Question Box

◼ How should personal copies of The Watchtower and Awake! be obtained?

Since the subscription arrangement for both the printed and audiocassette editions of The Watchtower and Awake! in all languages was discontinued some time ago, all publishers should obtain their magazines, audiocassettes, and MP3 CD’s through the local congregation. The exception would be Braille magazines and audiocassettes that are mailed as free matter for those who qualify. Please note that congregations may request magazines on audiocassette or MP3 CD’s on a Congregation Requests (M-202) form. Foreign-language and large-print editions should likewise be requested using this form.

If someone in your territory requests regular magazine delivery, please be sure to follow through promptly so that not even one issue is missed. Disfellowshipped persons may obtain the magazines or other literature for their personal use at the magazine and literature counter at the Kingdom Hall. Disfellowshipped persons should not be included on a personal magazine route.

The only subscriptions that the United States branch will maintain on file are for those who cannot be served by a congregation publisher through a magazine route. If the Congregation Service Committee submits a request for subscriptions for someone who cannot otherwise obtain them, the secretary should include a brief note verifying that this subscription request has been reviewed and approved by the Congregation Service Committee.

This means that publishers should not write to the branch office to request personal subscriptions. Any such requests for subscriptions made by publishers or by interested persons will be referred back to the congregation.

◼ How can a prison inmate obtain personal copies of the magazines?

If the congregation caring for the preaching work at a penal institution can supply the magazines to inmates confined there, then an inmate should obtain his personal copies of the Watchtower and Awake! magazines through the visiting publishers. When this is not possible, the inmate may personally request subscriptions by writing to the branch office. Please note that disfellowshipped inmates may likewise obtain personal copies of the magazines as outlined in this paragraph.