Two New Members of the Governing Body

ON OCTOBER 5, 2024, a special announcement was made at the annual meeting: Brothers Jody Jedele and Jacob Rumph had been appointed as members of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Both brothers have faithfully served Jehovah for many years.

Brother Jedele was born in Missouri, U.S.A. and was raised in the truth. His family lived near seldom-worked territory. Thus, he met many brothers from diverse backgrounds who visited to help preach the good news. Their love and unity greatly impacted him. He got baptized in his early teens, on October 15, 1983. He enjoyed the ministry, and after high school, he started regular pioneering in September 1989.

During Brother Jedele’s youth, his parents would take him and his sister to visit Bethel. These visits motivated the children to set the goal of Bethel service​—a goal they both achieved. Brother Jedele arrived at Wallkill Bethel in September 1990. He first worked in the Cleaning Department and later in Medical Services.

About that time, nearby Spanish-language congregations were growing and needed brothers. So Brother Jedele attended one of them and began learning Spanish. Shortly thereafter, he met Damaris, a sister who pioneered in the same circuit. Eventually, they married, and she joined him at Bethel.

In 2005 they left Bethel to care for their faithful parents. During that period, they served as regular pioneers. Brother Jedele helped teach Pioneer Service School, and he served on the local Hospital Liaison Committee and Regional Building Committee.

In 2013, Brother and Sister Jedele were invited back to Bethel for the Warwick construction project. Since then, they have also served at Patterson and Wallkill. Brother Jedele has worked in the Local Design/​Construction Department and in Hospital Information Services. In March 2023, he was appointed as a helper to the Service Committee. Looking back on his assignments, he says: “When facing new assignments, you can sometimes feel overwhelmed. But that’s when you have to remember to rely on Jehovah because he is the one who causes to become.”

Brother Rumph was born in California, U.S.A. During his childhood, his mother was inactive but she made efforts to teach him Bible truths. Also, each year he would visit his grandmother, a faithful Witness. She helped to awaken his interest in the truth, and at 13 years of age, he asked for a Bible study. On September 27, 1992, while in his teens, he got baptized. Happily, his mother was reactivated and all his immediate family began making progress and got baptized.

In his youth, Brother Rumph saw how happy the pioneers were. So after completing high school, he began pioneering in September 1995. In 2000, he moved to Ecuador to serve where the need was greater. There he met Inga, a pioneer sister from Canada, and eventually they got married. They began their married life in a town in Ecuador that had a small group of publishers. Today it has a thriving congregation.

In time, Brother and Sister Rumph were appointed as special pioneers and later to the circuit work. In 2011 they were invited to the 132nd class of Gilead. After graduating, they served in various places around the world and enjoyed different forms of service, such as Bethel service, missionary work, and circuit work. Brother Rumph also had the privilege of instructing the School for Kingdom Evangelizers.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brother and Sister Rumph returned to the United States. They were invited to Wallkill Bethel, where Brother Rumph received training in the Service Department. Eventually, they were assigned back to the Ecuador branch, where Brother Rumph served on the Branch Committee. In 2023 they transferred to Warwick. In January 2024, Brother Rumph was appointed to serve as a helper to the Service Committee. Reflecting on where he has served, he says, “What makes an assignment special is never the place but the people with whom you serve.”

We appreciate the hard work of these brothers, and we “keep holding men of that sort dear.”​—Phil. 2:29.