Informant, August 1943

Download: PDF — Informant, August 1943

INFORMANT

AUGUST, 1943

“More than conquerors through him that loved us.”—Rom. 8: 37

BROOKLYN, N.Y.

“The Only Light”

Place The New World and Follow Through

“Arise, shine; for thy light has come” ; not the schemes or institutions of men, nor even the sun or the moon, but, ".Jehovah will be unto thee an everlasting light, ami thy God thy glory.” At the New World Assembly last September, the Lord’s people were given an increased appreciation of that fact as thev beard the discourse “The Only Light”. That talk gave the Lord's people the "Go ahead” signal, and, by the Lord’s grace, they have forged ahead on all fronts. More and better instruments than we ever had before have been provided for our use; more study and preparation lias made all “more able ministers”; there are more full-time and more company publishers than ever before; more back-calls and more book studies than ever before; and more legal victories before the supreme tribunals of the nations than ever before!

The campaign for the month of August has been designated “The Only Light” Testimony Period; and how appropriate that title is! Today ‘darkness covers the earth and gross darkness the people’. And as they grope about in the darkness and stumble and fall, Satan tries to appear as an angel of light, and his agents on earth point to their lights. The League of Nations was termed “the only light”, and now the people are told to look to the postwar “new order” as their light. The Lord’s people know that these are not true lights, but are schemes of the adversary to lead men away from the Only Light and into further darkness.

Jehovah is “the Father of lights” and dwells in a light unapproachable. His Son has ever reflected that glorious Light, and his followers on earth reflect it from him. The command to them now is ‘Arise and shine I’

Do we appreciate the comfort, the hope, the peace of mind, the something really worth while living for, that the reflection from The Only Light has brought us? Do we appreciate the fact there is a great multitude yet who are seeking after God, The Only Light, ‘if haply they might find him’? If so, we will not hide our light under a bushel, but set it on high, and let it shine forth during “The Only Light” Testimony Period.

Literature Offer

During this month every faithful witness for Jehovah will exert special efforts to reflect that Only Light. The offer to be stressed is the book The New World and the booklet Fighting for Liberty on the Home Front, on a contribution of 25c. Prepare your field by covering it the week before with the current Kingdom News. "The Last War.” If you have a phonograph, use the record “The New World” (P-302), which gives a Theocratic introduction by placing the emphasis where

Testimony Period

“Free Nation’s” Theocratic Assembly

of good-will who for one reason or - .-

another have not yet obtained this ! these Theocratic assemblies in the book. Go over your territory again 1 past, particularly those. of recent and ‘hunt’ and ‘fish’ for these. Pay . years, each one is coming to the particular attention to the “not-at- ; “Free Nation’s’ Theocratic Assem-home" by calling back in the eve- tily filled with expectancy, antici-nings or some other time when they Paling that in the very nature of

it belongs: on the message of comfort and hope contained in the book. (Or use whatever records are available.) There are yet many people would likely be at home. Besides, there may be rural territories that are accessible and which have not yet been covered with this book. Give all these the opportunity to get the vital message contained therein.

In addition to the main offer. August will see a continuation of the special literature offers of July, wheiie literature is still on hand and there is territory that has not yet been covered with these oilers. Particularly should an effort be made to place the foreign-language literature still on hand. The Society will not ship any of this literature during August, but such as the companies and the pioneers have on hand should be placed with the people during this month. Credits for such literature placed w’ill be given if requested in the proper manner. See July Informant.

Follow Through

However, placing the literature is not all there is to it. In fact, our task of reflecting the Only Light has just begun by placing the literature. The people must have further individual personal attention if they are to receive the benefit of the Only Light and be able in turn to reflect it to others. Therefore we must follow through. Not only every bound book placement, but also every manifestation of a meek spirit, of a love of righteousness, furnishes us a good opportunity to make a back-call. All July placements should be followed up. By each one’s appreciating this and acting accordingly a new peak in back-calls should be reached. And remember, every back-call is a potential book study.

August being a vacation month (and in view of the convention every publisher will arrange to have his vacation during this month if at all possible) will furnish many added opportunities to ‘arise and shine’. Hundreds of school children, and teachers, have enrolled as vacation pioneers. Others, whose vacations are shorter, should be equally zealous to redeem the time by spending all the time they possibly can in the field service. The convention is the big feature, the climax of "The Only Light” Testimony Period, and all are looking forward to it with eagerness. However, while doing so, let us not wait for the convention to spur us on, but press forward with increased zeal in keen anticipation of the blessings there to be received.

