herself. She timidly submitted her vacation pioneer application, and then extended it month after month for eleven months straight. By then she no longer feared not being able to meet the requirements, and so enrolled as a regular pioneer. For a year she has averaged 120 hours a month and conducts eleven Bible studies. She is loved by her persons of good will and by all in the congregation.
LEBANON Population: 1,525,000
Peak Publishers: 575 Ratio: 1 to 2,652
When Jesus walked the length and breadth of the land of Palestine he preached to thousands of people and he gained in that land many true followers. Today things are quite different. When Jehovah’s witnesses, true Christians, try to walk this land and preach the good news, usually they are opposed. People for the most part will not listen. Strife and unrest are everywhere. Still it was in this location of the earth that Jesus prophesied of his disciples that they would be witnesses of him to the most distant parts of the earth. Shortly after the death of Christ Jesus thousands went forth to all parts of the land preaching the good news, but today true Christians are hard to find. There are not many of Jehovah’s witnesses in this Middle East territory. What is being done in these Arabic-speaking countries is reported on by the branch servant of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society with office in Beirut. He gives us some experiences from the work as done by Jehovah’s witnesses in the lands of Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar. Those Christians devoted to Jehovah God and living godly lives are doing their best to proclaim God’s kingdom as the only hope for the world.
Because of the dangerous position of the old branch home the Society agreed to make a change in location, and this change was carried on while the sound of rifle and machine-gun fire could still be heard. Many willing brothers worked long hours and with some apprehension in order to get the branch property moved, but all was done successfully, thanks to Jehovah’s spirit. The day after the office was moved from its temporary location in what had been considered a quiet part of the city, the whole neighborhood exploded. One political party took up positions on the roof of the building where the office had been located and began to fire at those of another political party. The shooting lasted several hours, and four persons were killed across the street before it died down. We were glad not to be there.
Because of the fact that the brothers in Beirut had not been able to meet together as a congregation for some five months, it seemed advisable to divide the congregation. This was done and the results have been very good; in fact, several months later it was necessary to form what we believe is the first all-Armenian congregation in the Middle East.
Looking forward to the coming of Brother Henschel to Lebanon and the Middle East, we made preparations for the obtaining of a police permit for holding the first public assembly the government had allowed us in more than seven years. This permit was granted, and preparations were started for the largest national convention ever held. However, about two weeks after permission had been granted it was revoked on the grounds that recent religious riots in the capital that had cost several persons their lives made the situation too dangerous to allow such a large Christian religious assembly. When the matter was pressed farther, the director of security admitted that he knew Jehovah’s witnesses well and that he was taking this action for the government’s protection and for ours, as he was afraid that “Jehovah’s witnesses are too Christian” and that others might attempt to cause violence against us. This was something new, for we have been given many false labels, but this was the first time a responsible government official ever said that the Witnesses were “too Christian.”
The year closes with the government still ruling by decree, and the Watchtower magazine is still banned, although repeated efforts were made during the year to lift the ban. The prime minister was called upon and the present American ambassador wrote a personal note to the government assuring them The Watchtower is not Zionistic, yet no positive action is yet forthcoming. In spite of that, the organization is growing and being well fed spiritually.
IRAN Population: 18,944,821
Peak Publishers: 18 Ratio: 1 to 1,052,000
The local brothers were greatly encouraged during the year by the arrival of four brothers, two from Germany and two from Canada, who came to serve where the need is great.
During the year Iran’s first congregation was formed in Tehran, the capital, and it is truly international, being made up of three Americans, five British, two Canadians, two Jews, one Russian, and two Armenians. Prospects for future growth are good. There is a large Armenian community in Tehran, and if any Armenian brothers could qualify for secular work and come to Iran to serve where the need is great, their services would be greatly appreciated.
IRAQ Population: 6,538,109
Peak Publishers: 1 Ratio: 1 to 6,538,109
One year has passed since the missionaries in Iraq were forced to leave the country. The sheep were left with no mature brother to help them personally. Even the zone servant who tried to visit Iraq in the spring to see what could be done for the work there was unable to obtain a visa because of the unrest in the country. Satan began early in the year to plant weeds or imitation Christians among the wheat. In some letters received from Iraq we are told that an apostate, one who left the truth before the missionaries left the country, immediately began to visit the persons of good will, saying that he was one of Jehovah’s witnesses, and trying to deceive them by telling them not to use the name Jehovah. Yet in spite of this, a good-will person writes: “As to my children, I am always reminding them daily that the name of our God is Jehovah, ... I try to seize every opportunity to restore the name of Jehovah in our lives.’’
A faithful sister who had taken her stand for the truth and was baptized just before the missionaries left the country has kept in contact with the branch and has reported regularly during the year. She says in her latest letter, “I thank Jehovah for his holy spirit, which guides me in my studies, and also for the few opportunities to use my knowledge, which is almost bursting inside me.” This sister has three young daughters to whom she is teaching the truth and she is also conducting three Bible studies monthly. Iraq is a vast field needing to be worked, but the workers are few.
JORDAN Population: 1,500,000
Peak Publishers: 70 Ratio: 1 to 21,400
The brothers in the Jordan have spent much time and effort during the year contacting and dealing with government officials in an effort to get the work legally recognized there. Since we are not registered with the government, they say we are an illegal society, but when we try to get registered they refuse and so leave us in an unending circle. Also, the ban is still on all the Society’s literature. These things cause the brothers a lot of trouble, but they are being brought before kings and rulers to give a witness, as Jesus said they would be, and for this they are happy.
Since all attempts to get legally recognized during the year have failed, an effort is now being made to get the Supreme Court of the Jordan to hear our case. The constitution of the country guarantees freedom of worship for all, and Jehovah’s witnesses certainly want to claim that right. It is hoped that this case will meet with good success.
One brother had to spend eight months in prison for studying God’s Word with the Society’s publications, but while he was there he was not idle. During this time he preached ninety-six hours, made twenty-four back-calls, and started a Bible study, although he was forbidden many times even to speak about the Bible. So just as it was in the days of the early Christians, when Satan tries to stop the message by persecution, he only causes it to spread into places where it might not have reached otherwise.
KUWAIT Population: 206,000
Peak Publishers: 16 Ratio: 1 to 12,000
This service year has proved to be a blessed and rich time for our brothers in Kuwait. For the first time a congregation was organized, made up mostly of publishers from outside the country. Kuwait today has the richest oil reserves in the free world, and for this reason hundreds of persons from different countries come to work here, and with them many brothers from England, Lebanon, Jordan, and other countries in the Arab world.
During the spring the zone servant had the opportunity to visit Kuwait and was able to organize the brothers and encourage them. He also had the opportunity to celebrate the Memorial with them, and all were very happy to see twenty-four brothers and persons of good will attending the first Memorial service ever held in this tiny 3,650-square-mile sheikdom.
QATAR Population: 35,000
Peak Publishers: 1 Ratio: 1 to 35,000
During the year the zone servant tried to pay a visit to the brother in Qatar, but he was unable to get into the country. However, our brother has faithfully kept the work going in Qatar. He has distributed literature among the people, conducted Bible studies, and has done well in obtaining subscriptions for the magazines. It is hoped that some of the seed thus sown will fall on good soil and will in the future bear fruit. Qatar is still virgin territory where many others could share in the proclamation of the good news. We pray for Jehovah’s blessing in the gathering of his sheep in this land before Armageddon.
LEEWARD ISLANDS (Antigua) Population: 56,677 Peak Publishers: 98 Ratio: 1 to 578
When the early Christians took up the preaching of the good news of the Kingdom they did not stick to the mainland, but went to the islands too. Paul wrote to Titus: “For this reason I left you in Crete, that you might . . . make appointments of older men ... as I gave you orders.” (Titus 1:5) So, as it was done in those days, visiting islands to preach the good news, today Christians have gone forth to many islands in the Caribbean area and there they are speaking the good news that Jehovah wants spoken in these days. More people than ever before have had the privilege of inviting others in these islands to hear this good news, because there has been an increase in the number of Christians who are ordained of God to be his ministers. Many hearts have been made glad. The branch servant of the Leeward Islands makes a brief report on the islands of Antigua, Anguilla, Dominica, Montserrat, Nevis, St. Kitts, St. Martin and St. Eusta-tius. There are well over 350 of Jehovah’s witnesses in this territory bringing comfort to those that mourn.
Persistency in calling back on people who show original interest is necessary even if the person is seldom at home. One missionary here obtained a subscription from a businessman; however, the missionary was seldom able to find him at home, although he consistently called back. One day when the businessman was at home he asked the missionary if there was some course he could take that would train him to be a minister, as he wanted to take up the ministry. Naturally the missionary was able to provide a weekly home Bible study. The man quickly progressed and invited his friend along to join in. Attendance at meetings was the next step. While at the meetings he noticed that there was the figure “46” on the blackboard. “What is it for?” he wanted to know. The missionary explained that it was the 20-percent goal of preachers that the congregation was aiming for and that only two more were needed to reach the goal. “Would he and his friend like to be those two?” Both immediately agreed that they would. This was just in four short months, and was a result of constancy in return visits.
Some years ago a publisher contacted a gentleman who showed some interest. Every time the publishers called back, however, the man wanted to do all the talking and the publisher was not able to give an effective witness. However, the publisher continued to call back and eventually wrote out a sermon for the man to read after he left. The sermon centered around the account of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts chapter eight. This sermon changed the man’s attitude and after that he listened intently to the Bible study that was arranged; he prepared well beforehand and was able to make intelligent comments. It was not possible for this person to get out, because he had only one leg and that one was not in good condition. So the Witness taught him a sermon, which he wrote down, and every person who visited the home was given the privilege of listening to the sermon. The man’s aptitude for talking was being put to good use. Just two months after he started publishing he was baptized in symbol of his dedication to Jehovah. Now he is able to get around a bit on his crutches and has two Bible studies of his own.
ST. EU STATIUS, N.W.I.
The circuit servant continues to build up the brothers here by his regular visits. The people of good will on this island are in need of great help, as there are no mature publishers on the island at all. We are glad to hear that one family is planning to move to the island and we trust that they will be able to help the local populace to don their garments of identification.
ANGUILLA Population: 4,840
Peak Publishers: 1 Ratio: 1 to 691
Although this island has shown no numerical increase on the average over the year, there has been increase. A good number have left for England, but others have joined the ranks to fill out the number of those that left. Despite the religious leaders’ telling their flocks not to listen to Jehovah’s witnesses, more people are taking the magazines in this island than before. The magazines are being used to good effect here and are helping more people to see the truth of God’s Word. Two magazines were left with a crippled lad when the missionaries visited the island on the Society’s boat. They were also able to make a back-call on him before the boat left. The spark of interest was fanned into a flame, and the young man started to study the Bible on his own with the aid of the Society’s publications. When a special pioneer was sent to the island, this lad was again contacted and it was found that he was interested in a faith healer in America. However, he was getting no benefit from this “faith healer” and he remained lame in his two legs. The pioneer was able to show him the real healing that is being done today by the preaching work. Seeing his privileges of service, the lad started preaching. He attended a circuit assembly in a neighboring island and was immersed. He is now healing others with the words of truth.
DOMINICA Population: 63,309
Peak Publishers: 111 Ratio: 1 to 588
On this island there are many folk who cannot read or write. However, this does not deter the diligent publishers. A sister in one of the congregations here conducts a home Bible study even though she cannot read. She gets the householder to read the questions and paragraphs and they both discuss the answer. In this way, not only is the householder able to learn the truth, but the sister is able to get a better understanding herself. This sister also appreciates the magazines, easily passing the quota of magazine placements, and this is in territory that is worked every three to four weeks.
MONTSERRAT Population: 14,465
Peak Publishers: 16 Ratio: 1 to 904
When one pioneer was witnessing to a person in the house-to-house work he made sure that all present had a share in the conversation, even a woman who was listening from the door. The sermon so aroused this woman’s interest that a Bible study was easily started after an effective back-call sermon was given on the return visit. As this woman was a schoolteacher and an Anglican churchgoer, it caused much comment from her neighbors when the publishers made regular calls on her for the Bible study. The comments became more intolerant when she started preaching from house to house with others who were Jehovah’s witnesses. One said: “If a soft drink would save your life, you would never get it from me!” Soon the minister for the Anglican Church was around to the house to see what he could do. Of course, now that this person was one of Jehovah’s witnesses he could not enter the house, so he called out to her to come to him. Then he reviled the Witnesses, saying they do not believe in the trinity or redemption, and so forth. Finally, unable to shake the woman’s faith in the true God, he told her mother to throw her out of the house! He also told the new publisher that she would be read out of church on Sunday.
NEVIS Population: 16,133
Peak Publishers: 31 Ratio: 1 to 520
At a circuit assembly held on this island during the year the district servant wanted to show the film as a means to advertise the assembly. It was planned to show it in the public square. Permission was given provided the brothers could get electricity to run the projector, have somewhere to hang the screen and arrange to have the bright street lamp disconnected. All this was arranged. The courthouse allowed the brothers to use their electric plugs and gave permission to hang the screen on the courthouse door. Over 330 people heard the commentary and saw the film.
In such a small island everybody knows every other person’s business. This causes a lot of neighbor fear. However, this can be overcome by constantly calling back with well-prepared sermons and conducting planned and efficient home Bible studies. The following experience illustrates this: A special pioneer called on a lady who showed unusual interest. He was able to start a home Bible study on the first call, and then the lady accompanied him in the house-to-house work. After a few calls fear of neighbor got a grip on this lady, and every time the pioneer would call a child came and said that her mother was not at home. However, the pioneer did not give up but called at an unexpected time. The lady was at home and the study was restarted. She told the pioneer that she had been at home the other times when the pioneer had called but was in fear of what people would say, but she admitted that she “could hide no more, for I know why I am praying for God’s kingdom to come.” By continued study this good lady was able to overcome the fear of man and she is now a regular praiser of Jehovah, helping others to do the same as she has.
ST. KITTS Population: 37,606
Peak Publishers: 76 Ratio: 1 to 494
The effects of the Divine Will International Assembly are being felt on this island, even up to the time of writing this report. A Paradise book was placed with an elderly lady who was also told of the international assembly. However, she did not seem too concerned till a native visited her who holds a high position in the U.N. He told her about the assembly and the magnitude of it, and the lady became so enthusiastic that she got out her magnifying glass and read the book right through, proclaiming it to be true. She has since ordered three more for her friends.
Two special pioneers were sent to the island in February, and this is helping toward the increase that is common throughout the New World society. Already they have three publishers working with them in a town that had none before they moved there.
ST. MARTIN Population: 5,366
Peak Publishers: 27 Ratio: 1 to 198
Here we have a small island of just thirty-eight square miles divided between the French and the Dutch countries. It has a combined population of about 5,500, who are regularly called upon by twenty-seven publishers. This means that there are about 200 people for each publisher.
We do nothing in our own strength but rely upon Jehovah to help us. This is true in a physical way as well as spiritual. During the year a political campaign caused some of the brothers to stumble and take sides in the voting that took place. Servants who occupied six out of the seven positions in the congregation started supporting this system of things. The servants were removed, though it meant that there would be only two brothers to shepherd the congregation. When the district servant visited the island for a circuit assembly, the new congregation servant mentioned that he was not sure he was good enough for the responsibility as he was often sick and in the hospital, and the other brother who is on the servant team is in the same condition. The district servant mentioned to them that they should get along as best they can, trusting in Jehovah for help. A month or two later this congregation servant sent in his application for pioneering, and in the first month reported sixty-two back-calls and ten home Bible studies.
LIBERIA Population: 2,750,000
Peak Publishers: 415 Ratio: 1 to 6,626
Jehovah’s witnesses in Liberia have steadily preached the good news, and year by year there has been a fine increase in the number of Kingdom publishers. They have stayed close together in their association, having in mind the good words of Paul to the Hebrews: “Let us consider one another to incite to love and right works.” (Heb. 10:24) They enjoy taking in spiritual food, and one of the reasons for this is that the inability of some to read and write causes them to want to hear the words of the truth at every occasion. However, they do appreciate that a change must take place in this regard and that they must eventually all learn to read and write because of the good they will gain by a study of the Bible themselves and because they will be better equipped themselves to carry on Bible studies in the homes of the people. During the past year brothers came from all parts of Liberia to an assembly to take in knowledge and then to use what they learned to aid others to get a knowledge of the truth. The people of this country are trying to educate themselves and are putting forth an excellent effort, and Jehovah’s witnesses are aiding in this work greatly. The branch servant in Monrovia gives us some experiences concerning the activity in this country of Africa.
We will always remember Brother Knorr’s visit at the time of our Divine Will assembly, which started on the last day of February. From all over Liberia brothers came; some walked for a week to reach Monrovia, the assembly city. After the assembly began, however, the daily question in everyone’s mind was, ‘According to the divine will, where shall we meet tomorrow?’ For after the opening session at the city’s finest public building, we were informed by a government spokesman that unexpectedly a United Nations secretariat had to use the same building and we would have to hold our meetings elsewhere. We moved in a circuit, first to the Kingdom Hall (much too small), then to a local stadium, where all the lights failed except the one on the platform, thus attracting to the speakers an incessant barrage of myriads of flying insects. Finally, in a victorious climax, the assembly returned to the original building on the last day for the advertised public talk, and a fine audience of 510 heard Brother Knorr describe a paradise earth. All of this did not dampen the zeal of sixty-nine brothers who were immersed at the largest baptism we have ever held.
In his closing remarks, Brother Knorr told of the need for publishers’ becoming literate, for, as an example, in one Liberian village about fifty persons of good will asked that someone come and teach them the truth, since all were illiterate. But who could be sent when not one of our brothers who spoke the language of the village knew how to read and teach effectively? Since the assembly a keener interest in reading has been shown and classes have functioned better than ever. A circuit servant reported: “When I was here four months ago I met little Mary, about seven years old. I could not talk to her then because she understood no English. But now she is a publisher, gives good sermons and places literature too. But best of all, she reads. It was a pleasurable surprise when she picked up the handbill and read not only the title on the front but also the sermon on the back!” Illiterates, become as little children.
The wonderful Paradise book has helped many goodwill persons with limited reading ability to get a better grasp of the truth. We feel it has definitely contributed to our splendid new peak of 415 publishers.
Home Bible studies are truly the means of building up the sheep so that they may break free to do God’s will. In one community religionists distributed pamphlets condemning Jehovah’s witnesses, but this served only to arouse the interest of a Seventh-Day Adventist deacon. He arranged with a pioneer for regular studies to be conducted with him several evenings a week.
Just two months of such studies loosened the shackles of religious bondage, and he dropped both his deacon’s work and formalistic sabbath keeping. When a Baptist minister asked him why he was changing his religion, he replied that he had been wasting his time living under Jewish laws. But he was not altogether free yet. What about the woman he was living with? Would she agree to live according to Bible principles, marry him, and become free too? No, she would not, because he had left his church. Thereupon he freed himself from her also. His final break for freedom came at the circuit assembly when he was baptized.
The sheep appreciate that home Bible studies are a distinguishing feature of true religion. One day a clergyman in charge of a school operated by the Protestant Episcopal Church asked a group of teachers how many of them read the Bible regularly each week. Only one hand went up, but the minister was delighted to know that at least one teacher was reading the Bible. Then the teacher explained: “One of Jehovah's witnesses calls at my home every Friday at 4 p.m. without fail and studies the Bible with me.” Somewhat shocked, the minister queried: “But why do you study with Jehovah’s witnesses?” The teacher replied: “I am concerned about my spiritual welfare. I want to know God’s will, and understand the Bible. My house is open to you, but you never call to teach me. If I come to church, well and good. If I don’t, you never inquire about my spiritual welfare. If one of Jehovah’s witnesses is willing to call at my home and help me understand the very Bible that you claim to teach, I do not think you should have any objections.” The minister then quickly dropped the subject. The schoolteacher, being perfectly instructed, is determining to be like his truth teacher, a witness for Jehovah.
The extent of Christendom’s spiritual famine can be imagined as we learn of a local preacher who offered to interpret the house-to-house sermon for a brother, saying: “I want my people to hear this important message good.” During the sermon a scripture was read showing the earth would never be destroyed but become man’s everlasting home. The preacher then stopped: “I can’t interpret that.” Asked why, he continued: “Well, we have been telling the people that God will destroy the earth and we shall go to heaven.” “But,” countered the brother, “you have to tell the people what I said; it’s right here in the Bible.” “I can’t do it,” replied the preacher. “Why, if we told the people everything that was in the Bible the churches would be empty!”
LUXEMBOURG Population: 314,000
Peak Publishers: 298 Ratio: 1 to 1,053
The service year in Luxembourg began with the Divine Will District Assembly in the city of Luxembourg, which assembly followed the program that was presented in New York city shortly before that time. It was indeed a happy occasion, and 340 persons passed the Resolution and made it their business to distribute 53,000 copies of it throughout this little country. While there is not a great number of Witnesses, and only nine congregations in the country, yet the brothers are watching their time and are taking advantage of every opportunity to preach. They have in mind what Paul said: “Keep strict watch that how you walk is not as unwise but as wise persons, buying out the opportune time for yourselves, because the days are wicked.” (Eph. 5: 15, 16) The branch servant gives us some interesting experiences, which are right in line with this text, concerning the vacation pioneer work.
During the service year two new congregations were established. This was made possible by brothers’ moving into locations where none of Jehovah’s witnesses were to be found as yet. Although these congregations are still small, nevertheless the good news is likewise being regularly and thoroughly preached in those territories.
In one of these new congregations we were able to open another missionary home, since two new missionaries were sent to Luxembourg.
Not all are able to take up missionary service, but many brothers have learned to appreciate the vacation pioneer service. For example, a fifty-year-old sister, who is hard of hearing, made up her mind to try to do vacation pioneer service for two weeks in order to have an increased share in the distribution of the Resolution. So doing she met a young woman who had had unpleasant experiences with the Catholic Church. While this lady did listen to the sister, still she was not much interested, since she felt that all religions did not amount to very much. The sister promised, though, to come back again. At the first back-call she was able to show this young woman in the Bible that the conduct of the Catholic Church is not in harmony with Christian principles. Now the lady was anxious to know more. A study in the book “Let God Be True” was started. Soon afterward this lady attended the congregational meetings. In the spring she started out in the field service, and at the district assembly in July she symbolized her dedication to Jehovah by water baptism. This experience shows that even physically handicapped brothers and sisters can also work productively, and that many more publishers should consider the vacation pioneer service. This fifty-year-old sister was so enthusiastic about her two weeks’ vacation pioneer service that she enrolled for four weeks in April.
Through good planning and scheduling of their time, sisters with children are also able to engage in vacation pioneer service. This is seen in the case of a mother of two children, one seven and the other four, who decided to do vacation pioneer service at least twice during the year. She worked mostly while the older boy was in school, always taking the younger one along in the service. Once as she was making a back-call on one of her interested ladies, a relative whose husband had been accidentally killed at work only a few days previously just happened to be visiting. Now she was left alone with three sons to look after, and her church was unable to give her any real comfort or hope. The sister, though, was able to explain Jehovah’s provision for the dead to her from the Bible. The woman said later: “As soon as I got my hands on the Bible, and that for the first time in my life, I wanted just one thing more, to understand it better.” The sister started a Bible study with the two women, which she later continued separately. This was in October. During the same month the women came to the meetings, and the widow brought her sons along. Soon thereafter both started out in the field service. In April the widow wanted to enroll for vacation pioneer service, but this was not possible since she was not yet baptized. However, nothing stands in her way now; as both women were baptized at the circuit assembly at the end of April. Yes, vacation pioneer service provides the publisher with more time to care for the lost sheep of the Lord, and Jehovah has blessed the arrangement.
MAURITIUS Population: 596,857
Peak Publishers: 36 Ratio: 1 to 16,500
The religious leaders instruct the people of this land not to listen to the message of the Kingdom, and they put forth every effort to close the minds of the people of good will. However, Jehovah’s witnesses are bringing the Bible and its message to the people and they are giving the people truths that they have never heard of before. It makes one think of what Paul wrote to the Colos-sians: “Be filled with the accurate knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual discernment, in order to walk worthily of Jehovah to the end of fully pleasing him.” (Col. 1:9, 10) Despite all the opposition that is brought to bear upon the Witnesses—and those who are opposed do bring much hardship on true Christians—yet Jehovah’s witnesses continue to take in accurate knowledge, and with that knowledge they are helping many more to an appreciation of the truth. The branch servant of this little island in the Indian Ocean gives us some interesting experiences.
While working from door to door, a publisher met a man of the “Christian” faith who said: ‘Why don’t you go out into the wilderness, to the pagans and stop coming to us who are already Christian?’ This statement sums up the attitude of the so-called Christian churches to the work of Jehovah’s witnesses in Mauritius. Of course, we are looking for the sheep no matter where they are to be found. This is shown by the fact that on that same morning our group was composed of two Hindus, one Tamil, one Roman Catholic and one Anglican, all now preaching the good news of God’s kingdom as ministers of Jehovah.
The progress made this year was greatly helped by your visit, Brother Knorr. Even now people ask us why you were not permitted to speak here in Mauritius. This, of course, has opened up many opportunities to preach, and a great witness has resulted. The brothers especialty benefited from your good counsel, and the visit helped to tie them in with their brothers worldwide.
The power of the truth to change the lives of those who love God is shown here by the change one family has made since they began to study last April. Formerly the husband used to drink too much and would come home and beat his wife and children, but all this has changed now. The wife says that since they have studied the Bible it has been the happiest time of their life together. Being formerly Catholic, they obtained their first Bible last month and, clasping it to her, the wife said: ‘This is the greatest treasure.’
Another missionary relates that after studying for a short time with a stonemason and his family who were Catholic, the pictures of Mary and the statues soon disappeared from the home. One day the husband explained that at one time he had made a statue of Christ to put on a tombstone. The Catholic priest was pleased with his work, so he made a mold of the statue so that others could be made easily, but now he has broken the mold because he knew that many Catholics were worshiping these images. He and his family have made a firm stand for the truth after many stormy talks with the priest.
MEXICO Population: 31,426,000
Peak Publishers: 20,215 Ratio: 1 to 1,554
Jehovah’s witnesses in Mexico have enjoyed their best year in the field service, with a 19-percent increase in the average number of publishers. They have followed the advice of Jesus wherein he said: “Keep on, then, seeking first the kingdom and his righteousness.” (Matt. 6:33) The brothers have enjoyed all the special campaigns during the months of the year. The distribution of the Resolution did an effective work. The brothers are conscious of the need for spiritual maturity and many have gone off into new territories and have opened them up to the preaching of the good news. Some of the experiences written by the branch servant are most interesting in showing how zealous our brothers have been in Mexico.
Many are beginning to respond to serve where the need is great and are having wonderful results. Certainly the need is great in many cities, in weak congregations and in isolated places, as shown by the fact that we have 396 cities of over 4,000 population without any Witnesses and fifty-six with over 10,000 without any Witnesses. We have record that 141 publishers have moved to other parts of the country to serve where the need is great. How would you like to have an experience like this one sent in by a circuit servant who served in a town without Witnesses for one month? He writes: “After completing my circuit my wife and I worked in Ague Dulce, Ver., for one month and it surely was a joy. The first week we contacted some interested persons and had the service meeting, the ministry school and the Watchtower study, with five attending. By the fourth week we had sixteen attending, and three new publishers reported service. We placed in this one month 112 books, more than 200 booklets and established twenty-seven studies. The new publishers asked us not to leave, but we told them we had to visit the congregations but that another brother would stay there with them as a pioneer. It was hard to leave this place, as in one month we learned to love and work with this small group. Now I appreciate even more the privilege and joy the missionaries have in these virgin territories when the sheep start coming out.”
We find many times that families moving into this harder territory where the need is great have better results than special pioneers, because they form part of the community, send their children to school, have a secular job, and so forth, and work in the service as they have opportunity. A case in point shows this. Zamora, Mich., has about 25,000 inhabitants, with several nearby smaller towns. Special pioneers failed to establish anything, so after six months of waiting a brother sold his nice home and went there together with his family of three publishers to serve where the need is great. In four months he reported a congregation with fifteen publishers. He also works in smaller towns around Zamora, and recently during the circuit servant’s visit he gave a talk in Zamora and in two places nearby. What were the results in this very hard territory? Twenty persons attend meetings in Zamora, twenty in a nearby town and thirty in another. The brother is very thrilled to serve where the need is great and says he could start 100 studies if he had the time to do so!
