Kingdom Proclaimers Report

Medal of Recognition for a Kingdom Hall

THE Ministry of Environment in Finland designated the year 2000 as the “Year of Landscaping.” One of the organizers stated that the “purpose of the landscaping theme year is to remind us all of the influence that green surroundings have on our everyday lives and on our well-being.”

On January 12, 2001, a letter from the Finnish Association of Landscape Industries arrived at the branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Finland. The letter explained that the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Tikkurila had been awarded one of the landscaping theme year medals because of the outstanding design of its surroundings and its well-groomed garden. The letter added that “the general appearance of the grounds, both in the summer and winter, is pleasant, aesthetically beautiful, and of high quality.”

The medal was accorded to Jehovah’s Witnesses at the Rosendahl Hotel in Tampere, Finland, at an event attended by 400 professionals and businessmen. The Finnish Association of Landscape Industries also issued a press release, which states: “In various parts of the country, the Kingdom Halls of Jehovah’s Witnesses are, almost without exception, beautifully planned. The care for the environment leaves hardly any passersby indifferent. The Kingdom Hall in Tikkurila is one example of a magnificent garden as a whole. The building and the extensive grounds work together in exuding calmness and balance.”

In Finland there are 233 Kingdom Halls, many surrounded by beautiful gardens. What makes these places truly beautiful, however, is that they are centers of true worship and Bible education. For more than six million Jehovah’s Witnesses around the world, a Kingdom Hall​—well-appointed or modest—​is a well-loved place. That is why they are eager to take good and loving care of it. The doors of the Kingdom Halls are open to all in your community!