Holding our individual territory, close to our homes, we have gone over it time and again. Repeatedly

Everyone Attend

The 1943 assembly of the Lord’s people draws near. Having in mind the marvelous blessings that the ; Lord bestowed upon his people at

things these blessings will increase.

A Provision of the Lord

Despite unparalleled conditions, the Lord is arranging and bringing to a successful conclusion the biggest undertaking of this kind his people on the earth have ever attempted: 100 convention cities in the U. S. A.

Past assemblies have demonstrated that it pleases the Lord to gather his people in such assemblies and first pour out upon them his great blessings, and then through them he extends these blessings to those who are afar off.

Obstacles, such as world upheavals, with all their limitations, are not barriers to the Lord, and they should not be to the Lord's people. The fact that the Lord is making this arrangement despite all obstacles and inconveniences indicates that he has some very important purpose in arranging it, and no one who hopes for life in the New World can afford to miss it. We know there are obstacles in your way, hundreds of them ; but these do not need to be barriers to your attending this “Free Nation’s” Theocratic Assembly, unless you yourself permit them to be. The God of all power who arranged this assembly arranged it for you, and he will enable you to attend if you put forth the necessary effort in complete faith.

Your Responsibility

As soon as you get your list of Assembly points, check for the one most convenient and accessible to we see the same faces and get the same replies. We may feel that we are working hard and accomplishing very little. But is that any reason for discouragement? Absolutely not! Our commission is not to bring hundreds and thousands into the Lord’s organization, but to ‘arise and shine’, reflecting the Only Light. Leave the results with the Lord. It is lie that will gather the "other sheep”. As the Watchtower article "The Only Light” so well stated it: “Now appears to be the time; and if the Lord God Almighty hastens the things promised in this time, then the time is short. The Lord can and will give strength to [his people] to carry on under all conditions to the finish of the ‘strange work’. . . . Let us have patience, then. He will hasten what He has purposed, at the right time in the near future. Let us be faithful to his command to ‘arise and shine’. Let us keep on reflecting the only light in the darkness of this world, that ‘he might be glorified’.” you. Plan on attending there or at Minneapolis, as you prefer. Work toward attending. Attend. Not only that, but advertise the Assembly with full faith and conviction. Talk assembly. Live assembly before your brethren, the Jonadabs, and before the people of good-will attending your back-call studies and other meetings. Tell them the subject of the public meeting: “Freedom in the New World.” Attendance at this assembly is the Lord's will concerning you, your brethren, and every person of good-will.

It may cause you considerable inconvenience, and it will undoubtedly cost you a lot from the standpoint of old-world standards; but any or all of these are not to be compared with the blessing the Lord has in store for those who put their trust in Him. August 20, 21 and 22 will be days of great refreshing. "According to your faith be it unto you.” See the August 15, 1943, Watchtower for the list of 100 convention cities, and arrange to attend the nearest one and bring the people of good-will.

Carry Credentials at Conventions

Every brother of draft age should be sure he has his selective service registration card and his classification card in his possession at all times, but all should be absolutely certain of it when at the conventions and in another city. All who are driving cars should be sure they have their operator’s license and automobile ownership papers.

Sending Subscriptions from Large Cities

You Must Show District Number

Recently the postal authorities outlined a new system of addresses for the large cities throughout the country. This arrangement provides for the addition of a unit or district number to the name of the city; just as 117 Adams Street is in Brooklyn 1, New York. The Post Oilice Department has ruled that these unit or district numbers must be included in the addresses to make them complete.

Henceforth all publishers working in large cities will please be sure to include the unit or district number on all new or renewal subscriptions sent in. This is necessary in order to comply with the Postal Laws. It is suggested that brethren include the number when sending in their own renewals, too. If you don’t know which district you live in, ask your postman and he will be glad to inform you. Your mail will be delivered sooner if the unit number is included in the address. Brethren living in cities for which the Post Office Department has not designated a numbering arrangement will, of course, continue sending in their subscriptions in the usual manner.

“Holding Forth the Word of Life”

Prepare Now for September Activity

Undoubtedly the Lord will pour out a rich blessing upon his people in August, such as they have never before experienced. For this reason September will be a month of great activity. The text for the month is, “Ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life.-’ Never in the past has there been so much light on Jehovah’s Word as there is at the present time, and it is the greatest privilege ever offered to anyone to hold forth this light to a darkened and distressed world. This is a time when prophecy is rapidly being fulfilled and Jehovah’s purposes are being revealed to all those who love him. That light is steadily and rapidly increasing, “more and more unto the perfect day,” and will never be dimmed or blacked out by the adversary. Those who stand in the light will faithfully do the Lord’s will and carry out instructions by causing that light to shine unto others.

