Service Meeting Schedule
Week Starting August 12
13 min: Local announcements. Selected Announcements from Our Kingdom Ministry. Using the suggestions on page 8, have two separate demonstrations of how to present the August 15 Watchtower and the August 22 Awake! In each case, show a different way to handle the conversation stopper “Why do you people call so often?”—See Reasoning book, page 20.
20 min: “Set Spiritual Goals.”a When discussing paragraph 5, include motivating comments about regular pioneering and missionary and Bethel service from the Our Ministry book, pages 114-16.
12 min: Local experiences. Invite the congregation to relate experiences they have had using the tract Would You Like to Know More About the Bible? Have any Bible studies been started? If so, explain how or reenact one or two experiences. Review the box “Opportunities to Distribute the Tract” in the November 2001 Our Kingdom Ministry, page 4.
Song 123 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting August 19
12 min: Local announcements. Accounts report. Discuss “New Special Assembly Day Program.” Announce date of the next special assembly day, and urge all to arrive early and be attentive during the entire program. Encourage publishers to invite newly interested ones and Bible students.
15 min: What Holds Them Back? Audience discussion and demonstration. In our ministry we commonly encounter people who are reluctant to discuss their beliefs. This poses a barrier that can prevent us from sharing the Kingdom message. If we recognize why a person holds back, this may help us to formulate an approach that will draw the individual out. Discuss how we might adapt our presentation when we encounter the following types of people: (1) Those apathetic toward religion, even their own. (2) Those with an emotional attachment to religious customs practiced by their family and ancestors. (3) Those who are uncomfortable talking about their beliefs because they have little Scriptural support for them. (4) Those prejudiced against us because of misleading comments made by opposers. Adjust list as needed to suit the local territory, focusing on attitudes commonly encountered. Include a brief demonstration showing how to draw a person into a Scriptural conversation.
18 min: “Display Christian Loyalty When a Relative Is Disfellowshipped.”b (Paragraphs 1-8) To be handled by a well-qualified elder, using the questions that are provided. Have each paragraph read aloud by a brother who is a capable reader.
Song 136 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting August 26
10 min: Local announcements. Using the suggestions on page 8, have a regular or an auxiliary pioneer demonstrate how to present the September 1 Watchtower and have a congregation publisher show how to present the September 8 Awake! Encourage all publishers to include a scripture in their presentation.
17 min: “Be a Communicator!”c In conclusion, encourage publishers to review the chapter “How to Improve Conversation Skills” in the book Benefit From Theocratic Ministry School Education, pages 62-5.
18 min: “Display Christian Loyalty When a Relative Is Disfellowshipped.”d (Paragraphs 9-14) To be handled by a well-qualified elder, using the questions that are provided. Have each paragraph read aloud by a brother who is a capable reader.
Song 125 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting September 2
10 min: Local announcements. Remind publishers to turn in field service reports for August. Briefly highlight the article “Read With Your Children” in the May 1, 1999, Watchtower, page 25.
20 min: Prepare Before You Go. Discussion and demonstration. Good planning contributes to our effectiveness in the ministry. Therefore, in advance: (1) Obtain the literature you will need. (2) Be sure to have sufficient house-to-house records and a pen or a pencil. (3) If you need transportation, make appropriate travel arrangements. (4) Think about the return visits you plan to make. (5) Prepare what you are going to say. If you will be conducting the meeting for field service, obtain sufficient territory. Discuss with the audience two or three ways that the Creation book can be offered in the ministry during September. Demonstrate one of the presentations, and include a scripture in the discussion.—See suggestions in Our Kingdom Ministry, September 1996, page 8, and June 1995, page 4.
15 min: Local needs. Or invite the congregation to relate experiences they have had witnessing informally, perhaps by sharing the good news with people in parking lots, on public transportation, in parks, in shopping centers, at truck stops, and in other public places. Reenact one or two experiences.
Song 99 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.
d Limit introductory comments to less than a minute, and follow with a question-and-answer discussion.