Printing Facilities to Meet Expanding Needs

In the mid-1970’s, the branch facilities in Germany were located in a part of Wiesbaden known as Kohlheck, once a sleepy suburb at the edge of a forest but now a rapidly growing section of the city. Already the Society had increased its property holdings in this area 13 times. But the number of Kingdom proclaimers in West Germany had grown to some 100,000. A larger office was needed to supervise the field. A more extensive printery was required in order to provide Bible literature. Obtaining additional property for expansion was becoming very difficult. How was the problem going to be solved? The Branch Committee prayed for Jehovah’s direction.

Late in 1977 the members of the newly appointed Branch Committee began considering the possibility of constructing a new Bethel home at a different location. But was this really necessary? The general feeling was that the end of the old system must be very near. However, another factor also needed to be considered. Printing methods were changing, and the Society was under pressure to adopt these if printing on a large scale was to continue during whatever time might be left for the old system. Interestingly, experience gained in dealing with the situation in East Germany during the ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses there made it easier for the brothers in Wiesbaden to make changes, once these became necessary. How was that so?

The Decision to Do Offset Printing

Providing Jehovah’s Witnesses in East Germany with literature became increasingly difficult after the Berlin Wall was erected in 1961. To make this easier, a special edition of The Watchtower in a smaller format was prepared for them. It contained only the study articles. Producing this edition entailed typesetting the articles a second time. Printing on extra-thin paper was difficult, and folding the printed sheets was also a challenge. When the brothers found an automatic folding machine capable of doing the job, they discovered that it had been constructed in Leipzig, East Germany—paradoxically, where Jehovah’s Witnesses were banned and the very country for which this less-conspicuous edition of The Watchtower was designed.

To simplify the work, a brother who had learned to do offset printing before coming to Bethel suggested reproducing the magazines by that means. Study articles could be photographed, reduced in size, and then exposed onto an offset plate. A small sheetfed offset press was made available to the branch as a gift. In time, it became possible to publish not just the study articles but the entire magazine, first in black and white and eventually in full color. In the same manner, even small-size books were produced.

When Nathan Knorr, then president of the Watch Tower Society, visited Wiesbaden in 1975, he watched the operation with interest. “Not bad,” he said after examining the printed material. When it was explained that this was a special edition for East Germany and that we were pleased with the new method of producing it, Brother Knorr replied: “Brothers undergoing so much deserve the best we can give them.” He at once granted permission to purchase additional machines to perform the work.

Thus, when Grant Suiter, a member of the Governing Body, visited Germany in 1977 and mentioned that the Society had long given serious consideration to going over to offset printing and had now decided to do so on a large scale, the brothers in Wiesbaden already had some experience with it. Indirectly, the East German ban had prepared them for this change.

More was involved, however, than just accepting the idea that a change in printing methods was necessary. Brother Suiter explained that larger and heavier printing presses would be needed. But where could they be put? It was one thing to dream of web offset presses printing in full color and quite another thing to make this dream a reality. Several possibilities for further expansion in Kohlheck were investigated, but all were found to be problematic. What should be done?

A New Branch Complex

The search for property in another location began. On July 30, 1978, some 50,000 Witnesses gathered at a convention in Düsseldorf and a crowd of almost 60,000 in Munich were informed, to their surprise, that plans were being made to purchase property upon which an entirely new branch complex could be built.

During the course of nearly a year, 123 sites were investigated. Finally, selection was made of property located on a hill overlooking the village of Selters. With the approval of the Governing Body, the purchase was made on March 9, 1979. Further negotiations with 18 property owners made it possible to obtain another 65 parcels of adjoining property, thus providing 74 acres [30 ha] for development. Located about 25 miles [40 km] north of Wiesbaden, Selters offered easy access for trucking. Frankfurt’s Rhein-Main International Airport was less than 40 miles [65 km] away.

The biggest construction project in the history of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Germany was about to get under way. Were we really up to the job? Rolf Neufert, a member of the Building Committee, recalls: “No one, except for the brother who was our architect, had ever worked on such a large project. The difficulty of the task is hard to imagine. Normally, such a big and complicated project would be tackled only by an office with years of experience and all the necessary experts.” The brothers reasoned, however, that if Jehovah wanted them to build, he would also bless the outcome.

Forty different building permits had to be obtained, but local officials cooperated nicely and this was greatly appreciated. Oh, there was some opposition at first, but it came mainly from the clergy, who arranged meetings to stir up opposition but to no avail.

Witnesses throughout the country volunteered to help with the work. The spirit that they showed was outstanding. There were 400 regular workers, on an average, at the construction site daily, along with approximately 200 “vacation” workers at any one time. During the four years of building, no less than 15,000 different Witnesses volunteered their services.

One brother recalls: “Regardless of weather, regardless of difficulties, whether it was warm or cool or even freezing cold, things moved ahead. At times when others would have closed down operations, we were just getting started.”

