Service Meeting Schedule
Week Starting January 12
10 min: Local announcements. Selected Announcements from Our Kingdom Ministry. Using the suggestions on page 4, demonstrate how to present the January 15 Watchtower and the January 22 Awake! In each case, both magazines should be offered as a set, even though only one is featured. After each demonstration, highlight some good aspects of the presentation.
15 min: “The Excelling Value of Divine Wisdom.”a As time permits, invite audience to comment on the cited scriptures.
20 min: New Publications We Rejoiced to Receive! Audience discussion. We were delighted to receive two new releases at the “Give God Glory” District Convention. “See the Good Land” is unlike any other publication in our library. Each two-page spread presents a revealing look at a different aspect of the Promised Land. Point out some of the details appearing on various maps. Suggest practical ways this publication can be used. Learn From the Great Teacher will enhance the spiritual well-being of our children. Mention some of the timely subjects covered, showing how parents and young ones can benefit. Invite audience to comment on how they are putting these new publications to good use.
Song 186 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting January 19
5 min: Local announcements.
10 min: Question Box. Talk by an elder.
15 min: Local needs.
15 min: Filling the Need for Assembly Halls. Talk and audience discussion based on the Proclaimers book, pages 328-32. Conclude by reading the letter from the branch office that appears on the front page of this issue of Our Kingdom Ministry, and highlight the benefits of the new arrangement.
Song 73 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting January 26
12 min: Local announcements. Accounts report. Remind publishers to turn in field service reports for January. Using the suggestions on page 4, demonstrate how to present the February 1 Watchtower and the February 8 Awake! In each case, both magazines should be offered as a set, even though only one is featured. In one of the presentations, demonstrate how you might offer the magazines to a neighbor.
15 min: Apply God’s Word in Your Life Each Day. Talk and audience discussion. Encourage all to make good use of Examining the Scriptures Daily—2004. Discuss comments from the foreword, pages 3-4. Ask the audience what they personally find to be the best time to consider the daily text. Discuss the text and comments for the day with the congregation. Invite the audience to comment on how we can make practical application of the information. Encourage all to consider briefly how they can apply the material when they discuss the text each day.
18 min: Cultivating Friendships With Fellow Believers. (Prov. 18:24; 27:9) Talk and audience discussion based on the December 1, 2000, Watchtower, pages 22-3. One of the blessings of true worship is the opportunity to make real friends. Our companionship at meetings, in field service, and on other occasions provides a rich source of encouragement. How can we cultivate friendships with others in the congregation? Review the box “Six Steps to a Lasting Friendship,” and invite the audience to comment on how each point can be applied in our dealings with our brothers.
Song 177 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting February 2
10 min: Local announcements. Mention literature offer for February. Review presentations for offering Draw Close to Jehovah in the January 2003 Our Kingdom Ministry, page 3.
20 min: “Keep Strict Watch on Your Use of Time.”b Invite audience to comment on what they do to keep nonessential activities from infringing on spiritual pursuits.
15 min: Imitate Paul as He Did Christ. (1 Cor. 11:1) Audience discussion. Like Jesus, Paul took advantage of opportunities to witness to “those who happened to be on hand.” (Acts 17:17) What opportunities are there to do this in our territory? Who are “on hand” when we go shopping, are at work or school, or take public transportation? Whom might we come in contact with when at home? Invite audience to relate experiences that they have had in witnessing to people they met during everyday activities.
Song 151 and concluding prayer.
[Footnotes]
a Limit introductory comments to less than a minute, and follow with a question-and-answer discussion.
b Limit introductory comments to less than a minute, and follow with a question-and-answer discussion.