Branch Letter

Dear Kingdom Publishers:

Brother Knorr along with Brother F. W. Franz returned safe and sound and gave us a fine report on their round-the-world zone trip.

Leaving Europe (we already told you about that part of the trip), they flew to Lebanon, where they met with only the elders, due to the ban on our work there. Witnessing is also difficult in Pakistan, the next stop. So imagine their joy when, with only 150 publishers in the whole country, 197 attended the Karachi assembly! In Bombay, India, a new assembly hall atop the branch home holds 400. But 948 showed up to pack out all corners of the home!

At Rangoon, Burma, riots in connection with the burial of U Thant resulted in cancellation of the hall for the assembly. But other arrangements were quickly made, and everyone rejoiced to see a peak attendance of 650. In Bangkok, Thailand, it was learned that, out of the country’s 605 publishers, 100 were baptized this past year.

Our traveling brothers then talked to 226 in Penang, Malaysia, to 431 at three separate meetings (in spite of the ban) in Singapore, to 2,175 at Djakarta, Indonesia, and to 1,736 in Sydney, Australia. At this latter gathering the talks were put on videotapes and later shown in Kingdom Halls across the country. In the Town Hall in Auckland, New Zealand, there were 2,866 present.

During the stop in Tahiti it was arranged for a new branch of the Society to be located there for that part of the Pacific. And from there it was on to assemblies in Hawaii, Los Angeles and Denver.

Total attendance to hear our traveling brothers was 167,496.

These wonderful reports from around the world only heighten our excitement here at Bethel as we contemplate the activity of the future in March, the Memorial and special talk; in April, the special magazines; in May, the distribution of Kingdom News No. 20; and then on to the grand series of summer district assemblies!

Your brothers,

BROOKLYN BRANCH OFFICE