Preach the Good News!
The declaring of the good news is not yet over. Everyone becoming a disciple of Christ Jesus must make public declaration. This Jehovah’s witnesses have done and are still doing. In fact, 163,123 dedicated persons were baptized in 1972. They must have time to prove that they are disciples and show they feel like Paul, who said: “Really, woe is me if I did not declare the good news!” (1 Cor. 9:16) In just five years 680,871 persons have dedicated their lives and have been baptized, and these constitute 41 percent of the total publishers throughout the world, which number 1,658,990. All of these still have the opportunity to preach the good news. Let us take advantage of the time yet remaining.
The annual report shows that 92,026 have been in the pioneer work, either as missionaries, special pioneers, regular pioneers or temporary pioneers. Compared with the previous year, 1971, when there were 95,501 pioneers on the average, that is a drop of 3,475. Why? Can you be a regular pioneer or a temporary pioneer sometime during 1973? Think about it. The more time that we preach the more persons will hear the good news. Will all these new and older associates of Jehovah’s witnesses show their zeal and determination to give a greater witness? We believe they will.
The Society, with the help of 2,590 members of the Bethel family in 95 branches, is well prepared to see that everyone has plenty of Bible literature. As was pointed out earlier in the Yearbook, many new printing plants have been built, and how wonderful that last year 33,965,941 bound books and Bibles were printed, 13,581,872 booklets and 385,072,784 Watchtower and Awake! magazines! This is just about three million fewer magazines than during the previous year. What will we do this coming year with magazines? The message they contain is very important in the preaching of the good news. It is hoped that every one of the 1,658,990 publishers will be very diligent during 1973 in preaching and using the instruments that Jehovah God has provided for declaring the good news.
The Society spent $7,564,268.84 in 1972 assisting missionaries, special pioneers, circuit and district overseers all around the world in their labors of love. Of course, the congregation publishers spent much more than that throughout the year in getting themselves out into the field service, spending it on transportation alone. So Jehovah’s witnesses are spending millions upon millions of dollars each year just so they can preach the good news! What a joy has been ours!
The reports received from 208 lands where the brothers have gathered together in 28,407 congregations under 95 branches are a cause for rejoicing. Each branch has expressed its desire to have warm love and best wishes sent around the earth to all their faithful fellow workers. What a bond of love this is! “This is what love means, that we go on walking according to [Jehovah’s] commandments.” And, furthermore, “We, for our part, shall walk in the name of Jehovah our God to time indefinite, even forever.”—2 John 6; Mic. 4:5.
Your brother and fellow servant,
N. H. Knorr, President
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania