Assemblies Spread Good News in Germany
By “Awake!” correspondent in West Germany
THE 1970 “Men of Goodwill” District Assemblies have done much to spread good news to all sections of West Germany’s population. This, in part, resulted from the choice of strategic locations—thirteen cities in all. Those planning to attend could choose the most convenient city, confident in the knowledge that the identical program would be presented at all locations.
There were large cities such as Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Stuttgart. There were small ones amid scenic surroundings, such as Offenburg in the Black Forest and Neumünster in fertile north Germany. One could choose to go to a large industrial center such as Essen, Mannheim or Wolfsburg, the “Volkswagen city,” or to a harbor city such as Hamburg or Friedrichshafen on the north shore of Lake Constance. Münster, too, the site of the historic Peace of Westphalia’s signing that ended the Thirty Years’ War, as well as Straubing in Catholic Lower Bavaria, could be chosen. And lastly, Kassel, where leading statesmen of East and West Germany recently failed to reach agreement, was another convention city.
Tens of thousands of homes in these thirteen cities were visited by conventioners, visits that in most instances accomplished three things—invited householders to open their homes to visiting Witnesses, invited citizens to attend the public lecture on the subject “Saving the Human Race—in the Kingdom Way” and extended to each one who would hear the message of great joy found in the Holy Bible.
Great Increases Noted
Noticeable to the people of the convention cities was the growth, the prosperity, of the Witness organization. For example, back in 1948 the second postwar national assembly of the Witnesses was held in Kassel, with some 20,000 delegates attending. But this year Kassel was only one of thirteen assembly cities, which had a combined attendance of well over 100,000. The 7,800 persons who attended the Kassel assembly thus represented only eight of the total of 78 circuits (groups of congregations) of Jehovah’s witnesses in West Germany and West Berlin. So only a small number of those present this year were also present in 1948 when a field marred by 56 gaping bomb craters was transformed into a beautiful assembly site.
Reporters noticed the large numbers of youthful delegates who attentively listened to the program and helped with whatever work needed to be done. In its issue of July 17, 1970, the Straubinger Tageblatt (Straubinger Daily Paper) had this to say: “The large number of young Jehovah’s witnesses is especially outstanding. There is hardly a religious group in our cultural society that would be able to cause young people to sacrifice their free time for the propagating of their teaching and to readily agree to camping cots and air mattresses merely to be able to listen to the words of a preacher. In reply to the question, why they do this, a young man of 20 said: ‘Because we are interested in our faith—and besides, we were trained to do so.’”
The combined attendance at the public lecture of the program amounted to 110,506—considerably more than the somewhat over 90,000 active Witnesses in West Germany and West Berlin.
Dramas with Practical Impact
Something else that operated to spread the good news in Germany was the excellent dramas with practical impact. For example, the highlight Saturday evening was a drama entitled “Who Needs Your Help?” Youths in the audience learned how they really need the help of parents and men of responsibility in the congregation. Parents witnessed a practical demonstration of how they need to have heart-to-heart talks about morals with their sons and daughters. Visitors saw how Christian principles should be operating in all Christian households.
A fifteen-year-old student at Wolfsburg, who has been baptized for one year now, said: “I want to verify that everything is just as shown in the demonstration. I can personally testify to the fact that immoral acts really do occur in school and in the locker room. They are committed in a disgusting manner.”
In Hamburg the father of an eleven-year-old son said: “When I consider their conduct and the way the youth of today talk, I know that it was good to discuss this subject with parents and children for their own protection.” And a father of four sons said, in Straubing: “I am thankful that we as parents were shown what we should tell our children and how we can do it.”
The other drama presented on the program, entitled “Love Is a Perfect Bond of Union,” came in for a great deal of publicity. In Offenburg representatives of the television network came to advance practice sessions to take pictures. One of the scenes was filmed and broadcast before the drama appeared on stage Friday evening. That stimulated many local people to come and see the live production at the assembly site. In Berlin the opera house provided costumes for the drama without charge, and the Witness actors were allowed to choose those that best fitted their parts.
A camera team at Essen, after taking pictures of the drama, which depicted the courageous devotion of Queen Esther to the cause of God’s people, were so impressed that they remarked: “This was the best nonprofessional acting we have ever seen.” Certainly, the tears in the eyes of many who saw the drama were a true expression of the effect this instruction had upon their hearts.
Observers Deeply Impressed
Many were the officials and others who were brought into contact with Jehovah’s witnesses in connection with these assemblies. With what effect? Did something of the message and conduct of Jehovah’s people in assembly rub off on them? Their own expressions tell the story eloquently.
The head of the building commission in Straubing, after inspecting the various installations at the assembly site, told his colleagues: “That is an organization without compare and one with unity. Go and see for yourselves. And above all, take note of the words on the stage.” He referred to the assembly theme—“Men of Goodwill” District Assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
When asked by a Witness how he would explain the fine orderly functioning of the organization, an official of the Essen police department declared: “It must be God’s spirit that makes this possible.”
