The Memorial Attracts Attention

The Memorial of Jesus’ death gave many sincere Georgians further opportunity to hear about the truth. In 1990, for example, the Memorial held at Sister Ia Badridze’s home in Tbilisi caused a great deal of interest in the neighborhood.

Sister Badridze offered to host the Memorial in her apartment. With the help of her children, she emptied the living room to make space. But how would she find enough chairs for her guests? In Georgia, it was customary for families to rent tables and chairs for large gatherings. Since she only rented chairs, store owners kept asking: “Don’t you need tables? How are you going to eat?”

Sister Badridze managed to accommodate all those who came to her 13th-floor apartment to commemorate Jesus’ death. Amazingly, 200 people attended! No wonder many neighbors asked questions about Jehovah’s Witnesses!

A Memorable Memorial

In 1992, large auditoriums were rented for the Memorial in various parts of the country. Davit Samkharadze, who lived in Gori, recalls how the traveling overseer inquired about their plans for the Memorial.

On learning that publishers were planning to meet in a private home, he asked: “Don’t you have a large auditorium in the city? Why not try to rent it?” Since the auditorium could hold more than 1,000 people, the local publishers​—numbering just over 100—​did not see the need to rent such a large hall.

The traveling overseer then suggested: “If each publisher can get ten people to come, all the seats will be filled.” Although his advice may have seemed unrealistic at first, the local publishers put forth great effort to follow it. To their amazement and great delight, no fewer than 1,036 persons attended the Memorial!a