Meetings to Help Us Make Disciples
WEEK STARTING AUGUST 1
12 min: Local announcements and selected Announcements from Our Kingdom Ministry. Encourage support for field service the first Sunday of the month.
20 min: “Presenting the Good News—With Brochures.” Have brief discussion of paragraphs 1 and 2, then present three well-rehearsed demonstrations, one for each brochure being offered. Encourage young publishers to learn presentation in paragraph 4. Exhort publishers to prepare well so as to be effective in their transitions. Remind them that brochures can be used for starting Bible studies.
13 min: “A New Feature of the 1989 Calendar.” Enthusiastic talk. Explain clearly how to order calendars as set out in Announcements.
Song 204 and concluding prayer.
WEEK STARTING AUGUST 8
10 min: Local announcements. Accounts report and donation acknowledgments. Encourage all to share in magazine witnessing on second Saturday of August. Include a brief demonstration presenting current magazines.
20 min: “Fully Accomplish Your Ministry.” Question-and-answer discussion. When considering paragraphs 3 and 4, refer to the Index under “TERRITORY,” subheading “coverage,” sub-subheading “repeated,” for experiences on the benefits of using house-to-house records. Prepared local experiences can also be used.
15 min: Be a Good Listener! Encouraging and informative talk. Listening plays an important role in learning process. (Prov. 1:5) Our progress as a Christian minister depends to a great extent on how we listen at meetings, at assemblies, and to elders. (Prov. 18:15) A good listener not only hears with his ears but also pays attention with his mind and his heart. He is moved by his heart to get the sense of a matter and do something about it. He is motivated by what he hears. (Matt. 13:23) Interest is a very important factor in good listening. Our interest in the truth should help us to improve our listening habits at meetings and assemblies. What can we do to improve our listening habits? See Study 5 of the School Guidebook for additional suggestions. Encourage all to remember Jesus’ counsel, “Pay attention to how you listen.”—Luke 8:18.
Song 40 and concluding prayer.
WEEK STARTING AUGUST 15
10 min: Local announcements. Outline congregation’s field service arrangements. Interview young folks who have served as auxiliary pioneers during the summer months. How have they benefited, and what joys have they had? Briefly relate interesting experiences they had in field service.
20 min: “Family Bible Study—A Priority for Christians.” Question-and-answer discussion of article.
15 min: Interview cross section of young people in congregation. What are the local problems young Witnesses are facing in school? What can they do personally to cooperate with their parents to make the family study a success? What can we do to help them? Do they have serving Jehovah full time as their goal?
Song 157 and concluding prayer.
WEEK STARTING AUGUST 22
10 min: Local announcements and Theocratic News. Encourage support for field service with magazines on the fourth Saturday. Demonstrate appropriate presentations.
18 min: How Can We Be More Productive? To be handled by the service overseer. Review with the congregation ways in which all can participate in aspects of service that may need attention. Information can be researched using the Index under “FIELD MINISTRY.” Give practical suggestions to the audience. One to three brief demonstrations can be used to illustrate points discussed.
17 min: “Were You Once Associated With Jehovah’s Organization?” Appealing talk by experienced elder, explaining the congregation’s rightful concern for inactive persons and what can be done to help such ones who may be known by members of the congregation.—w88 1/15, pp. 21-3.
Song 123 and concluding prayer.
WEEK STARTING AUGUST 29
5 min: Local announcements. Encourage all to turn in field service reports promptly at end of month.
13 min: Offer Creation book during September. Animated talk with demonstrations. Emphasize value of Creation book to people in your territory. Suggest various situations in which it may be offered. Demonstrate house-to-house presentation using Topic for Conversation, and demonstrate one other presentation that would be appropriate in your area.
12 min: “Benefiting From Obedience to Divine Instruction.” Family discussion highlighting positive reactions to first special assembly day program and anticipation for new program. Remind brothers of date of next special assembly day for local congregation if this has already been announced.
15 min: Local needs or talk on “How to Be a Successful Parent.” See The Watchtower, May 1, 1988, pages 3-6.
Song 80 and concluding prayer.