HOW thrilling it is to see that Jehovah has been speeding up the worldwide expansion of true worship! (Isa. 60:22) As a result, there continues to be a great need for Kingdom Halls. Around the world, more than 13,000 new halls need to be built or undergo major renovation.

To speed up the work in the most cost-effective way, the Governing Body has been implementing adjustments to our various construction departments. The recently formed Worldwide Design/Construction Department (WDC), based at world headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, has been hard at work prioritizing  and expediting construction and renovation projects worldwide. The Regional Design/Construction Departments (RDC) in the Australasia, Central Europe, South Africa, and United States branches have been coordinating projects in their respective regions, with emphasis on building Kingdom Halls more speedily and economically. RDCs also train branches in their region to maintain theocratic facilities in their branch territories. And, at each branch, a Local Design/Construction Department (LDC) coordinates the construction and maintenance of Kingdom Halls and Assembly Halls.

In January 2015, all the elders in the United States attended an exciting meeting via video tie-in that explained a new arrangement for planning, constructing, and maintaining Kingdom Halls. This is what they learned.

• Construction: Standardized designs and materials will be suited to local circumstances and will be based on guidelines from the Publishing Committee of the Governing Body. The buildings will be low maintenance and durable, yet attractive and economical.

• Maintenance: Volunteers in each congregation will be trained to care for and prolong the use of our places of worship.

True, the scope and size of the construction and maintenance work is monumental. But the united efforts of God’s people will do much to speed up the work in a way that makes wise use of donated funds.