The brothers were thrilled to receive the booklet Learn to Read and Write at our district assemblies, because it would be a valuable instrument in our educational work in this country. The congregations were invited to have a class beginning in March if they had brothers or persons of good will who did not read or write well. The start was slow but in four months there were 168 classes functioning and many more are being started. There are 1,524 persons attending these classes, and 212 that we have a record of have learned to read and write in the last year. These classes are appreciated. A publisher writes this experience: “While working from house to house I met a person of good will, placed literature with her and invited her to the meetings, and she came with her three children. But she could not read. This problem was solved when the new booklet was presented to them, Learn to Read and Write. They are now learning to read, are attending the meetings and ready to be publishers.”
The work done in the past year in Mexico was not done without opposition from the clergy. They have not changed since the time of Christ, and Jesus said they withheld Kingdom knowledge from the people. (Matt. 23:13) In the State of Durango a lady who has a study with a special pioneer was visited by a priest. When the priest told her, “These books are evil, Lutheran and bringing dissension to the homes,” she asked him to show her where in the book were the evil things. He could not. Then she said: “Now that you are here I want to ask you some Bible questions.” He refused to answer, saying she was ignorant, and called her children and told them to disobey her and burn the literature of their mother. She said: “I thought you knew the Ten Commandments and that one of them requires honoring your parents, and here you are teaching otherwise.” That was enough. The priest left in a rage. The result from this discussion is that she is now fully convinced that this is the truth, is now a publisher and will be baptized soon.
Sometimes this opposition comes from within the family, as it did in Nuevo Laredo, Tamps. The wife was a publisher but not the husband, but he tolerated it until a “friend” said to him: “I saw your wife selling magazines; if you need money let me know, but you shouldn’t allow your wife to do that.” After that he forbade his wife to preach the good news, but in obedience to God she kept on preaching. One day her husband visited some of his friends and they said that his wife was conducting a Bible study with them and said: “What a wonderful wife you have. If she knows so much, no doubt you know much more!” Of course, he felt flattered. They asked him to bring them some magazines. He went home, looked for his wife’s briefcase and delivered the magazines. Since then he goes along with his wife to conduct the study and to make back-calls and is progressing in the truth.
MOROCCO Population: 9,823,000
Peak Publishers: 197 Ratio: 1 to 49,800
For the past few years excellent work has been done by integrity-keepers in the land of Morocco. Missionaries have gone in in goodly numbers and have aided many to a clear understanding of the Bible, and they have now taken their stand and are also walking in their integrity. They appreciate the words of the psalmist: “My own foot will certainly stand on a level place; among the congregated throngs I shall bless Jehovah.” (Ps. 26:12) Many new Christians have gained confidence and are now pressing on doing Jehovah’s will and praising his name, walking in integrity. The branch servant in Morocco gives some interesting experiences of our brothers there.
Showing the value of persistence and preparation in the back-call and Bible study work, one special pioneer with about fifteen home Bible studies relates: “For three months I have been visiting a home where many questions are debated, more particularly difficult ones presented with the idea of confounding me. Guided by Jehovah’s spirit, I have been able to answer them all. A short time ago the way was opened up to start a home Bible study. At the first study the wife equipped herself with a packet of cigarettes and a pile of popular magazines and sat out while I studied with her husband. The second time they invited me to supper. I accepted the invitation and supper was barely over when the man asked his wife to clear away the dishes so that we could study. His wife then got out her cigarettes but this time no magazines. I explained the importance of commencing the study with prayer, and even before her husband had agreed to this the lady put out her cigarette to show her respect for the prayer and then followed the study, herself taking an active part. The way her husband helped her out with the answers could not have been better had I prepared him beforehand to do so. Now he has asked me to come every week instead of every fifteen days as before, as he sees that it is important. He had read the Bible before but had never noticed all the important details bearing on our days.”
This pioneer and his companions in an isolated assignment now have about twelve publishers sharing with them in the service, new, enthusiastic and hoping soon to be formed into an established congregation.
The incidental witnessing of the newly interested ones is also bringing results. The circuit servant was asked to visit an isolated Watchtower subscriber who had learned of the truth from relatives who were having a home Bible study in another part of the country. Arriving at the farmhouse, the circuit servant and his wife were invited to dinner. An animated conversation about the truth ensued, with many questions to be answered. The visit lasted five hours and it was finally arranged that the father conduct a Bible study regularly with his wife and their three children, as they were quite isolated from any publishers. The wife asked, “But we can call ourselves Jehovah’s witnesses, can’t we?” It was explained to them what was necessary, and on the next visit of the circuit servant they will go with him and his wife in the service to work the nearest town. Already they have spoken to all the neighbors.
We were very happy to be able to show the new film “The Divine Will International Assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses” at the two circuit assemblies lately. A fine spirit was manifest at these assemblies, and one can see that the brothers in Morocco now really feel them selves part of the New World society.
NETHERLANDS Population: 11,095,721
Peak Publishers: 11,825 Ratio: 1 to 938
The brothers in the Netherlands are keeping an eye to the interests of others and are bringing them heart-cheering good news continually. The branch servant reports that the Dutch people have an expression: “Everybody cares for himself and God for us all,” but, really, the true command of God is to love your neighbor as yourself, for then one will be looking toward other persons’ interests in order to help them. Certainly with the good news of the Kingdom that Jehovah’s witnesses have to preach all over the world the ordained ministers in the Netherlands are doing a marvelous work. Surely it is necessary for us to ‘keep an eye, not in personal interest upon just our own matters, but also in personal interest upon those of others.’ (Phil. 2:4) This brings joy when one is gathering other sheep into Jehovah’s organization, as these experiences from the Netherlands show.
Even though in poor physical condition, one can show interest in others, with good results. A sick sister who is not able to go from door to door writes letters to find sheep. One day she wrote to a mother who, through an advertisement, asked for toys for her little boy. She was too poor to buy toys for her boy stricken by a heart disease. The letter proved to be so comforting that correspondence was kept on, until one day a joyful letter showed that one of the local Witnesses had contacted her, and now a regular Bible study is being conducted owing to the efforts of a disabled publisher living about a hundred miles away.
Those who are not sick, of course, have more opportunities to work in the interest of others, and so many have taken up the pioneer service. It is not always easy to take this step. One young sister had her heart set on pioneer service. Her father, not being in the truth, did not consent. She waited because she wanted to obey her parents, but she had in mind the day when she personally would have to decide what to do. That day came and she decided to pioneer at any cost. Heavy opposition at home began, but she prayerfully presented her case to Jehovah and determined to stay by her decision. The family had guests at home on the last Sunday she was to be home. And imagine what now happened! After dinner her father spoke kindly to her and wished her much success in the vocation she had chosen. The very next day her aunt gave her a complete set of things she would be needing in the pioneer service. Her determination had broken down all resistance.
While many experience the joys of pioneer service, many others have taken to heart the call to serve where the need is great right here in their own country. This really shows that one is not concerned just with his own matters. One family had to overcome all kinds of hardships and ran up against real financial problems, but they stayed, and Jehovah blessed their efforts. The husband and wife conduct four home Bible studies and three are in the making. The wife, instead of yielding to materialism’s call to take up secular work and maintain their previous financial standard, took up pioneering. This splendid example was richly blessed. Their oldest son of sixteen, who had a good job as a carpenter, left his trade after one call at the convention and is pioneering now. His mother says: “We do not lack anything, although we do not have much income. We have only a few cares but we soon forget them in the service.”
If one is really busy in the things of the Lord, this sets a good example for those who observe it. A pioneer brother had a study in a little village. The wife studied, but the man was so busy taking care of his little farm, starting work on the farm sometimes at four in the morning and then going to work in a factory so as to provide for his family, that this left no time for study. But his interest grew and soon he set one evening aside for study. For months now the whole family has been attending the Watchtower study, and recently he said: “When I let myself be baptized I want to mean it 100 percent and not only 80 percent. From that day on he joined the brother in the field service, and a few weeks ago he said: “I am going to sell a few sheep and a good number of chickens because I want to make more time for God.” This is really fighting materialism.
NETHERLANDS ANTILLES
(Curacao) Population: 110,000
Peak Publishers: 164 Ratio: 1 to 670
A very good witness concerning the Kingdom was given in the Netherlands Antilles during the past twelve months. There is good cause for rejoicing, because The Watchtower was released for the first time in the native language, Papiamento. This gave the brothers an opportunity to reach persons they were never able to reach before. So, truthfully, Jehovah’s witnesses in the islands of the Netherlands Antilles can say: “Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost.” (Luke 15:6) Many have manifested themselves as desiring to know the truth now that they can read it and study it in their own language, and the ordained ministers working in this territory of Curasao, Aruba and Bonaire have some good things to report.
The biggest event of the year was the release of The Watchtower in Papiamento on January 1, 1959. As a result we had the most successful subscription campaign ever. One special pioneer obtained over two hundred new subscriptions for the four months of the campaign. The specials averaged over a hundred new subscriptions for the year, and total subscriptions were nearly double what they were the year before.
On the first Sunday in January one congregation publisher obtained three subscriptions at the first three houses he called on, after giving the sermon. At the first home he obtained a Papiamento subscription, at the second a Chinese subscription and at the third house a subscription in French. Did you ask if it is difficult to give the testimony in such mixed territory? Not at all. When people of different races and nationalities live in the same neighborhood they are usually more liberal toward religion. They do not care so much about what the neighbors think. Then the people and the publisher speak a common language. Maybe an English-speaking publisher talks to a Chinese in Papiamento, the native language, and they get along fine. But it does show the necessity of a Witness learning the language of the people where he lives and preaches.
Never have we had a book that has gone like the Paradise book. We have placed over two thousand in our small territory here. In one week four different persons asked a local pioneer for this book. The owner of the largest bookstore here took six copies, and he is placing them in his store even though he is asking more than we do for it. To have the book on display in a local bookstore is good advertisement for it. One brother said that at his work he heard a worldly man who had read Paradise talking about the “other sheep” as if he were a Witness already. At least he is ‘another sheep.’
During the past year we have placed more Douay Bibles than usual. Some people ask us for them too. One Catholic man sent one to his daughter in another country. She took it to school with her, and the nuns teaching there liked it so much they asked the girl to write her father about getting copies for them. Truly there is a famine for the hearing of the Word of God!
For the first time in Curacao we held an all-Papiamento circuit assembly in isolated territory. We hired a big old farmhouse near the sea and the assembly was a huge success.
The new film of the Divine Will assembly has greatly enhanced the attendance at our circuit assemblies. When we received the film from the States it had to be censored. The head of the film commission asked us where we could show it for them. We said, "At the Kingdom Hall in the missionary home.” So to the home came a Catholic priest, a Protestant minister and a lady to see the film. They approved it. You should have seen the eyes of our Catholic neighbors when the priest and the preacher came to the house about 4 p.m. and stayed so long! Right away they wanted to see it too.
ARUBA Population: 55,000
Peak Publishers: 129 Ratio: 1 to 426
The spiritual progress of the brothers and people of good will in Aruba can be expressed in Paul’s words at Colossians 1:10, because they “go on bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the accurate knowledge of God,” and especially since the release of The Watchtower in Papiamento on January 1, 1959. An indication of this was observed at a back-call on a subscriber. Although the Hebrew Scriptures have never been published in Papiamento, this subscriber gave a detailed explanation of Isaiah and how he counseled kings. Where did he learn this? In the latest Papiamento Watchtower.
Several of those that attended the Divine Will assembly in New York have either taken up the vacation or regular pioneer work since returning home. One sister with six children under eleven years of age did vacation pioneering along with another sister with four children. It was hard, but they enjoyed many wonderful experiences in the three months they were vacation pioneering.
As a local pioneer left the home of a person with whom he studies, the lady from next door met him on the street and asked, “Do you give Bible lessons?” and wanted to know how much they would cost. He explained the study arrangement, placed a Paradise book and began a study with her. Since then she has always been ready for the study, with the answers underlined as the brother taught her. This brother always tries to impress those with whom he studies of the seriousness of the matter and the need for advance preparation. He himself is strict about keeping appointments at the time set, and he has been rewarded with success.
One sister who was helped to see the truth by a local pioneer said she wanted to follow the good example set by her teacher; so she became a pioneer too. She has a large home to keep, three besides herself to cook for and a hairdressing salon. Before beginning to pioneer she notified her clients by means of a large ad in the local paper that she was doing full-time ministerial work and at what hours only they could call for appointments.
BONAIRE
Peak Publishers: 14
Population: 8,000
Ratio: 1 to 571
Because of the release of The Watchtower in Papiamento, total magazine placements almost doubled for
the year. But some of the publishers in Bonaire were slow about offering the bound books until the circuit servant came along and placed fifteen books in one week, then bound book placements increased. For success in the preaching work we need, among other things, a positive attitude.
During the year a prominent man of good will died suddenly, but he left a letter saying that he wanted the congregation servant to conduct his funeral. His request was granted even though his family is Catholic. The talk by the brother was a good testimony for the truth, and many of those present expressed appreciation for what was said. Often it is good for brothers to leave such a letter. A very active brother died suddenly in Curasao and his family was about to have a Protestant minister give the talk, but the wife of the deceased brother, who is not a Witness, stood firm for a Witness funeral.
NEWFOUNDLAND Population: 415,074
Peak Publishers: 450 Ratio: 1 to 922
In this island of the cold north Jehovah’s witnesses have pressed on, knowing: “My Father is glorified in this, that you keep on bearing much fruit and prove yourselves my disciples.” (John 15:8) Productive ministers have real joy in their service, and there are qualifications that each one must meet to prove himself a true Christian. All of them have in mind the words of Paul: “But let our people also learn to maintain right works so as to meet their pressing needs, that they may not be unproductive.” (Titus 3:14) Yes, there is a lot of hard work to be done and Newfoundland is a place where one can do hard work in order to find the other sheep. Hard workers have come forward from all parts of Newfoundland to take care of the ministry, and it is a joy to read some of the experiences of our brothers in this part of the world as sent in by the branch servant.
Reflecting on the teaching work for the past service year brings happy memories and joyful experiences to mind. One of such was related by one of the brothers at the Awake Ministers District Assembly held in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. He began by saying: “Have you ever noticed how lambs will run ahead of their mothers to feed? This is true also with symbolic sheep. Symbolic lambs will sometimes taste and eat spiritual food with relish before the sheep. Let me illustrate: I had repeatedly tried to start a study with a family in my territory assignment and, even though the family welcomed me to their home in a friendly manner, my endeavors to start a home Bible study continually failed. The obstacle in the way appeared to be fear of what the neighbors may think. I almost gave up, saying, ‘They just were not real sheep.’ However, at this time we received the new book From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained and it not only attracted the attention of adults but also the little ones. I have had many an occasion to speak to the children who stop at my home on their way to and from school for a rest and some refreshment. Among these children was the young son of my prospective Bible student who had asked a goodly number of intelligent questions, so that it called to mind the feeding habits of the sheep.
“Seeing the interest of this young lamb, I made another attempt the following Sunday to place the book From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained with his family, but I failed again. I then suggested to the lady of the house that I would like to loan the book to her young lad and he could return it in a few days on his way to school. About three days later the boy happily approached me, saying, ‘Mother wants to buy the book.’ After I questioned the lad, he informed me that his father read a chapter to him every night from the book. One week later I made a return call and as I passed by the kitchen window I saw the whole family seated at the kitchen table and the father was reading a chapter from the new book. When I entered, the man was a little embarrassed and was about to close the book, when I quickly pulled up a chair, took out my Bible and said, ‘Let us finish the chapter.’ His little boy pleaded with his father, saying, ‘Yes, dad, please do,’ and thus I started my easiest study.”
Bible study activity is a very important part of our ministry. It is from this activity that we bear fruit to Jehovah’s praise. The fruits we bear are Kingdom publishers anxious to do the divine will, whatever that will may be. Such productivity is made clear by the following experience: “My husband and I studied with a man at his sister’s home because his wife was opposed to the truth. This individual was making excellent progress when his uncle, a retired clergyman, came to visit him, and he became confused and stopped the Bible study. We realized that this was an attempt on the part of the ‘birds’ to devour the seed planted in this man’s heart. So every attempt was made to speak words of encouragement, with the objective of resuming the study. Finally we had success and we continued our Bible study, but this time in his own home. In the meantime the man’s wife would read the publications of the Society, including The Watchtower and Awake!, in an endeavor to find some point that she might disprove and thus discourage her husband from having anything more to do with Jehovah’s witnesses. But the more she read, the more she was convinced. She consented to attend a circuit assembly in St. John’s and enjoyed it to the full. Now she anxiously looks forward to the weekly Bible study being conducted in her home, attends all the congregational meetings, participates in the house-to-house, back-call and Bible study activity. What a joy it is to see these new ones, desirous of doing what is right, grow up to be mature Christians doing the divine will! This joy cannot be properly expressed with words. It must be experienced. It is our hope that all brothers in the New World society will share this joy.”
The work of bearing fruit to Jehovah’s praise quite often takes one to new fields, to settlements that have not heard the good news. In Newfoundland it has taken Jehovah’s witnesses to the land of the Eskimo in Labrador. A special pioneer serving in this area found it a real delight to assist a young Eskimo couple on the way that leads to life. Using the sermon “Earth as Man’s Home,” as suggested in the Kingdom Ministry, the special pioneer obtained during the months of March and April sixty-seven subscriptions for The Watchtower and Awake!, distributed 469 individual magazines and seventy-five bound books, and ended April with sixteen new home Bible studies. Outstanding in these studies was a young Eskimo couple who showed real love for Jehovah and the truth at the very first contact. At first, studies were conducted every Wednesday and Sunday. But this was not enough to quench their thirst for knowledge. So studies were arranged for every day of the week except Saturday, which was devoted to magazine distribution. The young Eskimos enjoyed the preaching work so much that at the end of their second month of service they reported sixty-five hours, several back-calls and two Bible studies. “You know,” they went on to say, “this is the best way to really learn the truth, to go along in the work of teaching from house to house.” Shortly after this the special pioneer invited these newly found sheep to the Awake Ministers District Assembly being held in Corner Brook, and it was there that both symbolized I heir dedication to Jehovah. Now they have returned lo their homeland to serve where the need is great, lie takes this view: “If one doesn’t start to preach, no one will.”
The climax of our past year’s service was Brother Knorr’s long-awaited visit to attend and serve our Awake Ministers District Assembly. Truly, it was our best and largest ever held in Newfoundland. Six hundred and eleven were present for the public meeting and twenty-one symbolized their dedication to Jehovah.
NEW ZEALAND Population: 2,232,591
Peak Publishers: 3,585 Ratio: 1 to 622
The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society opened a new branch office building in New Zealand in April of 1958. Many of the brothers inspected this new establishment and it brought great joy to their hearts, because they see in this building alone that expansion has taken place in their country. It was due to the fact that the brothers throughout the north and south islands worked so diligently in past years that it was necessary to establish larger quarters. It was observed in checking over the report that many persons took up the vacation pioneer work during the 1959 service year, and this shows that the brothers there, as in other countries, appreciate this added privilege of service, and they realize: “We have become a theatrical spectacle to the world.” (1 Cor. 4:9) So whether one be in the missionary work or be in the service as a special pioneer, a pioneer or vacation pioneer or a congregation publisher, he is a part of the organization of ordained ministers today really praising Jehovah’s name. New Zealand has a good share of these ministers to preach about God’s kingdom. The branch servant gives us some interesting experiences from that country in his annual report.
Both inside and outside of God’s organization the new Bible aid From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained is enjoying great popularity. A young girl who was given a copy by her mother said, when a back-call was made at the house, that she takes the book to Sunday school every week and several others do too. Even the teacher has one and she conducts the Bible class entirely from it. On another back-call that afternoon a mother confirmed this by saying, “My boy uses that book at his Baptist Sunday school.”
One brother preached incidentally for eighteen months to his workmate before any fruitage began to appear. The suggestion of a Bible study was always rejected. Being a Catholic, he was encouraged to get a Bible but, not being able to get one at the convent presbytery, he obtained the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures and “Make Sure of All Things.” At different times he interviewed two priests who were unable to support their teachings with scriptures. Finally a Bible study was arranged in “Let God Be True” with the man, his wife and three children, all of whom are attending meetings. Now the man is a publisher of the good news.
During his school holidays as a vacation pioneer a young publisher in his early teens placed three books with a meek and humble housewife. He made a back-call and was greeted with: "I have been running around with the book in one hand and the Bible in the other to tell my husband what I’ve learned.” A Bible study was begun at once with husband and wife, both of whom were Catholic. After several studies they were talking of dedication and service. Within six weeks of the first study they engaged in the house-to-house ministry. They went out the second time on their own, together with their five children, and spent five hours in preaching to others. Four months later they were baptized at an assembly.
A former opposer noticed such a change for the better in her sister who had become one of Jehovah’s witnesses that she decided to investigate for herself. She asked questions on all the controversial subjects and when hearing answers to them from the Bible she remarked: “I can see that this is the truth, but I want my husband and family to be in this too.” Her husband was Catholic and the dominion president for the second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Being honest and humble, he quickly saw Bible truth and gave up an important club meeting each week for a study in “Let God, Be True.” The wife interested her boss’ wife to come to their study. She took the truth without hesitation and became very enthusiastic, so much so that her husband became curious. A study was begun in that home. Both families had occasion to face their clergymen over the truth and, although having had only a few studies, were able to confound these would-be ministers. Both families are now zealous Kingdom publishers.
NICARAGUA Population: 1,331,000
Peak Publishers: 338 Ratio: 1 to 3,937
The branch servant in Nicaragua reports that there was great happiness in this Central American country right after the international assembly of Jehovah’s witnesses in New York city in the summer of 1958. The spirit of truth that was infused in the representatives from Nicaragua could not be held in when they returned. A great portion of the program that was carried on in New York city was duplicated in their little country and they have had excellent results, with new peaks in publishers and reaching out into new territories, and the new Spanish booklet that was released in New York city to aid the Spanish-speaking people to read and write has had good use in this country. Because of learning to read and write people are now able to turn to the Bible and take in knowledge of the “only true God, and of the one whom [he] sent forth, Jesus Christ.” (John 17:3) So, many are now appreciating the value of knowing how to read and write and they are turning to the greatest book in the world, the Bible, to study it. A few excerpts from the branch servant’s report are set out herewith.
A number of reading and writing schools have been organized to further our educational program in the divine will. In one school a little four-year-old girl just sat in and listened, but between classes she studied too. In six months’ time she was able to read with understanding and make comments in The Watchtower study. She has progressed much faster than some enrolled who are irregular in attendance and personal application.
The brothers did well in the distribution of the special Resolution; over 44,000 tracts were distributed in January and February. Though small, its message was powerful and telling. A young man now studying told the publisher: “That paper you gave me—it said everything!” He was never at home when the publisher made return calls but he was so moved by the tract’s message that he looked for the Witnesses in order to learn more. Another elderly couple became interested in the truth as a result of the tract, started studying and attending the congregational meetings. Now, after living together for forty-six years, they plan to get married so that they can be publishers too. And from placing a tract in a barbershop and making back-calls there three different studies have been started, much literature has been placed and two new publishers have started in the service. From tracts placed in a prison, two study groups were started. One of the prisoners said: “Jehovah’s witnesses are the only ones who will come here free to teach us.”
Do your sermons make a point? An elderly woman who had always believed that when the end of the world came everybody would be destroyed was quite impressed when she learned that there would be survivors of the battle of Armageddon. The publisher started a study immediately. The next week when the publisher returned she found not only the woman but seven more persons. She had gathered together her grown children from all over the city so that they would learn too.
NIGERIA Population: 33,362,000
Peak Publishers: 28,434 Ratio: 1 to 1,173
By staying awake in the ministry the publishers of the Kingdom good news in Nigeria have experienced an unusual happiness. They have had a wonderful year of blessing. The brothers in this part of Africa appreciate the need of knowing the truth, believing it and expressing it. They have come to know that “trembling at men is what lays a snare, but he that is trusting in Jehovah will be protected.” (Prov. 29:25) For centuries men have set up forms of worship to keep the people in subjection, but, when one once learns the truth from God’s Word, then his determination is to do the will of God, and this he finds most satisfying as it brings joy and happiness in living. The branch servant in Nigeria also gives reports on Dahomey and Fernando Po.
The outstanding blessing, of course, was Brother Knorr’s visit during our national assembly. The assembling of almost 28,000 from eleven tribes and tongues was most colorful and impressive. The baptism of 1,510 new sheep in a perfect idyllic setting was unforgettable.
Special pioneers are helping us to get the Kingdom message far up into the Moslem northern region too. Here is an experience from one of them: “I came across two men who were Moslems by birth. They listened to my witnessing, and I made back-calls on which I proved the superiority of the Bible over the Koran. One man paid for two Bibles for himself and his friend and he also took ‘Let God Be True.’ We started a study. Soon afterward was the Moslem thirty-day fast. When I explained the matter of fasting he broke the fast, denounced Islam, and both he and his friend started witnessing from door to door with me.” This special pioneer places 150 magazines a month in solid-Moslem territory. It can be done!
It is amazing how strong a sheep can become on even a little bit of spiritual food. A brother at Bethel had a few studies with a Moslem, but soon afterward the man traveled to his distant home. When he manifested interest in Christianity his relatives began hot persecution and threatened to kill him if he deserted Islam. They took away his wife and children, but still he persisted in showing interest in the books of Jehovah’s witnesses. Then they held him and tied him to a post in the wall and kept him bound for five weeks. When they saw that even this did not break him down, the villagers set him free and told his father that he must not be punished any more. He ran away and came to Lagos on a brief visit to tell the story and to beg the Society to send a special pioneer to his town to help organize the interest he is finding.
The day is not far off when we shall have more vacation pioneers than regular pioneers. In one month 778 vacation pioneers reported, and many of these were school children. Once during the school vacation we received over thirty applications from one congregation alone.
Young people often get results that amaze older publishers. A circuit servant, for example, took an elevenhour trip by canoe to reach a village for witnessing. There was little response from the villagers. “I was unhappy,” he says, “for not finding even one interested person. But Jehovah opened the way through my sevenyear-old son. When they heard him preaching, everyone wanted to hear more. He placed four magazines, whereas the brother taking him along placed only one. Most of the seventy people who attended the public talk came as a result of my son’s preaching.”
The government is making a drive to combat illiteracy and we are making full use of it. The example of Jehovah’s witnesses is used by government officers as a spearhead in their drive, for they publicly commend the punctuality, diligence and enthusiasm of the brothers in learning to read and write. One Adult Education officer told a group of illiterates who are not in the truth: “You will die in j'our ignorance because you do not want to learn like Jehovah's witnesses. They have put down their names for the class.”
Some congregations have supplemented the usual classes by additional private lessons at the homes of the students. In one case a new sister of fifty-three years is getting help from the pioneer sister who brought her into the truth. The new sister learned to read within three months. In another case a sister was so diligent and made such a serious effort that she learned to read within thirty days.
DAHOMEY Population: 1,614,000
Peak Publishers: 1,308 Ratio: 1 to 1,233
“Let the stealer steal no more, but rather let him do hard work, doing with his hands what is good work.” Paul’s counsel at Ephesians 4:28 is well illustrated in the change made by a former Roman Catholic. He was a burglar, and his fellow church members and neighbors feared him greatly and accorded him honor so that their properties might be spared. His child became very sick, ordinary medicines failed, and the burglar-father applied to the Roman Catholic priest for a “spiritual” cure. Instead, the priest advised him to go to the juju priest because “maybe your child is bewitched.” The priest’s advice surprised the man so much that his eyes became opened to their hypocrisy, and he began attending the Kingdom Hall. Soon afterward he renounced burglary as a profession, saying to the brothers: “I will not undertake such work again. If any of you have a job to give me, I am ready.” The former burglarCatholic is now doing honest work with his hands, thanks to the truth’s transforming power.
The brothers were also greatly delighted by the two circuit assemblies held right inside Dahomey, the first to be held in the country for many years. The assemblies were served by an African district servant; there was no opposition from the authorities but rather cooperation in many respects.
If any French family is thinking of serving where the need is great, why not ‘step over into Macedonian Dahomey and help us’?
FERNANDO PO Population: 212,000
Peak Publishers: 22 Ratio: 1 to 9,636
In response to our appeal several brothers from Nigeria have taken work contracts for two or three years and gone to Fernando Po to serve the interests of God’s kingdom. One of them is a pioneer and he managed to meet his quota every month except one. No public preaching is done, of course, but much can be done in incidental ways and in quiet back-calls and private home Bible studies. This is shown by an experience of the same pioneer. Two neighbors paid him a friendly visit and the conversation was about the hard labor conditions. “In a short period of time,” the brother relates, “I mixed our conversation with a Bible sermon about the New World conditions, and concluded by placing a copy of The Watchtower. I called back to study the magazine with one man and we had a lively discussion about God’s active force not being the third person of the trinity. On later back-calls I pointed out to him the importance of our group Bible studies, and without delay he started to attend regularly. Soon after, I showed him the privilege of sharing in the preaching work. The result now is that he has started to make his own back-calls and conduct his own Bible studies. He is still trying to grow more and more.”
