A CLEANSING WORK TAKES PLACE

In 1918, after the cleansing, or weeding out of those opposed to the harvest work, only five faithful servants of Jehovah were left to announce God’s Kingdom. They included: the Tilmant family, Brother Fontaine of Haine St. Paul, and Brothers Smets and Poelmans of Liège.

In 1918, after the cleansing, or weeding out of those opposed to the harvest work, only five faithful servants of Jehovah were left to announce God’s Kingdom. They included: the Tilmant family, Brother Fontaine of Haine St. Paul, and Brothers Smets and Poelmans of Liège. Even Edouard Verdière, who had been so zealous in giving public talks and in showing the Photo-Drama of Creation, was no longer among them. Tears fell from Brother Poelmans’ eyes as he saw so many brothers withdrawing from Jehovah’s organization.

During a meeting Brother Poelmans gave a clear and enthusiastic talk designed to uphold the brothers’ confidence in Jehovah’s organization. The speaker to follow, however, withdrew himself as he had prepared a talk completely different from that of Brother Poelmans.

JEHOVAH BLESSES THE HUMBLE

The Dutch-speaking part of Belgium was not deprived of the Kingdom message for long. Brother J. Poelmans traveled the 120 kilometers (75 mi) by bicycle from Liège to Antwerp to spread the word of truth to the people there in Belgium’s largest city.

Brother Poelmans’ activity, however, was not limited to Antwerp. He and Brother L. Smets preached from door to door in Liège as well, although they were the only two who did. Neither of them could write very well, so they assigned the task of filling out their field service reports to those not participating in the house-to-house work. Their service reports were sent to the Swiss branch, which looked after the work in Belgium until 1929. The brothers at the office in Switzerland, however, insisted that these two brothers fill out their reports themselves, to the best of their ability.

Brother Smets had acquired a remarkable understanding of the Bible. In 1931 he quit his job at the coal mine and became an auxiliary, or auxiliary pioneer, as we would say today. Imitating the apostle Paul, he became a burden to no one but worked as a cobbler to feed and care for his family. Even while repairing shoes he managed to read his Bible, opened up in front of him. He preserved an extraordinary clearness of mind right up until his death in 1964 at the age of 95.

ADVERTISE THE KINGDOM!

In 1922 Brother Poelmans had the opportunity to attend an assembly held at Denain, France, where, as he explains, he saw a brother holding up a large banner and calling out with a loud voice: “The King is at hand. Advertise the King and his Kingdom.” That morning all those in attendance went from house to house announcing the establishment of God’s Kingdom.

INCREASED ACTIVITY IN LIÈGE

The work took on its greatest impetus in the district of Liège, where Brothers Smets and Poelmans used every opportunity to give a witness. Having noticed that Brother Poelmans was of Flemish descent, the people nicknamed him “the little Fleming.” Even during a parade in 1925 in honor of the then king of Belgium, Albert I, Brothers Smets and Poelmans sought to make good use of their time. Mingling in with the others marching in the parade, they held up a large sign with the words: “Millions Now Living Will Never Die.” They followed the procession right to the end without being disturbed.

The small group of 13 at Liège kept growing as another valiant Kingdom publisher joined them in 1928. This was Ernest Heuse, Sr., and he is still pioneering at the age of 82. Today, his three children and their wives, as well as his three grandchildren and the wives of the two who are married, making a total of 12 in the family, are all serving full time. All together, at the end of 1982, they had spent 244 years in the full-time service. Most of them are special pioneers, some are in circuit and district work and one is serving on the Branch Committee.

While Brothers Poelmans, Smets and Heuse were busy going from house to house announcing God’s Kingdom, the other brothers criticized them, saying that they were incapable of doing such a work.

EXPANSION IN FLEMISH TERRITORY

Brother Poelmans continued visiting the Flemish territory, and in 1928 he made a return visit in Genk-Winterslag on a former coal miner who was Polish. This return visit on André Wozniak resulted in his coming into the truth. It was from this year onward that the Kingdom message made real progress in the Dutch-speaking part of the country. Up until then study groups existed only in the French-speaking part of Belgium.

[Picture on page 48]

At an assembly in Liège in 1952 Brothers Poelmans and Smets rejoice that the 5 publishers had grown to more than 3,000