Kingdom Proclaimers Report
Kingdom Increase Worldwide
ISAIAH the prophet aptly foretold the expansion of Kingdom interests in our day when he said: “Of the increase of [Christ’s] government and peace there shall be no end.” (Isaiah 9:7, King James Version) Reports from over 200 countries where Jehovah’s Witnesses are preaching the good news show Jehovah’s blessing on the work done. Here are a few expressions from different parts of the earth.
◻ Africa: The Senegal branch says that “this service year has once again seen Jehovah’s rich blessing.” In the island of Mauritius, where the work started in 1951, the number of Witnesses reached 100 in 1964 and 679 in 1984. Ghana reports that Witnesses in that country have increased from 30 in 1938 to 25,755 today! The pioneer ministry is going very well in Africa too. A pioneer in Sierra Leone gives the reason why she is in full-time work: “I chose to pioneer because going to college or university would be a waste of precious time that could be used to aid honest-hearted ones to gain accurate knowledge about Jehovah and his Son, Jesus Christ, before the end comes.” Recent conventions held in South Africa manifested unity. The Watch Tower branch there states: “This year we had the first full-scale interracial conventions in this country . . . The multiracial baptism of 343 was an outstanding example of the unity of Jehovah’s sheep in this multiracial country.” In Zimbabwe a local politician accepted the truth and turned in his resignation to the party. “This caused a great disturbance and the matter was taken up with a visiting official at a public meeting. When asked what to do with this brother the official said, ‘You will do nothing. That is their policy everywhere in the world. If he continues as a party member he is not a real Jehovah’s Witness.’”
◻ Asia and the Pacific: The spirit of full-time pioneer service has been outstanding in Japan where 40 percent of all publishers were in full-time service during May. The Philippine branch states that it has enrolled close to 200 new pioneers each month. Australia says that “the pioneer spirit has been really outstanding this year.” India has new branch facilities and a new peak of 6,506 publishers. They held 14 conventions with 7 more being held for the first time in the local languages. Over 9,000 attended, and 246 were baptized. We are happy to see increase in this vast country. Expansion is very evident in Korea also. Their new branch was dedicated in 1982 but is now too small. They are building again to double their floor space. Regular pioneers have increased 56 percent in that country. Western Samoa is a branch newly formed to care better for the needs of the Samoan islanders. So Jehovah’s “field” in Asia and the Pacific is being harvested.
◻ Europe: Kingdom increase is evident in Europe. Portugal writes: “There has been an ‘explosion’ of interest on every front. No sooner is a peak reached than it is surpassed the following month.” Belgium echoes this sentiment, stating: “Everywhere expansion is taking place.” Selters, Germany, dedicated the second-largest branch complex in the world, with all but one member of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses participating. One brother was moved to write: “Can you imagine how we felt after 60 years of service—20 years of which we spent in prison due to two waves of persecution—to be able to share in this wonderful spiritual banquet in a spiritual paradise?”
◻ Americas: Canada had an outstanding year of increase with 80,939 reporting service. The branch there makes this comment: “It is most encouraging that despite growing pressures and enticements from a decaying world . . . we continue to grow marvelously. This parallels the outstanding expansion of early Christianity during the decadent last days of the Roman world. (2 Timothy 3:1-5)” Belize, Central America, says that one of the highlights of the year was a “field trip to visit the Mayan Indian villages in the south of the country. To reach these remote villages (12 in number), one must walk 113 miles (180 km) along jungle paths.” Twelve brothers made the trip equipped with backpacks and briefcases, a six-volt slide projector, and motorcycle batteries. They showed slides of Jehovah’s Kingdom work worldwide. One person who had never before seen a slide showing described it as “big picture on wall with bright light.” Mexico has grown from 81 publishers in 1931 to a peak of 151,807 in 1984 (a 16-percent increase for the year), and 695,769 attended the Memorial last April. The United States had a grand new peak of 690,830 publishers.
The Kingdom increase continues worldwide.