Would You Take a Working Vacation?
“I worked 10 times harder than I ever thought I would but loved it 20 times more.”—D. V., Wisconsin
“I was assigned to do a job that I did not like. But I found that doing it at Bethel, I loved it.”—G. R., Wisconsin
“I would like to bring my wife here and make this our home!”—I. J., Kentucky
“Very interesting. Would very much love to come to Bethel as a family.”—A. G., New York
WHAT are these people talking about? What is “Bethel”? What kind of work were they doing?
These comments are typical of those made by the over 2,000 volunteers who, during the last two years, have come at their own expense and often on their vacation time to serve temporarily at the world headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses. These building complexes, called Bethel (“House of God,” from Hebrew), are located in Brooklyn, New York, and at the Watchtower Farms in Wallkill, New York. Most of these volunteers have served from a week to a month, alongside the permanent staff of some 3,500. But why has their help been necessary?
Rapid Worldwide Expansion
Jehovah’s Witnesses are experiencing a period of tremendous worldwide expansion. To illustrate: In 1943 there were only 126,000 Witnesses preaching in 54 lands. Forty-two years later there are 700,000 Witnesses in the United States alone! Seven more countries—Brazil, Britain, Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, and Nigeria—have passed the 100,000 mark. There are now over 3,000,000 Witnesses active in some 50,000 congregations in over 200 countries and territories.
This has caused a parallel expansion in the need for Bibles and Bible literature in the more than 190 languages covered by Watch Tower publications. In turn, this has meant an increased need for printing facilities and living quarters for the voluntary workers who staff the Watchtower headquarters in New York, as well as the many branch offices and printeries around the world.
To meet these needs, the Watchtower Society is pushing ahead with expansion, especially of its headquarters facilities in Brooklyn and at the Watchtower Farms. For example, recently two older factory buildings were purchased in Brooklyn, one located at 360 Furman Street, a dock area of the East River. As former tenants have moved out, a vast remodeling work has been necessary. The 13-story Furman Street building alone contains about a million square feet (93,000 sq m) of floor space! Although the Watchtower Society has permanent construction crews, more help has been needed to move ahead quickly with the renovation projects. That is where temporary volunteer labor has been so valuable.
Why Do They Volunteer?
In 1984 the Watchtower Society sent out a letter to the nearly 8,000 congregations in the United States, inviting volunteers to come to serve at Bethel for a minimum of a week. Several thousand have responded from all over the country and have come at their own expense. What has been the magnet to draw them there? Has it been the wages?
The volunteers have had free board and lodging during their stay but no wages! Then what is the secret? A Witness from Louisiana wrote: “It really was a privilege to become a Bethelite temporarily to see firsthand what Bethel life is like. It has given me a feeling of deep appreciation and admiration for those regularly serving there who have sacrificed their personal life-styles for this special service. I learned that to enjoy myself the most, I had to overcome my misconception of ‘what Bethel can do for me’ and change it to ‘what can I do for Jehovah at Bethel.’”
Another Witness, a civil engineer, stated: “I would like to express my deepest thanks for the opportunity that you have provided for brothers like me to share the joy of Bethel service in a temporary manner.” Their desire to serve Jehovah in the spiritual atmosphere of Bethel has been their basic motivation.
Working With a Will
What kind of work have these volunteers been doing? Much of it has centered around the renovation of the Furman Street building and the Bossert Hotel, which serves as living quarters for hundreds of Bethel workers. Another extensive project has been the expansion of printing facilities and living quarters at Watchtower Farms.
Hundreds of tons of rubble and garbage have been cleaned out of the Brooklyn buildings. An average of 90 huge containers a month have been trucked away. These containers have a capacity of 25 cubic yards (19 cu m), which is almost enough to fill a medium-sized, single-decker bus. The temporary volunteers have also helped to break up, dig out, and replace concrete floors. They have mixed and poured tons of concrete. They have helped in installing miles of new cable and plumbing for the electrical and water systems.
One Witness lawyer, who is married and has three children, came all the way from San Diego, California. For the first few days he was on demolition work. Then a special need arose in the Society’s Legal Department. You can guess where he spent the rest of his two weeks.
Because of the corroded state of the large factory windows in the Furman Street building, it has been necessary to remove over 1,300 of them and replace them with new double-glazed units. These window units have been manufactured with the help of volunteer labor at the Furman Street building. A temporary worker who owns a glass manufacturing firm said that it would cost $5,000 to install a typical window of 10 feet by 17 feet (3 m by 5.2 m). The same window is manufactured and installed for $1,500 right on the building premises.
Volunteers With High Values
What kind of men are offering their services on these construction projects? To make this kind of sacrifice, it takes men who appreciate spiritual values. In a recent survey it was found that of 1,419 volunteers, 626 were congregation elders, 595 were ministerial servants, and 418 were also pioneers, that is, full-time ministers. These are men who show a self-sacrificing spirit, and it is reflected in their willingness to work hard at Bethel. Most of them are married and have families. In fact, some have their sons serving full time at Bethel.
Take, for example, an elder from northern California. His two sons have been at Bethel for nearly three years. He wrote: “I have two sons there as part of this family, so my temporary work assignment was very special to me. I found it a worrisome thing to have them 3,000 miles (4,830 km) away. Well, my mind is greatly relieved after my two weeks of association at the meal table, morning text and comments, Watchtower Study, and many other things. I am extremely pleased to have my two sons there as part of this family.”
Although these volunteers made many sacrifices, they left Bethel feeling that they had gained more than they had given. They all had full participation not only in hard manual work but also in Bethel’s spiritual routine. They shared in morning worship at breakfast time, which includes 20 minutes of Bible discussion and family prayer. They also attended the huge Bethel family Watchtower Study on Monday night. As one brother from New Mexico expressed it: “Perhaps the one thing that stands out most in my mind was singing with the family on Monday nights. It was one of the most moving experiences of my life. And now more than ever, I can see why the daily text can be considered as part of our worship of Jehovah.” Another from Pennsylvania said: “I feel that I benefited more than I contributed. The whole week was a very upbuilding and faith-strengthening experience.”
Because of the enormous amount of construction work in New York and in branches around the world, the Watchtower Society has its own Drafting and Engineering Department. Here men and women are trained in drafting work. A civil engineer volunteer who worked with the department wrote the following: “In 25 years of working for various companies and in my own practice, I have never seen a better organized or disciplined Engineering Department. I was particularly impressed with the excellent school that is being provided to train in-house engineers. Judging from the attitude of the young people chosen for the training, it is evident that within a year or two the Society will have one of the finest engineering offices in the country.”
Can You Volunteer?
Since there are many of these construction projects going on in various countries, the same volunteer arrangement is being used everywhere. In the Bethel expansion program for the United States, there is enough work for volunteers for the next few years. If you are a baptized brother between the ages of 19 and 55, in good health, of good reputation in the congregation, and willing to work hard, feel free to request an application through your congregation elders.
Wrote one who served at Watchtower Farms: “The two weeks that I spent here were two of the best weeks of my life!” If you get to serve at Bethel for a while, you too might feel that these days have been the best of your life in Jehovah’s sacred service.—Psalm 133:1; 84:1, 2, 10.
[Pictures on page 21]
Much welding has been necessary in the Watchtower buildings
Many tons of concrete were poured for new roofs
[Picture on page 22]
Old windows had to be removed to make way for new
[Pictures on page 23]
New concrete floors replaced old ones
Over 1,300 factory windows have been replaced with double-glazed units
[Picture on page 24]
Temporary workers have assisted at Watchtower Farms
[Picture on page 25]
The Furman Street building is being totally renovated