Announcements
◼ Literature offer for December: The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived. As an alternative offer, you may use The Bible—God’s Word or Man’s?, My Book of Bible Stories, or You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth. January: Any book published prior to 1988 that the congregation may have in stock. If you do not have any of these in stock, please check if nearby congregations have a surplus of older publications on hand that you can use. Congregations that do not have older books may offer Mankind’s Search for God. February: Draw Close to Jehovah. If this publication is not available, you may use Life—How Did It Get Here? By Evolution or by Creation? or Revelation—Its Grand Climax At Hand! as an alternative offer. March: Knowledge That Leads to Everlasting Life. A special effort will be made to start home Bible studies. If people already have this publication, Pay Attention to Daniel’s Prophecy! may be offered.
◼ As a reminder to the brothers handling the congregation accounts, donations placed in the boxes for the Worldwide Work and for the Kingdom Hall Fund are to be remitted monthly and should not be used for payment on a Kingdom Hall property loan or for any other congregation expense.
◼ The branch facilities in Brooklyn, Patterson, and Wallkill, New York, will be closed on the following Saturdays: March 13, 2004 (Gilead graduation); May 8, 2004 (spring cleaning); September 11, 2004 (Gilead graduation); and October 2, 2004 (annual meeting of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania). There will be no arrangements for tours or for congregations to pick up literature on those dates.
◼ The Memorial invitations for 2004 in the primary language of each congregation will soon be sent to the congregation. If other languages are spoken in your territory and you would like a supply of invitations in those languages, these should be requested as soon as possible on a Literature Request form (S-14). A listing of the languages in which Memorial invitations are available will appear in the “Announcement to All Congregations,” which is mailed to all congregations each month. Please request only those languages needed for your territory.
◼ Please note that the Memorial for the year 2005 will be on Thursday, March 24, after sundown. This advance notice is given so that brothers may make necessary reservations or contracts for available halls when there are several congregations using the Kingdom Hall and other facilities must be found. In such instances, the elders should have an agreement with the management ensuring that there will be no disturbances from other activities in the building so that the Memorial observance can proceed in a peaceful and orderly manner. Because of the importance of the occasion, the body of elders should select one of the more qualified elders to be the Memorial speaker instead of simply taking turns or using the same brother every year. If there is a capable elder of the anointed who can give the talk, he should be selected.
◼ From March 15, 2004, through May 16, 2005, the book Draw Close to Jehovah will be considered at the Congregation Book Study. Congregations in need of the large-print edition of this publication should submit their requests as early as possible.