Informant, March 1949
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INFORMANT
.CH, 1949 “I . . . will yet praise thee more and more.’’—Ps. 71: 14. BROOKLYN, N. Y.
Watchtower Campaign Enters Second Half March Dedicated to Gainful Godliness
Counsel on Theocratic Organization for Jehovah’s witnesses
Individual Participation Required to Reach Quotas
Godly gain Is not a new thing to Jehovah’s servants. The report of past activity contained in the 1949 Yearbook gives sure affirmation of that fact. It was not through idleness nor selfish works for personal gain that a 27-percent world-wide increase in average number of publishers was brought about, but rather, assisted by Jehovah’s spirit, It was effected through the gainful godliness of all the servants of God. Continued progress is the heartfelt desire of each of us, and our efforts will be so directed during March.
Individual Effort Required
The greatest gains can be expected if the entire organization advances as a unit; each publisher in step, presenting the same offer, following up placements conscientiously, starting Bible studies and helping new ones into the field. This individual responsibility and its importance to godly gains is daily brought to our attention by our yeartext, “I . . . will yet praise thee more and more.” Contentment comes with participation in godly service.—1 Tim. 6: 6.
Now, as the second half of the eleventh Watchtower campaign begins, examination of progress individually and in the company is timely. Have you met or surpassed your personal quota of at least one subscription? Continue the good work if you have; search out the faults and seek to improve in the next two months if you have fallen short. Discuss your problems with mature publishers, and endeavor to put into practice suggestions they give and those presented on service meeting programs. Thus you will gain in ability to present the offer and be more likely to surpass your quota.
Back-Calls Assist Toward Quotas
Those upon whom we call back or with whom we already conduct studies will be among the most likely to subscribe, so do not fail to acquaint them with the offer. But this is not our sole purpose in making back-calls. Rather, it is from the back-calls and Bible studies that new publishers most often come, and every company is striving to maintain a 10-percent increase in number of publishers over last year. Now that many subscriptions, books and booklets have been placed during January and February, we have many excellent prospects upon whom to call and start studies. Assist them to learn of the truth and also to see the necessity of sharing in godly service with its gains.
March also begins the second half of the service year. Has your company averaged the 10-percent increase during the first six months?
If not, it will be necessary to now exceed this number in order to average a 10-percent increase for the entire service year. Added effort, greater diligence, increased determination, these will be required, but great contentment will accompany the accomplishing of this godly gain.
Let us, individually and unitedly, then, make March a month of gain; gain in individual effort and hours devoted to field service, gain in books and booklets placed and subscriptions obtained, gain in number of back-calls and Bible studies and gain in number of publishers in each company. Our joy as we read future Yearbook reports will be enhanced by knowing that our individual effort, though perhaps small compared with the total, contributed its full share to godly gains.
SUBSCRIPTIONS TO DATE 76,222
Field Service Report
MONTHLY
' QUOTAS
Pubs.
Av. Hrs.
Av. B-C
Av.
Bk. St.
Sp’l Pios. 1 Gen. Pios. 1 Co. Pubs.
> 4,557 j 75,682
175.0
120.0
13.2
50.0
32.6
3.4
6.5
4.5
1.0
January Report
Pubs.
Av.
Hrs.
Av. B-C
Av.
Bk. St.
Sp’l Pios. Gen. Pios.
Co. Pubs.
420 4,435 74,116
163.0
105.8
12.3
58.5
33.8
3.6
7.4
4.7 .5
PUBLIC
MEETING CAMPAIGN
Public Meetings Held
4,301
New Booklet Released!
The 32-page, self-covered booklet The Kingdom Hope of All Mankind is now released and will be available for distribution in April. So that all may have a full share In bringing to the people the comforting message it contains, companies are urged to order immediately a sufficient quantity to take care of the needs of the publishers and pioneers working with the company.
The Kingdom Hope of All Mankind should be included with every subscription offer during April, and a special effort should be made to get the booklet into every home, even though subscriptions may not be obtained. Every publisher and many persons of good-will will wish to share in placing this appealing message. In harmony with instructions found elsewhere in this Informant, make plans now for effective April activity and a grand climax for the 1949 Watchtower Campaign I
New Publication Replaces Organization Instructions
Effective March 1,1949
Kingdom publishers will greet with delight the new publication, Counsel on Theocratic Organization for Jehovah’s witnesses, released with this Informant. It comes from the “faithful and wise servant” as a loving provision, purposed to help every consecrated person in the world to truly praise God “more and more” before the final end. Each company publisher who has symbolized his consecration by baptism will receive his copy of Counsel on Theocratic Organization through the company servant. The pioneer will be sent his copy direct by the Society. Since the new publication will replace Organization Instructions on March 1, 1949, it will be necessary for each publisher to read the booklet immediately in order to apply its counsel in his ministry.
