Kingdom Proclaimers Report
“Integrity Keepers” Conventions in the Philippines
THE 1985 series of 23 “Integrity Keepers” Conventions held in the Philippines was a tremendous success in every way. The combined attendance of 213,734, a 27-percent increase over last year’s figure, was more than two and a half times the total number of publishers in the country. This shows that there are a lot of interested people attending the conventions. Also, 2,223 were baptized, a 14.5-percent increase over last year.
In Tuguegarao, Cagayan, it was expected that 12,000 would attend the convention, but 24,327 came! A radio station broadcast a 30-minute interview with the brothers, which no doubt contributed to the fine attendance. The interviewer asked how we manage to maintain peace and order at our conventions. It was explained that all members of our organization endeavor to cultivate the Bible fruitage of love and peace. So whenever we have conventions like this, there is no quarreling. The interviewer was amazed and said: “How wonderful your organization is! Other organizations cannot do this. Whenever they have a crowd like this, there are always bad incidents.”
At this same convention, an instructor at the Cagayan State University observed: “Attendance was overwhelming; delegates were disciplined; there was cooperation among them; they showed total dedication to the ministry. Despite the big number of delegates, the place was spick and span; there was order and no untoward incidents happened, which only proves that the Witnesses practice religiously what they learned from the Scriptures.”
The concessionaire at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila commented during the convention: “I admire the arrangement of your assembly. Your Society is organized, and it is only now that I have witnessed this kind of orderliness of the Witnesses because it is only now that I have seen an assembly like this.”
At the Calbayog City convention, 7 publishers attended from an isolated group, and they brought 14 interested persons with them. Appreciating the need to be at this spiritual feast, one family from Palawan spent about 20 percent of their yearly income to attend in Puerto Princesa City.
Many foreign delegates traveled to the Manila convention, and about 80 percent of these were in some form of full-time service. It was heartwarming to see how the brothers were encouraged by the drama Your Future—A Challenge, which dealt with full-time service. In Iloilo City, three persons taking part in this drama were so moved during the rehearsals that they sent in regular pioneer applications even before the convention began. In Ormoc City, the convention chairman related that right after the drama, six publishers asked for regular pioneer applications.
Certainly Jehovah’s spirit is moving his people to “offer themselves willingly” in these last days. (Psalm 110:3) The “Integrity Keepers” Conventions in the Philippines have greatly encouraged the brothers and interested people there.