Benefits of Theocratic Ministry School

EXPRESSING ONE’S FAITH

● During a Bible lesson at school in the Netherlands a girl asked the teacher, “Sir, will you tell us something about Jehovah’s witnesses?” The teacher knew that one of his pupils was one of Jehovah’s witnesses and he said that she could explain it better than he. The teacher gave the Witness fifteen minutes, and all listened attentively. Some days later the teacher asked her to speak about this subject more extensively, and the young Witness eagerly agreed. Thirty minutes was allowed for the talk and fifty minutes for a question-and-answer discussion. The Witness said, “In spite of the short time for preparation, I took my Bible and told about the significance of the name ‘Jehovah’s witnesses,’ what they are preaching and the basis for man’s hope in a new order of righteousness. The teacher and my classmates took notes and, afterward, I answered many questions. One girl told her mother about all that happened. Now I go there every week for Bible discussions. How glad I was that I had attended the Theocratic Ministry School regularly, because there I learned how to express my faith before others.”

“A LOT TO LEARN”

● A youthful witness of Jehovah in Oklahoma states: “When I first began to attend the meetings of Jehovah’s witnesses I did not fully appreciate the Theocratic Ministry School. I was active in debating and public speaking through high school, so I was no stranger to public speaking. However, the first time I stood before a group to speak on God’s Word, I found that I had a lot to learn. Speaking on Bible subjects with sincerity and conviction is not the same as elocution or debating, I discovered. I often obscured or hid the point I was trying to impress on my listener. Regular assignments for four years have helped overcome this. Because of concentrating on stress, I neglected another point, and have now been held over for the third time on this on my speech counsel slip. I therefore find that I have much to work on and realize that during this system of things I will never be able to say, ‘I don’t need the Theocratic Ministry School.’”

CONFIDENCE AND POISE

● A school-age Witness who enrolled in the Theocratic Ministry School at the age of nine relates this experience: “In English class one day the teacher assigned us the task of telling about the plans we had for the Thanksgiving holiday. I was planning to take part in the special Magazine Day activity, and told the class just how we went about bringing praise to Jehovah and showing love to our neighbors by taking part in the house-to-house ministry. In this way a good witness was given to the entire class, and later the teacher privately asked many questions about my faith. She said that my assignment was the best of all her classes; that my presentation was given well, showing confidence and poise. I feel that the training I had in the Theocratic Ministry School can be credited for the good grade I received in this assignment.”