Do You Know a Hundred Bible Texts?

■ A vocabulary of one hundred Bible texts would be a great asset to any Christian minister of the good news. But for some, such as the natives of New Guinea, it is almost imperative that they have such a vocabulary. How do they acquire such a scripture vocabulary? Well, attached to one of the homes for pioneer ministers in that land there is a fine Kingdom Hall that provides excellent facilities for teaching the 100 to 120 natives that nightly leave their noisy compounds for Bible instruction.

■ Classes are organized with ten to twelve in each and a mature Witness takes the oversight. Teaching starts off with the use of simple illustrated sermons, which are neatly drawn on the blackboards; the drawings helping greatly to convey the thought to the mind, whereas the spoken word often is misunderstood. Scriptures are repeated over and over again, and it is astonishing to note how many of these simple folk know up to a hundred Bible texts. A few hours each night of such concentrated study has brought remarkable maturity to a number of natives. Seven were recently baptized and many more are considering taking this step. Four have taken up the vacation pioneer ministry.—1961 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses.