Theocratic Ministry School Schedule for 2011
Instructions for Meetings in American Sign Language
During 2011 the following will be the arrangements for conducting the Theocratic Ministry School.
PUBLICATIONS USED: New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures—On DVD [bi7], The Watchtower—On DVD [w], What Does the Bible Really Teach?—On DVD [bh], and Elementary Bible Teachings—On DVD [et]. For an explanation of publication references, please see the Watch Tower Publications Index 1992-2005 for publications in American Sign Language, page 5.
The school should begin ON TIME with comments of welcome and then proceed as outlined below. After each talk, the school overseer will introduce the next talk.
IMPORTANT POINTS FROM BIBLE READING: 10 minutes. For the first four minutes, a qualified elder or ministerial servant should consider Scriptural points from the weekly Bible reading. When the weekly Bible reading begins with the first chapter of a Bible book, information for the first four minutes should be taken from the “Jehovah’s Word Is Alive” articles appearing in The Watchtower—On DVD. For example, James chapter 1 will be considered the week of February 28, so the speaker should select a few important points from the introductory paragraphs and paragraphs that give an overview of the book of James, as found in the “Jehovah’s Word Is Alive” article appearing in the February 15, 2011, issue of The Watchtower—On DVD. However, for this talk, the speaker should not include information from the “Scriptural Questions Answered” or “Lessons for Us” sections.
It would be best for the speaker to show key scriptures from the Bible reading using the American Sign Language (ASL) edition of the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures—On DVD. He should apply the information in a way that will help the congregation. When discussing the weekly Bible reading, the main goal is to help the audience to understand why and how the information can help them. The speaker should be careful not to use more than four minutes for his talk. He should be sure to save six minutes for the audience to offer brief comments of 30 seconds or less on what they have appreciated in the weekly Bible reading. The school overseer will then dismiss the students who are assigned to other classrooms.
TALK 1: 4 minutes or less. This talk should be given by a brother. The student should sign the assigned information without giving an introduction or a conclusion. The student should do his best to copy the signing from the ASL edition of the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures—On DVD. The student should sign the information in a way that is natural for him while at the same time signing the message accurately. The school overseer will be interested in helping students to sign with understanding, fluency, accuracy, proper facial expression, emphasis, modulation, appropriate pausing, use of space, body shifts, and naturalness.
TALK 2: 5 minutes. This information will be assigned to a sister. Sisters will be given a setting (situation) or they may pick one from the list on page 82 of Benefit From Theocratic Ministry School Education. The student should use the theme on the schedule and make the situation realistic and practical for preaching in the local territory. When the information is from Elementary Bible Teachings, the signed question(s) in the assigned section may not always match the theme. Therefore, the student should choose from the available quoted and cited scriptures those that best support the theme and that are appropriate to the situation. If the scriptures chosen are in the ASL edition of the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures—On DVD, please use these during the talk. When no reference to a video is listed, the student will need to find information for this talk by doing research in the Watch Tower Publications Index for publications in American Sign Language. The school overseer will watch how the student uses the information and how she helps the one being witnessed to or the householder to reason on the Scriptures and understand the main points of the talk. The school overseer will assign one assistant.
TALK 3: 5 minutes. The information may be assigned to a brother or a sister. The student should use the theme on the schedule. When no reference to a video is listed, the student will need to find information for this talk by doing research in the Watch Tower Publications Index for publications in American Sign Language. When a brother gives this talk, it should be given to help those in the Kingdom Hall audience. When a sister presents this information, it should always be given as outlined for Talk 2. Please note that themes with an asterisk (*) next to them should only be given to brothers to develop as talks, and whenever practical, an elder or a ministerial servant should be used.
COUNSEL: 1-2 minutes. The school overseer will not announce before the talk which speech quality the student is working on. After Talks 1, 2, and 3, the school overseer will offer positive comments on a point from the talk that was commendable, focusing attention on specific reasons why it was effective and referring frequently to the Ministry School textbook. According to the need of each student, additional constructive counsel may be given privately after the meeting or at another time.
TIMING: No talk should go overtime. Also, the comments of the counselor should not go overtime. Talks 1, 2, and 3 should tactfully be stopped when the time is up. If brothers handling important points from the Bible reading go overtime, they should be given private counsel. All should watch their timing carefully. Total program: 30 minutes.
COUNSEL FORM: In Ministry School textbook.
ASSISTANT COUNSELOR: The assistant counselor’s responsibility will be to give private counsel, if needed, to elders or ministerial servants regarding any speaking assignment they may handle, including important points from the Bible reading, Service Meeting parts, public talks, readings, or conducting the Congregation Bible Study. If there are many elders in the congregation who are capable speakers and teachers, then a different qualified elder may care for this responsibility each year. It is not necessary that he offer counsel after each assignment by elders or ministerial servants, but only when he sees that a word of encouragement or a practical suggestion would help his brothers to make progress.
THEOCRATIC MINISTRY SCHOOL REVIEW: 20 minutes. Every two months, the school overseer will conduct a review. The important points from the Bible reading should be presented first, as explained above, and then the review. This review is from talks given in the school during the previous two months, including the night of the review. If your congregation has a circuit assembly or the visit of the circuit overseer during the week of the Theocratic Ministry School Review, then the review should be postponed one week and Talks 1, 2, and 3 of the following week’s schedule should be used. No changes should be made in the schedule of the weekly Bible reading or the presentation of important points from the Bible reading.