Service Meeting Schedule
Week Starting February 11
12 min: Local announcements. Selected Announcements from Our Kingdom Ministry. Encourage everyone to read or review Genesis 6:1 to 9:19 and to watch the video Noah—He Walked With God in preparation for the discussion at the Service Meeting the week of February 25.
20 min: “Preach the Word of God Fully.”a (Paragraphs 1-13) To be handled by the presiding overseer. An enthusiastic discussion of what we desire to accomplish in March and beyond. Everyone should use the calendar provided in the insert to plan a practical schedule for sharing as much as possible in the ministry during March. Encourage all who can to auxiliary pioneer that month. When discussing paragraphs 7-8, ask for expressions about the blessings enjoyed by those who pioneered last Memorial season. Announce that applications for auxiliary pioneering will be available after this meeting.
13 min: “What to Say About the Magazines.” Ask publishers how this feature in Our Kingdom Ministry has helped them to be better prepared to tie in articles with troublesome events in these critical times. What experiences have some had in bringing comfort to people and helping them to find Bible-based answers to disturbing questions? In two brief demonstrations, show how to present the February 15 Watchtower and then the February 22 Awake!
Song 49 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting February 18
8 min: Local announcements. Accounts report.
12 min: “The Happiest People on Earth.”b Briefly include “Steps Toward Happiness,” on page 6 in the October 15, 1997, Watchtower.
25 min: “Preach the Word of God Fully.”c (Paragraphs 14-23) To be handled by the service overseer. Review special plans being made locally for increased activity in March. Outline entire schedule of meetings for field service planned for the month. Focus on reactivating those who have become inactive and assisting children and Bible students to qualify as unbaptized publishers. Announce the names of those who have signed up to auxiliary pioneer in March, and encourage more to give prayerful thought to joining them.
Song 143 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting February 25
15 min: Local announcements. Demonstrate two brief magazine presentations—one using the March 1 Watchtower and the other using the March 8 Awake! Have a youth give one of them. Remind publishers to turn in field service reports for February.
15 min: “Impact of Videos That Give a Witness.” Audience discussion. Thus far, we have reviewed eight of our videos on the Service Meeting program. After briefly discussing the examples given in the article, ask publishers to relate what successes they have had in showing the videos to others.
15 min: “Everyone Can Learn From Noah—He Walked With God.” Get right into a discussion of the Noah video with the audience, using only the questions that are provided in the box on this page. In April we will review the video Young People Ask—How Can I Make Real Friends?
Song 215 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting March 4
5 min: Local announcements.
12 min: Local needs.
12 min: Use the Knowledge Book to Start Studies. During March we wish to put forth a special effort to start home Bible studies. Briefly relate the experience in the August 1998 Our Kingdom Ministry, page 4, paragraph 8. If someone has recently started a study in the Knowledge book, reenact how this was accomplished. Remind everyone of the “Suggestions for Presenting the Knowledge Book,” in the January 2002 Our Kingdom Ministry insert. Using the book, demonstrate one of the suggestions on page 6 of the insert under “The Direct Approach.”
16 min: “Why Keep On Preaching?”d Conclude with interviews of one or two publishers who have kept on preaching over a period of many years. Have them share their feelings as to why they have persisted in this work and how it has benefited them.
Song 223 and concluding prayer.
[Footnotes]
a Limit introductory comments to less than a minute, and follow with a question-and-answer discussion.
b Limit introductory comments to less than a minute, and follow with a question-and-answer discussion.
c Limit introductory comments to less than a minute, and follow with a question-and-answer discussion.
d Limit introductory comments to less than a minute, and follow with a question-and-answer discussion.