Service Meetings for November
Week Starting November 1
10 min: Local announcements. Selected Announcements from Our Kingdom Ministry. Review “See the Power of the Bible!”
15 min: “Preaching Sets Us Apart.” Limit introductory comments to less than a minute, and follow with a question-and-answer discussion. Using the Knowledge book, page 173, paragraph 8, briefly relate what we might say to encourage a Bible student to reach out for a share in the ministry.
20 min: “Who Might Accept a Bible Study?” Talk and demonstrations. In harmony with paragraph 4, suggest various ways to stimulate interest in learning what our publications contain. Have two brief demonstrations showing how that might be done. Invite audience to tell how they have achieved success in starting studies.
Song 198 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting November 8
10 min: Local announcements. Accounts report. Remind brothers to prepare for next week’s discussion of first 18 paragraphs of November insert.
15 min: Question Box. A talk. Outline local arrangements to keep the Kingdom Hall clean and in good condition.
20 min: “What Will You Say to a Muslim?” Questions and answers. Highlight the need for discernment when conversing with people of other cultures. Demonstrate a well-prepared presentation. For more information on Islam, see February 1998 Our Kingdom Ministry insert; Reasoning book, pages 23-4; and Mankind’s Search for God, chapter 12.
Song 208 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting November 15
8 min: Local announcements. Outline special field service arrangements for November 25.
25 min: “Use of the Internet—Be Alert to the Dangers!” Question-and-answer discussion of paragraphs 1-18. Read paragraphs 4-7, 12, 16, 17. Encourage all to prepare well for next week’s discussion of paragraphs 19-36.
12 min: Parents—Do You Conduct a Regular Family Study? Talk and audience discussion. Explain why families need to study together. (See School Guidebook, pages 37-8.) Address the following hindrances to family study: (1) feeling that the children are too young to benefit, (2) thinking that attending congregation meetings is sufficient, (3) being tired because of busy schedules, and (4) being distracted by television viewing. (See May 15, 1994, Watchtower, pages 11-12.) Invite family heads to tell how they overcome obstacles to maintaining a good routine of family study. Emphasize that this takes effort, determination, and cooperation.
Song 217 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting November 22
10 min: Local announcements and field service experiences.
10 min: What Is Your Attitude Toward Assignments? Talk by an elder. There is a long list of necessary tasks required to keep the congregation functioning: preparing program assignments; picking up others for meetings or taking them in service; assisting the elderly; and cleaning, repairing, and caring for the Kingdom Hall, including lawn care and snow removal. How do you respond when asked to assist? Some may decline, accept reluctantly, or fail to follow through to completion. Discuss why accepting and fulfilling assignments is a happy privilege. Encourage all in the congregation to demonstrate a willing volunteer spirit.—Ps. 110:3, ftn.; Isa. 6:8.
25 min: “Use of the Internet—Be Alert to the Dangers!” Question-and-answer discussion of paragraphs 19-36. Read paragraphs 23-5 and 34-6.
Song 223 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting November 29
10 min: Local announcements. Remind publishers to turn in field service reports for November.
15 min: Encourage New Ones to Attend Meetings. Discussion between an elder and one or two ministerial servants, based on the Doing God’s Will brochure, pages 14-15. Review why it is vital that new ones attend meetings. There they will receive the major part of their instruction, encouragement, and assistance. Review the five weekly meetings, explaining the benefits of each. Discuss how meetings promote godly conduct, build spirituality, draw us to the organization, help us develop close ties with others, and assist us in understanding the purpose of our ministry. Encourage audience to use the brochure to stimulate new ones to come to meetings.
20 min: Our Choice—The New World Translation. Talk and demonstrations. Among religious organizations, ours is unique in that we publish, use, and distribute a translation of the Bible produced by anointed worshipers of Jehovah. It is not that we desire to profit commercially or to disseminate sectarian beliefs. Rather, we are motivated by a desire to honor God’s name and to help others get to know him better. Other translations often render God’s Word in a form difficult to understand, so review the distinct advantages of the New World Translation. (See “All Scripture” book, pages 327-31. Note comments in paragraph 3, point out examples of improved renderings in paragraph 6, and highlight benefits covered in paragraphs 22-3.) Have two brief demonstrations that suggest how we might respond when others say, “You have your own Bible.”—See Reasoning book, pages 279-80.
Song 205 and concluding prayer.