U-1922—Sekuleminyaka Engu-100 Wadlula
‘UNKULUNKULU usenza sinqobe ngoJesu Khristu.’ (1 Khor. 15:57) Amazwi la ayengumbhalo womnyaka ka-1922 enza aBafundi BeBhayibhili baqiniseka ukuthi uJehova wayezababusisa nxa bengathembeka. Ngalowomnyaka uJehova wababusisa sibili abamemezeli laba ababekhuthele. Wababusisa lapho beqalisa ukuziphrintela amabhuku kanye lokusakaza izindaba ezinhle zoMbuso ngerediyo. Kanti njalo ngalowomnyaka uJehova waphinda wenza kwacaca ukuthi uyababusisa abantu bakhe. ABafundi BeBhayibhili benelisa ukubuthana emhlanganweni omkhulu owenzelwa eCedar Point, e-Ohio, eMelika. Umhlangano lo watshintsha indlela inhlanganiso kaJehova esebenza ngayo kuze kube namuhla.
“ICEBO ELIHLE KAKHULU”
Njengoba umsebenzi wokutshumayela wawukhula, kwasekudingakala amabhuku amanengi. Abazalwane abaseBhetheli yeBrooklyn babephrinta omagazini kodwa amabhuku babelokhu bewaphrintelwa ngamakhampani okuphrinta. Ikhampani eyayisetshenziswa ngalesosikhathi yehluleka ukuphrinta amabhuku eneleyo okwezinyanga ezithile futhi lokhu kwaphambanisa umsebenzi wokutshumayela. Yikho umfowethu uRutherford wabuza umfowethu uRobert Martin owayekhangela umsebenzi wokuphrinta ukuthi sasingenelisa yini ukuphrinta amabhuku.
Ifekithali eyayisemgwaqweni okuthiwa nguConcord Street eBrooklyn, eNew York
Umfowethu uMartin wathi lelo kwakulicebo elihle kakhulu ngoba lokho kwakusitsho ukuthi sasizavula eyethu ifekithali yokuphrinta amabhuku. Inhlanganiso yathola indawo kunamba 18 Concord Street eBrooklyn njalo yadinga lemitshina eyayifuneka.
Abanye abantu abazange bathokoze ngecebo lelo. Umqondisi wekhampani eyayisiphrintela amabhuku wavakatshela ifekithali yethu entsha wasesithi, “Lilemitshina yokuphrinta amabhuku emihle okwamagama kodwa alila ngitsho loyedwa okwazi ukuyisebenzisa. Ngemva kwenyanga eziyisithupha yonke iyabe ingasasebenzi.”
Umfowethu uMartin wathi, “Kwakuzwakala kuliqiniso lokho kodwa wakhohlwa ukuthi thina sihlala siloJehova futhi uhlala esincedisa.” Okwatshiwo ngumfowethu uMartin kwakuliqiniso sibili. Ngesikhatshana nje ifekithali entsha yayisiphrinta amabhuku angu-2 000 ngelanga.
Abafowethu bami duze lemitshina yabo yokudinda efekithali
UKUTSHUMAYEZA ABANTU ABANENGI NGEREDIYO
Ngemva kokuqalisa ukuphrinta amabhuku, abantu bakaJehova baqalisa ukutshumayela ngerediyo. Umfowethu uRutherford wakhuluma okokuqala kurediyo okuthiwa yi-KOG eLos Angeles, eCalifornia, eMelika ngeSonto mhlaka 26 February ngo-1922. Inkulumo yakhe yayilesihloko esithi, “Izigidi Eziphilayo Khathesi Kazisoze Zife.”
Abantu abangaba ngu-25 000 balalela inkulumo le. Abanye bathumela izincwadi bebonga inkulumo kamfowethu uRutherford. Omunye owabhala incwadi nguWillard Ashford owayehlala eSanta Ana, eCalifornia. Wabonga umfowethu uRutherford ngenkulumo yakhe eyayimnandi wasesithi, “Endlini kwakulabantu abathathu ababegula ababengenelisi ukuphuma endlini, yikho kwakungaba nzima ukuthi siyizwe inkulumo yakho aluba awuzange uyenze kurediyo.”
Emavikini alandelayo kwaba lezinye inkulumo ezakhulunywa kurediyo. Umnyaka usiyaphela iNqabayokulinda yabika ukuthi abantu abangaba ngu-300 000 basebezwe izindaba ezinhle kurediyo.
Izincwadi kanye lalokho okwakutshiwo yilabo ababelalele umsakazo kwenza aBafundi BeBhayibhili bakhetha ukwakha esabo isititshi serediyo eStaten Island eduze leBhetheli yeBrooklyn. Eminyakeni eyalandelayo aBafundi BeBhayibhili basebenzisa isititshi lesi i-WBBR ukuze batshumayele izindaba ezinhle zoMbuso ebantwini abanengi.
“ADV”
INqabayokulinda kaJune 15 1922 yathi kwakuzakuba lomhlangano eCedar Point, e-Ohio kusukela ngoSeptember 5 kusiya ku-13 ngo-1922. ABafundi BeBhayibhili batheleka eCedar Point bethabe!
Enkulumeni yakhe yokuqala, umfowethu uRutherford wamukela ababelalele wathi: ‘Ngileqiniso lokuthi uNkulunkulu uzawubusisa umhlangano lo njalo uzakwenza ukuthi umsebenzi wokutshumayela wenziwe kakhulu ukwedlula loba nini.’ Ababekhuluma izinkulumo emhlanganweni lo baqhubeka bekhuthaza abafowethu labodadewethu ukuthi batshumayele.
