Service Meetings for August
Week Starting August 5
10 min: Local announcements. Selected Announcements from Our Kingdom Ministry.
20 min: “No Letup in Declaring the Good News.” Talk and audience discussion. Include excerpts from Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 2, page 673, paragraph 1.
15 min: “Proclaim the Kingdom Good News With Brochures.” (Paragraphs 1-5) Use first paragraph in introductory talk. Make positive comments about the advantages of using the Life on Earth and “Look!” brochures in the ministry. Arrange four well-rehearsed demonstrations, showing how the initial calls and return visits can be handled with these brochures. Have a young publisher, assisted by his parent, demonstrate the presentations with the Life on Earth brochure. Publishers may wish to pattern their presentations of other brochures on those here suggested.
Song 136 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting August 12
15 min: Local announcements. Accounts report. Include positive comments on “Ways to Share,” in December 1, 1993, Watchtower, pages 29-31.
15 min: “Proclaim the Kingdom Good News With Brochures.” (Paragraphs 6-8) Give a brief overview of the contents of the Government brochure. Demonstrate the suggested presentations for the initial call and return visit. Encourage all to follow up their placements.
15 min: “Contributions to Society’s Worldwide Work Support Expansion.” Enthusiastic talk by elder. Include some statistics on progress of Kingdom work in some of the countries represented, as reported in Yearbook.
Song 9 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting August 19
10 min: Local announcements. Review Question Box.
15 min: “Who Is Qualified to Preach?” An elder discusses article with two or three publishers. Emphasize that we are receiving the best training available, fully equipping us as ministers of God. We have no reason to feel inadequate to preach.
20 min: “How to Make Disciples With the Knowledge Book.” Audience discussion of paragraphs 17-26 of the June 1996 Our Kingdom Ministry insert. Arrange ahead of time to include local experiences of those who are conducting studies in the Knowledge book. They can make positive expressions about how they have applied suggestions found in the insert and how they have been helped to conduct a more progressive home Bible study. Encourage all to save the insert and review it personally whenever they start a new study.
Song 189 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting August 26
10 min: Local announcements. Review “New Special Assembly Day Program.” Announce field service arrangements for September 2.
20 min: Taking an Interest in Your Children’s Schooling. Talk by an elder. Review information in the brochure Jehovah’s Witnesses and Education, pages 2-5, showing why we appreciate useful training provided in school. Discuss how to explain tactfully to teachers the reason why we keep spiritual goals rather than secular pursuits uppermost. Include points from “Conclusion,” on page 31. Encourage parents to apply suggestions given in September 8, 1988, Awake!, page 11.
15 min: Review Literature Offer for September. We will use the book Life—How Did It Get Here? By Evolution or by Creation? Illustrate the versatility of this publication. Chapters 1-15 thoroughly research the controversy over how life got here; chapter 16 addresses a universally perplexing question, “Why Would God Permit Suffering?”; chapters 17-18 build faith in the Bible as being God’s trustworthy, inspired Word; chapters 19-20 highlight the Kingdom good news about life on earth in Paradise and explain how to attain it. Have a capable publisher use one of these approaches to demonstrate a brief presentation of the Creation book. If the congregation still has in stock copies of Making Your Family Life Happy or You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth, these may be offered.
Song 113 and concluding prayer.