Changes
A number of changes affecting the service have been made. The principal changes are presented briefly in order that all companies and publishers may put them into effect simultaneously as of March 1.
Time and Reports: Time to be reported as field service is time actually spent in preaching the gospel to the public and good-will, from house to house, on back-calls and in home Bible studies, in street work, etc. Time spent traveling to and from one’s territory or attending a public meeting is not to be counted as field-service time.
Pioneer Quota: The pioneer quota beginning March 1 will be 100 hours per month, or 1200 for a year. The special pioneer quota is 140 hours per month, or 1600 for a year. Special pioneers will no longer use a card for reporting field service to the Society. Their field service is to be reported each month on the allowance request form whether an allowance is requested or not.
Back-Call and Bible-Study Work: The back-call servant will be known henceforth as the Bible study servant. The back-call book study Is designated “home Bible study”. The home Bible study may also be a Watchtower study with an interested person, or a regular booklet study. Back-calls made on a person with whom no home Bible study is conducted will not be turned in on a “Back-Call Follow-Up Report”; this form has been eliminated. When the publisher conducts a home Bible study, at the end of each month he will turn In to the company the new “Study Report” for that home Bible study. A “Study Record” form is provided so that a record can be kept <5f the progress of the home Bible study. A copy of this “Study Record” will be kept both by the publisher conducting the home Bible study and by the Bible study servant; the latter will maintain a file of all home Bible studies. The file of the Bible study servant will contain only the names of persons known to be definitely Interested in God’s Word. A responsibility rests upon the publisher to follow up interest and properly ‘feed the sheep’ by home Bible studies. The Bible study servant will be alert to help more brethren to share in this vital service. (The new forms should be ordered with other supplies. Study Record (S-2) is 40c per thousand; Study Report (S-3), free.)
Magazine Day: One day a week will be devoted to the distribution of The Watchtower and Awake! on the streets, from house to house, store to store, and in other ways.
Watchtower Study: The Watchtower study conductor will read the questions, while another will read the paragraphs.
City Servant: In large cities where two or more units exist, the “company servant” will hereafter be called “city servant”. The term “unit servant” will no longer be used. All “unit servants” will be called “company servants”.
Public Meetings: Public meetings may be held every week, where this is deemed advisable. Company book study locations may be used for public meetings, with special attention given to inviting all good-will in that vicinity to attend. Speakers will be selected by the company servant and school servant.
Company Book Study Conductors: The number of conductors should not exceed the number of studies in operation. When additional conductors are needed, recommendation is to be made by the committee or circuit servant, supplying all of the information requested for those recommended as servants, including date of baptism. If a study conductor moves, or for another reason should be removed from his assignment, the Society should be so informed.
Publisher’s Record Card File: The number of publishers In the company will be determined by the number of Publisher’s Record Cards in the file. An "associated” figure will not be kept. The number of home Bible studies and attendance at those studies will point to the possibilities for increase in number of publishers in the company.
The Informant from time to time will enlarge upon portions of Counsel on Theocratic Organization, offering added suggestions to aid companies and publishers in performing their ministry effectively.
As all of Jehovah’s witnesses throughout the world absorb and apply the counsel presented in this booklet, centering attention on the main -work of preaching the gospel which Jehovah has given us to do, we can rest confident of increased blessings from on high. Use Counsel on Theocratic Organization to Jehovah’s praise in the yet remaining time for proclaiming God’s kingdom.
“Nations’ Hope” Testimony Period Special Memorial Activity High-lights April
Last Month of Successful 1949 Watchtower Campaign
“Showing Belief for Final Salvation” in January touched off a year filled to the brim with “more and more” individual praise. February added momentum to this increased praise by ushering in the “Blameless Ministry” Testimony Period. Now March is here, and Jehovah’s blameless ministers, showing belief unto final salvation, enjoy “Gainful Godliness” as they plan and keenly anticipate the “Nations’ Hope” Testimony Period in April. (Rom. 15:12, A.S.V., marg.) Every evidence points to the possibility of April’s being the greatest Theocratic service month on record I
It Can Be Done!
