Maintaining Our Kingdom Halls

“I love my Kingdom Hall!” says Nicole, a young sister in Colombia. “It is the place where I can be with my spiritual family.” Do you feel similarly?

Around the world, Jehovah’s Witnesses meet in some 63,000 Kingdom Halls. These buildings provide us with a comfortable place to worship God. But they do more. A regular pioneer named David in Colombia says: “Our Kingdom Hall adorns our teaching. Many visitors are surprised to see how we keep the building in such good condition.” This is no accident. We work hard to clean and maintain our Kingdom Halls. How is this work cared for?

How Is Maintenance Organized?

The congregations that use a Kingdom Hall are responsible for maintaining it. To that end, brothers and sisters regularly clean their Kingdom Hall. They also perform preventive maintenance and minor repairs.

To help congregations maintain their Kingdom Hall, the Local Design/Construction Department (LDC) assigns brothers to serve as maintenance trainers. Each maintenance trainer looks after six to ten Kingdom Halls. He visits them and trains the publishers in the congregations on how to care for their hall. Every three years, he evaluates each building and identifies safety or maintenance issues.

Our brothers and sisters appreciate the training provided by maintenance trainers. Indhumathi, a sister in India, says: “The training was wonderful. It was a pleasure to learn how to keep our hall in good condition.” Evans, a brother in Kenya, says: “We learned how to avoid huge costs by attending to minor problems before they escalate into bigger ones.”

Covering Expenses

The yearly cost of operating and maintaining a Kingdom Hall can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars,a depending on where the hall is located, its age, and the number of congregations that use it. How are these expenses covered?

Kingdom Hall maintenance is supported by donations. Alexander, a brother in Kazakhstan, explains: “Part of the funds are used for Internet access and utilities, such as water and electricity. Another part is for consumables, such as paper towels, gloves, cleaning supplies, and paint.” Any additional contributions are donated to the worldwide work to help with larger and more expensive maintenance projects around the world.

Larger Maintenance Projects

If a Kingdom Hall requires maintenance work that will exceed two or three months of operating expenses, the elders consult with the LDC maintenance trainer. If the LDC approves the project, it is typically funded by donations to the worldwide work. During the 2023 service year, 8,793 of these projects were carried out, costing $76.6 million. Consider two of these projects.

In Angola, a 15-year-old Kingdom Hall had a number of issues. The electrical system had reached the end of its useful life, the walls had cracks, and the neighbors had reported water overflowing into their residences. The LDC organized a project to fix these problems. The project cost $9,285. The neighbors were thankful, and they were impressed with how the work was carried out.

In Poland, a Kingdom Hall’s roof was leaking, and the carpet was beyond repair. The LDC approved a project to repair and waterproof the roof and to replace the carpet. The project cost $9,757. As a result, a major renovation on this Kingdom Hall will not be necessary for several years.

Maintenance That Glorifies Jehovah

Maintenance not only saves valuable donations but also brings praise to Jehovah. Shaun, a brother in Tonga, says: “Because of our maintenance work, we can worship Jehovah in a clean, orderly, and well-functioning Kingdom Hall that reflects well on his name in the community. We feel proud to invite people to our Kingdom Hall.”

How Can You Help?

We can all help to clean and maintain our place of worship. Marino, a maintenance trainer in Australia, says: “All of us can have a share in the amazing privilege of caring for our Kingdom Halls. When we do, we are making a real difference in saving dedicated funds and allowing them to be used where they are really needed.”

Joel, a brother in India, enjoys maintaining his Kingdom Hall. He says: “Working with my brothers gives me a preview of what it will be like in the new world.” Nicole, quoted earlier, says: “Recently, I helped mop the floor while brothers fixed a leak in the bathroom. Even though I didn’t fix the problem, I helped prevent an accident.”

If you would like to volunteer to help maintain your Kingdom Hall, speak to your local elders. In addition, your donations support the maintenance of not only your Kingdom Hall but also other Kingdom Halls around the world. These donations can be made via the contribution boxes in your hall or via donate.jw.org. We deeply appreciate your generous spirit.