Kingdom Halls in the 1960’s

In the bigger cities, the meeting places were generally open-air structures. The heat and extreme humidity favored this kind of arrangement, and most meetings were held in the evening or the early morning, when it was cool. This was fine when it did not rain. However, during the rainy season, meetings often had to be postponed until another day.

The first Kingdom Hall was dedicated in 1962. It was located in Kimbanseke, Kinshasa, and belonged to one of the six congregations that existed then. Since then, congregations in Congo have shown great initiative in the construction of Kingdom Halls. There were, however, occasional legal problems. Sometimes a brother would allow the congregation to use his land to build a hall, but no legal papers were filed. When the brother died, members of his family would come and seize the hall and everything in it. Little could be done to prevent this. Later, during times of ban, many halls were taken over by local authorities and used for their own purposes. These problems restricted the extensive building of Kingdom Halls.

Nevertheless, Kingdom Halls were constructed throughout the country. Though most were simple structures, all reflected the faith of those who built them. Consider a missionary’s description of meeting places during the late 1960’s.

“To reach a Kingdom Hall in Léopoldville, we must walk down a passageway between houses made of rough concrete. A crowd of children follows us. We enter a courtyard that is encircled by a concrete wall. The open-sided Kingdom Hall is behind a house that is occupied by brothers. The brothers are practicing Kingdom songs. What a thrill it is to hear them! They sing with all their hearts. We are happy that trees overshadow the hall, giving protection from the sun. There is seating for about 200 people. The platform is made of concrete and has a corrugated sheet-iron roof. If the speaker happens to be tall, he may have to stoop a little. There is an information board for letters from the branch office and for congregation assignments. There is a table for literature. The brothers have placed plants at the side of the platform. Kerosene lamps are used for lighting so that the brothers can hold their meetings in the evenings. When we leave, the children are still outside to escort us back to the main road.

“We now journey deep into the interior of Congo. As we enter a village of grass huts, the Kingdom Hall catches our attention. This is a structure supported by nine poles, with a thick roof made of leaves. There are small trenches dug in the ground from one side of the hall to the other. Surprisingly, when we sit on the ground and place our feet in the trenches, we are not uncomfortable. Above the brother who conducts the meeting hangs a handwritten sign that says ‘Kingdom Hall’ in the local dialect. There are about 30 people attending. Perhaps only half are publishers. They know a few Kingdom songs. What they lack in musical technique, they make up for in enthusiasm, and we sing with all our hearts.

“Now we travel to the northern part of the country. We stop the Land Rover and look toward the village. We see a cluster of grass huts, beyond which is a structure that stands out from the rest. This structure is made of thick bamboo poles firmly joined together. Windows and a door have been cut into the bamboo wall. The roof is made of grass. In front of the building is a neat lawn with a narrow path, and on the lawn is a small sign that reads: ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses.’ Walking up the path, we reach the Kingdom Hall and are joyfully welcomed by our brothers. As we enter, we observe that the benches consist of bamboo poles placed across upright bamboo stakes. It is good that the Kingdom Hall has a watertight roof! Otherwise, problems would result: If water reaches the bamboo stakes, they take root and grow rapidly. Instead of being 12 inches [30 cm] from the ground, your bench would be much higher. An information board displays meeting schedules and letters from the branch office. The brothers get literature from a table made of split bamboo lashed together with reeds.

“We travel south to Katanga, where the sun is just setting. Here the weather is much cooler, and we need to wear warmer clothes. We reach a village, and as we approach the Kingdom Hall, we hear the brothers singing. The brothers in villages generally do not possess watches, so they estimate from the sun when it is time for the meetings. The first ones to arrive at the hall usually start singing until the majority are present and the meeting can begin. We squeeze onto a seat made of a tree trunk sawed in half and placed on two supports. The literature is kept in an old cupboard, but it cannot be stored there for long because of invasions by cockroaches and termites that ruin the paper. When the meeting is over, the brothers invite us to look at their hall. The walls are made of small branches tied with reeds and then covered with clay. The watertight roof is made of woven grass.”

[Picture on page 205]

Simple meeting places were built throughout the country