Service Meetings for October
Week Starting October 2
10 min: Local announcements. Selected Announcements from Our Kingdom Ministry. Call special attention to announcement regarding November 8 Awake! if appropriate for your territory.
15 min: “Always Praise Jehovah.” Questions and answers. Emphasize application of cited and quoted Scripture texts.
20 min: “Offer Magazines on Every Occasion.” Discuss main points, and then review articles that might be used in offering latest issues. Have two or three presentations demonstrated. Be sure to include suggestions on letting people know how they can make a donation to worldwide work.
Song 153 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting October 9
10 min: Local announcements. Accounts report.
15 min: Local needs. Or a talk by an elder, “Disfellowshipping—A Loving Provision?” based on the July 15, 1995, Watchtower, pages 25-7.
20 min: “Are We Staying Awake—Avoiding Distractions?” Questions and answers. As time permits, make additional comments based on May 1, 1992, Watchtower, pages 20-2.
Song 128 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting October 16
10 min: Local announcements. Call attention to the booklet Good News for All Nations, which provides a door-to-door presentation in 59 different languages. Encourage use of this booklet when persons who speak a foreign language are encountered in the territory.
15 min: “Jehovah’s Witnesses and Education.” Elder, using notes taken on convention talk, discusses with audience features of new brochure. Have well-prepared demonstration showing how a parent would speak with a teacher or school official and present the brochure. Encourage those who have children in school to distribute the brochure as directed in convention talk if they have not done so already.
20 min: “Return Visits With a Purpose.” Discuss our goals in making return visits. Arrange to have capable publishers demonstrate two different presentations. Have publisher explain how this work is financed.
Song 130 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting October 23
10 min: Local announcements. Theocratic News.
15 min: “We Need the Congregation.” Questions and answers.
20 min: Direct Interest to the Organization. Service overseer conducts a discussion with two or three publishers, using the brochure Jehovah’s Witnesses—Unitedly Doing God’s Will Worldwide. Explain why it is beneficial to make interested ones aware of how the organization functions, how various activities are arranged, and how they can become involved. Review points from pages 14 and 15 on “Meetings for Inciting to Love and Fine Works.” Group briefly demonstrates how this material might be included in a discussion on a return visit or Bible study to help an interested person appreciate the need to attend.
Song 126 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting October 30
10 min: Local announcements. With worldly holidays coming up in November and December, encourage all to consider enrollment as auxiliary pioneers.
15 min: Have You Tried Referrals? A talk. Some publishers have been able to start new Bible studies in this way: After studying with an interested person for a while, they ask the person if he knows of anyone else among his friends, relatives, or acquaintances who might be interested in a Bible study. Often several names are given. Ask if you can use his name when calling on these individuals. When making the call, you might say: “So-and-so has enjoyed studying the Bible so much that he thought you too would like to benefit from our free Bible study program.” This can provide a nice list of return visits that may develop into productive Bible studies. Include one or two experiences from publishers who have found interested persons or started new studies in this manner.
20 min: Offering the New World Translation With the Book The Bible—God’s Word or Man’s? During November. Review features of the New World Translation in the Reasoning book, pages 276-80. Read “Definition,” explaining why it was produced. Answer these questions: On what was this translation based? Who were the translators? Is it really a scholarly translation? Why is the name Jehovah used in the Christian Greek Scriptures? Then explain why we can be grateful to have this translation. (See “All Scripture” book, page 331, paragraphs 22 and 23.) Have a capable publisher demonstrate a brief presentation using the introductory comments to chapter 14 in the book The Bible—God’s Word or Man’s? page 184. Remind all to pick up copies for use in service this week.
Song 138 and concluding prayer.