November

The Large Door to Activity Is Open

¹ As a zealous preacher of the good news, Paul eagerly searched out territories where the need was greater, one of which was the city of Ephesus. He had such fine success preaching there that he wrote to fellow Christians: “A large door that leads to activity has been opened to me.” (1 Cor. 16:9) Paul continued to serve in that territory and helped many Ephesians to become believers.​—Acts 19:1-20, 26.

² Today, a large door leading to activity has been opened to us. We have an invitation to assist congregations that are not able to work all their territory thoroughly every year. Thus our efforts can offset the need that exists in certain areas.​—Compare 2 Corinthians 8:13-15.

³ Can You Serve Where There Is Greater Need? Have you prayerfully considered the possibility of serving elsewhere? You may be able to help a congregation in your own city. Why not speak to the circuit overseer about the matter and see what he suggests? Or it may be that within your own congregation’s territory, there is a large deaf or foreign-language population that no one has been able to care for. In order to meet this need, could you exert yourself to learn their language? Then again, perhaps there is already another language group or congregation nearby that has been ‘begging the Master for more Kingdom workers.’ (Matt. 9:37, 38) If so, are you able to help out?

⁴ In recent decades, thousands of Christian families have moved to other lands to have a fuller share in the harvest work. One couple who did this said: “We wanted to serve Jehovah where we could do the most good.” If you have this desire and find it possible to move elsewhere in this country or if you qualify to serve in another land, first discuss your prospects with the elders of your congregation.

⁵ If you wish to inquire of the Society about where a need exists, provide the Congregation Service Committee with a letter outlining your specific desire. They will attach their comments and send it to the Society. In any case, as long as the large door to activity remains open, may all of us continue to be busy in Jehovah’s service.​—1 Cor. 15:58.

Reach Out to Non-Witness Mates

¹ It is a cause for great joy when married couples are united in true worship. However, in many families only one of the marriage mates has accepted the way of the truth. How can we reach out to these non-Witness mates and encourage them to worship Jehovah along with us?​—1 Tim. 2:1-4.

² Understand Their Thinking: Although some non-Witness mates may be opposed, more often than not the problem is one of indifference or misunderstanding. A person may feel left out or be jealous over his or her mate’s newfound spiritual interest. “Alone in the house, I felt deserted,” one husband recalls. “I felt as if my wife and children were leaving me,” says another. Some men may think that they are losing their family to a religion. (See the August 15, 1990, Watchtower, pages 20-3.) That is why it is best, if possible, for the husband to be included with his wife in the home Bible study arrangement from the start.

³ Work as a Team: One Witness couple effectively worked together in aiding married people into the truth. After the sister had established a study with the wife, the brother would pay the husband a visit. He would often be able to start a study with the husband.

⁴ Be Friendly and Hospitable: Families in the congregation can help by taking an interest in families not yet united in true worship. A few friendly visits may help the non-Witness mate to see Jehovah’s Witnesses as warm, caring Christians who have everyone’s best interests at heart.

⁵ From time to time, the elders can review recent efforts that have been made to reach out to non-Witness mates and determine what more can be done in hopes of winning them to Jehovah.​—1 Pet. 3:1, ftn.

Service Meetings for November

Week Starting November 3

Song 48

10 min: Local announcements. Selected Announcements from Our Kingdom Ministry. “Good News on the Internet.” Comment on August field service report for the country and the local congregation.

15 min: “The Large Door to Activity Is Open.” Talk by an elder, including audience discussion. Encourage all who can to reach out for a greater share in the preaching work. Include some advice offered in the August 15, 1988, Watchtower, page 22.

20 min: “Follow Up the Interest in Kingdom News.” Questions and answers. Demonstrate presentations in paragraph 6. In one of them, show a Bible study being started.

Song 144 and concluding prayer.

Week Starting November 10

Song 51

10 min: Local announcements. Accounts report. Inform congregation of what territory remains to be covered with Kingdom News No. 35. Encourage all to have a full share in this final week of the special campaign.

15 min: Local needs.

20 min: “Reach Out to Non-Witness Mates.” Discussion between two elders who are concerned about getting to know more of the unbelieving mates on a personal level. They also consider suggestions offered in the May 15, 1989, Watchtower, pages 17-18, paragraphs 6-9. Include experiences from the October 1, 1995, Watchtower, pages 10-11, paragraphs 11-12.

Song 148 and concluding prayer.

Week Starting November 17

Song 53

10 min: Local announcements. Outline special field service arrangements for November 27. Share some local experiences from the Kingdom News No. 35 campaign.

