Service Meeting Schedule
Week Starting January 14
10 min: Local announcements. Selected Announcements from Our Kingdom Ministry. Discuss the box “New Corporations Formed.”
25 min: Benefiting From Kind Provisions. Talk by a qualified elder, based on the December 1, 2001, outline from the branch office. The congregation should have a sufficient quantity of the following items on hand for distribution: Advance Medical Directive/Release card, Identity Card, the health-care durable power of attorney (DPA) form, and the Advance Directive Guide. These documents will be made available to baptized publishers after tonight’s meeting, but they should NOT be filled out tonight. Signing, witnessing, and dating of cards will be done at the next Congregation Book Study, with assistance where necessary from the book study conductor. Those signing as witnesses should actually see the individual sign the document. The Advance Directive Guide should be carefully considered before completing the DPA. If you have already executed a DPA, it will not be necessary to complete another one unless your current one is dated prior to 2001 or does not express your present wishes. If a publisher has moved to another state, he should execute a new DPA form for that state. Unbaptized publishers may write out their own directive for themselves and their children by adapting language from these documents to their own circumstances and convictions.
10 min: “What to Say About the Magazines.” Demonstrations of how to present the January 15 Watchtower and the January 22 Awake! Encourage all publishers to support Magazine Day.
Song 55 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting January 21
10 min: Local announcements. Accounts report. Discuss the box “Set Something Aside.”
13 min: Are You Examining the Scriptures Daily? A family discussion. To increase the benefits of their daily text discussion, they consider the December 15, 1996, Watchtower, page 18, paragraphs 13-14. Briefly review two or three day texts covered recently, and explain how the information proved to be especially beneficial. Emphasize that this provision should be one part of a program of regular family Bible study designed to keep them spiritually active.
22 min: “Keep the Kingdom First.”a Include a few questions on the main points from the September 1, 1998, Watchtower, pages 19-21.
Song 168 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting January 28
10 min: Local announcements. Remind publishers to turn in field service reports for January. Using suggestions on page 8, demonstrate two brief magazine presentations, one using the February 1 Watchtower and the other using the February 8 Awake! Mention the literature offer for February, highlighting the books that the congregation has in stock.
20 min: “Parents—Train Your Children From Infancy.”b Include comments on April 15, 1998, Watchtower, page 32. Invite parents to relate good results they have achieved by starting the spiritual training of their children in infancy.
15 min: Local needs. Invite publishers to relate experiences they have had using the Reasoning book, offering specific brochures to answer people’s questions, or giving Scriptural comfort from the brochure When Someone You Love Dies. Perhaps reenact one or two experiences.
Song 202 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting February 4
8 min: Local announcements.
17 min: “How Will They Hear?”c Draw comments from the audience on how the scriptures apply. Include questions for paragraphs 17-18 on page 20 in the August 15, 1998, Watchtower.
20 min: “Suggested Field Service Presentations.” Audience discussion to be handled by the service overseer. This insert contains suggested presentations that have appeared in past issues of Our Kingdom Ministry, along with some that are new. The blank lines may be used to write in other suggestions that appear in the future and that prove effective in the local territory. Invite audience to tell which presentations they especially like and why. Demonstrate one or two that can be used with the literature offer for February. Encourage all publishers to save this insert and refer to it often when preparing for the ministry.
Song 224 and concluding prayer.
[Footnotes]
a Limit introductory comments to less than a minute, and follow with a question-and-answer discussion.
b Limit introductory comments to less than a minute, and follow with a question-and-answer discussion.
c Limit introductory comments to less than a minute, and follow with a question-and-answer discussion.