Service Meetings for May
NOTE: Our Kingdom Ministry will schedule a Service Meeting for each week during the summer months. Congregations may make adjustments as needed to allow for attending the “God’s Way of Life” Convention and then for a 30-minute review of the program highlights at the Service Meeting the following week. The day-by-day review of the convention program should be assigned in advance to three qualified brothers who will be able to focus on outstanding points. This well-prepared review will help the congregation remember key points for personal application and for use in the field. Any comments from the audience and experiences related should be brief and to the point.
Week Starting May 4
8 min: Local announcements. Selected Announcements from Our Kingdom Ministry. Theocratic News.
15 min: “Jehovah’s Spirit Is With Us.” Questions and answers. When covering paragraph 3, include appropriate excerpts from the 1998 Yearbook.
22 min: “Select Articles for Targeting Special Interests of the People.” Review main points in the article. Explain that even older issues that are still in good condition can be offered in this way. Invite publishers to relate what articles they have featured with good results. Demonstrate the presentation in paragraph 7.
Song 212 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting May 11
8 min: Local announcements. Accounts report.
12 min: “What Are Your Plans for the Summer?” An elder discusses with two or three publishers their plans for the coming summer months. They review arrangements for attending the convention, increasing their field service activity, vacationing, and visiting friends and relatives. All agree that they will not neglect personal study, meetings, or field service and explain how they plan to maintain a good theocratic routine.
25 min: “1998 ‘God’s Way of Life’ District and International Conventions.” (Paragraphs 1-17) Questions and answers. Read paragraphs 11 and 12. Stress the Scriptural importance of carefully maintaining our modest Christian appearance and conduct and of properly supervising our children.
Song 48 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting May 18
8 min: Local announcements. Announce special field service arrangements for May 25.
15 min: “Do You Have ‘a Thorn in the Flesh’?” Questions and answers. Comment on “Questions From Readers” in the November 15, 1987, Watchtower, page 29.
22 min: “1998 ‘God’s Way of Life’ District and International Conventions.” (Paragraphs 18-24) Questions and answers. Read paragraph 18 and the cited scripture. Emphasize need for orderliness and consideration for others, especially when it comes to seating. Conclude with a brief talk reviewing “Convention Reminders.”
Song 139 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting May 25
10 min: Local announcements.
15 min: Local needs.
20 min: Why I Appreciate Congregation Meetings. Elder conducts discussion with a group of regular attenders who represent a cross section of the congregation, perhaps including a married couple, an elderly person, and a teenager. They express themselves as to why they always attend: good association, divine instruction, and sound counsel, which helps them cope with daily problems and keep spiritually strong. Comments emphasize how all of us are blessed by regular attendance at meetings.
Song 222 and concluding prayer.