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A Big Step for a Small Country

“WHEN we saw all of this, we were speechless!” That was but one of the many remarks made by the enthusiastic guests at the dedication ceremonies of the new branch complex of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Emmen, the Netherlands, on October 29, 1983.

A crowd of 1,150, including 54 delegates from nine other countries, were present for the festive program. In attendance, too, were hundreds of old-timers, whose “gray-headedness” lent a special touch to the occasion. Among the special guests was M. G. Henschel, a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses, who came all the way from New York to serve on the dedication program. Nearby, in two assembly halls, an audience of 2,978 watched slides and listened to the program via telephone hookup.

Jehovah’s Direction Seen

What the guests came to see and spoke so glowingly about were the new facilities of the Netherlands Branch of the Watch Tower Society. The complex of buildings contains living quarters that can serve to accommodate up to 120 persons who would work at the branch. It also includes a dining room for 160 people, a modern kitchen and bakery annex, a laundry, a Kingdom Hall, and a library. In addition, there are offices in which 30 people can work comfortably, and a printing and shipping area half the size of a football field. All of this is located on a 5-hectare (12-a.) plot of land in the town of Emmen.

But why in Emmen, so far removed from the big cities in the west of the Netherlands and from the former branch facilities in Amsterdam? The story about the search for a suitable piece of land in this densely populated country clearly shows Jehovah’s direction in the matter.

The search started in 1978. By 1980 it seemed that all efforts had been in vain due to the Dutch government’s strict land preservation laws, which would limit the building of large-scale structures such as we would need. Consequently, the Watch Tower Society decided to stop the search and apply directly to the office of Town and Country Planning.

An interview soon came up. The official listened attentively to the proposals by the Witnesses. Then, to everyone’s surprise, he said: “Jehovah’s Witnesses did a unique work in our country during the second world war and that is unfortunately all too often forgotten. I shall see to it that your center comes in one of the three northern provinces of the Netherlands.” Jehovah has indeed answered the prayers of his people.

An appointment was made the very next morning with the director of Town and Country Planning for the north of the country. Within 24 hours, a piece of land of about five hectares was located in Emmen. It turned out to be just what was needed. A friendly burgomaster of Emmen, surprised at the helpful attitude of the zoning authorities, confirmed that the local government of Emmen would be pleased to accommodate Jehovah’s Witnesses. This promise has been adhered to consistently.

Meeting the Challenge

In August 1980 excavation began. But there was one problem. Up to that time, the Witnesses in the Netherlands had never undertaken any construction work larger than a Kingdom Hall or an Assembly Hall. Now they were faced with the challenge of building a home for 120 people along with a modern printing plant with its own machine shop and electronic typesetting equipment. No wonder that when a slide of the original group of 15 builders who were to make a start of the project was shown to the audience at the dedication program, all agreed that builders and organizers were, to say the least, “being optimistic.”

Soon the group grew to 120 full-time workers. On weekends as many as 150 people from the congregations would come to assist. But how did this group of relatively inexperienced workers manage the task? “The angels did the building for us,” said one of the builders. Somehow, difficult jobs always got done, and problems were solved in unexpected ways.

For example, even though concrete is very expensive in this part of the country, a secondhand concrete mill (batch plant) was generously offered, resulting in a saving of $60,000 (U.S.). Then, just when a large hoisting crane was needed, a building contractor had one for sale. Within a few weeks a 125-foot (40-m) crane was set up at the building site. And who was to operate it? A special pioneer (full-time minister) who had been trained as a crane operator just a few weeks before the building work began.

It was the same story with other craftsmen. Nearly the entire central heating and plumbing system was designed and installed by special pioneers who received their licenses by attending evening classes. Three of the draftsmen came into the truth just a few years ago. They worked in the same company where a fellow worker, a Witness, shared the “good news” with them. Even the building supervisor seemed to have appeared just at the right time. He learned the truth just a few years ago and moved his family to Emmen.

Jehovah Made It Grow

In spite of the commendable efforts on the part of the brothers, one question remained in the minds of many of those at the dedication: “What really was it that enabled Jehovah’s people in this small country to realize such a gigantic project?” The answer was obvious. Without Jehovah’s blessing, there would have been no need, let alone the possibility, for such a building project. The various speakers at the dedication ceremonies took the audience on a quick journey through the past to see how Jehovah has blessed the faithful ones.

Willi Diehl, delegate from Switzerland, related a story from the end of World War I. He said that J. F. Rutherford, then president of the Watch Tower Society, invited a Dutch dentist, Adriaan Block, who was living in Mulhouse, France, to return to the Netherlands to help with the preaching work there. Up to that time the work in the Netherlands had been under the supervision of the Central European branch office in Bern, Switzerland. Thus, in 1922, a branch office was set up in the Witte de Witstraat in Amsterdam. It was transferred to Haarlem in 1927.

At first, the work proceeded at the pace of an oxcart, as they used to say. Yet the oxcart was slowly but surely replaced by the motorcar. Another speaker, Richard Kelsey from Germany, told the audience that pioneers from Germany really did prepare the way for the work in the Netherlands. In 1932, 8 of the 12 pioneers in this country came from Germany. Later on, persecution by the Nazis drove many other German brothers and sisters to the Netherlands, where they carried on the preaching work.

With the forward movement of the preaching activity, more and more literature in the Dutch language appeared. Earlier, The Watchtower had been published in Dutch in 1918. But due to lack of interest it only lasted three issues. It reappeared in 1926, never again to disappear, not even during the dark days of World War II.

Just before the Netherlands became embroiled in the war, and starting with the October 1939 issue, the Dutch Watchtower was printed on a press that had come from Prague, Czechoslovakia. It warmed the hearts of all those present at the dedication to see on the platform the operator of that press, Brother Alois Stuhlmiller, one of the first pioneers from Germany, and to hear from his own lips the story about the printing of the magazines.

The printing operation in Haarlem did not last long. The press was soon confiscated by the Nazi invaders. As a gesture of compensation, after the war the Dutch government granted permission to set up a printery in Amsterdam, though magazines had to be produced in other countries. This printery has now grown into the fully equipped rotary offset printing plant in Emmen, where Dutch magazines are now printed.

Looking Ahead

Not only have the buildings and the printing operations undergone great expansion recently but so has the number of branch personnel, or the Bethel family. When the branch was first set up at the end of World War II, there were only three or four members. By 1964 the Bethel family had grown to 19. Even at the start of the 1980’s, the number was about 25. As of this writing, there are 75 members in their new home at Emmen, fully occupied with the work at hand. With the ample provisions and facilities at their disposal, they look forward to even greater things.

A big step? For this small country, Yes. Too big? No! For as Brother Henschel said in his dedication address: “This building has not been made for nothing.” There is a great future for the work of the Lord in this little country. We must look ahead and keep our hands to the plow. The 28,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Netherlands are determined to do this. Even though times have changed, and general interest in religious matters has faded into the background, there are still many people who react favorably to the Bible message of a coming new order. If it is Jehovah’s will, the Dutch Witnesses are eager to be used in further advancing the Kingdom interests in this small country.

[Map on page 26]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

NETHERLANDS

Emmen

Haarlem

Amsterdam

WEST GERMANY

BELGIUM

[Picture on page 28]

Lobby of the new branch office

[Picture on page 29]

Alois Stuhlmiller told how The Watchtower began to be printed in the Netherlands