NORTHERN RHODESIA Population: 2,180,000 Peak Publishers: 28,338 Ratio: 1 to 77
Jehovah’s witnesses in East Africa are doing a wonderful work. While the increase has not been so great in Northern Rhodesia, still we find that there is one ordained minister for every seventyseven persons in the country. In many areas of the territory one publisher has only ten homes to work. So it is appreciated that these announcers of God’s kingdom must be patient as well as persistent in giving their territory a regular coverage. If there are more sheep to be found, it is their responsibility to find them. Of course, covering territory so often brings about difficulties, and publishers meet up with situations that are hard to deal with. “But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. For men will be . . . without gratitude.” (2 Tim. 3:1, 2) So, often persons claiming to be Christians are the ones showing the greatest offense to the preaching of the good news. But, despite this, Jehovah’s witnesses press on, glorifying God. The branch servant of Northern Rhodesia also gives us a report on the Belgian Congo, Kenya, Tanganyika, and Uganda.
The following experience is not uncommon: Some sisters were out preaching and were chased from one house by a man who was a police constable and a follower of a new African sect. One of the servants made it a point to take this home the next time he was working the territory. The man saw him coming, recognized him as one of Jehovah’s witnesses, and rushed out and began to beat the brother. When the brother did not fight back the man desisted. The brother writes of what followed: “When he left me alone I began to speak to him about the truth, and as I continued he was filled with happiness and obtained a copy of ‘Let God Be True.’ Starting from that time the man began to associate with us and finally stopped the police work on account of the truth. I am still conducting a study with him.”
At a circuit assembly a blind brother related this heart-warming experience: “Through the patient efforts of one of the brothers in the congregation I was able to learn completely the sermon 'Earth as Man’s Home.’ Then he led me by the hand from house to house, and I was overjoyed that I could share in the preaching by giving the sermon, which I had memorized. At the very first call the householder showed interest and I was able to place the ‘Good News’ booklet. Two weeks later I learned that I could have the privilege of working with the circuit servant. In the meantime I had learned the back-call sermon ‘Earth to Become a Paradise,’ with the hope of being able to make a back-call on the interested householder, so I arranged to make this call with the circuit servant. Maybe you wonder how I gave all the scriptures in the sermon? Well, I had the householder read some from his Bible and the circuit servant the others. I was most anxious to start a Bible study but was doubtful how I might succeed. I asked the householder to bring his booklet so that I could explain the study method to him. The householder agreed, and then he read the questions and the paragraphs and I was able to help him understand the answers. All my doubts about a blind brother being able to conduct a study were removed when the householder invited me back the next week to continue the study. How happy I was when he agreed to come with me to the Kingdom Hall the following Sunday to hear the public talk! Now I rejoice to tell you that I still conduct the study; the man, his wife and children, all are regular attenders at the congregation meetings, and they have all come to the circuit assembly with me.”
Since the time of Saul of Tarsus many like persecutors have come to their senses and accepted the truth. One “reverend” with eighteen years of preaching in a Protestant church made strong efforts to disrupt a Bible study being conducted by a pioneer with one of his members. After each study he would visit the good-will person and try to cause him to discontinue the study, threatening him with expulsion from the church. The householder was disturbed at first, not knowing which way to turn. The pioneer then gave the householder a number of Bible questions to ask his minister, in order to show if he really was a minister of God’s Word or not. The following week the minister came over to the good-will person’s house as soon as he saw the pioneer arrive. The pioneer gave a back-call sermon, to which the minister listened attentively. Soon his face changed, and he was eager to hear more. That same day he obtained a copy of “Let God Be True” and asked for the pioneer to visit him. “But please be sure nobody sees you—come privately.” After a few weeks he said he wanted to attend meetings, and he and his wife and the good-will person he had first tried to stop from studying all began attending meetings together. All three attended the Divine Will assembly at Ndola during the visit of Brother Knorr, and there symbolized their dedication to do the divine will. So the former Saul-like persecutor is now one of Jehovah’s witnesses.
Indeed, it was the Divine Will assembly in Ndola, April 23 to 26, that was the high light of the service year, especially so because we had the happy privilege of having you with us, Brother Knorr. All the brothers rejoiced over this and they much appreciated the good counsel you had for us in doing the divine will as fulltime ministers. This thrilling assembly had a telling effect on the people of Ndola, and, indeed, upon thinking people throughout the country who read of it through the excellent press coverage. The gathering together of upward of 30,000 at a time of tension was a powerful witness in itself to the orderliness, peacefulness and strength of the New World society in this land. We thank our heavenly Father for this and the many other blessings we have enjoyed during the past service year.
BELGIAN CONGO Population: 12,660,000
Peak Publishers: 1,162 Ratio: 1 to 10,900
The work in the Belgian Congo has moved forward wonderfully in the past year. Despite the difficulties in that country and the fact that technically the work continues under a ban, it has been possible for the brothers to hold regular meetings in Kingdom Halls.
An outstanding event occurred at the time of the Memorial in the city of Leopoldville, the capital. The six units in that city arranged to meet together for a public talk on Sunday and had the thrill of seeing an attendance of 1,417. As one of the unit servants wrote at the time: “We were very happy, because it was the first time that we had tried such a thing; Jehovah’s angels camped all around us.” The meeting was even reported in the local press, resulting in good publicity for the brothers.
A young witness for Jehovah showed zeal for the truth, gathering his fellow students at school together during the recreation period to talk to them about the Kingdom. Some of the students opposed him, calling him derisively “prophet,” but without causing him to quit. One day one of the students told the teacher about this young Witness. The teacher was surprised at the expression “Jehovah’s witnesses” and wanted to know what this meant and who Jehovah was. The young brother gladly took advantage of the opportunity to give a further witness. So impressed was the teacher that he called in another teacher to listen, and later explained to his fellow instructor that this was the only student in his class who obtained maximum points for conduct. The teacher further asked the brother for literature that he could study at home.
One of the brothers sends in this experience: “An African pastor in one of the Protestant religions accepted the truth. However, before receiving the witness he had already begun the construction of a temple in his village. He had loaded onto a river boat thirtyeight sacks of cement and fifty-two sheets of sheet iron to be sent up to his village. Before the material arrived at the village he had sent on a letter ahead to tell the villagers that the temple would not be built because he had now found the true God. His letter was read in all the local temples just like a gospel message. Today in this and surrounding villages more than 160 of the previous members of that religion no longer attend. They are waiting for this new brother to come and speak to them about the truth. At the time of writing this letter, this brother is bn his way to his village in order to explain the will of Jehovah, his purposes and his Kingdom. In view of this, we have need of volunteers to serve where the need is great.”
KENYA Population: 6,261,000
Peak Publishers: 72 Ratio: 1 to 86,900
In 1956 the four publishers in Kenya were anxious for mature help. From them came a truly Macedonian call for help. That call has been answered by many publishers coming to Kenya to serve where the need is great. The faithful service of these brothers, along with the many new ones taking their stand in Kenya, has been greatly blessed and they have enjoyed many happy experiences. Some of them have the joy of working as pioneers.
A pioneer sister relates how a person with whom she had just begun studying the booklet “This Good News of the Kingdom” canceled the study, giving no reason. “I called back with the Resolution, but, though friendly, she was still definite about not continuing the study. Convinced she was definitely a sheep, I made several friendly calls, and then asked if she would like to continue her studies. This time she agreed. Now she attends the meetings regularly and has been out with me in the service. Why did she cancel the studies? ‘I felt so hypocritical after studying the Bible and then yelling at my children and my husband and losing my temper,’ she told me. Now she is so grateful for the truth and the way it has changed her personality.” This sister’s real love for the “sheep” brought results.
Old age is no unsurmountable barrier to accepting the truth if there is a genuine love for God’s Word. One elderly lady who had been interested in the British Israelites and spiritualism and had tried many other religions without being really satisfied subscribed for the Watchtower and Awake! magazines and took “Let God Be True.” The publisher was not able to get back quickly, and after two weeks she received a letter asking her to call; this lady had found the literature “wonderful” and just what she had been looking for all her life. The study being held with her is a joy to conduct. Her one regret is that she did not learn the truth when she was younger. She attends the meetings when able, and her presence is a great joy to all. Although she is eighty-four years old, she is alert to use her opportunities to do incidental witnessing, and is truly grateful for the great contentment she has now in living for the new world.
One of the high lights of the year was the Divine Will assembly at Ndola, Northern Rhodesia. Though it involved an expensive 2,000-mile round trip by air, fifteen delegates from Kenya were able to attend and enjoy the Christian fellowship and association of the brothers there, as well as benefit from the good counsel from God’s Word presented on that occasion, especially by Brother Knorr,
TANGANYIKA Population: 8,452,619
Peak Publishers: 429 Ratio: 1 to 19,700
The best increase for some years was recorded in Tanganyika. This was in a large measure owing to the efforts to move in African special pioneers who set a good lead in the ministry and opened up new areas of the country as yet not reached by the Kingdom message. The last month of the service year saw the highest number reporting, 429, an increase of 32 percent on last year’s average, so things are well set for further increase in the coming service year. Most of the publishers are Africans, but some Europeans have moved in to serve where the need is great, and they are very happy to be having a share in this fine increase. But since little work has been done thus far with the European population, there is much prejudice to break down. The false shepherds do all they can to take advantage of this prejudice.
While at a Bible study, a sister was surprised by the visit of a Protestant pastor. He told the good-will person to burn the book she had and to have nothing to do with Jehovah’s witnesses. During a discussion that followed on Bible doctrine he became quite heated, waving his stick at the publisher and threatening to have the authorities deport her. After he left, the goodwill person expressed her whole-hearted support for the publisher and said that she would willingly testify on her behalf, should this become necessary.
Further efforts were made during the year to get permission for missionaries to enter the territory, but this was denied, and even permission for the European district servant to enter for two weeks to conduct a circuit assembly was refused. Nevertheless, two fine circuit assemblies were held during the year, one in the northern part of the country at the beginning of the year, and another in the south at the end of the year. These were supervised by the African circuit servants and proved to be a stimulus to all the brothers and a fine witness to the people and officials of the locality. No hindrances have been put in the way of the African brothers in carrying forward the witness work, and in one or two cases their right to preach and distribute literature has been upheld in court where opposers have tried to interfere with the work.
UGANDA Population: 5,680,000
Peak Publishers: 7 Ratio: 1 to 811,000
Two more publishers moved away from Uganda during the year, reducing the number of dedicated witnesses of Jehovah in that land to two, both of them Africans. Nevertheless, these African brothers continued faithfully seeking to make known the truth as they had opportunity and carrying on the regular studies of the Bible among themselves.
The final month of the service year gave evidence that their labors had borne fruit, for during August four persons of good will symbolized their dedication to Jehovah by immersion in the waters of Lake Victoria. These new brothers had received good instruction in the truth, since for a year they had received studies in the booklet “This Good News of the Kingdom” and the book “Let God Be True.” The four newly dedicated ones are all scholars at a technical school, and through them about twelve more of their fellow scholars have shown interest.
NORWAY Population: 3,500,000
Peak Publishers: 3,401 Ratio: 1 to 1,029
In this beautiful country to the north the work of preaching got off to an excellent start during the 1959 service year after the return of 120 delegates from the international assembly in New York in 1958. They had their own divine will assemblies and the brothers attended these in good numbers'. They appreciated the advice of the apostle Peter: “Keep your senses, be watchful” (1 Pet. 5:8), wanting, of course, to prove themselves awake ministers in these last days. The territory in Norway is scattered. There are many isolated places where people live, carrying on the occupation of farming, and these must be met. Every effort is being put forth these days to reach the isolated publishers, and good experiences have come forth from Norway in this regard.
The importance of making return visits even half a year after the first call was made and the good results from making these calls was told by a circuit servant. He placed a half-year subscription with a married couple living in unassigned territory he visited. Over half a year went by before they were visited again. The subscription had run out and seemingly interest to resubscribe had died. However, the circuit servant described the New York convention he had attended and showed the Convention Report to the lady of the house he was talking to. He explained that The Watchtower would be carrying the main talks in the months ahead. Interest was again aroused and a half-year subscription was again obtained. On returning to this section again in May a back-call was made. This time he was welcomed heartily and was told how much the serial articles on “Your Will Be Done on Earth” were enjoyed. There were so many new and interesting things to learn, things never thought of before. An interesting discussion followed. And would he be sure to stop in the next time he passed through?
The faithful ministering of a couple who had moved to a small congregation with their small son helped awaken the anger of the local minister. He wrote articles in the church paper to warn his flock against Jehovah’s witnesses. During the Christmas holidays he raved on against Jehovah’s witnesses. What were the results? The people were waking up and beginning to ask why the minister was so angry against us. Now the brothers are often invited into the houses to discuss this question and the truth. One lady showed a letter she had written the minister stating that since his raving against Jehovah’s witnesses she had started to think for herself, that our literature was good Bible helps and that the minister was not telling the truth. A lady who is being studied with left the church after the minister’s attack on us. Never has there been so good an opportunity to talk to the people and tell them the truth as since the minister’s writings and ravings.
Magazine work on holidays gave many blessings, says one congregation servant. He says that during the Christmas holidays thirty publishers placed nearly 500 magazines. One new sister placed thirty-five alone. This same congregation took advantage of the Easter holidays to work some of their outlying territory and placed 420 magazines and obtained twenty-three subscriptions in two days of service.
NYASALAND Population: 8,266,000
Peak Publishers: 15,141 Ratio: 1 to 215
Jehovah’s witnesses continue to grow in numbers in Nyasaland even though there have been great internal disturbances among the people in political parties. God’s people have this scripture in mind: “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Your spirit is good; may it lead me in the land of uprightness.” (Ps. 143:10) It is always important for God’s people to take the right course, the peaceful course, in times of trouble. So one who is acquainted with the Word of God and who has allowed God to teach him will find himself happy and peaceful even during violent times. This is profitable because this in itself gives a witness and causes others to want to know the truth. The word from the branch office at Blantyre on the year’s activity gives some interesting experiences for the country of Nyasaland and also for Mozambique.
For almost six years the brothers here had been anxiously awaiting the return of Brother Knorr and the opportunity to meet all together in one national assembly. Even though the plans for the assembly were started well in advance we were never able to complete them because of the riots and unsettled state of the country. Now, looking back, we can see that, without a doubt, more good was accomplished through the fine conduct of our brothers than could have been attained with our assembly. The following experiences show how this was true.
The African chiefs hold considerable power in the villages throughout the country and, naturally, they like to use their influence whenever possible. When a brother was disfellowshiped from a congregation, the chief wanted to know why he was not consulted before the change was made, since all other religions came to him with their suggestions for changes. The circuit servant then set out to explain how our servants were chosen by Jehovah’s spirit and that outside people were never consulted in the past or now to hear matters dealing with the congregation. He was surprised and immediately changed his attitude to one of meekness. He acknowledged that the law of the land entrusted to him certain powers, but they did not include supervising the congregations of Jehovah’s witnesses. He mentioned that now he realized that Jehovah also has a government supervising things. He was eager to obtain a copy of “This Means Everlasting Life” to study along with his already well-used copy of “Let God Be True,”
The progress of our reading classes in the congregations has had and is having a wonderful effect on our brothers. In 1954, when the Cinyanja reading aid was first introduced, only a minority of our brothers were able to read; now about 70 percent are literate and the remainder are continuing with their study. The ones who can read are striving for added improvement in their ability so their ministry will also improve. A comment from a village headman shows how others observe this work. He said: “We are very much surprised to see that your people are able to read after only six months of study. When our children are sent to the Catholic mission school, even after four years they cannot read this well.” The brother conducting replied that Jehovah’s witnesses are applying themselves zealously to study and have the spirit of Jehovah behind their efforts.
A circuit servant was invited by the presiding minister of a Seventh-Day Adventist church to address his congregation on Sunday. When the brothers went on Sunday they were well received and the program was turned over to the circuit servant. When the minister introduced the brother he said: “These are Jehovah’s witnesses, who work as Jesus did, walking around teaching the people the truth. Today they have been asked to feed us.” After the circuit servant finished his discourse he asked if there were any questions, and if everyone had understood all that was said. All replied that they had understood fully. Then the minister addressed his congregation, saying: “As I have always said, these people are the number one religion.” His wife spoke up, saying: “Today we have been really satisfied, because in our church we are never well fed.”
MOZAMBIQUE Population: 6,170,000
Peak Publishers: 433 Ratio: 1 to 14,200
In one district in the interior, where a few years ago many of our brothers were arrested and deported, the remaining brothers had a surprising experience. As a result of many people listening and beginning to study the Bible the usual custom of brewing illegal whisky for sale began to suffer. This brought the anger of the chief when his supply of intoxicating drink ran short. In order to stop the brothers he went to the police and while there joined forces with the local Catholic priests. Their charges were made to a European District Commissioner and amounted to a request for Jehovah’s witnesses to be deported to San Tome, a penal island. The District Commissioner then asked the brothers what they were doing, and the brothers replied by referring him to Matthew 24:14. He then handed the priest a Bible and asked him to find the text and read it. When the priest was unable to And it, the brothers were asked to help the priest. The District Commissioner then took the Bible and read, and after his reading he became very angry with the chief and the priests. He said: “These people are helping us to stop excess drinking and other evils here, and not only here, but I know them from Lisboa. I do not see that they have done anything wrong.” He then proceeded to give the brothers written permission to preach all over the district, and now even pioneers will be free to continue their ministry without fear.
The blessing of serving where the need is great is very aptly illustrated by a Nyasaland pioneer who requested a location in Mozambique, where help was needed. After seven months in this section he has now organized fifty-eight good-will people for meetings and service.
PAKISTAN Population: 84,777,000
Peak Publishers: 99 Ratio: 1 to 856,000
This is a land where very few people give attention to Christianity. Belief in Christ and following his commandments are things that the people of the land give little consideration to. This, however, does not change the positive statement of Christ Jesus: “If you observe my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have observed the commandments of the Father and remain in his love.” (John 15:10) The small group of Jehovah’s witnesses that is working in Pakistan find it difficult to interest persons in the truth, but still they want to remain in the love of God and the love of Christ Jesus so that they may enjoy the blessings of the Kingdom. So whether people want to hear or do not want to hear makes no difference in their lives. They must press on, preaching to many but having few hearers. This may be discouraging at times, but still there are enough persons who want to listen to make one want to keep on preaching in this territory. The branch servant gives us some experiences from Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Keeping in mind the vast field before them, Jehovah’s witnesses in Pakistan are busy making known the good news of Jehovah’s new world to as many as will listen. With only one publisher to almost every million persons, the need here is certainly great and it is a joy to work with dedicated brothers who continue to demonstrate endurance in the face of general apathy. During the service year we have been happy to have working with us nine brothers who are serving where the need is great, four of them as pioneers. Their presence is greatly appreciated by the local brothers.
While traveling overland to Pakistan, some of these brothers had the joy of delivering spiritual food to our brothers behind the Iron Curtain. Since their arrival, one of them writes as follows: “During our four months here, we have enjoyed the evidence of Jehovah’s blessing in pioneer service. A family with whom we placed three subscriptions during our first hours of service are all progressing rapidly. On the first back-call a study was started, two Paradise books and two Bibles being placed. They all enjoyed the film during the circuit servant’s visit, and, after attending a group study, they obtained copies of ‘Your Will Be Done on Earth’ and have since regularly attended the group. Now they attend the Watchtower study and join in commenting. They are anxious for their friends to hear the good news also, and now an uncle of the man and a young friend both join in the study and show interest.”
Being alert to opportunities to further the Kingdom message generally produces beneficial results. In the north of the country a nominal Christian died, but, due to the poverty of his people, their clergyman kept postponing the funeral time, being completely unconcerned about the poorer members of his flock. A relative of the dead person, with whom one of the missionaries studied, suggested to the other relatives that he should ask the brother to conduct the funeral. As they were agreeable to his conducting it in our way, the brother accepted it as an opportunity to give a further witness. He writes: “About fifty or more were in attendance and listened attentively to the hope for the dead. As a result, studies were started and now one family has progressed so well that they attend the meetings and have begun preaching zealously. The one with whom I study, who suggested conducting the funeral, is now preaching as a result. This, and later two more similar occasions, has helped to increase my home Bible studies to eighteen a month.”
AFGHANISTAN Population: 12,000,000
Peak Publishers: 4 Ratio: 1 to 3,000,000
We now have four publishers reporting from this country, all serving where the need is great. Tactful presentation of the message is essential here, but some encouraging experiences have been enjoyed by these brothers. A foreign lady, contacted by a brother, bears witness to the truth of Paul’s words: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God kept making it grow.” This woman had previously been witnessed to by two publishers, but evidenced no interest. While visiting the brother’s home one day she had pointed out to her the impressive picture of the Divine Will assembly. When the nature of the assembly was explained to her, she surprisingly replied that when she had been in America for a short visit she had been contacted by Jehovah’s witnesses, a study had been started, and she was invited to the 1950 international assembly, but had been unable to attend. Now, nine years later and thousands of miles away, interest was again aroused. She has completed reading the Paradise book and has had two studies in it. One day she surprised the brothers by calling at their home and asking for the booklet “Look! I Am Making All Things New.” She is now making good progress.
PANAMA Population: 960,000
Peak Publishers: 1,342 Ratio: 1 to 715
The work in this country has reached out into more isolated places, and better organization has been developed. This was brought about by more regular visits on the part of the circuit servants. The brothers rejoice in their wonderful privilege of representing God’s kingdom and appreciate that being one of Jehovah’s witnesses is a great blessing, carrying with it much responsibility. Jehovah’s witnesses must always keep in their minds the words set forth at Exodus 20:7: “You must not take up the name of Jehovah your God in a worthless way.” Associating oneself with Jehovah’s witnesses does not mean joining a religious sect. It means making a dedication to Jehovah God for the doing of his will. It means living the life of a Christian. It means being an ordained minister. So in Panama the brothers and sisters are pressing forward preaching the good news. Some of their experiences are set forth by the branch servant in his annual report.
Just about everybody in Panama and the Canal Zone who can read received a copy of the Resolution adopted at the Divine Will assembly last year, and many were the expressions of agreement with its message. One publisher writes: “While distributing the Resolution from door to door I found one woman who could not be satisfied with just a promise to return; she had to know more right then. A sermon was given on the hope that Jehovah’s witnesses have of life in a new world, and she drank in every word. She acted like a sheep starving for the truth and was thrilled with what she heard. She said she was thoroughly disgusted with the Catholic religion, made me promise that I would return the following week and reluctantly let me go as if afraid I would not come back. This was in a territory that was being worked at least once a month, but somehow she had not been encountered previously.
“I returned the following week and there she was waiting anxiously and wanting to get that booklet advertised on the back of the Resolution. She had devoured every word of the Resolution and had decided that this was the religion for her. A study was started immediately in the booklet and her very Catholic niece also took part. By the time we finished that booklet both of them expressed their desire to get baptized. The niece confessed that, before these few studies in the Bible, if she ever missed a Sunday of mass and confession she was absolutely miserable, but now she felt as if a blindfold had been taken off her eyes. Though they were wanting to get baptized right away, they were encouraged to learn first the basic doctrines of the Bible and the responsibilities that come with being one of Jehovah’s witnesses. We are progressing beautifully in our study, using the Bible with the book ‘Let God Be True.’ They have now begun to attend at the Kingdom Hall and are witnessing to all their friends and family. It is a real joy to study with them and see their progress.”
When people learn the truth of God’s Word they learn that it is necessary to uphold righteous principles and high moral standards, so the circuit servants here have to perform many marriages. One writes in an experience from the mountainous section of the central provinces: “While visiting here I married a couple who were also baptized afterward. It just so happened that another man and his wife attended the marriage ceremony and were very much impressed. After it had ended, the woman said: ‘This marriage is the real thing. We were married by a priest and he did not tell us what our Christian obligations were; in fact, he did not even mention God’s name. He was interested only in the two dollars and a half we gave him. This marriage is worth more than fifty dollars and, nevertheless, it is free!’ They were so impressed at what they had heard that they began to tell a daughter about it, and, even though she had been opposed, the daughter began to study with one of the local publishers and to attend the congregational meetings. At the last report she was getting ready to attend the coming circuit assembly for that area.”
The work in the Canal Zone has moved ahead even though there is a great need for brothers who can take the lead in working among the Americans living there. Inquiries have been made to this office regarding employment available and it is hoped that someone will be able to go there to serve where the need is great. The first Kingdom Hall to be built in the Canal Zone was just recently completed and dedicated by the Balboa congregation and is already proving to be of great aid in the advancement of the ministry in that section. A piano was donated to the congregation but needed to be tuned, so one of the publishers contacted a man who had done work for her some time previously. He agreed to do the work at a reduced rate for the benefit of the congregation. He manifested interest in the Kingdom message and it developed that he was from Spain but had been raised in the Evangelistic religion. In Spain’s civil war he had fought on the losing side until captured by Franco’s forces. While in prison a priest came in to visit and classified all of them as “Reds,” stating that if he had a gun he would shoot every one of them. After finishing the job of tuning the piano he took the book “Let God Be True” and arrangements are being made for a study.
PARAGUAY Population: 1,638,000
Peak Publishers: 280 Ratio: 1 to 5,850
The progress of preaching the good news was excellent in Paraguay during the past year. The outstanding feature of progress was the growth to maturity on the part of the publishers. They followed the advice of Psalm 34:8: “O taste and see that Jehovah is good. Happy is the able-bodied man that takes refuge in him.” It takes time to appreciate the full meaning of God’s Word. It takes study and it is only through such study that one gains an appreciation of the goodness of Jehovah. Every Christian must put his full trust in God and try to implant this trust in others. By accelerating the work in Paraguay the brothers have built up their faith and have shown their appreciation for the good things that God has for all his people. The branch servant in Paraguay sets out some experiences that are interesting for the readers of the Yearbook.
Following the letters encouraging the brothers to take up the pioneer service no fewer than twenty entered the vacation or regular pioneer activity. The problems of opposition at home or in the territory, as well as the difficulty in gaining sufficient for one’s daily bread, have been proved surmountable and this has given courage to still more. From their ranks four more have been appointed as special pioneers with the advantage of speaking the Guarani tongue, the everyday language of most of the population. Ask any pioneer in Paraguay how the work is going and he will respond: “There is so much to do that I can’t take care of it all.”
A case of firm resolve that was blessed by Jehovah is shown in the case of a young sister whose parents were very much opposed. After her baptism in symbol of her dedication to Jehovah she found herself a virtual prisoner in her rural home, no one of Jehovah’s witnesses being allowed to visit her for many months. When she refused to take part in the pagan-inspired Christmas celebration, her mother beat her and burned her books and Bible before her eyes, all the while taunting her. Replied our sister: “You can burn the books, but you cannot destroy the truth I have in my mind and heart.” Happily her condition was alleviated soon thereafter when opportunity came for her to be placed with a kinder person in the capital, where she joyfully continues meeting with her fellow Witnesses and enjoys field service unhindered. Are you watching your ministerial garments in similar circumstances?
After regular meeting hours one missionary couple wisely use their time instructing the vacation pioneers on sermons, refutation and how to conduct home Bible studies. This has resulted in greater maturity and the determination to continue in the pioneer work due to the confidence they have gained that they are “qualified to be ministers.” Time is precious and must be used wisely.
Being alert to deliver a witness at any time is one of the marks of a mature Christian. One brother who is the only Witness in a territory covering hundreds of square miles heard of a burial that was to take place and, knowing that these Catholic people were without a priest, he was in attendance. As the coffin was about to be lowered he stepped forward with his Bible and kindly asked if he might give a brief discourse. The offer was accepted by the bereaved ones and he was able to speak for twenty minutes on the condition and hope for the dead. All were thankful for the comforting words, and on a later occasion he was asked to repeat his discourse at another funeral. He took advantage of the opportunity. His efforts were not in vain.
PERU Population: 9,923,000
Peak Publishers: 1,123 Ratio: 1 to 8,836
It has been a thrilling year of Kingdom activity for Jehovah’s witnesses in Peru. They have had one of the finest years in their history. The brothers there have taken to heart the doing of the divine will and they have proved themselves to be awake ministers. This is the first time that the Kingdom publishers have passed the thousand mark for Peru. Truly they can express themselves as did the psalmist: “For your loving-kindness is in front of my eyes, and I have walked in your truth.” (Ps. 26:3) One of the outstanding events of the year was the big assembly they had in Lima, and it appears that when they went home from that assembly they took along the zeal and message of it. The branch servant gives us some experiences of our brothers working in the field.
