Guyana

Aquila and Prisca used their house for theocratic purposes back in the first century. (1 Cor. 16:19) Likewise, a loving, humble brother in Guyana let his home be used for a branch office from 1914 until 1946, the year the first branch office and missionary home building was acquired. In 1946, the peak of publishers was 91. However, the 1987 service year saw a peak of 1,353 publishers. Plans to build a new branch office resulted from this fine increase.

A noble feat was accomplished by the hardworking sisters on the building project. They operated a makeshift cement-block factory. About 120 of them in teams of 10 to 12 at a time and using 16 molds were able to produce some 12,080 cement blocks in 55 days. The building itself could tell quite a story!

On weekends the building site was alive with volunteer workers from the local congregations. The country’s prime minister and his entourage even visited the work site and made complimentary remarks. One local carpenter commented: “You people are getting first-class work done on your building.”

On the evening of January 14, 1988, Brother Don A. Adams from Brooklyn headquarters, visiting as zone overseer, delivered the dedication discourse to 1,935 people gathered in the spacious auditorium of the National Cultural Center in Georgetown.

[Picture on page 22]

In the South American country of Guyana, the new Bethel Home is a clay-brick structure. Dedicated January 14, 1988