Service Meetings for October
Week Starting October 6
10 min: Local announcements. Selected Announcements from Our Kingdom Ministry.
15 min: “Will All People Ever Love One Another?” Questions and answers. Review highlights of Kingdom News No. 35. Point out reasons why people in the territory will benefit from this material. Stress the need to make plans now to share fully in its distribution and to be diligent in following up all the interest found.
20 min: “Give Kingdom News No. 35 Wide Distribution.” Opening talk by service overseer. Cover paragraphs 5-8 by questions and answers. Review local arrangements for expanded activity. Discuss ways to make sure all territory is covered. Kingdom News No. 35 can be used by publishers when witnessing to people at bus stops, in small businesses, in parking lots, and elsewhere. Offer suggestions on how to assist new ones who want to get started in the preaching work. Include information from the April 1995 Our Kingdom Ministry insert, paragraph 11. In some territories it may be advantageous to work alone and not to carry a briefcase when distributing the Kingdom News. Demonstrate two or three brief presentations.
Song 126 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting October 13
12 min: Local announcements. Accounts report. Review talking points in current issues of The Watchtower and Awake! Remind all that during weekend activity, magazines will be featured along with Kingdom News No. 35. We should follow up all interest. Remind brothers to bring the brochure A Book for All People next week.
15 min: Local needs.
18 min: “How Do You React to Apathy?” Discussion between two elders. Include comments on material under the subhead “How You Can Attack Apathy” in the July 15, 1974, Watchtower, pages 445-6.
Song 130 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting October 20
15 min: Local announcements. Review some experiences from the 1996 Yearbook, pages 6-8, on “Global Distribution of Kingdom News.” Highlight the individual effort publishers put into the last Kingdom News distribution. Encourage all to share fully in distributing Kingdom News No. 35.
15 min: Highlights of New Brochure, A Book for All People. Audience discussion of the reasons why the Bible deserves our consideration. This brochure was prepared to help people who may be well educated but who know little about the Bible. Rather than try to convince them that the Bible is inspired by God, the brochure lets the facts speak for themselves. We should read it and share it with others, including those with whom we study.
15 min: “Are You a Full-Time Witness?” A talk by an elder.
Song 133 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting October 27
12 min: Local announcements. Review progress of Kingdom News No. 35 distribution. Invite audience to relate encouraging experiences. Report on how much territory has been worked thus far and what will be needed to complete coverage by November 16. Once the territory is completely worked, we will offer the Knowledge book during the remainder of the month. Stress the goal of starting studies on return visits where there was good response to Kingdom News.
15 min: How to Find Hope Amid Despair. Talk by an elder based on May 15, 1997, Watchtower, pages 22-5.
18 min: Let Your Light Shine. Talk and discussion on Our Ministry book, pages 84-8. Arrange in advance to have publishers make specific comments on the following questions: (1) Why do Jehovah’s Witnesses preach from house to house? (2) To what extent was this method used in the first century? (3) Why is there an urgent need to keep preaching from house to house today? (4) What circumstances may make it difficult for us to share regularly? (5) How can we get help in order to persevere? (6) How are we blessed by letting our light shine? (7) What can we do to be more successful in contacting people? Illustrate by having three or four publishers relate encouraging experiences enjoyed while working from store to store or doing street witnessing.
Song 136 and concluding prayer.