A special pioneer working in the mountains made contact with a man who lived in a distant village. The man showed interest and wanted to study the Bible. To serve him the pioneer got up and caught a bus at three o'clock in the morning and went to the village. He waited for daybreak and then started the study. In a few weeks the man started to publish the truth. About that time he got a job working in the mines, and started off at the 400-foot level below the surface. He witnesses to his workmates, and eventually started a study with one of them. It was not long before this new one started to publish. Then the brother was transferred to the 1,600-foot level. The same thing went on, and after a short time another publisher was active in the ministry. The first brother was changed again, to the 500-foot level, and later to the 1,000-foot level, and he taught and started off a new publisher on each level. Thus the diligence of the pioneer in the first place resulted in five new publishers. He remarked about the experience related above, saying: “It wasn’t so much of a resurrection, but they were sort of dug out of the earth.”
The matter of finding suitable meeting places is quite a problem in many sections of this country, and it is wonderful the way Jehovah provides the means when we strive diligently to do our part. Two missionary girls who are working in a town called Pacasmayo had their diligence rewarded. They had much opposition at the start of their work, but the townspeople have come to know them as ministers of God, and many are listening. They contacted a man and arranged to start a study with him, in which his wife joined. After only four months the wife started to publish, in spite of having five children to care for. She arranges things to go out some time almost every day. Well, to take care of the group of persons who wanted to study, the problem of finding a suitable place for the study confronted the girls. They had educated these people of good will in the truth, and so, on presenting the matter to the group, all started contributing liberally so that they were able to rent a nice hall as their meeting place. They do not have many chairs yet, but when the people of good will come they bring their chairs with them, and take them home after the meeting.
The message of the Kingdom is reaching into all places, and attracting all classes of persons. In a town called Tarma in the mountains, a pioneer sister had opportunity to witness to the prisoners in the local prison. One of the prisoners wrote to her of his happiness in knowing the truth, and explains what he refers to as almost a miracle. He says:
“Sister •—■—: I am writing this letter to greet you and at the same time to express thanks publicly that through you has happened what can be classed as a miracle. It is that having had the opportunity of reading the magazines Watchtower and Awake.1 and also the book ‘Let God Be True,’ I am impressed not only by the truthfulness of the lessons, but also in the terrible falsehoods in the doctrines of hell, the holy trinity, and the immortality of the soul that they taught me in the Catholic religion. I am regretting now not only being in prison but for having been in the deceit of Christendom for more than thirty years. Now I am another man, both physically and morally, thanks to Jehovah God, and I have the opportunity, although in prison, of knowing the truth and of making it known to others who are in prisons even worse than mine, that is to say, in the deceit taught by those blind guides, the Catholic clergy. Thank you, sister.”
PHILIPPINE REPUBLIC Population: 23,000,000
Peak Publishers: 30,077 Ratio: 1 to 765
The past service year in the Philippine Republic has been one of good increase. Ninety-six new congregations were formed in different parts of the Republic. Many isolated groups of publishers have sprung up and this has made glad the hearts of the many special pioneers and pioneers who have gone forth into the field. How true it is, as the psalmist expressed it: “He will teach the meek ones his way”! (Ps. 25:9) The opening up of new territory is always a delight, and then there is that pleasure, too, of always helping those already in the truth to bring them on to maturity, letting them see clearly their position before God and before the world. The branch in the Philippine Republic gives us some very interesting reports.
When increase comes in the Philippines, it comes rapidly. At other times it seems that no progress is being made until the seed of truth takes root. The experience of two special pioneers in Allen, Samar, illustrates this. For several months after arriving in their territory they seemed to be making little progress. Then it happened that one of them took a wrong path in the mountains and got lost. While trying to find her way back to her partner she found a man of good will. This man received the message of the Kingdom with joy, staying up late at nights to read. Not only did he read, but also he began to preach. As a result of this man’s preaching ten others were baptized with him during the circuit assembly in Samar and there are sixteen now preaching in Allen in addition to the special pioneers. Sticking to the work paid off richly in Allen, Samar.
The truth makes a big change in the life of each one who accepts it, but few have an experience such as this. A man on the island of Cebu was a gambling addict. He even went so far as to pawn his wife’s watch and earrings in order to obtain money for gambling. Finally his wife left him, vowing she would never live with him again. The man became a wanderer for years throughout the southern Philippines until he came in contact with the truth. A great change began to take place in his way of thinking and in his way of life. He returned to Cebu and began to associate with the isolated group in Danao. He joined the group in preaching. One day while going from house to house he met, of all people, his wife. She too had been studying with Jehovah’s witnesses. They were baptized together at Catmon, Cebu, and are happy to be back together again, united in the worship of the one true God, Jehovah. The truth of God’s Word is just the thing for spiritual healing. What joy it brings to those who accept and practice the truth!
The Resolution campaign in the Philippines was a tremendous success. We received 1,684 requests for free booklets. Space does not permit us to tell you of all the fine letters we received expressing appreciation for the gift of the booklet. One sample conveys the sentiments of many of them. It reads: “I am very thankful for your pamphlet God’s Kingdom Rules—Is the World’s End Near? which you sent to me, because it enlightens my materialistic mind. It serves as my lighthouse in this spiritually dark and stormy world. I need more light to encounter the ungodly obstacles of life and to light my way along the path of truth and righteousness.”
While these intimate glimpses into the personal dayto-day activities of some of the ministers in the Philippines are encouraging, we do not wish to overlook the bigger events that catapult the organization into prominence. Outstanding in this respect was the visit of Brother Covington and his argument before the Supreme Court of the Philippines on May 15, 1959. Certainly on that day the highest judicial body in the Philippines got a witness that they will never forget. The fact that the court refused to uphold the universal human right to worship the true God according to his commandments does not deter Jehovah’s witnesses. It only spurs them on to finish the work of preaching and teaching before Armageddon.
PORTUGAL Peak Publishers: 643
Population: 8,909,000
Ratio: 1 to 31,800
Christians are meeting together in all parts of Portugal in small groups, having full confidence that Jehovah will bless them in their study of his Word. They know that “where there are two or three met together in my name, there I am in their midst.” (Matt. 18:20) Due to their constant meeting together, studying together and preaching together, a wonderful increase has been made in Portugal and in the islands of the Azores and Madeira. Jehovah’s witnesses are awake in this territory and a number of them have entered into the pioneer service and have had great joy in preaching the good news of the Kingdom and teaching those who are anxious to learn the way of life.
About a year ago a young Catholic person was very ill, so much so that her life was despaired of. However, after being in a coma for some time she rallied, and was visited in the hospital by an aunt who was studying with Jehovah’s witnesses. The aunt began to talk to her niece about the Bible and the studies she was having, and the niece vowed that when she got better she would make a study of the Bible to find out what God’s will for her was, thinking naturally to do this through the Catholic Church. She began attending the study her aunt was having, and soon asked for someone to study alone with her. When she realized that the knowledge she was gaining brought responsibilities, she interested others of her family, and now they, together with the young lady, are all regular publishers.
A publisher living on the other side of the river from Lisbon takes the ferryboat to his work every day. One day he was seated at the side of a man dressed in mourning, and the publisher asked for whom he was in black. A conversation ensued and the subject of the soul was introduced. The man found it difficult to accept the fact of the soul not being immortal, and from then on the time spent in crossing the river was well used. A study was started, and is held just for the duration of the journey each day, and with three other people listening to the brother explaining the Bible. Sometimes the travelers reach the end of their journey while they are still in the middle of discussing a paragraph, in which case they take the same bus in order to finish their study.
AZORES Population: 318,558
Peak Publishers: 36 Ratio: 1 to 8,848
The work is difficult owing to the fanaticism of the islanders, but the publishers continue to “preach the word” and are finding the other sheep. When the publishers are making back-calls, it is the general custom of the people to hide themselves, thinking that the publishers belong to one of the numerous Protestant sects. A publisher making back-calls one day was having this experience, but she noticed at one house that the lady was at the window watching everything that was going on. When the publisher neared her house the lady opened the door and asked the publisher if she was coming to her house as she wished to talk to her. Then she showed the publisher “Let God Be True,” explaining that her husband worked on a boat and had acquired the book from a fellow mariner who was not interested. The lady said how much she was enjoying the book, and readily agreed to a study when the publisher demonstrated the method of studying. Now the lady and her son appreciate regular studies, in which the husband joins when he is not on a voyage. This person says that she has learned more in three months of study with the publishers than in twenty years in the Pentecostal Church. When the study was started the family did not even know where to find the book of Genesis, but now they are able to handle their Bibles well. They showed much enthusiasm when they saw the film, and one thing that impressed them was that they had never before seen anyone giving thanks to Jehovah before partaking of a meal. Now they are making excellent progress in the truth.
MADEIRA Population: 280,000
Peak Publishers: 18 Ratio: 1 to 15,000
The following interesting experience is related: “While sitting on a park bench one day cheeking my back-calls I noticed a young man sitting at the other end. He began reading some folders he had, and I became interested when I realized that they were some tracts with some Bible texts and explanations. I spoke to the man and began to witness to him, showing him the booklet ‘This Good News of the Kingdom.’ His reaction was a surprise to me, as he said that he had been praying for a long time that he might meet someone who could help him to understand his Bible. The litera-lure he had was obtained from a foreign source and he did not understand it. Here seemed to be a direct parallel with the case of the eunuch. (Acts 8:31) After some discussion of Jehovah’s purpose the man took a Bible and the book ‘Let God Be True,’ and a study was started. The man is now attending the congregation Watchtower study and is happy that at last he has found someone who can explain the Scriptures to him.”
PUERTO RICO Population: 2,400,000
Peak Publishers: 1,582 Ratio: 1 to 1,517
Jehovah’s witnesses on the island of Puerto Rico were looking ahead to the 1959 service year with great enthusiasm because so many of them had attended the Divine Will International Assembly in New York and had then returned to start the new year. They also had a local assembly at which time they adopted the Resolution. A number of the brothers entered the special pioneer service and others entered the regular pioneer work, and everything moved right ahead for this island during the year. Jehovah’s witnesses there felt their responsibility of declaring the good news, having in mind Peter’s words: “For it is the appointed time for the judgment to start with the house of God. . . . And if the righteous man is being saved with difficulty, where will the ungodly man and the sinner make a showing?” (1 Pet. 4:17, 18) So with real persistence the ministers of God went forth in Puerto Rico, St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas and Tortola. Here are some experiences from these places.
In some parts of the earth the people seem to be hard, cold, indifferent, apathetic and even outright hostile, therefore not much progress is made. In other parts the good-will persons are just waiting to be found. The same is true in Puerto Rico. In most parts of the island it requires hard, diligent work with much perseverance. But there are a few parts where the people of good will seem to spring up like the green grass in the early spring. The congregation of Manati had a peak of twenty-four publishers last year. This year a new peak of sixty-one publishers was reached, with attendance at the Watchtower study of eighty and ninety.
The Resolution work was one of the outstanding activities during the year and did much to clarify the position of Jehovah’s witnesses in relation to God’s kingdom and the earthly governments. Thousands upon thousands were distributed together with the special Watchtower. One good-will person had her eyes opened to the truth on reading the Resolution. A sister has this to tell about her: “For some time a schoolteacher took the magazines when I called, just barely opening the door to take them. Then I left the Resolution with her. When I called back she invited me in and I was able to start a study in ‘This Good News of the Kingdom.’ When I called for the first study she had read the whole booklet and expressed amazement at what she learned. After the second study she was coming to the meetings and has attended regularly ever since. When her brother asked her to become godmother to his child she refused, telling him that sprinkling was not baptism. After a study on images she asked why I had not told her to take the pictures down. The next week they were gone. Then she quit the Masonic Eastern Star because they were partial in their treatment of the people. She was of such good will that she had started a charitable organization on her own to help the poor. When she learned that it was more important to help the poor in spirit she resigned from that too. She has two studies of her own now, and was just recently baptized; all this in six months.
Thousands of Puerto Ricans live in the United States and have families and relatives in Puerto Rico with whom they correspond, and vice versa. Many come in contact with the message of the Kingdom and find it so wonderful that they want the same good fortune to befall their fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers; so they write to them and witness to them. It is difficult to know just how much preaching is carried on by correspondence, but here is an example as related by one of the missionaries:
“I was working with the magazines and upon arriving at this particular home I was invited in and promptly asked, ‘Is this the work of Jehovah’s witnesses?’ Upon being assured that it was, the husband asked his wife to bring the letter they had received from their sixteen-year-old son ‘Johnny.’ Among other things it stated: ‘Mother, words cannot express the joy I had when you spoke as you did. ... I feel proud of you because you are so humble and sincere. These are the kind of people that Jehovah wants to live on the earth, not an earth full of sickness, robbery, adultery and a million other bad things, but an earth full of peace and happiness where death will be no more. In order to realize this we have to know the Creator and know his purposes, and there is only one place to find this out and that is the Bible. For this reason, mother, when Jehovah’s witnesses call, tell them you don’t know how to read and ask them to explain something about the Kingdom and you will see how precious and wonderful Jehovah’s purpose is. And if you have money, buy the magazines and have daddy read them out loud to you at night. . . . Johnny.’ ” The missionary promised to return and tell them more about the Kingdom, as Johnny had said would be done.
ST. CROIX, V.I. Population: 13,723
Peak Publishers: 43 Ratio: 1 to 319
As the earth becomes filled with people they begin to spread out like water and fill up all the empty places. This is what is happening to the island of St. Croix. It is out of the way as far as the trade routes are concerned, so it has enjoyed a peaceful existence in the past. Now people from other parts are flowing into the island, looking for a quiet place to live and make a living. This is resulting in a mixed population and the need to know more than one language. The population on St. Croix is now 50-percent Spanish-speaking.
Lack of racial prejudice was quickly observed by the warden of the prison when the following incident occurred: A colored brother had faithfully served as congregation servant in Christiansted for a number of years. He became ill with cancer. Three sisters went to see the warden where the brother had been employed for many years, to inquire as to his receiving a pension in view of his condition. The warden, colored, born in England, listened to them and then said: “You people really have love. Here you come, a white woman, a colored woman and a Latin woman to speak in behalf of an old colored man. Why, I have neighbors who are of the same church as I am and they don’t even invite me over for a cup of tea. Mr. Clendinen [the sick brother] has nearly convinced me a number of times, but this does it. When is your next meeting?’’ Yes, the brother received the pension.
ST. JOHN, V.I. Population: 820
Peak Publishers: 3 Ratio: X to 273
St. John is another island of the Virgin Islands. There, too, live people that must be witnessed to and, if of good will, taught and trained. The circuit servant says that to get to St. John is like going to one of the corners of the earth. You fly from Puerto Rico to St. Thomas, then take a boat from St. Thomas to Cruz Bay, St. John. From there to get to the home of the only two publishers on the island one must first take a jeep to cross the mountain to Coral Bay on the other side, and finally, a small outboard motorboat across the bay to East End. Here live the seventy-three-year-old brother and his wife, sixty-one. Only about eight families live in East End. The brother and his wife are doing all they can to make the truth known to the people on the island. They now have a motor for their boat, so it is easier for them to reach the people than before, but they usually have to travel a long distance before they can start witnessing. Considering the circumstances, it is remarkable that during the month of the circuit servant’s visit the brother and his wife put in seventy-seven hours of field service. Also, during the last month of the service year they conducted six studies between them. They were very happy when, during the circuit servant’s public lecture, twenty-five persons showed up and paid rapt attention to what was said. They felt that their efforts had been fully repaid.
ST. THOMAS, V.I. Population: 15,907
Peak Publishers: 41 Ratio: 1 to 387
St. Thomas is nothing more than the very top of a small mountain, but it now has about 16,000 people, like ants, busily engaged in varied activities, moving about its green-topped head. One of the busiest people, antlike in their foresight for self-preservation through the coming universal conflict, are Jehovah’s witnesses. For a number of years they have been working hard to warn the people in general of Armageddon and to instruct those who are of good will concerning Jehovah’s kingdom of righteousness. Many have responded, but not all have continued. During the past two or three years the brothers have been undergoing a time of severe testing, but the majority have weathered the storm and have come out triumphant.
The brothers in St. Thomas have not taken up much with the pioneer work, but during the past year two sisters became vacation pioneers for one month each, with excellent results. One is a mother of eight growing children. She enjoyed the service so much that, instead of barely arriving at the quota of 100 hours, she put in 116 hours, placed thirty-four books and conducted six studies. She, as well as the other sister, set a wonderful example for the other publishers, which, it is hoped, they will follow.
TORTOLA, V.I. Population: 7,600
Peak Publishers: 16 Ratio: 1 to 475
One sister tells how she overcame the problem of the busy householder and now has a study with this person of good will. “During the visit of the circuit servant, a brother and I were working together. We called on an elderly lady who listened attentively and accepted literature. On calling back I found that she was busy, so decided to return a little while later. The second time that I returned I found that she was still busy scrubbing the floor, so I took the mop and helped her finish her work. Following that, a lively and interesting study was held and is still being conducted to this day.” So there are as many ways to solve problems as there are problems to be solved. It just requires thought and initiative.
SIERRA LEONE Population: 2,500,000
Peak Publishers: 210 Ratio: 1 to 11,900
On the West African coast is the country of Sierra Leone, where Jehovah’s witnesses have pressed on diligently in preaching the good news of the Kingdom. They have had many problems, but the faithful ones have stayed awake and they appreciate the words recorded in Luke 21:34, 36: “Pay attention to yourselves that your hearts never become weighed down with overeating and heavy drinking and anxieties of life. . . . Keep awake, then.” The brothers there are willing to face the problems, the troublesome conditions within and outside the congregation; and this year they have had wonderful success, and joy has filled their hearts. The branch servant gives us some interesting experiences on what has gone on during the 1959 service year.
Jehovah’s witnesses in this small country have real cause for rejoicing. The year brought many blessings, resulting in a 57-percent increase in the number of publishers. Over the years the brothers in Sierra Leone have had their problems with rebellious and troublesome brothers, but Jehovah God has gradually cleared out those who hurt and cause offense. Where the spirit of Jehovah is, there is peace, and where there is peace and unity, there is increase. This has been very evident in Sierra Leone, as the report shows.
The missionaries and special pioneers have performed splendid service in going to isolated territory and there developing interest and congregations. During the service year four new congregations were formed as a result of the good work done by these brothers. Two missionaries who were assigned to a town in one of the northern provinces in May report over twenty in attendance at their Watchtower study. When you consider that the territory is practically 100-percent Muslim, this is remarkable. Forty-eight were present for the circuit servant’s talk.
Our greatest problems here are the marriage issue and illiteracy. Hundreds could be counted as publishers if they were legally married and living according to Scriptural principles. Many who do want to legalize their marriage face seemingly unsurmountable barriers, but, with Jehovah’s spirit and the loving assistance of the brothers, these barriers are gradually being overcome and they are finding their place in the New World society. Others who are living clean and who are sincerely interested in the truth are handicapped in that they cannot read or write. To teach these people the truth is a slow and tedious job, but with love and patience it is being done.
The high point of the year was the visit of Brother Knorr and the first national assembly to be held in Sierra Leone. Many changes were made in the organization, resulting in a much clearer understanding of our responsibilities as God’s ministers. Two new missionary homes were opened up in the Protectorate and this has proved to have Jehovah’s blessing. Two things stand out very clearly in our minds following your visit, Brother Knorr, and they are, “Quality and not quantity,” and, “We must be ministers of God twenty-four hours a day, doing all things as to Jehovah.” We all appreciated your visit very much and we here in Sierra Leone are determined to continue doing all things Jehovah’s way and thus prove ourselves true ministers in this time of the end.
SINGAPORE Population: 1,467,000
Peak Publishers: 108 Ratio: 1 to 13,600
The branch office located in Singapore looks after the work in Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak, as well as in Singapore. These places have received a good witness during the year, and as the prophet Isaiah stated it: “Many peoples will certainly go and say: ‘Come, you people, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, . . . and he will instruct us about his ways and we will walk in his paths.’ ” (Isa. 2:3) Many people in this part of the world are going up to the mountain of Jehovah and are learning of his ways and are walking in his paths, truly living Christian lives. The branch servant gives us some very interesting high lights on the work done in this territory over the past year.
A brother tried to start a home Bible study with a Catholic schoolteacher but was not successful, so suggested that the person subscribe for The Watchtower. A few weeks later he received a letter from the goodwill person that stated: “The time is now 12:45, after midnight. I have just finished reading the article ‘Shepherding the Sheep with Skillfulness’ from the latest issue of The Watchtower. Such was its appeal that I thought of writing you at once to say that I am very thankful to you for having made me an annual subscriber to this beautiful magazine.” He later came to the circuit assembly and expressed a desire to have a home Bible study.
A common view held by many people in this part of the world is that so long as you do good to everyone and harm no one you will be acceptable to God. Only the truth can help them break free to do the “complete will of God.” A Chinese Buddhist girl was urged by her friends to become a Christian. However, she could not see any difference between those of her friends who were pagan and the ones who claimed to be Christian, so she decided that as long as she believed in God and did good to everyone, that was enough. To help suffering humanity she volunteered her services as a social worker. A sister left two magazines with her and then started a study in the “Good News” booklet. Two months later she showed hospitality to two visiting sisters by giving them free lodging during the assembly. While attending the assembly this girl began to appreciate that Jehovah has a people for a purpose in the earth today who are doing the divine will, namely, Jehovah’s witnesses. Regular attendance at the meetings following the assembly impressed her with the need of getting out in the field service and sharing the good things she was learning with others. Four months after that first contact she symbolized her dedication to Jehovah by water immersion. By this time she was conducting two home Bible studies of her own. Now that the need of ministering to the spiritual needs of the people took on chief importance resignation from the social welfare job followed. At the same time this new sister sent in her application for four months of vacation pioneering to prepare her for a full-time career with the New World society. And so a former Buddhist, who less than a year ago believed that doing good to one’s fellow man is all that is required, has broken free to do the complete will of God as a full-time servant of the true God Jehovah. How does she show her appreciation for someone having called on her and studied the Bible with her so she could find the truth that set her free? By conducting ten home Bible studies of her own!
MALAYA Population: 6,276,915
Peak Publishers: 49 Ratio: 1 to 128,000
“I contacted an elderly lady who had been in the Methodist Church for fifty-two years but who was starving spiritually. Because of her failing sight and low standard of English education the Paradise book, with its large print and beautiful illustrations, was just what she needed to help her understand her Bible. Every week she diligently prepared her study in advance, copying out the Scripture texts in a little notebook for easy reference. When I suggested that she learn the books of the Bible, she made no excuses about old age or poor memory but, to my great joy and surprise, the next week she recited the names of all the Bible books from Genesis to Revelation without a single mistake! What a joy to see her drinking in the waters of life as she attends the meetings at the Kingdom Hall! In all her fifty-two years in the Methodist Church the Bible was just a nice book to be read on Sundays. Now, after a few months of association with the New World society, the Bible has become to her what it is—the Word of Life!”
In the Orient thousands of people eke out a meager existence in their little shop-houses, where they eat and sleep and work long hours. Often publishers pass these places by, thinking the people are too busy to listen or too much interested in making money to take heed to the Kingdom message. But sheep can be found in shophouses too, as the following experience from Penang shows.
A young man working in a tailor shop read a booklet that was placed with him and was much impressed. He wrote to Hong Kong for a copy of the book “Let God Be True” in Chinese, as this was advertised on the back page. The Society sent a back-call slip to the congregation and the placement was followed up. His many questions on the soul, hell and the trinity were satisfactorily answered and a study was started. Three weeks later he accompanied the publishers in the witness work, and two months after that he symbolized his dedication by being baptized at a circuit assembly.
Because of having to work long hours in the tailor shop he was able to get out preaching only on Sunday, when he would put in eight hours in the field service, averaging forty hours a month. Being educated only in Chinese, he has helped to build up a group study in that language, and from eight to ten Chinese-educated persons attend regularly. Although quite poor himself, he loves to pay the bus fare of the poor folk who attend the study. His zeal and enthusiasm have grown with great rapidity, and now, less than a year since he started studying, he has sent in his application for pioneer service. Sheep are found in shop-houses too!
NORTH BORNEO Population: 395,000
Peak Publishers: 19 Ratio: 1 to 20,800
Toward the end of the service year it was possible to send the circuit servant to North Borneo, where he visited the one congregation on the east coast as well as a number of people of good will scattered in different parts of this rugged country. His report shows what conditions the brothers have to work under in this isolated territory:
“At Tawau, not far from the Indonesian border, I was met by a brother from the Kalabakan congregation, who had specially made the seven-hour trip by launch to meet me. Next day we proceeded to our destination. Kalabakan is a company-owned town situated about thirty miles inland up the river. This logging camp is in a very isolated spot, where some 600 employees and their families live. Among these are thirteen Filipino brothers who came out to serve where the need is great. Never before had this place been visited by a circuit servant. How glad the brothers were to see me! The management of the camp made me very welcome and very kindly provided me with free accommodation. It was good to note that, despite years of isolation, the brothers had kept up regular activity in most features of the service. Witnessing territory is very limited and most of the preaching has to be done incidentally. Regular meetings have been conducted in the Cebu-Visayan language. That their patient efforts are being rewarded is seen in the fact that two new persons were brought to dedication.
A few of the brothers are learning the Malay language in order to be able to preach to and teach the many Indonesian workers the truth in their own language. Some studies are already being conducted in that language. A public talk was given in the schoolhouse, with twenty in attendance. The Society’s latest film, ‘‘Divine Will International Assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses,” was also shown to an appreciative audience of 200.
SARAWAK Population: 626,000
Peak Publishers: 8 Ratio: 1 to 78,200
A brother and his wife responded to the Macedonian call and traveled twelve thousand miles to serve where the need is great in Sarawak. A pioneer sister of fiftyeight came along with them. The effort they put forth to come out so far in response to the call has been richly blessed. During just two months in the territory the sister started nine home Bible studies. Many of these resulted from following up the Resolution, as the following experience shows:
“A Resolution tract was left with a Chinese girl, and when I called back a few days later she was very glad to see me. A study was started right away in the ‘Good News’ booklet, using both the English and Chinese copies. She brought her girl friend along to the study and she too manifested good interest in the truth. Noticing that she was living in the back portion of a large building that was used as a school, I asked her if it was all right for us to show the Society’s film there. She saw the owner and arranged for the showing, inviting all her relatives and friends. Imagine our surprise when eighty-five people turned up to see ‘The New World Society in Action.’ When the owner of the building heard of the film he offered us the use of the building free of charge whenever we need it. The girl was thrilled with what she saw of the New World society and has expressed a desire to go with me in the service.”
SOUTH AFRICA Population: 14,418,000
Peak Publishers: 16,776 Ratio: 1 to 859
Another happy year in the service of Jehovah has come and gone for the Kingdom ministers in the southern part of the great continent of Africa. It is a pleasure to report that the work in the Union of South Africa and all its surrounding
territories under the jurisdiction of the branch office in Elandsfontein has made very good progress. Having in mind the fine counsel of Paul: “Keep testing whether you are in the faith, keep proving what you yourselves are,” all the brothers have pressed on diligently in the service and have worked together displaying much zeal, and because of this they have had a fine increase. The branch servant sends in some very interesting reports from the Union of South Africa, Angola, Basutoland, Bechuanaland, St. Helena, South-West Africa and Swaziland.
The work with the Resolution adopted at New York August 1 kept us busy. First of all, there was the printing of some two million copies in eight languages to serve the needs of southern Africa. Distribution began in December, and that feature, together with the back-calls, kept us busy until the end of January. Many home Bible studies were started as a direct result of these back-calls. One congregation publisher started no less than ten. One woman enjoyed the straight talk of the Resolution so much that she decided to take it to church with her. There, while waiting for the minister to come, she decided to read it aloud to the members already present. She had hardly begun reading when a member interrupted with, “Where do you read from?” “From a Resolution adopted by Jehovah’s witnesses,” she replied. “OK, read on then,” requested the inquirer. When the minister arrived she had read half of the material, to the enjoyment of all present. A special pioneer commenced thirty-five studies on Resolution placements. Yes, it did a work!