Abazalwane abangena umhlangano owawuseCedar Point, e-Ohio ngo-1922
NgoLwesihlanu mhlaka 8 September abantu abangaba ngu-8 000 bangena enkundleni belindele ngabomvu ukuzwa inkulumo kamfowethu uRutherford. Babefisa ukuzwa echasisa u-ADV owayebhalwe kuzimemo ababezinikiwe. Akuthandabuzwa ukuthi abanye bathi besadinga indawo bananzelela ibhakane elikhulu elaligoqiwe lafakwa phezu kwepulathifomu. U-Arthur Claus owayesuke eTulsa, e-Oklahoma, eMelika wathola indawo eyayizakwenza ukuthi awuzwe kuhle umhlangano. Phela ukuthola indawo enje kwakunzima ngoba yayingekho imitshina yokukhulisa ilizwi enkundleni.
“Sasithiye indlebe silalele konke okwakukhulunywa”
Ukuze kungabi lomuntu ophambanisa inkulumo, umgcinisihlalo wakhuluma isaziso sokuthi abantu abaphuzileyo babengasoze bavunyelwe enkundleni ngesikhathi umfowethu uRutherford ekhuluma inkulumo yakhe. Ngo–9:30 ekuseni umfowethu uRutherford waqalisa inkulumo yakhe ngokutsho amazwi akhulunywa nguJesu atholakala kuMathewu 4:17 athi: “Umbuso wezulu ususondele.” Esekhuluma ngokuthi abantu bazazizwa njani izindaba ezinhle zoMbuso wathi: “UJesu wathi ngesikhathi sokuba khona kwakhe wayezakwenza umsebenzi omkhulu wokuvuna abantu aqoqele kuye labo abaqotho.”
Umfowethu uClaus owayephakathi enkundleni wathi: “Sasithiye indlebe silalele konke okwakhulunywa.” Kodwa ngenxa yokuthi wayesegula, kwasekumele aphume enkundleni. Waphuma kodwa esizwa ubuhlungu ngenxa yokuthi wayengasoze avunyelwe ukuthi abuyele endaweni yakhe.
Ngemva kwesikhatshana wayesesizwa ngcono. Uthi wathi esebuyela enkundleni wezwa abantu betshaya izandla. Kwasekumphuzele ukubuyela phakathi azwe okukhulunywayo. Wazimisela ukuthi lanxa kwakungatsho ukuthi agade ephahleni wayezakwenza njalo ukuze ayizwe kuhle inkulumo le emnandi. Umfowethu uClaus owayeseselijaha elileminyaka engu-23 wathola indlela yokuthi agade phezu kwesakhiwo. Amawindi ayephezu kophahla ayevuliwe, yikho wathi esesondele eduze kwawo wayeseyizwa kuhle kakhulu inkulumo.
Abanye abangane baka-Arthur labo babegadile ephahleni. UFrank Johnson wamlanda wambuza wathi, “Ungaba lengqamu khonapho?”
U-Arthur waphendula wathi, “Ye ngilayo.”
UFrank wasesithi, “Awu ususilamulele, besithandazela ukuthi sithole umuntu olengqamu.” Waphinda wathi, “Uyalibona ibhakane leli elikhulu elibethelwe lapha? Sicela ulalelisise, ungezwa umfowethu uRutherford esithi, ‘Memezelani, memezelani, memezelani,’ uqume intambo lezi ezine.”
U-Arthur wayesephethe ingqamu, yena labangane bakhe sebelindele ukuzwa amazwi ayezakutsho ukuthi sekumele baqume intambo. Umfowethu uRutherford wafika engxenyeni eqakathekileyo yenkulumo yakhe. Wakhuluma ngentshiseko enkulu ememeza esithi: “Yifakazeleni ngokuthembeka iNkosi. Qhubekelani phambili iBhabhiloni ize itshabalaliswe. Tshumayelani yonke indawo. Abantu kumele bakwazi ukuthi uJehova unguNkulunkulu lokuthi uJesu Khristu uyiNkosi Yamakhosi loMbusi Wababusi. Leli lilanga eliqakathekileyo sibili. Khangelani, iNkosi isibusa. Lina liyizisebenzi zayo eziyikhankaselayo. Ngakho-ke memezelani, memezelani, memezelani iNkosi loMbuso wayo.”
U-Arthur labangane bakhe baquma intambo ibhakane laselitshombuluka. Inhlamvu zamabala ezithi “ADV” zazimela ukufitshaniswa kwebala lesiNgisi elithi: “Advertise” elitsho ukumemezela, yikho ibhakane lalibhalwe ukuthi, “Memezelani iNkosi loMbuso wayo.”
UMSEBENZI OQAKATHEKILEYO
Umhlangano owawuseCedar Point wanceda abafowethu baqakathekisa umsebenzi wokutshumayela ngoMbuso futhi labo ababezimisele babefuna ukwenza okunengi emsebenzini lo. Elinye i-colporteur (khathesi eselisaziwa ngokuthi liphayona) elalise-Oklahoma, eMelika labhala lathi, “Sasitshumayela endaweni eyayilabantu abanengi ababesebenza emigodini yamalahle futhi bezidubekela.” Wathi izikhathi ezinengi nxa abantu labo babesizwa izindaba ezinhle ezikumagazini okuthiwa yi-Golden Age babesehlisa izinyembezi. Umzalwane lo waphetha esithi, “Kuyisibusiso sibili ukubaduduza.”
Abafundi beBhayibhili laba babezwisisa ukuqakatheka kwamazwi kaJesu akuLukha 10:2 athi: “Manengi amabele okumele avunwe kodwa izisebenzi zilutshwana.” Umnyaka wathi usiyaphela basebezimisele kakhulu ukumemezela uMbuso kuyo yonke indawo.