A new peak quota of 87,000 publishers has been set for April 1949. The combined peaks of all companies, pioneers and other publishers in 1948 comprise this quota. To meet it will require the active assistance of every minister in helping all those who served last year, as well as the newly interested, to share in Theocratic ministry in April. Moreover, with concentrated publisher activity in all features of service, new peaks in other features of Kingdom witnessing, such as back-calls and Bible studies, should be realized.
Further, April is the concluding month of the eleventh Watchtower campaign. With a smashing month of activity in presenting the offer of a year’s subscription for The Watchtower and Awake! plus the bound book and booklet premium for two dollars, the campaign should be climaxed by all companies’ reaching their subscription quotas. Highlighting the final month of this offer will be a new 32-page booklet, The Kingdom Hope of All Mankind, released for presentation with the subscription I A special effort should be made to get this new and absorbing booklet into every home. Watchtower back-calls will also occupy their rightful place in April’s activity.
Adding impetus to this momentous month will be the 1949 public meeting series with eight new, interesting and timely Bible lectures. Each company should arrange to have one public talk each week during April if at all possible. Handbills should be ordered immediately.
Memorial Means "More and More” Praise
On April 12 all companies of Jehovah’s witnesses convene to celebrate the Memorial. Properly, some consecrated person, a competent brother of the anointed remnant, if possible, should give a presentation on the meaning of the event, according to the latest material on the subject as presented in the Society’s publications. (See The Watchtower for details.) Invite all publishers and persons of good-will sufficiently in advance so that provision can be made to attend this important event.
Special Memorial-week Kingdom activity will be carried on by each company. Since the “Easter” holidays may release many workers from their jobs and students from school, group witnessing should be arranged for every day possible during Memorial week. Each publisher should endeavor to take a new one out in the service during the Memorial season.
Plans should now be developed for a well-balanced, practical and thoroughly prepared service meeting for Memorial week. By way of suggestion, the meeting might open with a cordial welcome and consideration of the daily text, followed by a lively discussion of Counsel on Theocratic Organisation for Jehovah’s witnesses, either by questions and answers or by an extemporaneous talk. A good demonstration on helping new publishers into the field, and the presentation of the month’s offer which will Include The Kingdom Hope of All Mankind, would be effective. A concluding extemporaneous talk on the privileges and joys of service can be based on the theme of “The Nations' Hope”. Service announcements by the chairman and an invitation to continue association with Jehovah’s witnesses would bring the meeting to a fitting close.
Sunday morning following the Memorial a 30-minute program will be prepared, including a discussion of the daily text and a demonstration on presenting the offer. Then, to the field! At a convenient hour on Sunday all will again assemble for the public lecture widely advertised during the week, following which will be the weekly Watchtower study. Special stress should be made each day of the week, and particularly Saturday, in advertising the Sunday public talk.
Avenues of praising God “more and more” in April are truly abundant. Our April publisher quota of 87,000 can be reached. Onward, then, into the “Nations’ Hope” Testimony Period I Make it the biggest yet! Start planning and working for It now!
The 1949 Public Meeting Campaign
Each One to Do His Part
With the new series of talks the public meeting campaign takes another forward step. Timely, appealing, to the point, and covering a wide variety of subjects, the titles will do much to arouse interest in the Kingdom message. All of the talks serve an urgent need in offering Bible truth on varied subjects to those who are in the dark as to God’s purposes. (See the February Informant as to the time for starting the new series.)
However, for these talks to fully accomplish their purpose each one in the company should do his part. First of all, the speaker should be filled with the spirit of the talk, have the arguments clearly in mind, lined up coherently and well supported by Scriptures. Press clippings will help in some of the talks, but these should not overshadow the more important, the Scriptural and logical aspects. The material should be presented so simply that a stranger hearing the truth for the first time will be able to understand.
The chairman also should be properly prepared. His introductory remarks should be very brief; a word of welcome, sponsor of talk, name of subject and of speaker is usually all that is required. Among his brief closing announcements should be the following: that ministers of Jehovah’s witnesses present, and particularly the speaker, will be glad to answer any questions; offer of free booklet; the current literature offer; name of next week’s talk (if any),
Share in Expansion
Remember the Goal— 10 Percent of Publishers in Full-Time Service
February saw the graduation of another, the twelfth, class of Gilead specially trained to praise Jehovah “more and more”. These ministers are equipped and ready for full-time missionary service in other lands where the Kingdom message is so sorely needed. But from where did the students for this and other classes before it come? And why were they chosen to attend Gilead for this special training? They came from the pioneer ranks, and they were chosen because they had determined some two years or more before that they would stay in the pioneer service, and, if it was the Lord's will, qualify for the blessed privilege of being invited to Gilead.