Much good has been accomplished during the year as a result of incidental witnessing. A sister who was bedridden decided to write to bereaved persons whose names and addresses appeared in the funeral columns of the newspapers. In nine months she wrote over 300 letters and in reply received thirty-six cards and forty-five letters from persons who had received comfort from the scriptures quoted. For first calls she used sermons on the condition and hope for the dead. For back-calls she used quite a variety of sermons, depending upon the remarks made by the bereaved ones. Good-will slips were sent after each back-call letter, and brothers have had some fine experiences following through. Subscriptions have been obtained and studies started.
High light of the year was your visit at the end of March, Brother Knorr. Efforts were made to have a national assembly for all races similar to the successful ones held in 1952 and 1955. However, permission was refused by the governmental authorities and we were obliged to arrange for two assemblies, held in different parts of Johannesburg. Although separated physically, the brothers of all races were united in spirit. We all enjoyed the same fine menu of spiritual food. Your talks were greatly enjoyed and all the brothers were refreshed and stimulated by your presence among them and much encouraged to press on with the work. The attendance figures eclipsed all previous peaks. One special train carrying 800 and almost all of another train brought 1,600 brothers from Natal and Zululand. From all over the Union and from the surrounding countries the brothers poured into Johannesburg. Much interest was aroused by the preliminary advertising, and hundreds of persons of good will attended the public meeting and other sessions. There were 4,541 at Wembley and 12,648 at Orlando, or a combined public meeting attendance of 17,189. The number of those symbolizing their dedication was 546.
Synchronizing with your visit, work began on the extension to the Bethel home and factory April 6. The builders have made excellent progress during the past five months. The construction work is completed and this leaves them three months in which to finish off and hand over the completed building to us. Going over from flat-bed to rotary printing is a big undertaking and much new machinery is required. Almost all of this is scheduled to arrive from abroad next month, when we take over beneficial occupation.
ANGOLA Population: 4,354,000
Peak Publishers: 45 Ratio: 1 to 96,700
Early in February the zone servant arrived to strengthen and help the brothers further. After he had gone through the usual formalities at the airport, the police made him leave the country by the next outgoing plane. This was a great disappointment to the fifty brothers and persons of good will who had assembled to hear him. Several of the local brothers were closely questioned and literature was confiscated. There was no good reason for this action. The literature is not banned and the brothers have the right to receive it. The police instructed that no further meetings should be held until the literature had been examined and a report made to the governor. The governor would then decide on either definite authority or definite prohibition.
As the zone servant is a British subject, it was thought well for the presiding minister in the British Isles to send a letter of protest to the governor and to ask for an explanation as to why a Christian gentleman who was visiting Angola to give religious instruction to Jehovah’s witnesses in that country should be summarily expelled. The courteous letter that was sent to the governor made it clear that Jehovah’s witnesses are only interested in preaching the good news of God’s kingdom and that neither the Society nor the zone servant are interested in anything else, and certainly not in communism or any other political ideology. As far as we know, no acknowledgment or explanation has been forthcoming from the governor.
Spiritual food continues to reach them, and for this they are extremely grateful. The experiences of the past year have not in any way quenched their love and zeal. Their faith and confidence in Jehovah have been strengthened and they continue to express their neighbor love in the manner followed by Jehovah’s witnesses everywhere. However, the need is still great, and Portuguese nationals with a knowledge of the truth who can arrange their affairs to go there will find a big field awaiting cultivation.
BASUTOLAND Population: 634,000
Peak Publishers: 152 Ratio: 1 to 4,171
There are no industries, and economically the country depends on agriculture and stock raising. The past year is regarded as the most important in the country’s history, because the British government has accepted proposals for constitutional reforms, including the granting of a measure of self-government. While the Basuto are highly delighted over this promised political emancipation and the talk of “freedom” has almost become a daily routine, Jehovah’s witnesses have continued to point to God’s kingdom as the only perfect form of government offering true and everlasting happiness to mankind.
The Witnesses have had many enjoyable experiences during the year. A once-stanch member of the Anglican Church thought he would like to help Jehovah’s witnesses get back onto the right path. The topic he picked was the immortality of the soul. The Witnesses gave him plenty of proof from the Bible that the soul is mortal, but his clergyman was unable to give him even one to support the theory taught by his organization. Many efforts were made subsequently to keep this man in the Anglican organization, but to no avail. Today this man, his wife and daughter are active publishers, telling all they meet about God’s kingdom and the hope of the new world.
BECHU AN ALAND Population: 327,000
Peak Publishers: 192 Ratio: 1 to 1,703
Bechuanaland is not the easiest territory to work in. The governmental ban on the literature of the Society still stands, although a high official has intimated that the possibility of its being removed is being considered and has also admitted that the Watch Tower Society has gone up considerably in the general opinion of the government officials. Nevertheless, it is still impossible to work from house to house with the literature, so the publishers have to use just the Bible, as in “underground” countries. In addition, the African chiefs are almost all much opposed to the Kingdom message. They argue that they have enough churches already and do not need any more preachers to come and confuse the minds of their tribesmen. Add to this much illiteracy, much superstition, low standards of life, poverty, ignorance and long distances to travel on very bad roads, and one gets some idea of what pioneers and others have to cope with in Bechuanaland.
Although very poor in this world’s goods, there were sixty brothers who succeeded in going to Johannesburg to attend the national assembly during Brother Knorr’s visit. That was a wonderful occasion for them.
ST. HELENA Population: 4,652
Peak Publishers: 46 Ratio: 1 to 101
This year, 1959, was the anniversary of 300 years of British rule. The people in general have never been satisfied and their attitude has now been reflected in setting up a General Workers Union for the first time. The biggest demonstration ever was conducted on the 29th of June, 1959, with more than a thousand members (one fifth of the total population) marching through the capital, Jamestown, with more than thirty banners protesting against the government’s actions. On this peaceful little island and yet amid these disturbing conditions the preaching of the Kingdom good news goes on.
Following the information at the circuit assembly and then in the Kingdom Ministry on starting studies at the first call, the brothers found that it was really successful, for in one congregation the studies went up from four to nine, then to nineteen and still higher to twenty-eight. This brought much joy to the twenty publishers forming the congregation. Now they are working toward getting many of these associated. This takes much work to begin with, so the publishers are striving to give the people of good will the necessary knowledge to enable them to make the break for freedom.
SOUTH-WEST AFRICA Population: 447,000
Peak Publishers: 88 Ratio: 1 to 5,079
Shepherding Jehovah’s lost sheep in South-West Africa, a land of vast sheep farms and ranches, requires time and patience. During the past year the work has made good progress, and the publishers have experienced great joy in seeing a number of sheep come into the fold in widely scattered places.
At the beginning of April the circuit servant immersed an elderly couple in the dam on their sheep farm. Over thirty years ago this man came into possession of The Harp of God and Deliverance in Afrikaans from a friend who was anxious to discard them. This neighbor had obtained them in town and looked into them enough on the long trip home by ox wagon to know they explained God’s purposes differently than did his Calvinistic traditions. This hungry, appreciative sheep continued his exhaustive study of all the publications he could get his hands on, paging daily through his Bible until the leaves of three copies fell out. After fifteen years an illness required him to take the thousand-mile trip to Cape Town, where he looked up the brothers in the branch office. Another thirteen years passed before he met another Witness, this time the missionary assigned to the town eighty miles from his farm. The circuit servant has regularly visited the couple during the past two years, and clarified points of understanding and helped them to share in witnessing to neighboring farms. True happiness is theirs now as members at last of the New World society.
SWAZILAND Population: 241,000
Peak Publishers: 367 Ratio: 1 to 656
In this land of the AmaSwazi, the fearless band of Kingdom publishers press forward resolutely to find every person who will hear. Finding such persons is comparatively easy, but feeding them with “meat in due season” has been made difficult owing to the ban on Watch Tower literature. This ban has been in force since 1941, when there was not even one Witness in all the land. Twelve years ago there were only four Witnesses, but this year there was a new peak of 332, an increase of 51 percent over the previous year’s average.
The brothers meet up with stiff religious opposition. During the past year they were called time and again before chiefs and rulers and ordered to stop practicing their religion. Why? Because of their refusal to support heathen religious practices such as feasts for dead ancestors, wearing ribbons for dead relatives, and suchlike. The brothers have put up a “hard fight for the faith” and are not yielding to this pressure brought against them. As a result of their firm stand for the truth they have become well known for upholding Bible principles.
SOUTHERN RHODESIA Population: 2,480,000
Peak Publishers: 13,469 Ratio: 1 to 184
Jehovah’s witnesses in Southern Rhodesia are determined to reach people with the Kingdom message that they have never had the opportunity of reaching before. There are many tribes of people living far off in isolated places that have not been reached to the present time, and the spirit of the publishers in Southern Rhodesia is like that of the words of counsel given to the Romans: “Do not loiter at your business. Be aglow with the spirit. Be slaves to Jehovah.” (Rom. 12:11) So we see that during the year many persons have left their homes and have gone into new fields where the need is great because they are aglow with the spirit of Jehovah and they want to help those who have never had the opportunity to hear the truth in these last days. The branch servant gives us some experiences on the work done in Southern Rhodesia.
This past service year has been filled with blessings for the brothers here in Southern Rhodesia. The return of the delegates from the 1958 Divine Will International Assembly, the assembly here in October with the same program, and your visit in April, Brother Knorr, were among the high lights of the year.
A couple of months before you came we succeeded in getting the latest population figures for the whole of Southern Rhodesia, including the reserves and outlying areas. To our amazement we found out that over half the population was not receiving the Kingdom message. Immediately plans were made to tackle this situation. At the circuit servant school in February the whole matter was put before the circuit servants and they were instructed what to do in each of their circuits. Then when you came the matter was further discussed and additional plans were made. How thrilling it has been to see the response to the call to serve where the need is great! Several temporarily put aside their dreams of other countries and started realistically thinking about the need right here. Circuit servants have been informing the Society of the needs in their circuits. On their reports on pioneers they have been noting what reserves these pioneers came from, and if it was a place needing help the pioneers were invited to move there. What has been the result? Since your visit in April, fourteen new congregations have been enrolled and many new isolated groups established.
Every month the branch office includes in the Kingdom Ministry an article on serving where the need is great. These articles inform the brothers of places where help is needed, places where the need has been fully or partially met, and experiences of those who answered the call. Typical of the response of many to these articles is the following: “I am glad to respond to the call that appears in the Kingdom Ministry every month to serve where the need is great. I am here ready to be sent as the former servants of God. Isaiah, Jeremiah and Abraham all agreed to be sent by Jehovah, so send me.”
Several hundred children of Jehovah’s witnesses have been expelled from mission schools because of refusing to attend religious classes at these schools. When the matter is investigated by the Department of Native Education, their claim is that there is not enough room for all the children and so some have to be left out. But it is always Jehovah’s witnesses that are left out. One minister of the Evangelical Alliance Mission even stated to one of the district servants that with the new term he would see that none of the children of Jehovah’s witnesses would be allowed re-entry to his school.
The Church of England seems to be one hit hardest by the truth. In desperation it has written several articles on Jehovah’s witnesses, purportedly to expose the Witnesses, but in reality presenting several untruths and statements without any proof. All these articles are doing is to help the sheeplike ones see the truth more clearly than ever. One outstanding example of combined opposition to Jehovah’s people was in connection with an application made by a congregation of Jehovah’s witnesses to the local city council for a church site on which they could build a Kingdom Hall. When this application became known, ministers of the Church of England, Full Gospel, Presbyterian and Dutch Reformed religions all signed a petition and sent it to the council showing why they objected to this application. It was filled with the most absurd arguments, trying to prove we are not a recognized religion, and so forth. The editor of the daily paper of this place got in touch with the congregation servant and said he was publishing this petition in the paper, but would also publish an answer in the same issue. A very fine answer was made up by the congregation servant. When the paper came out it had not only both articles but also an editorial entitled “Freedom of Worship.” It was excellent and clearly showed the clergy to be in the position of opposers of freedom of worship. Several letters were sent to the editor commending him for his article and urging the council to be impartial in their decision. The church site was granted to Jehovah’s witnesses.
SPAIN Population: 29,431,000
Peak Publishers: 1,377 Ratio: 1 to 21,400
Jehovah’s theocratic ministers in Spain took to heart the words of the year’s text and were not caught napping in regard to their privileges of service. In this country religious leaders have very little interest in the doing of the divine will and they do everything possible to stop those who would do it. The true ministers of God, however, press on, teaching and preaching that the kingdom of the heavens is at hand, for they realize that “we must obey God as ruler rather than men.” (Acts 5:29) There has been an increase in the number of publishers every month during the year. The other sheep are seeking truth and righteousness and are fleeing from those who would keep them in darkness; but it is not easy to work in Spain, and one of the experiences from the branch servant there shows how careful one must be in order even to study the truth. There are also a few items on the Canary Islands.
A problem that faces persons of good will in many parts of the world is that they live in areas of scattered population. Notice what has happened at a ‘whistle stop’ pueblo in a section of Spain that contains only a handful of scattered farmhouses, as taken from a letter of the circuit servant. “A few years ago a native Spaniard returned to his homeland from Uruguay enthusiastically bearing the good news of the Kingdom. He soon convinced not only his relatives, owners of the general store in the area, of the promises of God’s Word but forwarded to the Society orders for eleven subscriptions. Soon meetings were organized—but not as it would be done in free countries, or even in the larger cities of Spain. Since people have the custom of visiting the store at any time of the day or night, Bible studies are held in an old granary. These usually start at eleven or twelve o’clock at night under cover of darkness. Each time someone enters or leaves the meeting place, all the lights must be put out so as not to attract attention. After working all day in the fields some travel as many as fourteen miles by bicycle to attend the meetings, knowing that it will mean another trip of several hours to return, and hence only an hour or two of sleep before arising early for the next day of work. Special pioneers now travel forty-eight miles round trip each week by bicycle in order to visit the group. Many in the group travel this same distance once each week in order to have the privilege of working from house to house in a large city. Yet how effective their word-of-mouth preaching has been in their own farm area! During the last visit of the circuit servant twenty-two persons were in attendance from miles around to learn more of how to please our God Jehovah.
A total of fifteen have come to Spain from other countries to serve where the need is great, and ten have been able to stay up to the present time. Even though the work has expanded greatly in recent years, there is still a great need for more who can serve where the need is great, especially for those whose native language is Spanish. If it be Jehovah’s will, may many more see their way clear to come and join us.
CANARY ISLANDS Population: 696,982
Peak Publishers: 17 Ratio: 1 to 41,000
It all started when a person of good will left the Iberian mainland to take up residence on one of the principal islands of the group. Not being familiar with the early Christian method of personal-contact preaching but with a burning desire to share the truths that he had learned from God’s Word, he began by writing letters about the hope of the Kingdom to people whose names he chose from the phone book. The response from these spiritually starved ones who had waited for so long to hear God’s law was stupendous. An itinerant seaman who is also a dedicated Witness paid them several visits, and later a visit from the circuit servant helped them to theocratically organize both the field service and the regular meetings.
Jehovah continued to pour out his blessings. Dedicated Christians from several lands where the work is already well established took up residence, to fill the great need of these newly interested ones.
Still more blessings were in store. The next visit of the circuit servant also brought two special pioneers to work with the group. An improper condition was cleaned up among the newly interested ones, and the first congregation in the Canary Islands was formally organized. From the large number who have manifested interest in the Kingdom message, seventeen had already become proclaimers of the good news by the service year’s end. Persons of good will have not been neglected on the other inhabited islands either. Weekly visits have stirred up much interest, and at least one isolated publisher has manifested himself.
SURINAM Population: 250,000
Peak Publishers: 328 Ratio: 1 to 762
Accurate knowledge brings wisdom and spiritual discernment to those who make the Word of God their chief textbook. Jehovah’s witnesses in Surinam are anxious to take in this knowledge for themselves and to give it to others, and they know that when persons have the truth they must preach to all kinds of people, and so they follow the advice of Paul: “Go on bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the accurate knowledge of God, being made powerful with all power to the extent of his glorious might.” (Col. 1:10, 11) So in this country where Hindus, Indians, Bush Negroes and Creoles, along with the Dutch, mingle together, the good news is being preached; and here are some of the experiences as related by the branch servant in Surinam.
Do you have so much appreciation for congregation meetings that you are willing to change your secular employment if you find yourself in the position that your job keeps you away from meetings? One of our Hindu brothers was working at a sugar factory, but during harvesttime everyone had to work almost day and night. Since the estate belonged to a Mohammedan, he allowed all the workers one hour off from work on Friday night to attend services in the mosque. So this brother went up to the owner of the estate and told him that if all the workers got time off to worship Allah, he too wanted to have time off to vzorship his God Jehovah, and requested time off for the meetings. But this request was turned down. Still the brother attended the meetings. He lost his job. In the meantime he found another job and is better able to take care of Kingdom interests. How much do you give in order to attend every meeting?
We are glad to report that some progress has been made in reaching the 20,000 Bush Negroes, who live along the many rivers in small villages. One of these Bush Negroes, after talking to the circuit servant, wrote a very appreciative letter to the branch. It reads, in part: “I thank you so much that you have made me so happy, that you have sent Brother R---to reveal to
me the gospel. Yes, I am so happy. But not only I, but many others are so happy. Yes, I try to preach the good news. I will do it from house to house. I thank you very much that you are bringing my people the true gospel. Yes, I always want to learn more about this good news, and many others with me.” And this written by a Bush Negro, away up the river! What a joy to see people from all nations and races accepting the truth and spreading it to others!
SWEDEN
Peak Publishers: 8,453
Population: 7,395,000
Ratio: 1 to 874
When reflecting on the past service year one is reminded of the spiritual food that has been put upon the table for God’s people around the world. Jehovah’s witnesses found their year packed full of theocratic activity and with plenty of spiritual food to sustain that activity. Having in mind the words of the wise man: “A wise person will listen and take in more instruction, and a man of understanding is the one who acquires skillful direction,” the witnesses of Jehovah in Sweden offered the people the printed literature and followed through on numerous Bible studies. (Prov. 1:5) This proved to be a most joyful year, and the branch servant of Sweden sends in some interesting experiences.
In December we had the blessed privilege of distributing another convention item, the powerful Resolution tract. Many new ones took part in the distribution. Among these was a man who had up till shortly before been a Communist and worked hard for the party. He soon became zealous for the right religion, took part in the Resolution work and then continued spreading magazines. He left the State Church, took regular part in the congregational meetings and gave his first student talk in the ministry school, all in six weeks’ time. When back-calls were made on those who had received the tract, many said: “We wondered how anyone had the courage to write such strong stuff.” Others remarked: “We hardly thought that you dared to call back after having distributed such strong statements.” One person had become so interested by the mere reading of the tract that he purchased a Bible for himself and was just ready for a study right at the first back-call. Another person explained: “Now I understand where to turn in order to get true information,” and subscribed for both magazines and started attending the meetings in the local congregation. The distribution work was without doubt responsible for the 10-percent increase in the number of publishers that could be reported for the month of December.
The “need is great” not only in unassigned territory but often in congregations also. In such places there is often the difficulty of getting work and living quarters for those able and willing to move out from their own home towns. In one such case the following happened, which shows what strong faith coupled with diligent effort can accomplish: Two special pioneer sisters working with a really handicapped small congregation were told that a brother would move in there with his family provided he could get work and a place to live. There were quite a few out of work, so many thought it impossible to get work in that town. But the sisters started to call upon businessmen whom they had contacted but, as expected, got nowhere. “When the town’s own men were jobless, how could they think of getting a job for an outsider?” Finally, just one place was left, the biggest company, but with many jobless men of their own. When they had presented their case, the manager asked: “Does this man belong to your religious organization?” And when they answered Yes, he said he considered that as a good recommendation and said the brother could start there as soon as he could come. Then he asked if they had any place for him to live, and offered to let him a small house on the company’s own site.
One of the special pioneers is especially successful in getting home Bible studies going. He has used the following simple way to start studies with the help of a magazine. He says: “This article is written in such a way that it is preferable that one read it together with another person,” and then he suggests that they “read a bit together.” Another special pioneer reports that in certain parts it is impossible to get anywhere if one uses the word “study,” but when it is suggested that they “read together,” then many are willing. A number of good experiences on the importance and blessings of the home Bible study work have been told.
The children often get fine opportunities to witness at school. In one school a State Church priest was substituting for a teacher and tried to explain the trinity, using the triangle. A girl of fourteen then asked if he would, please, explain it more clearly, as she had not understood it. “I have my Bible,” she said, “and it says differently.” So she read some scriptures and promised to bring more for the next day. Then the priest exclaimed: “Poor girl, who has got such a perverted faith!” and the same day he asked the principal to be transferred to teaching another class. The girl’s classmates, however, said: “This we were able to understand, it was reasonable.” And a regular study was started with one of the other girls.
SWITZERLAND Population: 5,117,000
Peak Publishers: 4,844 Ratio: 1 to 1,056
Another blessed year of service belongs to the past and eyes are set to the future. But before moving into the new year the branch servant in Switzerland sends us some very interesting experiences on what has been going on in that little land. It was the apostle Paul who said: “You are shown to be a letter of Christ written by us as ministers, inscribed not with ink but with the spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets, but on fleshly tablets, on hearts.” (2 Cor. 3:3) It is by preaching that people of good will can be shown to be our letter, and we have herewith a very interesting experience of one who talked and followed through and had others’ help in producing this “letter.” Let us read of this experience.
How necessary it is to see that interested persons with whom we speak about the truth are visited by others if we cannot follow up the interest ourselves is shown by the following experience. A brother in Switzerland who is a doctor had the visit of a patient from England. After she had received her medical advice, the brother changed the subject and gave her a thorough witness about the truth. She had never heard this before, but seemed to show some interest. She returned to England, and the brother wrote to the branch office to have some capable publisher call on this person. This was done. Sometime later the brother in Switzerland received a letter from this lady in which she said that she did not intend to accept this religion, but somehow she could not get it out of her mind. A second letter contained several questions. In the meantime a publisher in England studied diligently with her. Considerable time elapsed and then the brother received another letter from this lady excusing herself for not having written sooner, seeing that Jehovah’s witnesses are so absorbed in their theocratic activities and so she had had no time to write him before! Yes, her studies had brought her to dedication, and on the occasion of a district assembly in Britain she had been baptized.
Do not be ashamed to witness to the truth, youthful ministers! This can be concluded by the following experience of a schoolgirl. A school class left for a month’s vacation in the mountains. One of the girls is a witness of Jehovah. When leaving she pondered in her mind how she could do some field service during this vacation. At any rate, she would take her Bible along. After six hours of traveling the class arrived at their destination, tired and happy to go to bed. In the bedroom one of the girls took out a Bible and a religious textbook and asked the young sister to read a scripture, seeing that she could read better. Thereupon an interesting discussion ensued, in which other girls participated. Many questions were asked, and our young Witness was surprised to find such interest in the Bible on the part of her classmates. Since there were so many questions to be answered, one evening was not enough, so the discussions were continued on the following evenings. The lady teachers observed what was going on and were surprised to find their pupils discussing the Bible. From then on this room was called the “Pious Room.” While on a tour one of the girls walked three hours with the young sister, asking one question after another. Finally she promised to attend one of the meetings of Jehovah’s witnesses in order to see how they are being trained in their ministry. Who knows if there is not one of the Lord’s other sheep among these children, whom he will bring into his fold in due time!
How many have come in touch with the truth through incidental contact with Witnesses! Incidental witnessing shall therefore not be overlooked, and this is again illustrated in the following experience. A sister in a beauty parlor handed a copy of the Hungarian Watchtower to one of her customers. She accepted the magazine, took it home and laid it aside. When her husband came home he noticed this magazine and said: “What, a Hungarian magazine!” He started to read it and did not put it aside again until he had read it from beginning to end. This aroused his wife’s curiosity and she also read the magazine, which happened to be the special April issue. Both were then so much interested in what they had read that a few days later the woman returned to the beauty parlor to see if she could get more copies of The Watchtower. She said that they were very disappointed in the Catholic Church. The sister, not speaking Hungarian, telephoned a brother who does and put him in touch with these truth-hungry Hungarian refugees.
The brother called on them and enjoyed his visit very much. He had to answer one question after another. They wanted to know everything and were like happy children. When the wife had to leave the room for a moment to see after her child, she said: “Please don’t carry on until I come back, so that I do not miss anything.” They ordered all the literature available in Hungarian and also a Bible. They also took the opportunity to attend the public lecture on the occasion of the district assembly in Berne. Now a study is in full progress. How beneficial is incidental witnessing, especially with magazines!
MECHTENSTEIN Population: 14,757
Peak Publishers: 2 Ratio: 1 to 7,378
Liechtenstein is a very small country between Switzerland and Austria. The Catholic Church is the state religion. The constitution of the country guarantees freedom of religion, and it is true that the Protestant Church is represented there and has its building, but when it comes to Jehovah’s witnesses, that freedom of religion has not much meaning. The police do not want to see our publishers working there, the only argument being, “We do not want you in here; the Catholic Church enjoys the protection of the state!” Is it a sign of strength when such a big church as the Catholic one needs police and state protection in view of a few harmless and peaceful publishers of the Kingdom?
In spite of the difficulties the Kingdom message encounters in Liechtenstein, it finds its way to some honest-hearted men and women. We are confident that as time goes on these people will take their stand for the truth after they have studied it thoroughly, seeing that some promising studies are being conducted there.
TAIWAN Population: 9,506,000
Peak Publishers: 2,063 Ratio: 1 to 4,607
Because of the outstanding number of typhoons, floods and earthquakes, as well as the constant threat of war plaguing those living on this island, a number during the past year have concluded that it would be better to live somewhere else. But persons will never find peace by running from one island to another, or from one country to another. The only way to find peace is to be in Jehovah’s organization, to seek peace and pursue it. All over the world we find Jehovah’s witnesses happily representing Jehovah God and these appear to be a handsome group of people, for the prophet Isaiah wrote: “How handsome upon the mountains are the feet of the one bringing good news,... the one saying to Zion, ‘Your God has become king!’ ” And so in this country of Taiwan, where few people believe in Jehovah God and his Son, Christ Jesus, the message continues to reach out and the warning is given whether people hear or do not hear. The preaching of the good news continues and it has made the hearts of many very glad. The branch servant gives us some interesting reports of what has taken place over the past twelve months.
In February we began the distribution of the Resolution tract and the special issue of The Watchtower containing the Resolution adopted at the New York convention in 1958. This proved to be an excellent way to reach the good-will persons quickly, with over 150 thousand copies of this timely message being distributed. Generally speaking, the clergy were very unhappy about this. Most of them warned their congregations not to accept the tract and to beware of Jehovah’s witnesses. One Chinese Catholic priest publicly ripped up his copy and vehemently denied that Christendom has failed mankind. However, one publisher tells of calling on a lay preacher who accepted the tract and also contributed for the latest copies of the magazines. When the publisher returned after a few days, the preacher said: “Please tell me honestly, will a person like me who has dedicated all of his time to serving God be destroyed at Armageddon?” The publisher explained that those hoping to escape Armageddon must get out of the world’s Babylonish organizations and wholeheartedly come into God’s true organization. This man was much impressed by the Scriptural proof presented by the publisher. A number of return visits have been made since, and it is hoped that he may yet see the truth and take his stand on the side of Jehovah’s new world.
Over 700 requests for booklets were received and a goodly number of home Bible studies started as a result of the distribution of the Resolution tract.
In order to overcome local prejudices it is necessary to let the people see what the New World society is really like. To accomplish this, the circuit assemblies have had excellent success. We have been able to get into the smaller towns and villages and give a good witness. When hearing of the circuit assembly scheduled for a small village, the Catholic priest in that district arranged for a four-day tribal song and dance festival, to begin one day before the assembly. His local membership being small, the priest brought in 400 members from distant villages, making it a big affair to attract all persons away from the assembly. Unable to persuade the town authorities to let them use the village hall, which had already been promised to the brothers, they moved the dance site about 200 yards down the road to the front yard of a member’s home. On their opening night they said that God had especially provided them good weather for the affair. However, on Friday night a downpour turned the yard into a lake, and the dance had to be called off. The hall used by the brothers was flooded too, but not with water. Truth-hungry persons crowded in to listen to the well-prepared program presented by the brothers. The attendance exceeded all expectations. The priests themselves attended and tried to persuade the villagers to leave the meeting, but were unsuccessful. The little congregation there has expanded nicely since then.