Are you prepared to ‘hold forth the word of life' during the month of September? How can it be done? It will require complete organization on the part of all servants and publishers in the company. Each should organize his work and make plans for giving the most effective witness possible. Plan your time, arrange for back-calls, get your literature in order, and have the territory ready so that you will be able to start the first of the month with a bang! Servants, prepare now. Arrange for group witnessing for the newly interested and those who do not have an individual territory. Work all unassigned territory, and be sure to call on all the interested persons in this territory. Both publishers and servants should closely

Figuring Out a Quota

Keep Charts in Order

Pubushers. The quota of publishers is determined by figuring on a 25-percent increase over the previous year's peak. The average number of publishers for the current year should be the previous year's peak. To illustrate: If the figures for 1942 show an average of 130 publishers and a peak of IGO publishers, the average for 1943 should be IGO publishers and a peak of 200.

Hours. To determine a quota of hours, do the following: Each publisher should be shown that the quota of two hours a day, GO hours a month, for company publishers is possible, practicable and reasonable for any normally healthy person to attain to. After this has been forcefully brought to the attention of all at a meeting, pass out slips to all publishers present. Each publisher should be given the privilege of stating on a slip how many’ hours he is willing to pledge himself to put in each month, by the Lord's grace. These figures should then be totaled and the total divided by the number who submitted slips at that particular meeting. This would give the average hours per publisher for a month for the company. To get the monthly total hours quota, this figure should be multiplied by the average number of publishers expected to participate in the service monthly; IGO in the above illustration. To get your quota for the year, of course, that figure would then be multiplied by 12.

work together and co-operate in unity and harmony, having only one thought in mind this month; that is, “Shine as lights In the world; holding forth the word of life.”

Soon all will be traveling toward their respective convention cities, anticipating the greatest thrill ever experienced yet in recent years, at the “Free Nation’s” Theocratic Assembly. The very purpose of this Assembly is to give us greater light and knowledge of Jehovah's purposes and make us better servants for Jehovah. The zeal and enthusiasm from this Assembly will in turn be reflected to the people of good-will in our own territory after the Assembly, and give them a greater appreciation of God’s Word. After attending the Assembly and feasting at the Lord’s table, do not hide your light under a bushel, but let it shine forth and direct others in the way of life.

The only way one can ‘hold forth the word of life’ is to be a witness for Jehovah, faithfully proclaiming His name in your territory, following the example of the faithful prophets before us. The book The New World will be featured during September, as well as the latest booklet, Fighting for Liberty on the Home Front.

Have all your plans and arrangements completed before the convention. Be ready for a full month of activity, and participate in all features of the service during the month. Let nothing interfere with the Lord’s service. Let everyone in the company really take hold of this wonderful opportunity to advance Kingdom interests as never before. This should be one of the biggest months for field service. Let your light shine by “holding forth the word of life”!

Hours! Hours! Hours!

Why the 60-Hour Quota

Jehovah, through his organization on earth, has repeatedly called our attention to the importance of devoting all the time we possibly can to his service. To assist us in this regard the quota of 60 hours per month was given. Since comparatively few make the GO-hour quota, the question arises, Why was it given ?

First of all, we must remember, our occupation is that of preaching the gospel, and all other things are of secondary Importance. We are to seek “first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness”. Therefore every day we should be on the lookout for opportunities to witness. Striving for an average of two hours a day will help us to put the emphasis in our daily lives where it belongs: on serving Jehovah.

Next, the quota of sixty hours gives us an incentive, something to shoot at. The higher we aim, the higher the result will be. By aiming for 60 hours, planning and bending all our efforts toward that end, many will reach It, and all will be spending more time in the service than we would if we were striving for a lower quota. Another reason: As our text for last month so forcibly brought to our attention, we are to redeem the time because the days are evil. Never before were the days so evil as now. Our only protection from the demons is to be fully occupied in the service of the Lord, and enjoying the blessings that result from such activity.

How to Increase Our Hours

The amount of time we devote to the service depends to a great extent upon our appreciation. Do we appreciate our relationship to the great Creator and Life-giver, the privilege of sharing in the vindication of His glorious name, the great honor of being His witnesses, our obligation to warn the wicked, and the need of those who are sighing and crying because of all the abominations they see in “Christendom”? To the extent that we appreciate these all-important things, to that extent we will spend all the time we possibly can in the field service. Feeding our minds upon the truth and then acting upon it will Increase our appreciation and will result in more time in the field.