Some help also came from other lands. Even traveling thousands of miles to help out was not too far for Jack and Nora Smith, along with their 15-year-old daughter, Becky, from Oregon, in the United States. They were at the international convention in Munich when it was announced that the Society was planning to build new branch facilities in Germany. “What a privilege it would be to work on a new Bethel construction!” they said. They let it be known that they were available. Jack recalls: “While doing preconvention work in 1979, we received an application and an invitation to come as soon as possible. We were so excited that we could hardly concentrate on our work or on the assembly.”

To accommodate construction workers, buildings already on the property had to be remodeled. By the winter of 1979/80, the first house had been completed. In September 1980 the foundation was laid for a new Bethel home. Work also started on the printing plant, and none too soon. The 89-foot-long [27-meter-long] web offset press ordered in January 1978 was due to be delivered early in 1982. By then, the printery, at least in part, had to be finished.

It was possible to do most of the work ourselves. A brother still says in amazement: “None of us had had any experience working on such a large project with a constantly changing work crew. We often thought that in one area or another we had reached a standstill, because for certain jobs the needed specialists were unavailable. But many times just at the last minute, an application from a qualified brother would suddenly turn up. As brothers were needed, they appeared.” They thanked Jehovah for his direction and blessing.

The Move to Selters

A lot of work was involved in moving the furniture and personal belongings of some 200 Bethel members, not to mention all the machines and equipment needed for their work. It was a job much too big to be done at one time. Gradually, department by department and as construction work proceeded, the Bethel family made its way to Selters.

Among the first to move were those working in the printery, since it was the first part of the complex completed. Little by little the machines in Wiesbaden were dismantled and moved to Selters. Meanwhile, on February 19, 1982, printing in full color on the new rotary offset press in Selters began. What a cause for celebration! By May, the Wiesbaden printery became silent. After 34 years, our printing in Wiesbaden had come to an end.

The first big job for the new offset press was printing the book You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth. This new publication was planned for release at the 1982 district conventions, and Germany was asked to produce it in seven languages. The problem was that the bookbindery was still in Wiesbaden. In fact, it was not moved to Selters until over a year later. So after the book signatures rolled off the press in Selters, they were rushed by the Society truck to Wiesbaden for binding. Despite the extra work this involved, the brothers succeeded in finishing 485,365 copies out of the 1,348,582 in the first printing, enabling international crowds at conventions in several countries to rejoice over the new release.

Understandably, there were mixed emotions about moving. For some members of the Bethel family, Wiesbaden had been their home for nearly 35 years. But before long the Bethel complex in Wiesbaden was divided and sold to various individuals. Only one small section of the former bookbindery was retained and remodeled into a Kingdom Hall. Typical of the international unity of Jehovah’s people, this hall today houses four congregations—two German, one English, and one Russian.

Dedication Day

After the finishing touches had been put on the Selters Bethel complex, a dedication program was held on April 21, 1984. All who had shared in the project strongly felt that Jehovah’s hand had been with them. They had looked to him for direction and had thanked him as seemingly insurmountable obstacles had been cleared out of the way. They now saw tangible evidence of his blessing in these completed facilities, which were already being used to promote true worship. (Ps. 127:1) Indeed, this was a time of special rejoicing.

Earlier in the week, the complex opened its doors to visitors. Various officials with whom the Society had dealt were invited to tour the premises. Neighbors were also welcomed. One visitor let it be known that he had come, thanks to his pastor. He explained that the pastor had grumbled about the Witnesses so often in recent years that the entire congregation was tired of hearing him. On the preceding Sunday, he had once again lashed out against the Witnesses, warning his flock not to accept the Witnesses’ invitation to the open house. “I was aware of your invitation,” the visitor explained, “but I had forgotten the date. Had the pastor not mentioned it last Sunday, I certainly would have overlooked it.”

After the preliminary tours, the day for the dedication program finally arrived. When the program began with music at 9:20 a.m., what a joy to know that of the then 14 members of the Governing Body, 13 had been able to accept the invitation to be present! Since it was impossible for everyone who had in one way or another contributed to the success of the project to be personally present, arrangements were made to tie in 11 other locations throughout the country by telephone. In this way a crowd of 97,562 persons was able to enjoy the fine program.

Among those present at Selters on that memorable day were many who had proved their faith while incarcerated in the Nazi concentration camps during World War II, along with a few who more recently had been released after imprisonment in East Germany. Included among them were Ernst and Hildegard Seliger. Brother Seliger had begun his career in the full-time ministry just 60 years earlier, and between him and his wife, they had spent more than 40 years in prisons and concentration camps under Nazi and Communist regimes. After attending the dedication program, they wrote: “Can you imagine how we felt being allowed to attend this wonderful spiritual banquet in our spiritual paradise? From start to finish, listening to the marvelous program was like hearing a divine symphony of theocratic unity and harmony.” (For details of tests of faith that they underwent, see The Watchtower of July 15, 1975.)

[Picture on page 88]

Wiesbaden Bethel complex in 1980