THAILAND Population: 21,076,000
Peak Publishers: 362 Ratio: 1 to 58,200
The branch office in Bangkok looks after the work in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. The people in these countries are far removed from the teachings of Christianity. The great religion there is Buddhism and it takes real zeal and no lack of patience on the part of Jehovah’s witnesses to preach in these lands. For a number of years now steady progress has been made, particularly in Thailand, but new territories have been opened as far as the missionary work of the Society is concerned. In Cambodia and Laos during the past year the work has been opened up, and continued progress was made in Vietnam. The missionaries, special pioneers and congregation publishers have this admonition of Paul constantly in mind: “Pay constant attention to yourself and to your teaching.” So they study The Watchtower well and feed upon spiritual food, and this equips them constantly to carry on the teaching program in these remote parts of the world. The problem, especially for the missionaries, is teaching people in a language other than their own. But with zeal all have pressed on, and with good success. The reports that come in from these four countries are most encouraging and the experiences will be enjoyed by all of Jehovah’s witnesses around the world.
The month of December was a happy one when a new publisher peak was reached. This was the first time over 300 publishers had reported field service. In spite of the political trouble in the country, which trouble precipitated martial law, the brothers went ahead and distributed 40,000 copies of the Resolution adopted at the international assembly in New York city. The following month the branch office was given permission by the president’s office to purchase land for the building of a new branch-missionary home.
One of the circuit servants reported an experience that shows the importance of planting and watering and waiting on Jehovah to give the increase in due time: “During the early part of 1957, I contacted a young man in the house-to-house witness work. He impressed me as extremely polite on this first contact when he obtained the book ‘This Means Everlasting Life.’ The very next week a study was started. He was so well prepared that he gave the answers with the book closed. After the study was over, I invited him to attend a Watchtower study at the Kingdom Hall. He promised to come. He did come and was sitting in the front seat. As I read the questions, being the study conductor, this young man raised his hand and was called on to give the comment. Again a delightful surprise when he stood up, folded his magazine and gave the correct answer in his own words. He continued making comments throughout the study, shaming some of the older publishers who are slow to participate and make comments in the meetings. Then some difficulty arose in connection with his family and secular work and he finally stopped coming to meetings. A number of calls were made at his home, but it was difficult to contact him. When I learned of my appointment as circuit servant, I arranged to turn over the call to another missionary to look after. He, too, had a hard time to find him home. In 1958 I returned to my former assignment to prepare to leave for the Divine Will International Assembly in New York city. This gave me an opportunity to locate this young man and to revive his interest in the truth. After the assembly in New York I was back in my old assignment again. With some extra time on hand before leaving to take on the circuit work, I was able to help this young man become firmly grounded in faith. Finally the time came for both of us to part again. He was moving to the eastern part of Thailand, where he would have no contact with any of the publishers, and I was due to leave for the northern part. Knowing my concern about his spiritual welfare, he assured me by saying, ‘Don’t worry about me. I know this is the truth and I intend to stick to it.’ It was not until August, 1959, that I learned that this young man attended the Awake Ministers District Assembly in the southern part of the country and took that occasion to symbolize his dedication by water baptism. This was joyful news indeed! With the outcome of this experience, the words of the apostle Paul came vividly to my mind, ‘So that neither is he that plants anything nor is he that waters, but God who makes it grow.’ ”—1 Cor. 3:7.
CAMBODIA Population: 5,000,000
Peak Publishers: 7 Ratio: 1 to 714,000
The preaching of the good news of the Kingdom is just eight months old in this land called “Asia’s forgotten paradise.” Buddhism is the state religion and its people have strongly resisted conversion to the various so-called Christian religions.
The people are most friendly and hospitable by nature. They invite you in to sit down in the coolness of the house as you give your sermon, and offer some refreshment before you leave.
Just five months after the arrival of the first four missionaries, two young men began to publish the good news to others and they also dedicated their lives to the service of Jehovah God. They were baptized in the beautiful Mekong River that flows through Cambodia. The following month another person of good will began to take part in the field service and now there are three publishers. These three publishers are also conducting their own home Bible studies with others. They also are a great aid to the missionaries, particularly in the door-to-door work, where one meets people that speak Cambodian, Vietnamese, French and the Chinese languages.
The first six months of service were climaxed by the visit of the circuit servant and the showing of the film “Happiness of the New World Society.” Owing to the newness of the work in this country we were not able to advertise this film publicly. Nevertheless, the missionaries invited all their good-will friends and were overjoyed to have an attendance of seventy-two persons. During the circuit servant’s visit a congregation was organized in the capital, Phnom Penh. Now, on an average, twenty persons attend our congregational meetings.
LAOS Population: 3,000,000
Peak Publishers: 5 Ratio: 1 to 600,000
The first missionaries started to work in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, at the beginning of the year. They were well received and the local officials, who are all Buddhist, have been very kind and helpful. Many have shown good interest in the truth, and the prospects for the coming year are bright.
There are many refugees in this country who have fled from Communist China and North Vietnam. This presents a language problem, as they can usually speak only their own language, but many have, nevertheless, heard and shown interest in the truth, as illustrated by the following experience: Two brothers met a Vietnamese refugee who had a Bible. For years he had been looking for someone who could explain it to him. He was extremely happy to meet the brothers and even happier to get some of the Society’s publications. Studies were arranged at once but he was not satisfied with one study a week; he wanted two studies a week. The publishers obliged and within three weeks he had read all the books available and all the magazines that could be supplied him. At the present time he has read almost the entire Bible. He has been a Catholic all his life and his wife is Buddhist, but now he knows he has found something that is good for both of them, namely, the truth. He has the welfare of the whole family at heart and has started regular studies with his wife and son. Each day he reads, studies and explains one chapter of the Bible to his small family. At the moment he is doing much incidental preaching and the only thing that has stopped him from taking a part in the regular features of the service are the long hours of his secular work. He recently asked: “How long do I have to study before I can take part in the preaching work as you are doing?” When the service arrangements were explained to him, he immediately started making plans to change his place of work and become an active witness of Jehovah.
Another experience illustrates the necessity of calling on all homes, even those big ones that we are sometimes hesitant about visiting. Two brothers, while working from door to door, came to one of these homes and upon making the call they found themselves in the home of a prince who is a high-ranking government official in the country and has often represented this country in other parts of the world in a political capacity. He listened very carefully to the message of the Kingdom and at the conclusion of the sermon, before the literature could be presented, he asked if there was some way he could get more information about this new world. When he saw the publications he immediately said he would take five of each of the three different ones shown him. After the missionaries talked for a few minutes longer, he changed his order to ten of each in French and five in Siamese. Since the missionaries were not in the habit of carrying that many books with them from door to door, he sent his chauffeur and car to their home to get them. When they returned, he had decided to take five more, making a total of forty books in all. He had also gathered his whole family, plus servants and various employees to hear this good news of the Kingdom. Before leaving, the missionaries asked him what he intended to do with so many books. He said he wanted to use them as gifts for his friends and members of the royal family. This may be the means by which the truth will be spread into the farthest reaches of this Kingdom of Laos and even right into the courts of the king. Truly Jehovah knows his sheep; they hear his voice and he is able to use them as he sees fit.
VIETNAM Population: 12,000,000
Peak Publishers: 13 Ratio: 1 to 923,000
The planting of the seed of Kingdom truth through more than seventy-five home Bible studies began to bear fruit in publishers of the good news during the past service year.
The new publishers have really helped bring the truth to many more people. One missionary sister reports that her companions in service not only translated for her, but after a while were making their own placements of literature. One young lady’s preaching companion placed eighteen magazines on her own in one forenoon. Another sister relates that a Buddhist girl had been studying for a year, and seemingly making little progress, so the missionary hesitated to invite her to go out in the service. However, to the sister’s surprise, one day after the study the girl asked if she could go with her to visit some of her friends and relatives. This was arranged, and the next morning they called together, not only on the young lady’s friends and relatives, but also on her neighbors, since she wanted to work right around home! Many of these homes had been called on previously with little result, but now it was different—one of their own people whom they knew was telling them these good things from Jehovah’s Word. After three hours of service six subscriptions had been obtained and eighteen magazines and several booklets placed. Needless to say, both missionary and new publisher enjoyed the experience immensely. The young lady is now regular in the service.
Understanding of the truth was the reward of a Chinese boy who had been trying to study the Bible by taking correspondence lessons through “The Voice of Prophecy” program on the radio, but without satisfaction? He told the missionary that he had been searching for the truth but could not understand the Bible, so the publisher assured him that if he sincerely kept on seeking and praying to Jehovah, he would find it. A study was started with him in “This Good News of the Kingdom,” and after a few calls he exclaimed, “This is the truth!” He then began associating quite regularly and commenting at the meetings. After five months of study and association he has become a regular field service companion to the missionary.
TRINIDAD Population: 763,000
Peak Publishers: 1,572 Ratio: 1 to 485
The branch office in the island of Trinidad looks after a scattered territory. Reports are sent to this office on the islands of Barbados, Bequia, Carria-cou, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Tobago. A wonderful witness concerning the kingdom of God has been given in all of this territory in the past years and still many more persons are associating themselves with Jehovah’s witnesses in the New World society anxious to do Jehovah’s will. Those who press on and walk in their integrity know that “the Father himself has affection for you.” (John 16:27) He has shown real interest in people from all nations, kindreds and tongues and he has brought them into his organization no matter where they reside upon the earth, even from the islands of the sea; and he has shown his affection by pouring out rich blessings upon his faithful servants everywhere. This is true in all the islands under the branch office in Trinidad, West Indies. Here are some interesting experiences as reported from the various islands under this branch office.
In calling back on those who received the Resolution tract the brothers particularly enjoyed delivering the sermon on “God’s Kingdom.” It afforded the brothers the opportunity to read extracts from the tract and give explanations. One brother was able to start four new home Bible studies on the basis of the Resolution back-call. One young lady was contacted after requesting a free booklet and began a study with a missionary that still continues. She has attended several meetings at the Kingdom Hall and seems to enjoy them very much.
Young children can be a great source of encouragement to their parents. During the course of a Bible study an alert publisher noticed two young boys, ages seven and thirteen, playing in the yard. When the publisher suggested that they be called in to share in the study, their mother obliged, and the boys showed keen interest in the study from the very first. As their mother was living in consensual marriage, she was never encouraged to share in field service, but in due course her sons were enjoying it very much. Soon they were enrolled in the ministry school and learned to give short sermons. This had an impact on the mother because she felt grieved in heart because of being denied the privileges her children enjoyed. Eventually every congregation meeting precipitated a flood of tears. Since the man she was living with would not marry her, she made a prayerful decision to separate from him. A sister warmly received her into her home; six months later she was baptized and now she is a joyful publisher.
Many opportunities for preaching are lost because of timidity in incidental preaching. One missionary, while waiting for a bus in a better residential area, struck up a conversation with another woman. She took magazines and gave her address to the missionary, who made several calls and placed more magazines. Eventually a study started that caused her to realize how little she knew of her Bible even though she had been a daily reader for years. Opposition of neighbors and friends was overcome with Scriptural counsel, and soon she started attending the Watchtower study regularly and then the service meetings and ministry school. Now she preaches to those formerly opposed to her and engages in regular field activities. All of this was in just eighteen months’ time! Her own expression was given at a recent assembly as an experience: “I am now convinced from my study of the Bible that Jehovah’s witnesses have the truth!”
BARBADOS Population: 236,000
Peak Publishers: 636 Ratio: 1 to 371
One can never be too considerate of those to whom he preaches. Generally speaking, most Barbadians are considerate, but especially Jehovah’s witnesses. By way of example, a pioneer met a certain lady at the door who definitely would not allow him even to start a sermon. In endeavoring to penetrate her prejudiced barrier he did not forget to be observant. Noting her unsuccessful efforts to attract the attention of a passing fish seller, the pioneer, without further comment, offered to get the fish she wanted for supper, and, after doing so, even offered to clean the fish! Somewhat taken aback, the lady refused, gently closing the door. No sermon then, but the next week one was given that resulted in a book placement and a study was started. As a result of this considerate action, that person is now a dedicated publisher.
The service year in Barbados was crowned with a delightful Awake Ministers District Assembly in an idyllic setting in Queen’s Park, Bridgetown. A complete surprise greeted 739 attenders on the Saturday night of the assembly when squeals of delight indicated how thrilled the audience was to see the new film “The Divine Will International Assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses.” One person happily exclaimed, “Nobody, but nobody, anticipated this surprise!” Two passers-by, provoked by curiosity, drew near and soon were joining in the general applause. Overheard on the fringe of the audience was a lady repeating to herself, “This religion is something to think about!” The assembly was climaxed when twice as many of the general public as there are active Witnesses in Barbados attended the public talk “When God Speaks Peace to All Nations.”
BEQUIA Population: 5,000
Peak Publishers: 9 Ratio: 1 to 555
In this little gem of the Grenadines, Bequia (pronounced Bek’way), are those who are beginning to take their established place in the New World society. Much faster progress could be made if brothers could serve with the isolated group of sisters there. Two special pioneer sisters are doing their utmost, but they are unable to perform all aspects of the ministry, such as burial services and public talks, and this retards their effectiveness.
A certain religious sect, in an endeavor to offset the good work of the special pioneers, began distributing tracts with unscriptural statements that were purported to be the teachings of Jehovah’s witnesses. For proof, some alleged quotations from certain pages of The Harp of God were cited. Surprisingly, such quotations could not be found on the pages cited, one entire page having nothing more than an illustration. When the district servant and circuit servant visited the isolated group last March, it was decided to give a public answer to these black lies following the public lecture on the Sunday night. This greatly assisted the pioneers in their public ministry, but it needs to be followed up with more lectures giving the truth about our teachings.
CAKRIACOU Peak Publishers: 42
Population: 7,225
Ratio: 1 to 172
Yearboofc experiences are a source of strength to many. A newly dedicated sister told the circuit servant: “Were it not for the experience you showed me in the 1958 Yearbook about a sister in Yugoslavia whose faith was strong enough to withstand her opposing husband, I believe by now I would have quit studying, much less plan to be immersed! Now I am so happy to see he is becoming interested.”
This sudden turnabout was explained by the circuit servant: “About five weeks ago I met him in Grenada. He told me, ‘For a man to be living in this world without a knowledge of God’s Word it is better for him to be buried alive. The first day I saw a Bible in my home I became inflamed with anger. I left forthwith, back to work on my ship. In three weeks I returned home and found three books my wife had bought. I stripped them in pieces and buried them. Weeks after, I was home again and while walking in the area where I buried the books I caught sight of a few pieces above ground. My conscience smote me and I asked myself, “What have these books done to me?” so I took them up and began reading. It was the first time in my thirty-four years in the Catholic faith that I saw some of the things written on those scraps of paper. I realized that lack of knowledge made me act like a lion against the truth.’ Now this man studies with his wife whenever home from sea. He is thinking of changing his job so he can attend meetings and go in field service. Paul’s words at 1 Corinthians 7:16 have meaning for this sister.”
GRENADA Population: 89,900
Peak Publishers: 172 Ratio: 1 to 517
Opposition from priests has always been a feature of witnessing in Grenada. Special pioneers, by displaying much tact and perseverance, help to overcome this and break down prejudice, but it is slow work. One of them in a country district wrote: “I have been conducting a study with a young housewife just these past three weeks, but already she has been warned by the priest that her child would be removed from the confirmation class if she continues to allow me to come to her home. She was worried, but her husband is in favor of the study, and she respects his wishes more than she fears the priest. I am really looking forward to seeing this family progress.”
Alertness is necessary if we are to be successful ministers at the doors. Two companions in the training program were working together. When they called at a home the lady was busy washing clothes in the yard while a visitor sat on her doorstep. Tactfully leaving an invitation to the lecture with the lady, the companion receiving help prepared to depart to the next call. However, the one who was giving the help alertly turned to the visitor and suggested that, since he was not busy, perhaps he could spare about eight minutes to hear a sermon on “The Earth as Man’s Home.” Receiving an affirmative answer, he also noted the lady had stopped washing to listen, so why not all go inside and sit down? The result was that the visitor took the Paradise book, and the lady took a Bible. Then a young lady came from another room where she overheard the sermon and said, “I need a Bible too. Have you any more?” Suddenly the visitor decided he needed one too, so arrangements were made to deliver them at the public lecture that night, thus ensuring their attendance. But they also brought friends with them and each took a copy of the Paradise book. Oh yes! It pays to be alert at the doors: an eight-minute sermon resulted in three Bibles and four books being placed.
ST. LUCIA Population: 70,000
Peak Publishers: 79 Ratio: 1 to 886
One of the reasons for the success of the past year has been the fact that in St. Lucia we exceeded the goal of 10 percent of the publishers as pioneers. In fact, over 20 percent of the publishers are full-time pioneers! In order to maintain herself one sister obtained a sewing machine and learned to sew and make clothes for a fair number of customers. She reports that, though the going has not always been easy, Jehovah has never failed to provide her with life’s necessities.
Having enjoyed tremendous success last year as a vacation pioneer for one month, a sister decided to try it again this year for two months. It was not long before it was extended to three months.
‘Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings you have furnished praise.’ (Matt. 21:16) How true in the case of one man and his eight-year-old son living in a country section of the island. He was making good progress in the truth, witnessing to his neighbors and relatives, and before he was dedicated he was teaching his young son from the Bible. Explaining the meaning of baptism one day, he said to his son: “Baptism is so important that if one is not baptized he is not a part of Jehovah’s organization. Therefore, if Armageddon came, he would not be carried through.” “Papa,” asked the youngster, “why aren’t you baptized?” Embarrassed, the father sheepishly confessed: “I will be baptized at the next circuit assembly.” True to his word, he was, and since doing so he closed down his small rum shop and converted it into a small Kingdom Hall and is now serving as a vacation pioneer.
ST. VINCENT Population: 78,000
Peak Publishers: 75 Ratio: 1 to 1,040
“I write these few lines to express my gratitude for your kind advice to work here in B---. There are sheep
that need attention and I cannot attend all of them. So I need help. Please, can you send us help, for the pioneers that were here left great interest. . . . One of the good-will persons with whom they were studying arranged to get married in the Kingdom Hall in Kingstown, and that alone gives glory to Jehovah’s name here. He is going to be baptized at the assembly in October and very soon two of his daughters will be publishers.” Two more special pioneers have been dispatched here to render assistance.
A small country congregation had for their Kingdom Hall tucked away in the hills a tiny bamboo, dirt and grass-covered building that was crumbling away. They were advised to replace it, so plans were discussed to build another on the same lines. But before it could materialize something happened.
A person of good will and his friend attended a meeting on the night some discussion was held on rebuilding the Kingdom Hall. Listening intently, he afterward spoke to the brothers. “If you are interested in a cement-block building, my friend and I will supply all the blocks needed.” In a community where few people have homes of cement blocks this was an amazing offer. It was accepted, and the circuit servant reports: “When I was there in June all the blocks were completed, the foundation was laid and these two interested persons were offering part of the labor free of charge. What is more important, both worked in the service with me on my visit and one is anxiously awaiting the assembly to symbolize his dedication.”
TOBAGO Population: 333,000
Peak Publishers: 61 Ratio: 1 to 540
One energetic sister strove to meet the quota of one magazine for each hour in field service. She just about made it, for at the year’s end she had averaged 126 hours each month, to compare with 118 magazines each month. Perhaps she would have made it if she had not been busy looking after eleven home Bible studies each month. Incidentally, this sister is seventy-one years old and she walks everywhere in her territory, which is quite hilly.
The isolated group of publishers at Roxborough with whom the special pioneers have labored these many months is gradually shaping into a congregation. The circuit servant reported as follows: “This isolated group has shown remarkable improvement over the past six months. There is a better internal organization now. Previously what stood in the way of organizing this group as a congregation was lack of servant material. With the baptism of two new brothers the possibility of forming a congregation is quite feasible.” Thus we look forward to making further progress in Tobago.
TURKEY Population: 24,797,000
Peak Publishers: 319 Ratio: 1 to 77,700
After twelve months of theocratic activity the brothers in Turkey were happy to see their efforts crowned with success in a very eventful year, all of this despite the many difficulties that are brought to bear against the Witnesses owing to their religious beliefs. The Roman Catholics are very much disturbed about the progress of Jehovah’s witnesses in Turkey, as are other religious denominations, but this must not affect Jehovah’s people. Oddly enough, the religionists of the world try to serve two masters, the one they claim to be their God and also the nations of the earth and their riches, but how true the statement is: “No one can be a slave to two masters. ... You cannot be slaves to God and to Riches”! (Matt. 6:24) There is just one thing for a Christian to do and that is to carry out his dedication to the service of God, and that means serving one master, only God. The little group of faithful sheep in Turkey are doing just that, and some of their experiences are expressed in the report of the branch servant.
In the city of Ankara a newly interested lady had invited some friends to her home one evening. In the course of conversation one of them started speaking about Jehovah’s witnesses, trying to misrepresent their work. One of the guests, hearing for the first time about Jehovah’s witnesses, wanted to learn more about them and their work. Although quite new in her knowledge of the truth, the lady, with sincerity and appreciation, started explaining that the Bible is an endless source of truth provided by Jehovah for humankind to direct them to the way of life. “Who among us has learned about the basic truths concerning the earth and humankind through the religious system?” she asked. Then she added: “Jehovah’s witnesses help us to learn that a new world of righteousness is very near, and how we should act to benefit from it. In other words, Jehovah’s witnesses do what the religious leaders of Christendom do not do.” These warm and sincere words dispersed quickly the clouds of defamation created by the guest who was misrepresenting Jehovah’s witnesses. The good-will person appreciated what he heard and he expressed the desire to learn more. The lady arranged to visit him in his home the following week with the witness of Jehovah who visits her. So they did. After a very interesting discussion on different subjects of the truth, arrangements were made to start a Bible study with him and his wife. Thus the misrepresentation failed to hide the truth and keep a good-will person away from the fold of the true Shepherd.
Here is an experience that proves how, many times, young children can incite their parents to keep firm and progress in the truth: Three years ago a lady was contacted who was favorably disposed toward the truth. We started a home Bible study and six months later she symbolized her dedication. When her husband was informed about it, he became furious and refused to permit his wife and the children to come to the meetings any more, in spite of the fact that it was tactfully brought to his attention concerning his great responsibility before God for doing that. The sister continued for a while, but when his threatening increased she finally gave up and discontinued following the truth. The sister has two children, the one eight years old and the other five years old. No one could ever imagine that the truth the older one had heard through the Bible studies and the meetings had taken such deep root in his heart that when the father wanted to take the boy with him to the church, he would definitely refuse, saying: “I want to go to the meetings of Jehovah’s witnesses with the brothers.” Nothing could make the child change his mind and break his integrity. His attitude encouraged the mother, who learned in this way through her young son what integrity means. Finally, instead of the child’s giving up before the persistent threatening of the father, it was rather the father who gave up before the unbending integrity of the child.
About a month ago a sister was passing outside their house. As soon as the child saw her he rushed out, saying: “Why, sister, have you abandoned me? Why don’t you come to take me to the meetings? I want to be always with you.” His mother saw that and she related to the sister, with evident emotion, all the things that had happened since she had stopped going to the meetings. Now the young boy is very happy to attend the meetings regularly with his mother, and the father does not forbid them to do that any more.
Witnessing to the neighbors might be neglected or even avoided by some. The following peculiar story shows that we must be alert to them too: The house of a brother is used regularly for a study group and for practicing theocratic songs. Some of the houses here do not have very thick walls. Such is the house of this brother also. So the thin walls and a small hole near the ceiling in the wall between the brother’s house and the house next door were permitting the neighbors to listen to the theocratic songs and to what was said at the meetings. First it was the daughter that heard the songs and, curious to know what it was all about, she fixed her ear in the wall to hear better. Her mother reproved her at the beginning for this unfitting way of acting, but when the daughter assured her that she was listening to very interesting things, she joined her. This continued for a few times, until finally they could not resist any more, and they decided to ask their neighbor and learn more about the things they were overhearing through the wall. You can imagine the surprise of the brother and also how happy he was to help them learn more about God’s kingdom through a regular Bible study. Both are attending meetings now, and the mother is even ready to symbolize her dedication to do Jehovah’s will.
UNITED ARAB REPUBLIC
Population: 27,980,000
Ratio: 1 to 54,300
Peak Publishers: 515
As our brothers in Egypt and Syria look at the service year that has just ended they may well think of the words of David that were written under inspiration: “By this I do know that you have found delight in me, because my enemy does not shout in triumph over me.” (Ps. 41:11) These brothers in Egypt and Syria, which now make up the United Arab Republic, have pressed on faithfully under great opposition, particularly from the clergy, in order to preach the good news. Christians in these countries are accused of everything because they take a firm stand for Jehovah’s kingdom. But no matter how much the religionsts and authorities try to threaten them they will continue preaching the good news, because they know that it is ‘better to obey God than men.’ As the year closes they are happy because they are still free to proclaim the good news. The branch servant of the United Arab Republic also gives us a report on Sudan, a country to the south of Egypt.
Gog of Magog tried by all means to stop the work here in the U.A.R. but failed miserably. So-called Christian clergymen became angry when, in March, the more than 50,000 copies of the Resolution, which was also adopted at the local Divine Will District Assembly in November, began entering thousands of homes in big and small cities of the Republic. This was their signal of alarm. The numerous so-called Christian denominations, forgetting for a while the many differences in doctrines and points of view existing between them, united their efforts in an all-out campaign of extermination against Jehovah’s witnesses, thus identifying themselves as being of the same devilish organization.
This time they did not limit their efforts to writing lies about our work; they did not only call us Zionists, as was done in the past, but began to complain officially to the authorities about our activities, saying our work was divisive between Moslem and Christian populations, as well as communistic, and hence very dangerous to the peace and security of the nation. Following this, many arrests took place not only in some small villages but even in the capital itself. In all cases the brothers were released after some hours or some days, because the authorities had no proof of their being Communists except the word of the accusers.
Our enemy, however, “does not shout in triumph over” us, because, on the one hand, many were the persons who understood the reason for all this hatred and took their stand for theocracy ; on the other hand, the brothers, instead of being intimidated and afraid,
were, rather, encouraged for more theocratic activity. The expressions of appreciation for the Resolution and its contents were very gratifying.
A sister, as soon as she returned from Gilead, was assigned to a small town where a good number of copies of the Resolution were placed by another pioneer just before the sister reached her assignment. Because of this activity priests began warning their flocks against Jehovah’s witnesses and asking them not to talk with them or invite them into their homes. The bishop of this town also misrepresented our work to local authorities, calling it communistic. Thus the police were on the watch. As soon as the sister arrived in town accompanied by a pioneer brother, they were arrested in the street. In the police station they were cross-examined, all the literature they had with them was taken away, and they were confined two days and two nights in the police prison. Then they were driven to the security and the military attorney. They gave a bold witness, but in spite of this were put in jail. There they were told that the bishop was responsible for this imprisonment. Four days later they were released because of legal measures that were taken by putting up bond. In prison, however, they found good interest among the prisoners, starting a Bible study with one of them. After being released, instead of being afraid, they continued the work and the sister started ten Bible studies although followed all the time by the secret police. The police tried to threaten persons of good will. Some gave in, but the majority were not afraid and continued to study the Bible, understanding more and more the “nakedness” of the clergy as compared with the real ministers of God. After three months the sister and the pioneer brother that were arrested were given back all their confiscated literature as well as the monetary guarantee they paid, and their case was considered as closed owing to the fact that no evidence could be produced to uphold the charges against them.
Just when the priests were assuring their flock that Jehovah’s witnesses would leave the town because they were afraid—referring to the imprisonment of the Gilead graduate and the pioneer brother—a nearby congregation hired a bus and sent thirty-nine publishers to preach in this town. Within two hours some two hundred booklets were placed and a few studies started, thus belying the boisterous priests.
This year Syria also made good progress and had good increases in the number of publishers and pioneers. It is the first year that it came under the jurisdiction of the Cairo branch and, although communications with the branch were not easy, it contributed its part in the 11-percent increase we enjoyed as a whole with an all-out peak of 515 publishers. Although the number of our special pioneers combined with the general pioneers increased substantially and jumped from thirty-three to forty-three, with forty-three other persons enjoying the vacation pioneer service sometime during the year, yet the need is still very great in both the Syrian and Egyptian regions.
SUDAN Population: 10,000,000
Peak Publishers: 20 Ratio: 1 to 500,000
The last service year was a milestone and a marked one for the New World society in Sudan. For the first time the brothers were able to hold a one-day assembly when you were there, Brother Knorr, accompanied by the zone servant Brother Paterakis. This timely visit was very much appreciated by all the brothers as well as the good-will persons who attended it. All the good counsel and admonition they heard were put to good use, and Jehovah blessed their efforts.
