Announcements
◼ Literature offer for January: Any 192-page book published prior to 1984 that the congregation may have in stock. Congregations that do not have a supply of such books may offer Survival Into a New Earth. February: Revelation—Its Grand Climax At Hand! March: The Secret of Family Happiness. April: Individual copies of The Watchtower and Awake! For territory that is covered frequently, the new brochure, What Does God Require of Us?, may be used.
◼ All baptized publishers present at the Service Meeting the week of January 6 will be given the Advance Medical Directive/Release card and the Identity Card for their children.
◼ Starting in February, and no later than March 2, the new public talk for circuit overseers will be “Use Education to Praise Jehovah.”
◼ Congregations should make convenient arrangements to celebrate the Memorial this year on Sunday, March 23, after sundown. Although the talk may start earlier, the passing of the Memorial emblems should not begin until after sundown. Check with local sources to determine when sundown occurs in your area. Since no meetings other than those for field service are to be held on that day, appropriate adjustments should be made for the Watchtower Study to be conducted at another time. Circuit overseers will need to adjust their meeting schedule for the week according to local circumstances. Although it is desirable for each congregation to hold its own Memorial celebration, this may not always be possible. Where a number of congregations normally use the same Kingdom Hall, perhaps one or more congregations can obtain the use of another facility for that evening. The Memorial should not start so late that newly interested people find it inconvenient to attend. Nor should the schedule be so tight that there is no time before or after the celebration to greet visitors, make arrangements for continued spiritual assistance for interested ones, or enjoy a general interchange of encouragement. After thoroughly considering all factors, the elders should decide what arrangements will best help those who attend the Memorial to benefit fully from the occasion.
◼ The special public talk for the 1997 Memorial season will be given on Sunday, April 6. An outline will be provided. Those congregations having the visit of the circuit overseer, a circuit assembly, or a special assembly day that weekend will have the special talk the following week. No congregation should have the special talk before April 6.
◼ The body of elders should be aware that the following adjustments are needed when the congregation attends local assemblies: When a special assembly day program is scheduled, the congregation should have all the normal meetings throughout the week, except that the Public Meeting and the Watchtower Study are canceled. When scheduled to attend a circuit assembly, the congregation will also cancel the Theocratic Ministry School and the Service Meeting; only the Congregation Book Study will be held locally during that week.