March

“Keep Doing This in Remembrance of Me”

Jesus’ Death to Be Commemorated on April 2

1. Why is April 2, 2007, an important date?

¹ On April 2, 2007, millions of people around the world will assemble to commemorate Jesus’ sacrificial death. Jesus died as an upholder of his heavenly Father’s sovereignty, giving proof that Satan the Devil had falsely charged that humans serve God only out of selfish motives. (Job 2:1-5) The Lord’s Evening Meal also reminds us that by means of his death as a perfect, sinless human, Jesus ‘gave his soul a ransom in exchange for many.’ (Matt. 20:28) Therefore, Jesus commanded his disciples: “Keep doing this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19) Has appreciation for this precious gift of God moved you to start making preparations to commemorate this superlative act of love?​—John 3:16.

2. How can we prepare our heart for the Memorial?

² Prepare Your Heart: By considering what occurred on each of the final days of Jesus’ human life, we can prepare our heart for this Memorial observance. (Ezra 7:10) To assist us in this, a schedule of special Bible reading can be found in Examining the Scriptures​—2007 and on the 2007 Calendar. This scheduled reading closely matches the days on which the events surrounding Jesus’ death occurred according to the calendar we use today. The days and dates referred to in the Bible accounts are based on the Jewish calendar, which reckons days from sundown to sundown. This difference has been taken into consideration and is reflected in the Memorial Bible reading schedule. Reviewing such information and prayerfully meditating on the depth of God’s love will help us to benefit fully from the Memorial observance.

3. How can we help interested and inactive ones to benefit from the Memorial?

³ Invite Others to Attend: The insert in the February Our Kingdom Ministry announced a special campaign to invite people to this important event. Have you made arrangements to share fully in this campaign? Have you made a list of acquaintances to invite, and have you started contacting them? Make plans to be present early enough on the evening of the Memorial to welcome those whom you invited as well as other interested ones. You may want to sit with them, making sure that they have a Bible and a songbook. Introduce them to others in the congregation. After the program make yourself available to answer their questions. Invite them to attend the special public talk that will be given on April 15. Elders especially will be interested in making sure that those who have associated with the congregation but have become inactive receive an invitation to the Memorial and the special talk.

4. How can we assist people to continue to make spiritual progress after the Memorial observance?

⁴ Help Newly Interested and Inactive Ones to Make Progress: The Memorial speaker will briefly explain our Bible study arrangement and encourage newly interested ones to continue learning about Jehovah. You can use his comments as a basis for offering further spiritual help to those you invited. If they are not presently studying the Bible, be sure to visit them soon after the Memorial and demonstrate the free Bible study arrangement. In order to make spiritual progress, they will also need to attend congregation meetings. (Heb. 10:24, 25) With this in mind, encourage them to begin attending regularly. Elders will want to visit inactive Christians who attended the Memorial and to build on the thoughts presented in the discourse. This may encourage them to resume their activity in the congregation.

5. What effect may observing the Memorial have on us?

⁵ The Memorial observance provides an opportunity to reflect seriously on what Jehovah and Jesus have done in our behalf. Such meditation deepens our love for them and affects our conduct. (2 Cor. 5:14, 15; 1 John 4:11) Now is the time to begin preparing ourselves and interested ones for this important occasion during which we ‘proclaim the death of the Lord.’​—1 Cor. 11:26.

Service Meeting Schedule

Week Starting March 12

Song 153

10 min: Local announcements. Using the suggestions on page 4 or other presentations appropriate for your territory, demonstrate how to offer the March 15 Watchtower and the March Awake!

15 min: When a Loved One Leaves Jehovah. A talk by an elder based on the September 1, 2006, Watchtower, pages 17-21.

20 min: “Keep Doing This in Remembrance of Me.”a When considering paragraph 3, include comments from the March 2006 Our Kingdom Ministry, page 1, paragraph 3, on how the Bible Teach book may be used to explain the Memorial observance to interested ones we invite.

Song 168 and concluding prayer.

Week Starting March 19

Song 45

10 min: Local announcements. Selected Announcements from Our Kingdom Ministry. Review main points from the box “Memorial Reminders” on page 3.

20 min: Ways to Expand Your Ministry. Talk and audience discussion based on chapter 10 of Organized to Do Jehovah’s Will.

15 min: “How Would You Answer?”b Present a brief demonstration of how this feature might be used on occasion during a family study.

Song 216 and concluding prayer.

