Branch Letter

Dear Kingdom Publishers:

As is true of you, we here in Brooklyn are keenly interested in our brothers in every part of the world. It is our privilege to supply them with literature, and we are very much encouraged by reports received from them.

At the time that this letter is being written, a number of members of the governing body and their associates are serving at assemblies and visiting branch offices in various parts of the earth: Leo Greenlees in east Africa, Albert Schroeder down the west coast of South America, Karl Klein along the Caribbean coast of Latin America, Milton Henschel in the South Pacific. Lloyd Barry has just left for the Far East, and John Booth will be serving the Mideast and southeast Asia. Others will also be traveling soon.

Recently Raymond Franz returned from a zone trip to Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile. He reported that the 123 members of the Bethel family in São Paulo, Brazil, find that their once-spacious factory and office facilities are now pressed to capacity. Interest in the Kingdom message is great in that part of the field, over 210,000 attending their recent series of district assemblies. The thirty-five missionaries there with whom Brother Franz met have served in their assignments for a total of 476 years—a reflection of the zeal that many of the brothers there feel for Jehovah’s service. In both Paraguay and Uruguay, Brother Franz met many of the friends from Argentina who crossed the border in order to assemble with their brothers in lands where there is greater freedom to do so. Despite changed circumstances in Argentina, they are continuing to press ahead with the Lord’s work.

From another land where the Kingdom work is forbidden by the rulers, this report was recently received: ‘We are still alive. Efforts are still being made to put an end to our most precious labor to impart hope to the people. They would like to see us dead, but we continue to be upheld by the Almighty, who tells us not to be silent. We obey Him rather than men. The cost is high, but nothing is more important than to serve Him. We ask Him for the strength to endure to the end, and He is responding wonderfully. Ours is the privilege to give to the Father an answer for Satan. We are happy to suffer for righteousness.’

May all of us share their love and zeal and reflect it in our service in the days to come. We remember you in our prayers and we send our very warm Christian love.

Your fellow servants,

BROOKLYN BRANCH OFFICE