Then, too, our time in the field is helped or hindered by our planning or our lack of planning. Jehovah does not need to plan, as he is perfect in wisdom and his resources are unlimited. But our wisdom is imperfect, and our time, energy and means are very limited. The Society plans its work, and so should we. Everyone, therefore, should make a budget of his time, and stick to it. And in making it we should ask ourselves, How much time can I spend each Sunday in going from house to house? Three hours? Then the calls on the not-at-homes, the back-calls, and the book studies? Including travel time, could we spend two hours more? That would be five hours each Sunday. That should not be hard for any publisher of average health. What about Saturday? If we have the afternoon off, can we spend two hours on the street with the magazines? Saturday evening we can spend two more hours in the street work, and get to bed in time to get a good night's

Back-Calls. The quota of 12 back-calls a month suggested by the Society is so reasonable and possible of attaining that it should be accepted by each company publisher as his quota. The average for the month would be obtained by multiplying 12 by the average number of publishers, and the quota for the year, of course, by multiplying that monthly quota by 12.

This particularly relates to back-call studies. Each publisher should be conducting at least one back-call study a week. If he is caring for this regularly, he would carry it on each week and, working on a monthly basis, of course, the number for each week would be the same number of studies as for the month. The monthly quota of studies should be on the basis of at least one book study conducted by each publisher. The monthly quota would be the same as your average number of publishers, and the quota for the year w’ould be 12 times that number.

Monthly Quota on Charts. The quotas to be posted on the company charts are the totals for one month, not the year’s total hours, back-calls, etc. Show the peak of publishers quota, monthly total hours, monthly average hours per publisher, monthly total book studies, and monthly average studies per publisher quota. By having the monthly quota figures on the chart the publishers can compare the activity reported with the quota each month, and it will allow for a more intelligent and understandable discussion of the chart in the service meetings. The quota for the year can be figured up, and when the year's report for the com

pany is compiled the comparison can be presented to the company at the service meeting. In another month you will be getting your 1944 quotas ready. Keep your charts up I to date.

rest and be ready for a good day of witnessing on Sunday. What about Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday? Two more evenings for calling on the not-at-homes, for evening booklet work, for back-calls and book studies, spending two and a half hours each evening? That will give us fourteen hours in seven days, sixty hours for the month. If unable to carry out this identical schedule, make one that will fit your individual case and then stick to it, keeping in mind that we are stewards of our time and that it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. By being regular in your field service your hours will increase, and also your joy.

The New World is the only thing worth living for. Let us live for it more abundantly by giving more of our lives, more of our hours to its service. Strive for the 60-hour quota!

Children Should Be Returned to School

By law it is the duty of the state to provide educational facilities for the children residing in the nation. It is the duty of parents to have children of compulsory school age attend school to obtain the education thus provided.

In years past thousands of young witnesses for Jehovah have been denied the benefit of public-school education, and upon their parents has been placed a tremendous, unjust burden of educating their children at home or in private schools. This has been solely because such witnesses refused to salute the flag contrary to God’s commandments recorded at Exodus 20: 2-6.

The long and trying fight with the demonized enemy turned out in favor of Jehovah’s witnesses. The victory was given by Jehovah and his Son, the King Christ Jesus, because of the faithfulness of his witnesses to endure persecution and prove their integrity and unbreakable allegiance to Jehovah God and his law.

The favorable decision by the United States Supreme Court in West Virginia v. Barnette (319 U. S. --------, decided June 14, 1943), declaring the compulsory flag-salute laws invalid, should be accepted and followed by every school and school board of the nation. In order to place the responsibility upon such officials it is necessary that all children of compulsory school age be returned to the nearest school at ojiening of the next term so as to complete the prescribed course of education required by law. Each child will find it a privilege to testify of his faith in the Kingdom of Almighty God before his fellow students, and to give a witness in order that others may learn the way to everlasting life.

If the school board refuses enrollment or expels any child for refusal to participate in the flagsalute ceremonies, make a full report of the matter to the Society's legal desk, and the necessary petition forms and appropriate advice will be given.

If all school boards follow the Supreme Court decision, it should put to an end the burden that some brethren have been forced to bear in maintaining a “Kingdom School” to educate their children. The return of the children to the public school should relieve those consecrated brethren who are teaching such children, so that they can engage in full-time ministerial pioneer work from house to house.