20 min: Seize This Unique Opportunity! A talk based on the November 15, 1996, Watchtower, pages 21-3.

15 min: “What Will I Say?” Audience discussion. Read first paragraph on page 8 of the Reasoning book, explaining how the book is designed to help us witness effectively on a variety of Bible topics. Illustrate with one or two well-prepared demonstrations.

Song 151 and concluding prayer.

Week Starting November 24

Song 56

8 min: Local announcements.

15 min: Good Manners at the Congregation Book Study. We appreciate the hospitality of families who open their home for a book study. This may involve considerable preparation and inconvenience. When attending, we should display good manners and show respect and consideration, which would include the following: (1) We should wipe our feet carefully before entering, to avoid soiling floors or carpets. (2) Parents should supervise their children, making sure that they are well behaved and stay in the area of the home designated for the book study. (3) While the group may be small and the atmosphere somewhat informal, this is a congregation meeting and we should dress as we do when going to the Kingdom Hall. (4) Association after the meeting should be kept brief so that the household can have private time for itself. (5) While the householder where the study is held might choose occasionally to serve a light refreshment after the study, all should understand that such is neither expected nor required.

22 min: Make Disciples, Teaching Them. Elder conducts discussion with panel of three or four publishers, answering questions based on Our Ministry book, pages 88-92: (1) Why is making return visits essential for an effective ministry? How can one meet the challenge of the return visit work? (2) Why do we put so much emphasis on starting Bible studies? How can we become skillful in conducting studies? (3) Why is it important to direct the students to the organization? How can we do this? Panel also relates how the recent Our Kingdom Ministry inserts of June 1996 and March and April 1997 have assisted them in these areas.

Song 160 and concluding prayer.

Congregation Book Study

Schedule for congregation studies in the book The Secret of Family Happiness.

November 3: Pages 34*-38

November 10: Pages 39-45*

November 17: Pages 45*-50

November 24: Pages 51-59*

* To or from subheading.

August Service Report

Av. Av. Av. Av.

Number of: Hrs. Mags. R.V. Bi.St.

Sp’l Pios. 111 118.1 84.1 48.3 4.3

Pios. 67,916 59.3 36.3 19.1 1.7

Aux.Pios. 22,425 57.7 36.6 13.9 1.0

Pubs. 884,267 9.4 7.3 3.4 0.3

TOTAL 974,719 Baptized: 3,998

Announcements

◼ Literature offer for November: Distribution of Kingdom News No. 35 will continue. Congregations that complete their territory by reaching householders in each home or dwelling with a copy of Kingdom News No. 35 may offer the Knowledge book. December: New World Translation with the book The Bible​—God’s Word or Man’s? January: Any 192-page book published prior to 1985 that the congregation may have in stock. Congregations that do not have a supply of such books may offer You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth. February: Revelation​—Its Grand Climax At Hand!

◼ After the special campaign is completed on November 16, congregations that still have a supply of Kingdom News No. 35 may encourage publishers to offer these in the same manner that tracts are used, whether from door to door or elsewhere. If advisable, publishers may leave one at each not-at-home, making sure that it cannot be seen by passersby. Efforts should be made to distribute all remaining copies of this important message.

◼ Congregations should begin requesting the 1998 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses with their November literature request. The Yearbook will be available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish. Yearbooks are special-request items and will appear as “Pending” on congregation packing lists until shipments are made.

◼ New Audiocassettes Available:

Knowledge That Leads to Everlasting Life (five cassettes in an album)​—Spanish

◼ New Videocassettes Available:

Noah​—He Walked With God—​English

Good News on the Internet

In our technological age, some people obtain information from electronic sources, including the Internet. So the Society has put on the Internet some accurate information about the beliefs and activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Our Internet Web site has the address http://​www.watchtower.org and contains a selection of tracts, brochures, and Watchtower and Awake! articles in English, Chinese (Simplified), German, Russian, and Spanish, as well as in other languages. The publications on this Web site are already available through the congregations and are in use in the ministry. The purpose of our Web site is, not to release new publications, but to make information available to the public in electronic format. There is no need for any individual to prepare Internet pages about Jehovah’s Witnesses, our activities, or our beliefs. Our official site presents accurate information for any who want it.

Although our site has no provision for electronic messages (E-mail), it lists postal addresses of branches around the globe. Thus people can write to obtain more information or to receive personal assistance from Witnesses locally. Feel free to share the above Internet address with any who might be inclined to begin learning Bible truth from this format.

What Will I Say?

