Provision to Care for Dominican Expansion
IT WOULD have seemed impossible just a few short years ago. The tyranny of the Trujillo regime had forced Jehovah’s witnesses underground, and many were suffering brutal treatment in Dominican prisons. But now, on October 12, 1963, there were 550 enthusiastic Witnesses crowded together for the dedication of a beautiful new branch building. What made this possible?
First came the lifting of the ban upon Jehovah’s witnesses in 1960. Then, in May, 1961, dictator Trujillo was assassinated and, in time, a new government took over. With freedom to preach restored, and with the return of the Watch Tower missionaries, the number of active ministers of Jehovah’s witnesses in the Dominican Republic quickly grew from an average of 460 in 1960 to a peak of 1,155 in 1963.
In April of 1962 when the president of the Watch Tower Society visited the Dominican Republic, he saw the need for larger facilities to care for the expanding preaching work. Therefore arrangements were made for purchasing choice property just three blocks from the National Palace in Santo Domingo. From this large lot at the intersection of Francia Avenue and Galvan Street one could look all the way down to the sea.
It was not until a month later, however, that approval was obtained from the government to purchase the lot. Then in November, 1962, the government approved the building plans, and construction began almost immediately. By July 1, 1963, the two-story building was up and sufficiently completed to allow for occupancy, although finishing touches had yet to be administered.
Now, on Saturday, October 12, hundreds of visitors assembled in the afternoon to inspect the completed structure. How prominently this L-shaped, two-story building stands out in the community! It is a tasteful two-tone color, the lower floor being painted a dark cedar and the upper floor, which extends out a few inches over the first floor, is a light-sand color. A low wall separates the sidewalks from the building lot, and an opening on Galvan Street permits visitors to go to the Kingdom Hall doors.
Facing the intersection is the entrance of the Kingdom Hall, with its wide double doors and attractive brick and stone facade. The hall accommodates 200 persons, and gentle sea breezes provide adequate ventilation.
Farther up Avenida Francia is the building’s main entrance. Entering, the visitor comes into the terrazzo-floored lobby, to the left of which is the branch office and stockroom. At the rear of the lobby a door opens into the long dining room and modern kitchen. To the lobby’s left, beyond the office, an open stairway leads to the second floor. At the top of the stairway is a small lounge from which one makes his way to the six well-ventilated bedrooms in the building’s two wings, together with bath and toilet facilities. Up on the roof a 500-gallon water tank assures a constant water supply even when city pressure fails.
At 7 p.m. an audience of 550 jammed the Kingdom Hall to overflowing, to enjoy a two-hour program that included an absorbing history of the work of Jehovah’s witnesses in the Dominican Republic by one who spent eight years in Trujillo’s prisons. Finally the real purpose of the occasion was climaxed by the dedication talk by the Watch Tower Society’s vice-president, F. W. Franz.
The very appearance of this building is already serving its intended purpose to call people’s attention to God’s kingdom. The iron letters over the Kingdom Hall entrance, Salón del Reino de los Testigos de Jehová (Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses), are daily read aloud and commented on by passersby. A little boy, gazing up intently at the building, spoke to a missionary: “Lady, this building was made little by little, but look how pretty it turned out!”
How happy Jehovah’s witnesses in the Dominican Republic are to have this lovely building! Their desire is that it may serve to bring the name and purposes of Jehovah God to thousands more of their fellow citizens.
[Picture on page 157]
Watch Tower Branch Office in Dominican Republic