Week Starting March 26

Song 115

10 min: Local announcements. Remind publishers to turn in field service reports for March. Read accounts report and donation acknowledgments. Using the suggestions on page 4 or other presentations appropriate for your territory, demonstrate how to offer the April 1 Watchtower and the April Awake! along with the special Memorial invitation.

15 min: Local needs.

20 min: What Should I Do With My Life? A talk based on the Awake! of July 2006, pages 23-5. Include an interview with one or two persons who pursued full-time service upon graduation from high school. Why did they choose full-time service? What blessings have they enjoyed?

Song 148 and concluding prayer.

Week Starting April 2

Song 177

10 min: Local announcements. Review the invitation found on the back cover of the April 1, 2007, Watchtower, and encourage publishers to invite interested persons to the special public talk that will be given on April 15.

20 min: Continue to Assist Those Who Attended the Memorial. Talk by an elder. Announce the attendance for the local Memorial, and give an estimate of the number of interested ones who were present. Relate any outstanding experiences regarding those who accepted the special Memorial invitation or approached the attendants after the program to request a Bible study. Offer suggestions on how to give further spiritual assistance to those who attended. (See km 3/06 p. 1, par. 5; km 2/05 p. 4, par. 9; km 2/04 p. 5, par. 16.) Encourage publishers to follow through promptly.

15 min: Make Good Use of the 2007 Yearbook. Talk and audience discussion. Review the main points from “A Letter From the Governing Body.” Point out highlights from the “Worldwide Report.” Arrange in advance for a few publishers to relate reports and experiences that they have found especially upbuilding and faith strengthening. Encourage families to read the entire book progressively during the year. Suggest ways we can use the book to direct new ones to Jehovah’s organization and to encourage them to attend meetings.

Song 179 and concluding prayer.

[Footnotes]

November Service Report

Av. Av. Av. Av.

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

Sp’l Pios. 344 104.8 68.8 33.7 3.4

Pios. 103,257 65.2 34.8 17.8 1.8

Aux.Pios. 34,992 49.4 27.8 10.6 1.0

Pubs. 903,719 10.3 7.1 3.2 0.3

TOTAL 1,042,312 Baptized: 3,673

We are happy to report a new peak in regular pioneers! The total of 103,257 regular pioneers reporting is an increase of 505 over the previous peak of 102,752 in October of 2006.

Announcements

◼ Literature offer for March: What Does the Bible Really Teach? Make a special effort to start Bible studies. April and May: The Watchtower and Awake! magazines. When making return visits on interested people, including those who attended the Memorial or other theocratic events but who are not actively associated with the congregation, concentrate on starting Bible studies using the Bible Teach book. June: Is There a Creator Who Cares About You? As an alternative offer, you may use The Secret of Family Happiness.

◼ Congregations should release the latest issues of The Watchtower and Awake! as soon as they are received. This will allow publishers to become familiar with the contents before offering the magazines in field service.

◼ The presiding overseer or someone designated by him should audit the congregation’s accounts for the months of December, January, and February. When this has been done, an announcement should be made to the congregation after the next accounts report is read.​—See Instructions for Congregation Accounting (S-27).

◼ The secretary of each congregation holding title to property should review paragraphs 42-4 in the form entitled Information Regarding Ownership of Kingdom Halls (TO-36). Even after real-estate tax exemption has been obtained, an annual filing is required in some states. Check carefully with your local tax assessor’s office to determine whether any action is required. All taxes and assessments are to be paid within the time provided. If any tax or assessment is questioned, promptly follow through on the matter so that either it is removed or a proper challenge is filed within the applicable time limit.

◼ It is important that groups of 20 or more planning to visit the United States branch office facilities at Brooklyn, Patterson, and Wallkill first correspond by mail with the Central Tour Desk at 100 Watchtower Drive, Patterson, NY 12563-9204. You may also use the following fax number: (845) 306-0200. At least two weeks prior to visiting, please send information on the number coming and the dates and times for visiting each location. Lodging information may be obtained from the congregation secretary. Before your visit, please review the June 2002 Our Kingdom Ministry Question Box regarding proper dress and grooming when visiting Bethel homes.

◼ Immediately after the Memorial, the total attendance and number of partakers should be submitted to the branch office using the Congregation Internet Site (CIS). If this is not possible, the Memorial Report (S-7) card or a letter may be sent. When multiple congregations meet together, only one congregation should submit the total attendance figure.

Memorial Reminders

The Memorial observance this year falls on Monday, April 2. The elders should give attention to the following matters.

◼ In setting the time for the meeting, make sure that the emblems will not be passed until after sundown.

◼ Everyone, including the speaker, should be informed of the exact time and location of the observance.

◼ The appropriate type of bread and wine should be obtained and made ready.​—See the February 15, 2003, Watchtower, pp. 14-15.

◼ Plates, glasses, and a suitable table and tablecloth should be brought to the hall and put in place in advance.

◼ The Kingdom Hall or other meeting place should be thoroughly cleaned ahead of time.

◼ Attendants and servers should be selected and instructed in advance about their duties, the proper procedure to be followed, and the need for dignified dress and grooming.

◼ Arrangements should be made to serve any of the anointed who are infirm and unable to be present.

◼ When more than one congregation is scheduled to use the same Kingdom Hall, there should be good coordination among congregations so as to avoid unnecessary congestion in the lobby or entryway, on the public sidewalks, and in the parking lot.

“How Would You Answer?”

1. What challenges do many of us face?

¹ Do you love God’s Word but find it difficult to remember details about Bible accounts or where specific statements are recorded in the Scriptures? Would you like your children to have a firm grasp of basic Bible facts and teachings? The feature “How Would You Answer?” published each month on page 31 of Awake! can help both young and old to become better acquainted with God’s Word.​—Acts 17:11.

2. How can the various sections of the “How Would You Answer?” feature be used?

² How can you make the best use of this feature? The January 2006 issue of Awake! made the following suggestions: “Take a moment to look at page 31 . . . Some sections of the page will appeal to young readers; others will challenge the memory of more advanced Bible students. The section ‘When in History?’ will help you build a time line showing when Bible characters lived and when major events happened. While the answers to the section ‘From This Issue’ will be found throughout the magazine, the answers to most of the other questions will appear on a designated page in the same issue, where they will be printed upside down. Why not do some research before you read those answers and then share with others what you learn? You might even use this new feature, ‘How Would You Answer?’ as a basis for family or group Bible discussions.”

3. How have some families benefited from this feature, and which sections do you enjoy most?

³ Indeed, many families enjoy using this feature as a basis for family study. One mother writes: “My husband and I thought it would be a good idea to incorporate the ‘Children’s Picture Search’ into our family study to keep it lively and interesting for our three-year-old daughter. It is so much fun watching her excitedly take her personal copy of Awake! and flip through each and every page until she finds what she’s looking for.” A father in Brazil says: “My seven-year-old son and I like this feature in Awake! very much. It has helped Moises to pay attention, to look up Scriptures, to appreciate pictures, and to understand dates.” Ashley, age eight, writes: “Thank you for the ‘How Would You Answer?’ in the back of Awake! I learn a lot about the Bible from it.”

4. How could a family use this feature to supplement their family Bible study?

⁴ Why not consider using “How Would You Answer?” occasionally as a part of your family study? You could use the Index or Watchtower Library on CD-ROM to look up the answers to some of the more difficult questions. By doing so, you will be teaching your children how to do research. If you have older children, why not assign them the challenge of researching the answers to “Who Am I?” or “When in History?” prior to the family study? They could then share the fruits of their research during the study. Using this page effectively is one way parents can inculcate God’s Word in their children, helping them to know “the holy writings” from infancy.​—2 Tim. 3:15; Deut. 6:7.

What to Say About the Magazines

The Watchtower Mar. 15

“People often speak of the coming of Jesus Christ. Do you think that this is an event to look forward to or to fear? [Allow for response.] Notice how the Bible writer John felt about it. [Read Revelation 22:20.] This magazine explains what Christ’s coming will accomplish.”

Awake! Mar.

“Many world leaders seem to be very proud. Do you think that this attitude contributes to peace and harmony in the world? [Allow for response.] Here is what the Bible says about pride. [Read Proverbs 16:18.] This article explains the benefits of being humble.” Feature the article that begins on page 20.

The Watchtower Apr. 1

“Almost every day we are confronted with questions about our health, our family, and our job. Where do you think we can find reliable and practical answers? [Allow for response.] Note what the Bible says at 2 Timothy 3:16. [Read.] This magazine shows how the Bible can help us in many practical ways.”

Awake! Apr.

“In many parts of the world, people feel that moral standards are declining. Have you noticed this? [Allow for response.] The conditions we see today fulfill a Bible prophecy. [Read 2 Timothy 3:2-4.] This magazine shows what the moral decline means and where it is leading mankind.”