• Loyal Ministers Share a Unique Privilege!
    The Watchtower—1984 | February 1

    • On to the London Branch!

      The following day, Sunday, October 2, dawned bright and unusually warm for that time of year. Soon the Kingdom Hall at the London Bethel home, in the beautiful green-belt countryside of north London’s Mill Hill, was packed. Upstairs, in part of the factory complex, additional seating had been arranged. Closed-circuit television permitted all to view the proceedings in the Kingdom Hall. Nearly 400 were present. Five miles away, at the North London Assembly Hall, another 1,250 were tied in both audibly and visually to the long-awaited program. After two years of planning and hard work the new extension of the London branch office had been completed and was now being dedicated.

      The new wing of the building has 41 rooms, each able to accommodate two persons. The building complex, with these rooms added to those already existing, provides living space for 204 persons. The kitchen and adjacent dining room have both been doubled in size and refurbished with up-to-date equipment. A brand-new laundry and sewing room have been built on the ground floor along with an attractive lounge. On the first floor, a small reading room has already proved to be a popular addition to the existing library with its 2,300 volumes.

      The Dedication Program

      Promptly at 10 a.m. the program commenced with a brief review of the history of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the British Isles during the past hundred years. Anecdotes and humor did much to bring the story to life and younger members of the Bethel family particularly appreciated the personal details of those humble beginnings.

      Then Karl Klein addressed the attentive audience on the theme “Meeting the Challenge of Christian Loyalty.” Citing Proverbs 2:8 to show that in tests of loyalty Jehovah always gives strength and help to his Christian servants, he observed: “Inanimate objects can be faithful witnesses, but only intelligent creatures can be loyal.”

      Drawing from a rich fund of personal experience, Carey Barber next illustrated how Jehovah has taken out a people for his name in these “last days.” But, as he pointed out, the work of preaching is still with us, bringing with it great responsibility. “Jehovah’s people from the year 1919 onward entered into what has become the mightiest preaching activity ever to be conducted on this earth!”

      The morning program concluded with the dedication talk by Fred Franz. He recalled that Charles T. Russell, a man of Scottish-Irish descent, established the first branch office of the Watch Tower Society in London, England. As Franz observed, from the year 1900 when the office was opened, it has always served loyally with the international headquarters in Brooklyn, New York. In a spirit of continuing loyalty to Jehovah God, the fine new facilities were dedicated to him.

      Lyman Swingle opened the two-hour afternoon session by speaking on the need to ensure that we always glorify Jehovah with all our dedicated resources. “Are we spending our time, our energy, our skills, on trivia, things that do not bring glory and honor to Jehovah God?” he searchingly asked his audience. Next Theodore Jaracz highlighted the theme “Building for the Future,” appropriately comparing the literal extension of the newly dedicated wing with the need to build spiritually. “Build so as to maintain Christian integrity,” he stressed.

      When Brother Franz gave his final remarks, and John Booth offered the concluding prayer, it heralded the end not just of a special day but of a unique two-day convention.

      Strengthened for Greater Activity

      As they toured the premises, visitors learned that originally the contract for the building of the new wing was to have been given to a commercial firm, just as the original structure, completed in 1958, had been. But dramatically the decision was reversed. After consultation with the Governing Body, Jehovah’s Witnesses in England decided that they could handle the job themselves. Immediately a personnel desk was set up and nearly a thousand Witnesses from all over the country were recruited for the work.

      Accommodations were provided in temporary dormitories, and more with local Witnesses living within a ten-mile (16-km) radius of the site. This arrangement meant that from 70 to 100 workers could be on hand at any one time. Despite the coldest winter and the wettest spring for decades, the project was completed on time. This included spending many weeks of extra work in refurbishing the existing building.

      Thus, during the tour of the premises, everything was found to be in excellent condition. The grounds were freshly landscaped with attractive lawns and flower beds. The 147 members of the Bethel family were indeed happy as they shared the pleasures of the day with their visitors. One of them summed up: “It was the experience of a lifetime!” What especially contributed to this was having so many faithful, long-time servants of Jehovah present, including the majority of the Governing Body. To hear the 13 members of the Governing Body who were present take part in the combined program was a unique privilege.