Branch Expansion

In the 1930’s, Llewelyn Phillips and his fellow workers cared for their assignments from a two-room rented building in Lusaka. Few would have imagined the current 270-acre [110 ha] Bethel complex, which houses more than 250 volunteers. These brothers and sisters serve the spiritual needs of over 125,000 publishers and pioneers. Let us briefly consider how this growth came about.

As we learned earlier, by 1936 the attitude of the authorities had softened sufficiently to allow the opening of a literature depot in Lusaka. Expansion soon called for a move to a larger building. A residential property was obtained near the central police station. “It had two bedrooms,” remembers Jonas Manjoni. “A dining room was used as the Service Department, and a veranda, as the Shipping Department.” In 1951, Jonas took two weeks’ vacation from secular work to serve at Bethel, and later he came to stay. “It was well organized, and there was a happy spirit,” he says. “I was in the Shipping Department with Brother Phillips, working on subscriptions and putting stamps on rolls of magazines. It was good to know that we were serving the brothers.” Llewelyn Phillips was later joined by Harry Arnott, and they worked alongside local brothers, such as Job Sichela, Andrew John Mulabaka, John Mutale, Potipher Kachepa, and Morton Chisulo.

With Zambia experiencing a healthy mining industry and a rapidly developing infrastructure and the mining region drawing people from all corners of the country, attention was increasingly focused away from Lusaka to the Copperbelt. Ian Fergusson recommended purchasing property in a mining town, and in 1954 the branch office moved to King George Avenue, Luanshya. Before long, however, these premises became too small to care for the rapidly expanding field, which extended into most of East Africa. During his visit to the “Awake Ministers” District Assembly in 1959, Nathan Knorr, from world headquarters, viewed possible locations for a new branch and gave the go-ahead to proceed with construction. Geoffrey Wheeler recalls, “Frank Lewis, Eugene Kinaschuk, and I went with an architect to the new site in Kitwe to set out pegs for the new Bethel.” On February 3, 1962, a new branch office with a home, a printing room, and a Kingdom Hall was dedicated to Jehovah. Concluding the dedication program for the facilities, Harry Arnott, branch servant at the time, directed attention to the more important spiritual building at which each one must work hard using the building blocks of faith, hope, and love.

These facilities soon became inadequate because of an increase in the number of Kingdom publishers from 30,129 to almost 57,000 in the next ten years. “Brother Knorr encouraged us to expand our printing,” recalled Ian Fergusson. “I visited the branch in Elandsfontein, South Africa, to consult with the brothers. Soon a printing press was airfreighted from there to Kitwe.”

Besides literature and magazines, Kitwe produced the monthly Our Kingdom Ministry for distribution in Kenya and other East African territories. In no time at all, the small printing facility became cramped, and it was necessary to move the printery. When the city council raised objections to our using an available site, a brother stepped forward and offered some land. The building was completed in 1984. For three decades Kitwe served as the spiritual hub of the preaching work in Zambia.

During the difficult years following the deportation of the missionaries, the number of workers at the branch office increased to the point that 14 members of the Bethel family were living outside of Bethel with their families. Adjustments were needed to care properly for the work that lay ahead. In time, two houses were bought and another was rented, making it possible to increase the size of the family. Obviously, though, new facilities were needed. Happily, circumstances were soon to improve dramatically. In 1986, brothers in key locations were assigned to search for land for a new branch. A 270-acre [110 ha] farm became available some nine miles [15 km] west of the capital. This proved to be a wise choice since the area has large reserves of groundwater. Dayrell Sharp commented, “I think that Jehovah guided us to this lovely spot.”

Dedication and Growth

On Saturday, April 24, 1993, hundreds of longtime servants of Jehovah gathered for the dedication of the new facilities. Among the 4,000 local brothers and sisters were more than 160 international guests, including missionaries who had had to leave some 20 years earlier. Theodore Jaracz, one of the two members of the Governing Body present, spoke on the theme “Recommending Ourselves as God’s Ministers.” He reminded those who had served faithfully for many years that if they had not endured, there would not have been a need to build. Referring to Paul’s words to the Corinthians, he emphasized that a true minister cultivates the fruitage of the spirit, which enables one to endure difficulties, trials, and tribulations. “You have recommended yourselves as God’s ministers,” he noted. “We have had to build this new branch because of the expansion of the work.”

In 2004 a four-story, 32-room new residence building was completed. Almost 11,000 square feet [1,000 sq m] of printery space has been upgraded to accommodate 47 translation offices with additional areas for file storage, conference rooms, and a library.

[Pictures on page 251]

Joyful workers share in the construction of the current branch in Lusaka

[Pictures on page 252, 253]

(1, 2) Recently built Kingdom Halls

(3, 4) Zambia branch, Lusaka

(5) Stephen Lett at the dedication of the branch extension, December 2004