Schedule Time for Field Service
1 True Christians are very busy people. (1 Cor. 15:58) We have many demands placed on our time. Hence, there is a need for us to have a schedule that will enable us to be successful in fulfilling our many obligations. Particular care and attention, therefore, should be given to our commission to preach, making sure we fully accomplish our ministry.—2 Tim. 4:5.
2 To help us schedule our time, certain days of the month have been designated as special field service days. These days are highlighted on our calendar. They are the first Sunday and the second and fourth Saturdays of every month. On these special days of service it can be very encouraging for those who may be irregular or inactive to be invited to come along with us. Many use the first Sunday of the month as a day when the whole family shares in the Kingdom-preaching work.
3 Special note, too, should be given to the second and fourth Saturdays of the month. Whereas some may be able to make every Saturday a magazine day, the Society encourages us to make a special effort to engage in the magazine work on these two days. By including these two special magazine days in our schedule, we will be sure of regularly sharing in distributing the magazines. The good that is accomplished by regular participation in magazine work should never be underestimated.
4 When engaging in magazine work, we should recognize that our neighbors are busy too. Saturdays are often used to take care of things around the house or to go shopping. Therefore, a brief presentation stimulating interest in a particular article is appropriate. Our main objective should be to get the magazines and the lifesaving message they contain into the homes of our neighbors. We can call back at a later date and engage the householder in an in-depth discussion, but our initial call should be brief and to the point. Of course, when exceptional interest is shown, an appropriate witness should be given with arrangements to call again.
SET PERSONAL GOALS
5 To aid further in scheduling time, have you set personal goals for yourself? Personal goals to increase time spent in the ministry, to place more literature or to make more effective return visits will help us set priorities. This may mean that some activities of lesser importance will have to be put aside. However, the results to be obtained are well worth the time and effort required to reach personal goals. Not only will we gain a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, but more importantly we will be putting Kingdom interests first.—Matt. 6:33.
6 Our lives as true Christians revolve around our privilege of preaching the good news. Hence, any day of the week that is convenient may be scheduled for preaching work. Many schedule service every Saturday and Sunday, and this is good. However, others may not be able to do this. Therefore, by reserving the first Sunday and the second and fourth Saturdays of the month as special field service days, they too will have a definite minimum schedule for field service each month.
7 “The time left is reduced.” (1 Cor. 7:29) This being the case, our lives should be filled with Christian works. To accomplish this, our time for engaging in the preaching activity should be placed high on our priority list in order to maintain a healthy, zealous participation in the ministry.