At Mannheim, where cafeteria and sanitation facilities had to be provided for German, English and Greek delegates, the head of the health department observed, after inspection: “Nothing can go wrong at this convention; this is not merely a routine affair but rather the right spirit is at work here.”
The head of the night watch at the exhibition halls at Stuttgart exclaimed: “Look at this! There were 7,000 persons in this hall and only this little pile of garbage!”—eight cups and six candy wrappers. The officials were all the more impressed since after a gathering of 5,000 non-Witnesses at the same site an entire truckload of litter had to be disposed of.
The administration of the exhibition grounds in Friedrichshafen waived stipulations generally included in the contract because, as the official stated: “Jehovah’s witnesses are quiet and patient people. We only make up this type of contract with Jehovah’s witnesses, but with no other organization.”
For the same reason the director of the chamber of commerce in Düsseldorf assisted in obtaining newspaper coverage of the assembly and thus advertising the public lecture. The newspapers devoted a total of seven yards of column space to the assembly.
The convention organization and the instruction presented at the assemblies also impressed those of the teaching profession. In Straubing the principal of a high school requested information about the assembly even before it began. He was impressed by the material to be presented concerning education and religious instruction of the children. On the first day of the assembly students came to pick up programs. They also asked numerous questions. Why? They had been assigned to write essays about the assembly.
Also impressed was a friendly lady in Friedrichshafen who provided accommodations for ten persons. She was asked what caused her to take in two families. Her reply was: “What I observed about Jehovah’s witnesses is that you are happy people. You must also lead happy married and family lives because we always see you with the entire family. This is certainly only possible because of your faith.”
Opposition Boomerangs
Despite the rich spiritual blessings and the good news that these assemblies spread throughout Germany, there were those who opposed them. For example, in Essen the Lutheran Church distributed a leaflet entitled “Should we take them into our homes?” It warned church members not to provide accommodations for convention visitors. What was the reaction? Did this hinder the work of finding rooms for the delegates? No, but it did bring some unwelcome publicity to the publishers of the leaflet.
In its issue of July 22, 1970, the West-deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (West German General Newspaper) carried the caption: “Church Leaders Speak of Anti-Church Attitude: Many Lutherans ‘Helpless’ When Confronted by ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses.’” The article went on to say: “In the text from the Stuttgarter main office (which published the leaflet) the doubt was raised whether Protestants in Essen ‘felt capable’ and were prepared ‘as believing Christians to face their guests.‘”
Following a press conference many newspapers published information stating the position of Jehovah’s witnesses. On July 23 Channel One of the German television network presented an interview that a reporter had had with a church leader who shared in the publication of the leaflet. This clergyman had to answer the reporter’s question: “Is this not showing lack of Christian love of neighbor, or do you believe that your brothers and sisters are so unsure in their faith?” And millions of television viewers heard the clergyman’s answer to the reporter’s further question about his church belonging to ‘Babylon the Great’ mentioned in the book of Revelation: “Yes, that is correct, they [the Witnesses] maintain this because the church is said to have allowed itself to be drawn into uniting with and cooperating with the secular power and thereby to have betrayed the Gospel.”
Really, the leaflet campaign proved to be a boomerang, while the resulting publicity proved to be valuable in advertising extensively the assembly and its public lecture of the final day.
Baptism Noted with Interest
Another feature of the convention that rouses interest and draws attention to the message of the Witnesses is the baptism. A total of 2,070 persons were baptized at the thirteen assemblies in Germany.
One man who was baptized in symbol of his dedication to God at Stuttgart had attended a Jesuit monastery school for nine years. There he learned much about dogma and philosophy, but now he has learned to understand God’s will after studying the book The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life for only three months with Jehovah’s witnesses.
A married couple baptized at Straubing had resisted the truth of the Bible for many years. The husband had studied for seven years in a seminary for priests and was active in church administration. A copy of the book The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life, sent to him through the mail, brought about a great change. Despite opposition from close relatives they cleansed their home of objects of false religion and eventually dedicated their lives to Jehovah God.
In Friedrichshafen two Turks were baptized. One of them said that after being a Moslem for forty years he was only now becoming acquainted with the Koran. He was surprised how much was written in the Koran about Christ.
Beneficial Aftereffects
The “Men of Goodwill” District Assemblies of Jehovah’s witnesses in Germany are sure to produce much fine fruit. Can people see the happiness of Jehovah’s people? Can officials in various areas of government see their good conduct and cleanliness? Can men who have to deal with the public as well as with Jehovah’s witnesses fail to be deeply impressed? Is it not likely that some among them will reflect on what they have seen and heard and conclude that the good news of the Kingdom has something to do with it?
Jehovah’s people in Germany, for their part, are happy over many things. Prominent among them is the fact that the joyous assemblies in which they shared this year are sure to work for the advancement of the good news.
[Picture on page 17]
Delegates at Offenburg. At thirteen assemblies the public talk was heard by 110,506 persons