Many Gilead-trained ministers are already in foreign fields and more are ready to go. But they leave behind vacancies that must be filled, and good-will interest in their territories that will require other pioneers to care for. Yet even without these vacancies there is in almost every community throughout the world an ever-increasing need for more full-time laborers to enter the field of harvest.
Goaf of 10 Percent Pioneering Continues in 1949
During the service year of 1949 our goal for pioneers continues to be 10 percent of the average number of publishers. Hence, the United States will work toward the goal of 7,295 pioneers, based on the average number of publishers for last year. And what must be our increase to attain that goal? December figures reveal that there were 5,059 pioneers then on the list. That leaves us in need of 2,235 more pioneers by the end of August.
With the coming of spring and and time and place of the Watchtower study and service meeting, with invitation to attend these. Attendants may be informed of the free home Bible study provision for those who wish to privately learn more of God’s Word.
Each publisher in the company should see to it that he does his part in helping to thoroughly advertise the meeting as well as arrange to bring good-will interest to it. Also, brethren should be alert to welcome the strangers by conversing with and helping them before and after the meeting. For every public meeting ushers should be appointed to welcome the strangers and direct them to their seats.
Many companies are expanding their public meetings by arranging a series at the various company book study locations, covering just the territory held by the book study and supported only by the publishers assigned to the particular book study. Has your company tried this? Plan now also to hold public meetings in parks and other outdoor places and thus further expand your public meeting activity.
The public lectures are a most valuable way to present the truth convincingly and effectively. Let each one do his part thoroughly, to the best of his ability, so that the greatest possible good may result from our united efforts. Make the 1949 series the most interesting, the best advertised and the best attended public talks to date!
of Pioneer Ministry
warmer weather, many who may have found it necessary for one reason or another to temporarily drop off the list will be coming back into the pioneer work again. They will undoubtedly be joined by hundreds of others, new publishers and old, who have been able to arrange their affairs so as to be pioneers. Can it be done? A shout should rise from the lips and heart of every servant, “Yes, it can be done!”
As stated in Counsel on Theocratic Organization for Jehovah’s witnesses, the requirement for general pioneers is now 100 hours a month. Undoubtedly many more company publishers can now obtain territory near their homes and reduce their secular work to the extent that they will be able to average approximately 3% hours a day in actual Kingdom service as pioneers. Of course, this will require personal planning, but by unselfishly showing greater love for the New World and devoting less time and energy to the old world the pioneer service may become for you an actual joyful service, now.
You may be sure that the blessings Jehovah has promised to those who take this step of faith and obedience will be showered abundantly upon you. Why not, then, earnestly consider these questions: Is it possible for me to enter the pioneer service no w? If not, could I, by diligently planning my affairs, be in that joyful service by Memorial? We hope that your answer will be a request for a pioneer application blank.
Circuit Servant Schedule for Memorial Week
In order not to interfere with the observance of Memorial on Tuesday evening, April 12, circuit servants will readjust their weekly schedules in the companies they are then serving. On Tuesday they will work from house to house, call on persons of good-will to invite them to the Memorial celebration, and check the company records. Detailed announcement concerning his week’s activity will be given following the Memorial celebration.
The meeting with the servants and the talk to the company can be held Wednesday evening. If this meeting with the company works a hardship, in some instances it may have to be omitted. The service meeting should follow the pattern set out in this Informant, reserving time for the circuit servant as noted in the letter of notification which he sent.
Publications Now in Stock
"Let God Be True’’ —Danish “The Kingdom Is at Hand”—Danish “The Truth Shall Make You Free” —Danish
“Be Glad, Ye Nations” —Danish
‘The Meek Inherit the Earth’
—Danish
One World, One Government
—Danish
The Kingdom Hope of All Mankind
—English [Symbol fco]
“The Kingdom of God Is Nigh”
—Hollandish
The “Commander to the Peoples”
—Ilocano
Czech (Bohemian) Watchtower Discontinued
This magazine was published in Czechoslovakia. Publication has been discontinued. Do not, however, confuse this with the Slovakian edition which is published at Brooklyn and which is still available.