When we meet people in the ministry who respond favorably, we desire to return to give them a further witness. However, we may be unsure of what to say to spark the next conversation. You might try this approach: Raise an interesting question, and then turn to the Reasoning book to show the Scriptural answer. It would help to have a list of questions from which you could select the one that you feel might get the best response at a particular call. The list below, compiled from the Reasoning book, shows the page number where each answer is found:

◼ Why do we grow old and die? (98)

◼ Are there sound reasons for believing in God? (145)

◼ Does God really care what happens to us humans? (147)

◼ Must a person go to heaven to have a truly happy future? (163)

◼ Why is it important to know and use God’s personal name? (196)

◼ What will God’s Kingdom accomplish? (227)

◼ What is the purpose of human life? (243)

◼ Why are there so many religions? (322)

◼ How can a person know which religion is right? (328)

◼ How powerful a figure is Satan in today’s world? (364)

◼ Why does God permit suffering? (393)

◼ Why is there so much wickedness? (427)

You could put such a list of questions in your Bible or Reasoning book for quick reference. Having something definite in mind to say on return visits will encourage you to be faithful in following up all the interest you find.

Follow Up the Interest in Kingdom News

¹ During the last few weeks, we have been enjoying the privilege of distributing Kingdom News No. 35, entitled “Will All People Ever Love One Another?” Publishers everywhere are endeavoring to reach as many deserving ones as possible with this issue of Kingdom News. (Matt. 10:11) Although the campaign is scheduled to end Sunday, November 16, if there is still more territory to be covered, the elders may ask you to continue distributing Kingdom News No. 35 as long as the congregation’s supply lasts.

² This issue of Kingdom News has stirred the interest of many people. They see that humans in general have lost their natural affection and therefore wonder what the future holds. (2 Tim. 3:3) We want to follow up the interest that has been generated.

³ Kingdom News Gets Results: During the 1995 campaign with Kingdom News, a woman who received a copy came to a meeting at the Kingdom Hall because she wanted to learn more about what Jehovah’s Witnesses believe. At that meeting she readily accepted a Bible study and thereafter rarely missed a meeting. Before long, she had written to her former church, terminating her membership!

⁴ By now, hundreds of people in the territory have read the message in Kingdom News No. 35. But what was their reaction to it? Even if they were favorably impressed by what they read, most will not take action until one of Jehovah’s Witnesses calls on them again. Are you making plans to return? Loving concern for our fellowman should move us to do so. All who have shown interest in Kingdom News should be visited again.

⁵ What Will You Say When You Return? You might make a few comments about the timeliness of the message in Kingdom News and then ask a thought-provoking question. Listen carefully as the householder expresses himself so that you can learn what is on his mind. Then draw attention to an appropriate point in the Require brochure, which was featured in Kingdom News. If you get a favorable response, try to start a Bible study then and there.

⁶ Here are some suggested presentations you could try when returning to those who showed interest in “Kingdom News” No. 35:

◼ “You may recall the printed information I left with you recently. Its message touches on a vital issue dividing mankind today​—a lack of love for others.” Draw attention to the evidence presented on page 2 of Kingdom News under the heading “Love of Neighbor Has Grown Cold.” Then ask, “Do you think it is God’s purpose for mankind to live this way?” Allow for response. Turn to lesson 5 in the Require brochure, and try to start a Bible study.

◼ “When we first met, I left you some information on the subject ‘Will All People Ever Love One Another?’ Do you think that such a world is possible?” Allow for response. Turn to lesson 6 in the Require brochure, and read paragraph 6. Then read God’s promise at Micah 4:3, 4. If the householder appears interested, offer the brochure and a study.

◼ “When I last visited you, I left some material entitled ‘Will All People Ever Love One Another?’ It contained an offer for a free home Bible study. I returned to show you the study aid that we use. [Show the Knowledge book.] This book clearly explains when all people will love one another, and it answers other questions that you may wonder about: Why do we grow old and die? Why does God permit suffering? What happens to our dead loved ones?” Then ask, “May I demonstrate the study course to you?” If the householder declines your offer, ask him if he would like to read the book on his own. If he would, leave a copy and explain that our worldwide Bible-educational work is supported by voluntary donations. Plan to return again.

⁷ Once the territory is thoroughly covered with Kingdom News No. 35, we may offer the Knowledge book during the remainder of the month. A fine selection of suggested presentations for this book can be found on the back page of Our Kingdom Ministry in the issues of December 1995; March, June, and November 1996; and June 1997.

⁸ This special distribution of Kingdom News should motivate all of us to intensify our efforts in the preaching work. With Jehovah’s help we can be confident that this campaign will have sure success, helping people see God’s purpose for all mankind to love one another. May Jehovah continue to bless our diligent efforts as we follow up the interest in Kingdom News.