Although there exists complete freedom of worship in Sudan, yet the clergymen are not refraining from using their lies and hypocritical ways to forbid people or prevent them from hearing the truth. In this they resemble the scribes and Pharisees about whom Jesus said: “You shut up the kingdom . . . for you yourselves do not go in, neither do you permit those on their way in to go in.” (Matt. 23:13, 14) This is well illustrated in the case of a good-will person who began studying the truth. All her friends deserted her. Her relatives arranged for a discussion between the brothers and clergymen. Quite a few priests accompanied by two seminary instructors came to her home. The discussion continued for several hours and the ignorance of false teachers was once more uncovered before this good-will person. When all their craftiness failed, they tried to appeal to her emotions by asking her not to abandon the religion of her ancestors. To this she answered with Jeremiah 9:12-14.
The priests, however, did not consider their battle ended with this discussion but used lies to hurt the person and thus compel her to leave Jehovah’s witnesses. They incited one of her neighbors to accuse her to the authorities of being a Zionist. In this country where Moslems are the majority they hate Zionists and consider them as a danger to public security. So a court case began. In the meanwhile the neighbors were always throwing stones and dirty water on this person whenever she passed by their house going to preach, because by this time she was convinced completely of the truth and had begun to serve the Almighty.
In the court she magnified the name of Jehovah before the four judges who were responsible for this case. She showed the Resolution and some of the magazines. The judge ruled in favor of our new sister, saying: “Go, madame, to every place in Sudan and preach as you want. The law of the country is on your side and will protect you in your work, and no one can hurt you or incite anyone to do so.” Thus all opposition stopped and this new sister continued her work unhindered, enjoying many rich blessings from Jehovah.
URUGUAY Population: 2,650,000
Peak Publishers: 1,415 Ratio: 1 to 1,872
Happy are the Uruguayan brothers to see Jehovah’s rich blessing upon their work during the past service year. They have kept their outer garments on and they are wide awake in Jehovah’s service. They have taken advantage of their opportunities to praise Jehovah and have thrilled at the many rich blessings they have received. Jehovah’s witnesses in this land have kept in mind the scripture: “Let us not sleep on as the rest do, but let us stay awake and keep our senses.” (1 Thess. 5:6) Their staying awake and preaching the good news have brought about excellent results, and they had a very fine increase of 22 percent in Uruguay during the past twelve months. The branch servant gives us some experiences sent in concerning the work in Uruguay and also in the Falkland Islands.
One young publisher traveled to an interior town to visit her father. During her stay she witnessed to another young senorita who said she would like to attend one of our meetings and see what we do there. The young sister did not know just what to do, since her father was opposed and she was in a strange city. By coincidence the circuit servant passed in the street and she recognized him. During their conversation the senorita came into the conversation. The two were invited to the Kingdom Hall for the talk on Sunday. Instead of going to the movies on Sunday afternoon, as was their custom, they went to the Kingdom Hall for the talk. After the talk the senorita manifested much interest in the truth and a desire to study. She began to attend the meetings regularly. Her father soon discovered she was not going to the movies any more and asked her where she went and why so secretly. La senorita refused to answer, saying: “Why don’t you come along and see for yourself?” He did. They went together to the Watchtower study on the subject of “Paradise,” and he was so favorably impressed that he gave permission to go to the hall regularly. Now she has started preaching on Sundays, all this in less than two months from when she heard the first public lecture. So what began as an incidental conversation about religion and God’s purposes quickly resulted in a new praiser of Jehovah’s name.
Among the Uruguayans there is a prevalent theory that the end of the world is due around the year 2000. But during the latter part of March and during all of April this little country was drenched with rains, as Awake! readers will remember, and many Uruguayans began to fear that the end is much closer. Because of the danger of wiping out the whole population from a possible break in the hydroelectric dam, the entire city of Paso de los Toros was evacuated, including the congregation, which had twelve publishers at the beginning of the year. Now the inhabitants have returned, and the Witnesses are very active and have had many interesting experiences, with a 50-percent increase for the year, and a new peak of twenty-one publishers. Two young publishers rode horseback through flooded areas to get to the Kingdom Hall and field service so as not to become irregular publishers, and they placed over 100 magazines under such conditions one month.
FALKLAND ISLANDS Population: 2,220
Peak Publishers: 6 Ratio: 1 to 370
A missionary traveled to the Falkland Islands to work with the small group of brothers and persons of good will for four months during the year. He visited all the scattered sheep camps in the many islands of this group and attempted to witness to all the inhabitants of the islands. Also the one lone town of the islands, Port Stanley, was thoroughly worked, together with the small group of publishers who live there. Many copies of the book From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained were placed with the people. This book has been a great aid in breaking down the religious prejudice of the people. The wife of a clei’gyman remarked, "My, what a lovely book!” Another, seeing the book in the home of her mother, and she herself an opposer of the work before, said, “This book is for me.” Still another exclaimed, “This is the first time I have been able to understand the Bible.”
Meetings were held in Port Stanley, with nine attending regularly and as many as thirteen at times. Public meetings were held each Sunday during the stay on the islands. In two months the book “Your Will Be Done on Earth” was completely studied with the brothers and persons of good will. This has animated them and made them more zealous to do the preaching work. Their zeal is now outstanding.
VENEZUELA Population: 6,134,000
Peak Publishers: 1,879 Ratio: 1 to 3,264
The brothers in Venezuela have been busy this year taking in spiritual food and then using it. They know that it is necessary to be filled with accurate knowledge in order to bring new ones into the organization. For full devotion an energetic spirit must be shown, and the brothers in Venezuela had this in mind: “Whatever you are doing, work at it whole-souled as to Jehovah, and not to men, for you know that it is from Jehovah you will receive the due reward.” (Col. 3:23, 24) Doing the work whole-souled has brought forth wonderful results in this country. Much fruit and many blessings have been the reward of the Lord’s organization during the past service year, for they have enjoyed a 20-percent peak and now have 1,879 publishers of the Kingdom. Some of the experiences sent in by the branch servant are interesting.
A missionary in La Guaira writes this experience: “Placing a ‘Let God Be True’ book with a young housewife who said her husband liked to read these things, I tried to make a back-call in the evening several weeks later but with no success. Finally, on a holiday, he was at home and I found that he had started to study spiritism. The man was a professor, so had little time at home, but a Bible study was started in October. They attended one day of the district assembly in Caracas and have been attending all the meetings since. They started in the service in March, being baptized at the circuit assembly in April. He placed over a hundred magazines and thirty-five books the first month in the field. This month of August I am having the joy of having him and his wife vacation pioneer with my wife and me. But that is not all. My wife had been calling on a lady of good will, but when we were home in the States she moved and she had not been able to locate her until the latter part of December. When she did she placed a ‘Let God Be True’ book with her and made arrangements for a study. This lady turned out to be the sister of the professor. My wife has been studying with this sister, four other brothers and sisters that live with her and also three children. In March they too started in the service and have been regular every month in the field and to the meetings. This experience alone has made our service year full of blessings.” The congregation in La Guaira has increased from sixteen to thirty-four in one year.
The district servant had some interesting experiences showing the movies. In a fishing village in the State of Sucre the missionaries helped the district servant advertise the movie to be shown in the local theater, which was outdoors with cement-block seats. They were to use the theater when there was no regular movie scheduled. The district servant’s wife witnessed to the local police officer and he promised to be on hand. Just a few minutes before starting time it was disappointing to see only a few present. One person then mentioned that the people did not leave their homes to go to the movies until they heard the music on the loud-speaker as a signal. No sooner said than a record blared out, and in fifteen minutes the place was full. The policeman came as promised and helped considerably to keep the entrance clear. He sent the little boys who came half-nude right straight home to put on their shirts and shoes and to comb their hair. If they wanted to attend a cultural program they had to show respect by dressing presentably. One hundred and twenty-five attended, virtually the entire village.
In a mountain settlement in the State of Sucre the district servant arranged to show the movie in a thatch-covered, open-sided shed offered willingly by the local grocery store owner who also provided the electrical power. Four of the missionaries spent several hours inviting the people, and one man offered to help by telling the people on the other side of the mountain, where the burro trails were dangerous. When the time came for the rnovie there was a heavy rain and some of the country people thought the district servant would not come. While he was setting up the equipment the groceryman asked if he would be permitted to send up some rockets so the people on the far side of the hills would know that the movie was to be shown as scheduled and would get started on their burros! Eighty-five attended. Many stayed afterward to ask questions about the work of Jehovah’s witnesses, having never heard of it before. The knowledge of Jehovah and his organization is spreading into the hills and villages of Venezuela.
SEVEN OTHER COUNTRIES Population: 309,761,200 Peak Publishers: 131,996 Ratio: 1 to 2,316
WORK IN COMMUNIST COUNTRIES
Jehovah’s witnesses around the world always have in mind their brothers working “behind closed doors,” and certainly that is how Jehovah’s witnesses in Communist countries have had to work generally. While these Christians take every opportunity to preach the good news, still they must be alert to the system of things that does not believe in God, but still rules the people. Jehovah’s witnesses are believers in Jehovah God and they believe his Word and are going to preach it even though it means they may lose their lives. They are not a quarrelsome people, nor do they want to cause trouble anywhere, because they firmly believe Peter’s words: “Seek peace and pursue it. For Jehovah’s eyes are upon the righteous.” (1 Pet. 3:11, 12) So all these publishers of the Kingdom are really the peace lovers. While the great nations through their representatives are crying Peace! and wanting peace, still, when true Christians really live at peace, then they find themselves persecuted. What a strange situation for this day and age. But, regardless of the actions of the nations and their rulers, Jehovah’s witnesses will continue to preach the most peaceful message that has ever been heralded throughout the world, whether it be in communistic lands or in Western lands, in lands preparing for war or in lands concerned with their own internal problems. No matter where Jehovah’s witnesses are they have a work to do and they are doing it by Jehovah’s undeserved kindness.
While we give brief reports on nine countries under communistic domination, there are only seven countries that have turned in reports of actual field service. It has been impossible for two of the countries, Albania and Bulgaria, to report what they have done in the way of preaching the good news. But those who are dedicated to God certainly are declaring their hope.
For what has been done in communistic countries in the way of preaching and in the distribution of Bible literature and the hours spent and the back-calls and Bible studies conducted, the reader may consult the chart under the heading “Seven Other Countries.” Following are reports that have been received from countries under communistic domination. The countries are Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia and Yugoslavia.
ALBANIA
This country seems to have completely closed its borders in regard to incoming and outgoing mail. However, word has got through that a number of our brothers in Albania celebrated the Lord’s evening meal, and as they have had opportunity to preach the Word of God underground they have done this. There is extremely close censorship going on and this holds back the sending in of truths upon which to feed, but as long as the brothers have their Bibles they can study them, meet together as they have opportunity and talk to those who are seeking truth and righteousness.
BULGARIA
One of the brothers in this land was recently released from prison after spending eight years there because of the truth. It is reported that there are many persons interested in Jehovah’s witnesses, and in different villages scattered throughout the country there are small meetings held and Bible studies are conducted. There is a great lack of Bulgarian Bibles because these are so expensive. Without Bibles it is hard for the brothers to carry on their work, since those who become interested in the truth can speak only from memory. Some of the Watchtower magazines, convention reports, the Paradise book and copies of the Resolution, along with some tracts, were received by different ones and these will give the brothers some spiritual food to feed upon. It is reported that the brothers were extremely happy to receive these good things from the Society and they began immediately to translate them so that others will benefit and gain an accurate knowledge of the truth. Word was also received that it was strictly forbidden to talk to children and teen-agers about God and that the education of the youth has been completely taken over by the State. So it can be appreciated that the new generation in this Communist land will truly be godless, for they will know nothing about Him unless devoted Christians pass on the word to the younger generation. Jehovah’s witnesses will be fearless in this respect, for they know that the good news must be preached.
CZECHOSLOVAKIA
A fine witness has been given in Czechoslovakia over the past year. More publishers have preached the good news of the Kingdom in 1959 than in any previous year in this land. More Bible studies were conducted in the homes than ever before and much comfort was brought to the peoples of this Communist-dominated land. As a communication from Czechoslovakia puts it: “We are very thankful to Jehovah for making it possible for us to have constant communication with you in these critical days enabling us to gain strength and instruction for our Christian fight through the information received from the faithful and discreet slave.” Extensive preparations were made for the Memorial month and the brothers were able to achieve new peaks in publishers of the Kingdom in the field service. One circuit servant writes in his report: “During our intensive witnessing activities twenty-one villages were worked from house to house. The results are splendid. We want to continue in this activity, and may Jehovah bless all who faithfully carry out his commandments under all circumstances.”
The Department of the Interior in Czechoslovakia is putting forth greater effort to achieve their goal to absorb all of Jehovah’s witnesses into the communistic way of thinking. The government has made offers to legalize the organization, only, however, if the people of the organization accept the communistic way of life, which in essence is “do not believe in God.” But one dedicated to Jehovah can never renounce his faith and expect to gain eternal life. Legal proceedings were taken against two sisters who were arrested for preaching the good news. These were sentenced to a one-year imprisonment each. The local press carried a report of this case in which the whole organization of Jehovah’s witnesses was rudely attacked by the press. Word comes through, however: “We are united with you all in the unbreakable bonds of love and service.”
EAST GERMANY
The Berlin crisis between East and West has worried many people everywhere. But Jehovah’s witnesses at the very center of it, in West Berlin and Communist East Germany, did not get nervous about it. They stuck to their work of preaching the Kingdom message during the past service year. With the Communist threats against the city it seemed to the publishers in West Berlin at times that they might soon find themselves under the same hot persecution that their fellow workers have to bear up with in East Germany. But they did not quit or withdraw, even though a rather easy way of escape has existed for them by leaving for West Germany in good time. Instead, they have drawn strength from Paul’s encouraging words at Hebrews 10:34-39: “For you both expressed sympathy for those in prison and joyfully took the plundering of your belongings, knowing you yourselves have a better and an abiding possession. Do not, therefore, throw away your freeness of speech, which has a great reward to be paid it. For you have need of endurance, in order that, after you have done the will of God, you may receive the fulfillment of the promise. . . . Now we are not the kind that shrink back to destruction, but the kind that have faith to the preserving alive of the soul.”
Many new publishers have come into the truth in Communist East Germany, despite the fierce endeavors of the Communist authorities to suppress the proclamation of God’s kingdom. There has been no sweet talk of peaceful coexistence. On the contrary, the pressure upon Jehovah’s people in East Germany has been noticeably increased during the past service year. In the course of the previous year seventy-seven publishers got arrested on long prison terms owing to their Christian activity, while this year 128 new cases of such imprisonments were registered.
Here are some side lights of what the conflict is like that our brothers in East Germany have to contend with. The charges that are raised against them are getting more and more ridiculous. For instance, when the publishers in East Germany collected the local addresses of rulers and judges and other prominent men in public life for the mailing of the Resolution tract, as was done in all other countries, the Communists charged that it was an act of espionage and gathering of secret information. They have also gone to great lengths to keep thousands of publishers under constant surveillance by paid informers. Hundreds of those whom they suspect to be active in the ministry have been summoned to interrogation sessions in order to win them over either by friendliness or by putting pressure on them, to co operate with the Communists in betraying their brothers. The SSD (Communist State Security Police) even organized a case of burglary and had their accomplices break into the branch office, which is located outside their realm in West Berlin territory, to find material they might be able to use against the brothers in East Germany. Many publishers were molested in their homes on the evening of the Memorial to prevent them from observing this Christian celebration.
A good example of how Jehovah’s spirit upholds his servants in times of stress and blesses their faithful service has been reported from one small city in East Germany, where a 'mature brother was arrested and faced a long prison term. He was quite a well-known person in that city. The remaining publishers did not allow fearfulness to enter their hearts. They made a special effort that month to look after the people of good will, who otherwise might have been frightened away by the brother’s arrest from making further progress in the truth. The result at the end of the month was nineteen more home Bible studies and six new publishers in that city.
After the mailing campaign of a Communist-edited “Watchtower” two years ago had failed so miserably that they had to discontinue it after a few issues, the Communist authorities have now come out with a new scheme. They mail mimeographed letters, supposedly written by some publishers in prison, to Jehovah’s witnesses all over East Germany, in which these admonish their brothers to learn from their bitter experience. They try to explain that they were not imprisoned because of their faith, but because they got “engrossed in an activity which is no longer compatible with Christian principles.” They say they should no longer cooperate with the Society because it has left the path of Christian neutrality and “has taken part in the Western propaganda campaign’’ and “takes sides with the West against the East.’’ It has moved “by far beyond the limits of a religious organization, right into the world, from which it pretends to be separated.” The publishers, of course, know what kind of talk this “brotherly counsel” is, and only a few individuals, who had been dissatisfied with Jehovah’s arrangement for his sheep all the time, fell for it. Truly, this is a time to stay awake and keep one’s outer garments. Compromisers will not live in Jehovah’s new world.
HUNGARY
The good news of the Kingdom is being preached throughout all Hungary. The number of publishers remained just about the same as a year ago, but the Bible studies conducted by the brothers have increased over last year. There are more congregations established throughout the territory, and, of course, we understand that the brothers must meet together in small groups. One of the reasons for no increase this year is that the police are making it more difficult and some of the responsible brothers who had been directing the work, even though it is carried on underground, have been put in prison.
An elderly woman returned to Hungary and she knew a good bit about the truth and began to preach it. She stopped going to the Catholic Church and stuck with her Bible and talked it. The police learned about it and sent the chaplain to see the elderly woman and she told him that the reason she did not come to church any more was that the teachings of the church contradicted the Bible. She was very outspoken to the priest and showed him from the Bible what things are being taught. To try to scare the woman back into the Catholic Church he threatened that if she left the church she would not get a burial. To this she replied that she was not afraid and, up to this moment, she had never seen anyone left lying upon the ground who was dead. When the priest was spoken to about keeping the commandments of God, he replied that they could not do it because of the government, so she answered and told the priest: “So you transgress God’s law and throw your own souls to the Devil. You should just see the people who teach God’s Word and what sort of people they are because they trust God and can teach the truth. They preach without price and they are unpretentious.” Here she was referring to Jehovah’s witnesses, and she will continue to study the Bible with them.
So the clergy of all religions have compromised with communism, but Jehovah’s witnesses are stalwart and will continue to preach the good news of God’s kingdom and live according to the commandments of Jehovah. We are proud of our brothers in Hungary who have gone through such severe persecution and yet have held their ground.
POLAND
Another year of very severe fighting is past, fighting for the truth, and at the same time another year of real joy has gone by because of the wonderful blessings that Jehovah God has bestowed upon his people in this land. Attacks of all types have been pouring down on God’s people in Poland and it seems to be all at once. The Devil would try to cause God’s people to lose their bearings and grow weary of the battle. But this has not been the case. Rather, these faithful Christians have determined to become more stanch in their beliefs and in their proclaiming of the good news. Free worship for Christians is something that is not acknowledged in the land. Everything and everybody is expected to conform to the communistic belief. While religion is tolerated, it is only tolerated when it conforms to the communistic ideologies. Persons are not free to move about the country, at least not Jehovah’s witnesses, without inspection. Persons carrying packages are soon stopped. For example, one sister was getting off a railroad train and was going through a barrier where she was to be checked. She was carrying a large package of Watch Tower literature that was quite heavy and so she asked a soldier who was also in line to go by the barriers if he would carry it for her while she went through. This he did and there was no trouble, as the soldier was not checked. She thanked the soldier for her package and went on her way.
Another experience coming from Poland tells us of a man in a large provincial city who learned of the truth and became zealous in proclaiming it. His wife was very much opposed and constantly fought him. With all her objections it did not stop her husband from preaching. She stole all of his Bible literature and took it to the state attorney and pressed charges against her husband. She stated that he had become one of Jehovah’s witnesses, that he was hiding banned literature in their home and, further, that he beat her mercilessly. All her relatives, she said, were witnesses of this terrible brutality and would be glad to testify in court. All witnesses were sworn in and requested to tell the truth. The young brother was surprised at such action, but as each witness took the stand they did testify that they knew nothing of any such brutality. To the contrary, since the defendant had become one of Jehovah’s witnesses he had become a genuinely pleasant man who would not do anything to hurt a person. Following these testimonies of the wife’s witnesses the judge spoke angrily to the accuser and asked her if she was possessed of the demons, for raising such false accusations. The defendant was acquitted and the court directed that all the stolen literature seized by his wife and turned over to the court be returned to him. The conclusion of the matter is this: The wife realized that it was impossible to fight against the truth and her husband, who is a Christian. She gave in and accepted the truth herself. She is now studying the literature with her husband.
A clergyman told his pupils at school that Jehovah’s witnesses are very dangerous people and that they get their new members by paying them money. A young girl stood up in the class and explained that that was not the case. She said that one of Jehovah’s witnesses visited her parents and studied the Bible with them and that no money was ever given to the people who called at their home. Right after that a second, a third and a fourth girl spoke up and verified the fact that Jehovah’s witnesses called at their homes and money was never paid for Bible instruction. The clergyman sadly-said: “So Jehovah’s witnesses have invaded my parish too.”
One circuit servant reports that Jehovah’s witnesses have already reached every town, even the smallest villages, and have presented the light of truth to practically everyone. This is true concerning practically all the circuits organized in Poland.
Jehovah’s witnesses are well known throughout all the land and from time to time the names and addresses of individuals are taken and filed somewhere. The reason the government wanted the names and addresses was soon found out. Even though no prosecution was brought against the people themselves, it appears that the government published its own “Watchtower” and then would send this communistic-published “Watchtower” through the mails anonymously to the various addresses of Jehovah’s witnesses that they had got hold of. This is what had already been tried before in other communistic countries, in Russia and East Germany. The August issue of this communistic forgery was only twelve pages instead of the usual twenty-four that is published in Poland. The first eight pages published the second chapter of the book “New Heavens and a New Earth” in the Polish language and then a few sentences of chapter 15 were published, and then following these few sentences came all kinds of filth and dirt and the most confused sort of jumbled thoughts, slander and wrong conclusions. It is supposed that the Communist authorities thought that God’s people would lose their sense of balance as a result of these measures, but one who understands the truth and studies the Bible would not be confused by such errors.
They have even gone so far as to try to infiltrate into the organization their own representatives, hoping that somehow they would get official positions and in that manner could get those who are directing the work. While some harm has been done in this manner, not sufficient has been done to slow down the work at all. It resolves itself finally in the arresting of thirty or forty brothers and the exposing of the traitor. How fully corrupt a man must be to fight so viciously against God’s people who are living peaceful lives and preaching such a good message! These spies that the Communist organization has tried to infiltrate in are men filled with deceit. How sad is the lot of such traitors! Their reward will be that of Judas!
One pioneer sister was arrested recently. After she was put in her cell an elderly policeman came to her and said: “I know you are one of Jehovah’s witnesses and you comfort people. I need comfort too. Please do not look upon my uniform. Sometimes a sincere heart beats under such clothing. Please comfort me also with the comfort which you possess.” So the sister witnessed to the officer and brought him peace of mind and later on he interceded with the administration on the sister’s behalf that she might be freed earlier.
Whenever Jehovah’s witnesses are brought to the courts the authorities try to find some excuse for putting them away in prison, believing that, if they can confine Jehovah’s witnesses, then their activities will be diverted away from the people of Poland and they will become silent. However, even though Jehovah’s witnesses are arrested and put in prison for a while these Christians keep on preaching. One instance is reported of a brother who was a barber and who was put in prison, and, of course, they assigned him to the barber shop in the prison. In a short time he won over the two prison barbers to the truth, and then as these three went from cell to cell they preached the Kingdom message. Before very long 600 prisoners had been thoroughly informed about the truth. So the prisonhouse became a place of Bible study and Bible inquiry.
Reports coming out of Poland tell us that the work is most interesting. Some surprising experiences arise and the joy of the brothers is great in Jehovah. They have followed the text of the year to stay awake, and because they have been staying awake they certainly are happy and they have kept their ministerial outer garments. A marvelous witness was given in Poland, and Jehovah’s witnesses around the world rejoice with their brothers there.
The branch servant in concluding his report says: “We now heartily greet all of the other publishers in the East and the West and ask them: *Say respecting the righteous one that it will be well, for they will eat the very fruitage of their dealings.’”—Isa. 3:10.
ROMANIA
Jehovah’s witnesses in Romania have again done a good work. At times it is rather difficult to get reports from them, but we do know that they are steadfastly pressing on with the preaching of the good news of the Kingdom. There has been a nice increase in the number of publishers in this land and many home Bible studies are being conducted, this to the joy of persons seeking truth and righteousness. The brothers are content in their work, although, like persons in all other parts of the world where restrictions are placed upon the work, they would like to have more freedom to preach the good news of the Kingdom. They are looked upon as an illegal group, and it is true that the authorities are seeking to find all the witnessing groups and are anxious to arrest everyone who has been carrying on the witnessing work. However, even knowing that the authorities are searching for Jehovah’s witnesses and trying to get evidence that they are preaching, these Christian ministers of God are determined to continue under any conditions, for they know that the vindication of Jehovah’s name is all-important. They are working together in very small groups all over the country, doing what they can to help one another and to find those of good will.
The strong bond of unity and love was very definitely demonstrated when God’s people in Romania celebrated the Lord’s evening meal this past year. They had a remarkable attendance, and this afforded an opportunity to witness further to those showing interest. Even though the attendance was very good, they had to meet in threes and fours throughout the country. It was exceptional to have ten together. Meeting in this manner, they were able to succeed in frustrating the government agents who wanted to apprehend them on this particular night. How true it is that the Devil is the god of this world and he goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, and he certainly would devour all of God’s people by putting special pressure on those behind the Iron Curtain in communistic countries. But the report comes through that the brothers are happy because of their privilege to serve God and they recognize that God’s spirit and power are upon them in these difficult days as they announce the good news of God’s kingdom and the rapidly approaching battle of Armageddon.
UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS
The communication lines between the witnesses of Jehovah God in Russia and other parts of the world are long and in most instances very slow, and very cautious measures must be taken in order to pass information out of the U.S.S.R. into another part of the world. Of course, Jehovah’s witnesses everywhere are anxious to know what is going on, and during this past year the newspapers of Russia itself have revealed to the world that Jehovah’s witnesses are very active in the land. There is much proof today that Jehovah’s witnesses in Russia have done a wonderful work in proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom and gathering together the other sheep. The news items that appeared about Jehovah’s witnesses in Russia’s own newspapers testify to this. Previous to this the Communists in Russia have tried to deal with the Witnesses in a quiet manner. Obviously they felt that such a course was the best one for them to follow in their efforts to keep the message of Jehovah’s kingdom suppressed. Now they have resorted to dealing with this problem in public. They seem to have realized that they have lost the battle to keep the message from being spread throughout all of Russia. The people of Russia want to know the truth and many are seeking out Jehovah’s witnesses. This is quite disturbing to the communistic organization. Even the Communist official paper of Moscow, Pravda, felt it necessary to devote a sizable article on one of its outer pages to the work of Jehovah’s witnesses. The illustrated magazine Krokodil, published by the same group, brought out a two-page article with seven photographs under the heading of “The Spiders.” This was filled, of course, with the basest lies and slander in order to smear Jehovah’s witnesses. But when the Communists could not subdue Jehovah’s witnesses one way, then they tried to do it another way, thinking that the people would not listen to the message of God. That is what is worrying the Communists, for the people are listening.
One cannot be sure just how the Russian Bible is written, but certainly the newspapers are not very well acquainted with the Bible and the quoting of verse, for in one of their articles where they were trying to slander Jehovah’s witnesses, they said: “Jehovahites have as their aim the moral formula, ‘be gentle as doves but poisonous as snakes.’ ” Every Christian knows the true quotation: “Look! I am sending you forth as sheep amidst wolves; therefore prove yourselves cautious as serpents and yet innocent as doves.” (Matt. 10:16) If only the newspaper writers and magazine editors who were saying scurrilous things about Jehovah’s witnesses had continued to read—if they had had a Bible at all— they would have found this written to Christians: “Be on your guard against men; for they will deliver you up to local courts and they will scourge you in their synagogues. Why, you will be haled before governors and kings for my sake for the purpose of a witness to them and the nations.”—Matt. 10:17, 18.
Our brothers in Russia, and throughout the world for that matter, have certainly been fulfilling this scripture and even more so in these recent years. They have been faithfully declaring the good news before rulers and at the same time they have been laboring under adverse persecution and criticism.
