Using the New Brochure Effectively
1 At our recent district convention, we were very pleased to receive the new brochure When Someone You Love Dies. It should appeal to people in all walks of life, since so many have grieved over the loss of a loved one. Its eye-catching photographs and illustrations should make it easy to place. On page 29 the dramatic painting of Lazarus being raised from the dead shows Jesus’ “intense desire to undo the ravages of death.” The next full-page illustration depicts a joyful resurrection scene in the new world. How this should warm the hearts of those who grieve!
2 This brochure can be a tremendous help in comforting the bereaved. It is designed for conversational discussion. Questions to bring out the highlights appear in a box at the end of each section rather than at the bottom of each page. You can use these “Questions to Ponder” in whatever way you feel will be most helpful to your student.
3 When making calls, be selective in discussing points that are found in the brochure. You might feel that it would be appropriate to show the table of contents on page 2 and ask the householder to indicate what interests him. Be sensitive to the needs of each individual. Let him express his feelings, and then show how the brochure offers comfort. Every section makes liberal use of Bible texts that provide the basis for our hope.
4 The subheading on page 5, “There Is a Real Hope,” highlights the comforting Bible-based hope for the dead. This should whet the appetite for discussion of “A Sure Hope for the Dead,” found on pages 26-31. The box on page 27 supplies further “Texts That Comfort.” A grieving householder will soon see that Jehovah is indeed “the God of all comfort.”—2 Cor. 1:3-7.
5 In a sensitive way, the intervening sections cover different reactions to the death of a loved one. They show how to cope with sorrow and how others can help in such distressing times. There is a box on page 25 entitled “Helping Children Deal With Death.” This should be a real help to parents who have to cope with this problem.
6 Keep an extra copy at hand, and use it for informal witnessing. You may wish to visit local funeral homes in your territory to see if they would like to have copies on hand to comfort bereaved families. Or you might tactfully approach grieving ones in cemeteries on occasions when they return to visit the grave of a loved one.
7 We rejoice that Jehovah is the God “who comforts those laid low.” (2 Cor. 7:6) We count it a privilege to have a share in ‘comforting these mourning ones.’—Isa. 61:2.