year. That was excellent, and the distribution of individual copies of the magazines, The Watchtower and Awake! was fine too. There were 105,281,876 copies distributed by the brothers all over the world. This was an increase over last year of 5,686 new subscriptions and 8,199,443 individual copies of the Watchtower and Awake! magazines distributed by Jehovah’s witnesses. They also placed 3,887,207 bound books and 10,763,408 copies of booklets.

18. (a) How well did the work go in the back-call field? (b) How many congregations were formed during the year?

¹⁸ Think of the good done through the back-call work. Back-calls on interested people increased by 563,287. There were 549 more congregations established throughout the world, making a total of 21,557. More circuit and district servants were sent around to visit these congregations, and these special servants totaled 1,870.

19. What interesting figures do we have on the Memorial?

¹⁹ In order to keep up with the worldwide demand for literature the Bethel families have grown to 1,376 members in number. More persons came to the Memorial celebration in 1961 than the year before. There were 1,553,909 in attendance, an increase of 34,088. However, those partaking of the emblems decreased, as some of the remnant through death finished their earthly course. This year 627 fewer partook of the emblems, which means there was a total of 13,284 partaking of the bread and wine at the Memorial celebration in 1961.

20. In what ways did literature production increase?

²⁰ The Society, anxious to spread good news, had one of its biggest printing years because of the demand for Bibles, books and magazines on the part of the brothers in all parts of the world. The total Watchtower production reached 95,296,708 in 61 languages, and the total Awake! production reached 88,969,505 in 23 languages. The Society also printed 5,851,105 Bibles and other bound books and 13,084,075 booklets. It is interesting to note, too, that up to the present time the Society has printed literature in 146 different languages, and there are some tracts being prepared now in other languages, which it hopes to get out during the 1962 service year.

21. Because of contributions to the work, what was the Society able to do to advance the work?

²¹ The Society was pleased to enroll more special pioneers during the year, and now we have 6,377 special pioneers, including the missionaries, working in 153 different lands of the earth. This is an increase of 487. The Watch Tower Society, due to contributions to the work, was able to help these brothers and sisters to the extent of $2,328,819.69.

22. In what other way did Jehovah’s witnesses show their energeticalness and courageousness?

²² Jehovah’s witnesses, in addition to going from house to house, making backcalls and holding one-hour Bible studies in the homes of interested people, arranged for 727,482 public meetings to be held in different languages in all parts of the world. All of this bespeaks their energeticalness and courageousness in preaching the good news of God’s kingdom in all parts of the world. All of this was done in spite of opposition, persecution and many hardships. Jesus would be doing the same thing today if he were on the earth. Jehovah’s witnesses are imitators of Christ because they have faith in him. This faith keeps them on the move. Peter, one of Jehovah’s witnesses, had such faith too and he said: “According to his great mercy he gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Pet. 1:3) Jehovah’s witnesses would like all people to have that hope, and that is why they have become imitators of Christ Jesus and show courage in preaching the good news in these last days of this wicked system of things.

23. What are those claiming to be Christians encouraged to do now?

²³ Do you claim to be a Christian? Do you love the good news of God’s kingdom? Then why not associate with Jehovah’s witnesses in doing the simple work the apostles did, going from house to house, making back-calls, conducting Bible studies and preaching the good news under all kinds of adverse conditions? Paul outlined how you can show your Christian courage when he said: “Become imitators of me, even as I am of Christ.”—1 Cor. 11:1.

Building to the Future According to Requirements

ONLY such building as is in harmony with the purposes of the Creator, Jehovah God, will endure. Why? Because he is almighty and his purposes will be fulfilled. He is the One who constructed the universe, and he is now building an enduring new world of righteousness.—Heb. 3:4; Isa. 65:17.

If we would not come to grief but be truly building with the future in mind, we must build in harmony with Jehovah’s purposes. Furthermore, we must be blameless in the way we go about it, building according to God’s righteous requirements, even as David shows, in our text for the month of January: “Watch the blameless one and keep the upright one in sight, for the future of that man will be peaceful.”—Ps. 37:37.a

Today Jehovah God is having more than one kind of building done. There are both individual building and organizational building, and all dedicated Christians have the privilege of sharing in these. Individual building and organizational building cannot be severed from each other, for that which builds up the individual also builds up the New World society and vice versa.

Building to the future is done by bearing public witness concerning Jehovah’s name and kingdom and making disciples of people of all the nations. In this way one builds up a record of faithful service to God, which He will remember with approval, and he builds up in others strong faith in Jehovah’s promises so that they too reach out for life in God’s new world. This also results in a building up of the size and the maturity of the organization.

For our building to be truly to the future we must do it according to God’s requirements. Jesus emphasized this principle in contrasting the one that built upon a rock-mass with the one that built upon the sand. Paul, the apostle to the nations, likewise stressed the need of our building according to God’s requirements, showing that some would build with gold, silver and precious stones, whereas others would use wood materials, hay and stubble.—Matt. 7:24-27; 1 Cor. 3:12, 13.

Among the things included in God’s requirements is personal study of his Word so that we will be able to give an answer to all that demand of us a reason for our hope as well as that we may come to spiritual maturity. Also, by gathering at meetings with those in God’s congregation now we prove the sincerity of our desire for the future, namely, to be included in the association of his people in the new world.—Ps. 119:2; 84:10.

In particular must we watch our conduct. As noted in Psalm 37:37, we must keep blameless and be upright if our future is to be peaceable. That includes bringing forth the various fruits of the spirit mentioned at Galatians 5:22, 23:

We must cultivate love, for it is basic, active and unselfish; joy, because it gives us strength; peace, because it means good relations with all; long-suffering, which we need to be truly helpful to others; kindness, which means being considerate to all irrespective of who they may be; goodness, which means uprightness; faith, which serves as a shield and ‘spurs love to action’; mildness, by which we recommend the truth to others; and self-control, without which we would undo all the good accomplished by the other fruits of the spirit.

So during the month of January share in building to the future according to requirements, to Jehovah’s praise and to your lasting happiness.