Word comes through that the brothers and sisters from one end of the Soviet Union to the other are really united with all the other members of the New World society in this great work of gathering the other sheep of Jehovah, which work consists of training these persons of good will in the spirit of meekness and righteousness and aiding them to find the city of refuge before the fast-approaching battle of God the Almighty, Armageddon, breaks upon them. The main theme of our brothers witnessing in the U.S.S.R. is the kingdom of God, and our main goal has always been more mature publishers. So we see that their spirit is the same as the spirit of God’s people everywhere else. They know what they are doing and they are doing it well, as can be seen by the increases made while working under difficult conditions. The brothers report:
“We want to briefly describe here under what kind of social, economic and ideological conditions we are forced to work. Above all, is to be emphasized that in the Soviet bloc the ideas of socialism and Marxism have taken strong hold of the populace. During the forty years of the existence of the socialist regime a new generation of people has grown up, which has been educated in the spirit of materialism and atheism. The influence of the church and of religion as a whole is very slight and vanishes more and more each day. The present-day youth is being raised in an environment of atheism starting right from the school bench. A widely spread network of clubs, libraries and cultural centers, in the city as well as in the country, has become a major factor in the education of the growing generation and of the youth in atheistic aspect. Not alone in the cities but also in the villages, even in the Western Ukraine, in Western White Russia, in Moldavia, in Zakarpatje and in the Baltic area, which has been relatively well incorporated into the Soviet bloc, faith in God is not popular. As already stated, the youth does not even believe in God and the older people react now less and less to the influence of religion. It often occurs that the church bells ring all morning to call the pastoral congregation to the church services, without a single person responding. So then the church is just closed without church services having been held. Elderly people prefer going to the movie, theater and sports events just as the youth does, for they find satisfaction for their spiritual needs there and this free of charge or at least cheaper than in the church. The extension of education, a greater influx of children to higher schools of learning, the improvement of living standards in comparison to the postwar years—all of these things are strong temptations on the part of mammon. And when one considers that radio and press dedicate a large part of their presentations to atheistic propaganda, it is easy to understand how strong the ideas of atheism and Marxism have become here. All means and all organizations are mobilized in the war against religious creeds. Party organizations, labor unions, the organization of the Communist youth and even child pioneer organizations are active in this campaign. Every business, every factory, every institution, every labor farm, every school and every establishment has a plan worked out to fit the situation to spread antireligious and atheistic propaganda. These measures are aimed at reaching the whole populace—children, youth and old people. In every region, in every city and in every village there are special atheistic centers. Readings are conducted rurally by teachers and other intelligent persons, and in the cities there are societies for the furtherance of scientific knowledge. Hundreds of copies of booklets, magazines and books with antireligious and atheistic themes are being distributed. This colossal work and the whole network of arrangements and measures are being financed by the government. Faith in God and religion are considered here to be remnants of the past.
“Despite the many difficulties and the oppressive conditions under which we serve, we are blessed with a manifold shower of food, thanks to Jehovah’s care through his organization, and also with some increase in the number of publishers. We rejoice unitedly with all our brothers and sisters on the entire face of the earth. We rejoice about the great enthusiasm and the spiritedness that now rules among God’s people. We rejoice with all those coming to the ‘city of refuge’ in these last days of the old world and its system of things. A tremendous work is now also being carried on by us in which thousands of ministers have a part.
“We thank Jehovah, our heavenly Father, that he cares for us so paternally in recognizing our distress and difficulties and always showing us the way out of them. The work of distributing literature has been expanded a great deal in this respect during the past two years.
“On the average, The 'Watchtower or the Kingdom Ministry have been published almost every month during these years. The Watchtower has been distributed in such numbers that the needs of practically every congregation have been met.
“The major part of our activity is incidental witnessing at every opportunity: at work, in the fields, in factories during the noon hour, on the way to work or at other practical opportunities. The brothers and sisters make use of all conditions and possibilities in order to witness to the people of good will concerning God’s kingdom.
“One has to consider that all creeds of faith are officially registered here and they are allowed to hold their church services openly. Here there is no political opposition and no political underground movement. Only the organization of Jehovah’s witnesses is outlawed and has been forbidden, so that we have to work underground.
“It is well to emphasize that the work is now being carried on in places where it was not formerly done. Numerous theocratic centers have been built up.
“It is Jehovah’s will, that of our Creator and Organizer, that his organization continue to exist under such circumstances. We are convinced that it will keep on existing here and being active and that its doors will remain open to all people of good will as long as Jehovah finds it necessary, yes, till Armageddon, as long as people of good will are here. Under all conditions we are glad to be active here to the vindication of Jehovah’s name.
“We pray to Jehovah for wise guidance, for his blessing and aid, so that also here in our territory Jehovah’s approved work might be performed hastily, and we all unitedly march forward with all of Jehovah’s people in the mighty movement of the New World society. We take this opportunity to send you sincere, heartfelt greetings and to wish you tremendous success in Jehovah’s work.”
YUGOSLAVIA
Jehovah’s witnesses in Yugoslavia have put up a good fight for the faith this year and they have met up with many difficulties all along the way, but they are filled with joy and happiness, and in harmony with the text of the year it can truly be said that they are happy, for they have stayed awake and they have retained their outer garments. While Yugoslavia is a communistic country, it is not behind the Iron Curtain. Persons are welcomed to go into the country and Jehovah’s witnesses there have a number of Kingdom Halls of their own where they have their regular meetings. They have the opportunity of distributing literature to those who desire to read things pertaining to the Bible, and in general conversation they may express their views concerning the Word of God without molestation. So Jehovah’s witnesses in Yugoslavia are walking fearlessly and courageously and use every opportunity that they possibly can to preach the good news of the established Kingdom.
One of our sisters who lives in a small town where there is a little group of Witnesses practicing true worship reports the following: “In our public schools a meeting is arranged with parents and teachers every second month in which the teachers’ problems with the children are discussed. At one of these meetings a lady teacher explained that she had great difficulties with the children because the mothers speak to their children at home about God, whereas the evolution theory is taught in the schools, and it was really about time that the parents stopped teaching them this superstition and let the teachers take over the proper education of the children in this respect. I raised my hand to speak and said: ‘Our laws guarantee every citizen full freedom of faith and conscience, and I am allowed to educate my child in the belief in a true God and Creator. If a teacher or the teaching faculty as a whole can clearly and logically prove to me—publicly before all present here—that nature with its wonderful laws has evolved out of nothing, hence without a lawgiver, then I am also ready myself to accept the evolution teaching and also to teach this to my children. If you are not able to produce this evidence for me, then permit me to prove to you that there is a lawgiver. I can even give you his name—his name is Jehovah, and he created the ape as well as all the innumerable kinds of animals, but he created man, too, as the crown of his creation, endowing him above the animals with wisdom, justice, love and power. It is really a shame that man can debase himself so low as to believe that he descends from an animal, and I cannot, and shall never allow my child to be taught this.’ The Director interrupted me, commenting that it was good that this question had been raised, and closed the meeting.” A few days later the sister heard that this incident was being discussed in the whole little town and Catholic parents who were present at the meeting said they too would like to have said something like that, “but we cannot speak so convincingly about our faith.” The sister has now so many interested persons to teach that she can hardly fit in time to serve them all.
A young brother, who was a party member until not so long ago, writes us how difficulties arose when he began to witness. In the factory he was a member of the worker’s council, to which he had been elected three years before he knew the truth. (The factories are run here by so-called worker’s councils.) The members of the council tried all they could to turn him away from this “crazy belief,” and when they were unsuccessful they agreed among themselves to have him put into an asylum as mentally deranged. They invited him to drive with them to a “meeting” in town. There were four of them in the car, and as they drew up before the hospital the three men seized the brother and brought him to the director who was to take the “patient” in charge and examine him. The three other councilors were present and the brother stated at once that he knew why they had brought him there, and gave a comprehensive, logical and convincing witness. Then he added: “You see now, Doctor, this is my belief and what I believe I can also logically prove, and because I am able to prove this to my colleagues, they are angry with me, but this too is only another proof to me that my belief is right, because Jesus, the founder of the true faith, foretold this very thing.” The consultation lasted one and a half hours, and at the conclusion the doctor said: “You may go home, but we will keep these three here, because they do not seem to be quite in order.” The three bolted and waited with the car for the brother in the next street. During the journey home they asked him many questions and two of them are now very interested.
BEARING MORE FRUIT
Now that we have read the many encouraging experiences and have learned of the great increase in numbers of Jehovah’s witnesses in the many parts of the earth, it surely makes one’s heart glad. “The blessing of Jehovah—that is what makes rich, and he adds no pain with it.” (Prov. 10:22) What peace there is in the thousands of congregations scattered throughout the world, and with those isolated groups, even twos and threes! And yet, all together, they make up the body of Christians that Jehovah God is using in these last days to proclaim the good news of his glorious kingdom. Truly marvelous!
And how true it is, too, that individually each Christian, as well as the whole Christian congregation, must accomplish the will of God. Jesus pointed this out when he said: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the cultivator. Every branch in me not bearing fruit he takes away, and every one bearing fruit he cleans, that it may bear more fruit.” (John 15:1, 2) Jehovah, the Father, is interested in his vine. He cultivates and cares for it. In this “true vine,” which Jesus says is himself, there are many branches. These branches are his disciples that ‘remain in union with him and he in union with them.’ But these branches must produce fruit to stay there! If the individual does not produce fruit, then Jesus says: “Every branch in me not bearing fruit he takes away.” Certainly when one is taken away by the Father he no longer is a part of the vine. He is not in Christ Jesus any more, therefore not in the organization that Jesus started, the “kingdom of the heavens” class.
So then, those who stay in the vine will remain a part of the Kingdom class and produce fruit; and furthermore: “Every one bearing fruit he cleans, that it may bear more fruit.” Jehovah, the Cultivator, is interested in the fruit-bearing branches, in their production. Today it means exercising the Christlike qualities in bringing forth the other sheep. These other sheep are coming into God’s visible organization by the tens of thousands. Jehovah is keeping his vine well cultivated so that it continues to bear much fruit.
Paul described the Christian organization, “the kingdom of the heavens" class, as being like the human body, with Christ Jesus as the head of that body. Also, the vine that Jesus talked about is another picture of the “kingdom of the heavens” class into which Jehovah calls faithful followers of Jesus Christ who become branches of the vine and are fruit-bearing. A natural vine bears fruit every year, and after the fruit-bearing season the vine is trimmed so that the next year it will bear fruit again, better fruit, as well as a larger quantity.
What a fitting picture of the work done by Jehovah’s witnesses, always gathering and preparing for the next year’s production! Christ Jesus, the true vine, along with its many branches, has produced, is producing and will produce. Did Jesus not say: “I have other sheep . . . those also I must bring”? (John 10:16) Jehovah’s witnesses’ organization could never have produced the way that it did if it were not tied in with Christ Jesus, nor could it have produced all this fruit if it were not for Jehovah God cultivating the vine and giving it the increase. What a blessing to remain in union with Christ Jesus! Jesus said: “He that remains in union with me, and I in union with him, this one bears much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing at all.”—John 15:5.
This 1959 service year has truly been a fruit-bearing year in union with Christ, in whose footsteps we walk. And the results, as Jesus stated it, were: “My Father is glorified in this, that you keep bearing much fruit and prove yourselves my disciples.” (John 15:8) So let each and every one remain associated with this true vine that Jehovah continues to cultivate and care for and keeps clean for further production. It is indeed a precious privilege to be associated with Christ Jesus, the now-reigning King, and we can expect that the 1960 service year will be another marvelous year and that its fruit-bearing, too, will bring more happiness and joy to our heavenly Father.
Everyone in Jehovah’s organization must appreciate that the strength of the organization lies in its unity. “Remain in union with me, and I in union with you.” (John 15:4) Those were Jesus’ words to his disciples. Jehovah directs us through his Word. This Word is so complete that it can guide and direct every individual as well as every congregation made up of these Christian individuals. Remember Jesus’ words: “Just as the Father has loved me and I have loved you, remain in my love. If you observe my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have observed the commandments of the Father and remain in his love.”—John 15:9, 10.
During the past year every dedicated, ordained minister of God who ‘observed the commandments of the Father and remained in his love’ kept his ministerial garments on. He stayed awake. He still has work to do and for this he is glad. Jehovah’s witnesses worldwide will stay awake and keep busy at fruit-bearing, because this is the right thing to do now. The whole vine and its branches produced exceptionally well in 1959. Look at the amount of fruit-bearing in terms of 86,394 more persons having associated themselves as regular witnesses with God’s organization. These other sheep were shown the way of salvation and came out of the Devil’s organization into God’s organization. Now they, too, are going to have the privilege of bearing fruit as the remnant of the body of Christ have had. These other sheep have accepted Christ Jesus as their Redeemer. They have approached their Father in heaven through his name. In prayer they have told Jehovah of their dedicating their lives to his service. Publicly, 86,345 men and women were baptized in water, declaring that they were determined by Jehovah’s undeserved kindness to do the divine will. What a cause for rejoicing!
But do you appreciate what these tens of thousands of individuals have made the Society do? It had to organize 2,104 more congregations. That means that every day in the year six new congregations had to be established, with approximately forty members in each of these congregations. That is a lot of fruit-bearing. Today there are 19,982 congregations scattered throughout the whole world. How wonderful of God to arrange for the ingathering work today and for these newly dedicated Christians to gather together in a group to study, encourage one another and to build them up in the most holy faith! All those that were in these many congregations plus the new ones that have come in during the year will continue right on gathering in the new service year, bearing still more fruit. The vine becomes larger in scope and more productive because it is kept clean by Jehovah so that it will produce. Our Father is caring for his vine so as to have a greater production of integrity-keeping people.
Having considered such an interesting report and having read such fine experiences of Jehovah’s witnesses throughout the world, all ordained ministers are moved to press on enthusiastically during the 1960 service year and to make that an even greater year of praise to the honor and glory of Jehovah’s name.
There are a number of ways in which Jehovah’s witnesses can improve their individual worship of Jehovah God. Be sure to stay close to Jehovah’s organization. Attend the congregation meetings. Keep awake to your privileges of service. Keep spiritually and morally clean. Never get yourself into a condition where you would be lopped off the vine and pitched into the fire to be burned, being of no more use to Jehovah at all. Never become an unproductive associate of the vine. By keeping yourself away from the congregated people of Jehovah’s blessed organization you will not be feeding upon the necessary spiritual food that helps one to be productive. Congregation publishers and pioneers need close association with Jehovah through Christ Jesus. All being ordained ministers of God, dedicated to his service, they will continue in fruit-bearing by bringing many other sheep into God’s organization and by training them from house to house and in the Bible study work.
Many congregation publishers, it is hoped, will see their way clear in 1960 to enter the pioneer service, perhaps first as vacation pioneers, then as regular pioneers. Later perhaps some will get into the special pioneer work and go on to Gilead School. There is a big field for special pioneers in different parts of the world. Already the Society has 5,442 special pioneers, and, of these, 775 are graduates of Gilead School living in missionary homes. But, then, too, many of the other special pioneers have graduated from Gilead School and are working in different cities and isolated places where no missionary homes are established because it is inadvisable to have such homes.
However, we appreciate that not everyone can get into the lull-time preaching work even though they are full-time ordained ministers. But congregation publishers might consider going where the need is great in some foreign territory, or maybe in their own country. In this year’s Yearbook the reader will observe at the heading of every country the population of the country, the peak in publishers and the ratio of publishers to the population. If anyone is interested in going where the need is great, it will not take long to check through the Yearbook and see where the most need is. Certainly there is no need to go where there is one publisher to every one thousand people or thereabouts. There is no need to go to a territory that has a lower ratio than that either. With one publisher to a thousand, an ordained minister would only have an average of 250 families to call on, and one going where the need is great wants more homes to look after than that. So study the Yearbook figures if you are thinking of going where the need is great. When a country is not even listed in the Yearbook, then you know the need is great there too. If some opportunity opens up for you to go to such a place, then you may become the first witness of God in that particular territory.
Maybe you cannot travel far; so why not write to your branch office if you want to change the location of your home and work where the need is great in your own country? You can find out from your branch office where there is some territory having more than 2,000 people for every one witness of Jehovah. You may want to go in there to help out. Or, there may be a place to which you could move your whole family where there is no congregation at all and you could start a little congregation of God’s people. There is no limit to the privileges of service extended to God’s full-time ministers, whether they put in ten to fifteen hours monthly in preaching, or 100 hours, as do pioneers, or 150 hours, as do the missionaries and special pioneers. Arrange your affairs so that you can bear more fruit right at home or somewhere else. That is the important thing. Be a good ordained minister all day long no matter where you live.
It has been a real joy to bring together all these good experiences from Jehovah’s witnesses in all parts of the earth and to now have them published in the 1960 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses. All of you ministers undoubtedly have expressed to Jehovah your appreciation for being entrusted with the ministry and that so many new ones have now been gathered into the New World society. Now these must be brought on to maturity and be trained better, as all of Jehovah’s witnesses must be. We want all of our brothers and others to gain an accurate knowledge of the truth, so that everyone will be a more qualified minister. Let us help one another. Let us keep in mind the text for the year 1960: “Seek peace and pursue it. For Jehovah’s eyes are upon the righteous.” (1 Pet. 3:11, 12) If we continue to do this, then Jehovah’s rich blessing will be our portion.
Before closing this very pleasant report it is a joy to pass on to all of you brothers throughout the world, in every nook and corner, the warm love and greetings from your fellow ministers in all the other parts of this earth. In every report the branch servants made this request. This love and oneness alone shows how we are all associated with the one vine, Christ Jesus, bearing fruit, and how together we will continue to seek peace and pursue it so that all kinds of men of all nations may learn the truth and so that the precious things of the nations may be gathered together into Jehovah’s organization, there to praise him.
I want to say, too, that along with my brothers everywhere in the world I join with them in sending warm love and best wishes to all of you. My prayer is that Jehovah’s rich blessing will be with you too, and we can be confident that it will be, because “Jehovah’s eyes are upon the righteous.”
Your brother, seeking peace and pursuing it,
President
Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society of Pennsylvania
Annual Meeting
The regular annual meeting of the members of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania was held at its registered office at 4100 Bigelow Blvd., Pittsburgh 13, Pennsylvania, at 10 a.m., on Thursday, October 1, 1959. This was in accordance with the charter and in accordance with the letter sent to all members of the Society. The president of the Society presided at the meeting and, according to the secretary’s report, 422 members were present in person or by proxy. There were two vacancies in the board of directors to be filled and Frederick W. Franz and Hugo H. Riemer were elected again for a period of three years by unanimous vote. The secretary, upon request of the chair, read excerpts from letters received from members of the Pennsylvania corporation throughout the earth. These contained greetings to those present at the annual meeting and also very interesting field service experiences from the different countries. The 1,436 persons present were indeed interested in these reports as well as the talk that Brother Knorr gave on the subject of “The Seeking of Peace.” The president also announced that he would be making a trip to South America in the latter part of November, and all present asked him to convey to all of Jehovah’s witnesses that he met along the way their warm love and greetings. The session lasted two hours and it was certainly enjoyed by all in attendance. The meeting was closed with prayer by Brother Knorr.
On Monday morning, October 12, the annual meeting of the board of directors of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania 321 was held at the executive office of the Society at 124 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn 1, New York. The purpose of this meeting was the election of officers for the ensuing year. All directors were there except one who, owing to illness, could not be present. The meeting was opened with prayer and then the following officers were unanimously elected: N. H. Knorr, president; F. W. Franz, vice-president; Grant Suiter, secretary-treasurer; H. H. Riemer, assistant secretary-treasurer. After the election of officers the president gave a report on the financial condition of the Society and pointed out how well the work was going in all parts of the world and how the brothers had contributed generously during the year so that a greater expansion program could be carried on, particularly in the building and finishing of the new British branch office, a new Bethel home in Paris, France, and a large addition to the one in Wiesbaden. Other constructions were under way, but in addition to this it was possible for the Society to put on a goodly number more ordained ministers in the special pioneer work, which added greatly to reaching into formerly isolated territories in different countries of the world.
The board of directors also expressed themselves as deeply grateful to Jehovah God for their privilege of service and are indeed happy to be associated with such wonderful brothers and sisters all around the world in this great work of preaching the good news of the Kingdom, and are determined by Jehovah’s undeserved kindness to press on faithfully in their respective positions, looking well to the interests of the Kingdom.
The meeting was closed with prayer expressing gratitude to Jehovah God through his Son, Christ Jesus, for his rich blessing upon his people and the manifestation of his holy spirit in guiding and directing the affairs of Jehovah’s witnesses everywhere.
“Seek peace and pursue it. For Jehovah’s eyes are upon the righteous."—1 Pet. 3:11, 12.
Life is precious. With life one can see good days if he lives those days according to the will of God. Jehovah has been very kind to his people in that he has given them his Word that they might follow it and take the right course. The right course is the peaceful one. How true the statement: “For he that would love life and see good days ... let him seek peace and pursue it. For Jehovah’s eyes are upon the righteous”! (1 Pet. 3:10-12) To come out of the old world with all its trouble, hate, war, deception and lies and move in with the New World society is like coming out of darkness into light. So many individuals have done just that this past service year of 1959. In fact, 86,394 more individuals have regularly associated themselves with Jehovah’s witnesses and preached every month during the whole year. They have followed the wise counsel of the psalmist in this: “Turn away from what is bad and do what is good, and so reside to time indefinite.”—Ps. 37:27.
What a change, coming out of the old world and into the New World society, there to find pleasant, loving fellowship where already your brothers and sisters have beaten “their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning shears”! (Isa. 2:4) With such a spirit permeating the whole organization, one wants to stay at peace. The wise man once said: “When Jehovah takes pleasure in the ways of a man he causes even his enemies themselves to be at peace with him.” 323
(Prov. 16:7) Surely if a man refuses to be quarrelsome and belligerent and will not fight with another person, what else can the other individual do but be at peace? And so Jehovah’s witnesses, having disposed of their weapons of war and wanting now to do the divine will and to live in peace with their neighbors, it makes a great change in their lives. Think of the close relationship too that one has with Jehovah God when one is peaceable, for Jesus said of them: “Happy are the peaceable, since they will be called ‘sons of God.’ ” And this great truthteller, Christ Jesus, went so far as to say that, even if you are persecuted or reproached, if you continue in your peaceful way of life, you will rejoice and leap for joy. Read what he said: “Happy are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake, since the kingdom of the heavens belongs to them. Happy are you when people reproach you and persecute you and lyingly say every kind of wicked thing against you for my sake. Rejoice and leap for joy, since your reward is great in the heavens.”—Matt. 5:10-12.
To persons in the wicked old world, that is strange talk. But to those who have dedicated their lives to Jehovah’s service and have been baptized in water it is understandable. Jehovah’s ordained ministers have walked in a peaceful way and preached the good news to others and with good success. They will continue in this manner seeking peace and pursuing it. They know for a certainty that their lives are going to be filled with good days, and they know, too, that “Jehovah’s eyes are upon the righteous and his ears are toward their supplication.”—1 Pet. 3:12.
Life with peace is what all of Jehovah’s ordained ministers want. They have the opportunity to prove to their God that they can and want to live that way.
BETHEL IN FRANCE. New
Branch
offices, limited printing and Kingdom Ministry School.
Paris center
gill BE. IfflllNl
BETHEL IN GERMANY. New structure (foreground) augments Wiesbaden facilities and houses Kingdom Ministry School.
CHIEF OFFICE AND OFFICIAL ADDRESS OF
Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society of Pennsylvania Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.
International Bible Students Association
124 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn 1, New York, U.S.A.
ADDRESSES OF BRANCH OFFICES:
ARGENTINA: Calle Honduras 5646-48, Buenos Aires 14. AUSTRALIA: 11 Beresford Road, Strathfield, N.S.W. AUSTRIA: Galigasse 44, Vienna XIII. BAHAMAS: Box 1241, Nassau, N.P. BELGIUM: 28 Ave. Gen. Eisenhower, Schaerbeek-Brussels. BERLIN, WESTERN GERMANY: 49-50 Bayernallee, Charlottenburg 9. BOLIVIA: Casilla No. 1440, La Paz. BRAZIL: Rua Liclnio Cardoso 330, Rio de Janeiro. BRITISH GUIANA: 50 Brickdam, Georgetown 11. BRITISH HONDURAS: Box 257, Belize. BURMA: P.O. Box 62, Rangoon. CANADA: 150 Bridgeland Ave., Toronto 19, Ontario. CEYLON: 35 Beach Rd., Mount Lavinia. CHILE: Correo 15, Casilla 261-V, Santiago. COLOMBIA: Apartado Aereo 2587, Barranquilla. COSTA RICA: Apartado 2043, San Jos6. CUBA: Avenida 15 Nilin. 4608, Almendares, Marianao, Havana. CYPRUS: P.O. Box 288, Limassol. DENMARK: Kongevejen 207, Virum Copenhagen. ECUADOR: Casilla 4512, Guayaquil. EGYPT: Post Box 387, Cairo. EIRE: 86 Lindsay Rd., Glasnevin, Dublin. EL SALVADOR: Apartado 401, San Salvador. ENGLAND: Watch Tower House, The Ridgeway, London N.W. 7. FIJI: Box 23, Suva. FINLAND: Vainamoisen-katu 27, Helsinki. FRANCE: 81, Rue du Point-du-Jour, Boulogne-Billancourt (Seine). GERMANY (WESTERN): Am Kohlheek, (16) Wiesbaden-Dotzheim. GHANA, WEST AFRICA: Box 760, Accra. GREECE: No. 6 Kartali St., Athens 6. GUADELOUPE: B.P. 239, Pointe-A-Pitre. GUATEMALA: 11 Avenida 5-67, Guatemala 1. HAITI: Post Box 185, Port-au-Prince. HAWAII: 1228 Pensacola St., Honolulu 14. HONDURAS: Apartado 147, Tegucigalpa. HONG KONG: 312 Prince Edward Rd., Second Floor, Kowloon. ICELAND: P.O. Box 251, Reykjavik. INDIA: 167 Love Lane, Bombay 27. INDONESIA: Postbox 2105, Djakarta. ISRAEL: 31 Uno Ave., Haifa. ITALY: Via Monte Maloia 32, Rome 742. JAMAICA. W.I.: 41 Trafalgar Rd., Kingston 10. JAPAN: 1 Toyooka-Cho, Shiba-Mita, Minato-Ku, Tokyo. KOREA: P.O. Box 7, Sodaemun-ku P.O., Seoul. LEBANON: P.O. Box 1122, Beirut. LEEWARD ISLANDS, T.W.I.: Box 119, St. Johns, Antigua. LIBERIA: P.O. Box 171, Monrovia. LUXEMBOURG: Rue Antoine Meyer 14, G.D. Luxembourg. MAURITIUS: 2 Arnaud St., Beau Bassin. MEXICO: Calzada Melchor Ocampo 71, Mexico 4, D.F. MOROCCO: Alvaro Berecochea, B.P. 1028 Principal, Tangier. NETHERLANDS: Koningslaan 1, Amsterdam-Z. NETHERLANDS ANTILLES: Breedestraat 12, Otrabanda, Curacao. NEWFOUNDLAND, CANADA: 239 Pennywell Rd., St. John’s. NEW ZEALAND: 621 New North Rd., Auckland S.W. 1. NICARAGUA: Apartado 183, Managua, D.N. NIGERIA, WEST AFRICA: P.O. Box 194, Yaba, Lagos. NORTHERN RHODESIA: 84 King George Ave., Luanshya. NORWAY: In-kognitogaten 28 B., Oslo. NYASALAND: Box 83, Blantyre. PAKISTAN: 8-E Habibullah Rd., Lahore. PANAMA: Apartado 1386, Panama. PARAGUAY: Ayolas 298, Asuncion. PERU: Pasaje Velarde 165, Lima. PHILIPPINE REPUBLIC: 186 Roosevelt Ave., San Francisco del Monte, Quezon City. PUERTO RICO: 704 Calle Lafayette, Pda. 21, Urb. Hip., Santurce 34. SIERRA LEONE: Box 136, Freetown. SINGAPORE 15: 33 Poole Road. SOUTH AFRICA: Private Bag, P.O. Elandsfontein, Transvaal. SOUTHERN RHODESIA: P.O. Box 1462, Salisbury. SURINAM: Box 49, Weidestraat 82 B, Paramaribo. SWEDEN: Jakobsberg. SWITZERLAND: Allmendstrasse 39, Berne 22. TAIWAN (CHINA): No. 5, Lane 99, Yung-Ho St., Taipei. THAILAND: Box 67, Bangkok. TRINIDAD, W.I.: 21 Taylor St., Woodbrook, Port of Spain. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: 117 Adams St., Brooklyn 1, N.Y. URUGUAY: Pablo de Maria 1132, Montevideo. VENEZUELA: Avda. Honduras, Quinta Luz, Urb. Las Acacias, Caracas, D.F.
