UMWAKA wa 1909 wabaye umwaka utazibagirana mu mateka y’umugi wa New York. Muri uwo mwaka hatashywe ikiraro cya Queensboro gihuza Queens na Manhattan, hamwe n’ikiraro cya Manhattan gihuza Manhattan na Brooklyn.

Nanone, uwo mwaka wabaye umwaka utazibagirana mu mateka y’Abahamya ba Yehova. Mbere yaho, Charles Taze Russell wari Perezida wa Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, uwo ukaba ari umuryango wo mu rwego rw’amategeko ukoreshwa n’Abahamya ba Yehova, yari yarabonye ko ubutumwa bwiza bw’Ubwami bwashoboraga kubwirizwa no mu tundi duce (Matayo 24:14). Yatekerezaga ko kwimura ibiro bikuru by’uwo muryango, bikava mu mugi wa Pittsburgh muri Leta ya Pennsylvania bikajya i Brooklyn muri Leta ya New York, byari kuba ari intambwe y’ingenzi yari gutuma iyo ntego yo kubwiriza ku isi hose igerwaho. Imyiteguro yo kwimura ibyo biro yatangiye mu mwaka wa 1908, maze byimurwa mu ntangiriro z’umwaka wakurikiyeho.

Icyo gihe abari bahagarariye umurimo wo kubwiriza, bari bazi ko kubwiriza hifashishijwe  disikuru zasohokaga mu binyamakuru, bwari uburyo bwiza bwo kwamamaza ukuri ko muri Bibiliya. Ahagana mu mwaka wa 1908, disikuru zishingiye kuri Bibiliya Russel yatangaga buri cyumweru zasohokaga mu binyamakuru 11, kandi byose hamwe byasohokaga ari kopi zigera ku 402.000.

Icyakora, Russell yaranditse ati “abavandimwe bamenyereye iby’imikorere y’ibinyamakuru, batwizeza ko disikuru zitangwa buri cyumweru ziramutse zisohotse mu binyamakuru byo mu mugi ukomeye, byatuma izo disikuru zigera muri Leta Zunze Ubumwe za Amerika hose; kandi mu gihe cy’umwaka umwe, zishobora kujya zisohoka buri gihe mu binyamakuru bibarirwa mu magana.” Kubera iyo mpamvu, abavandimwe bakomeje gushakisha ahantu heza harusha ahandi hari gutuma umurimo wo kubwiriza waguka.

Kuki bahisemo kwimukira i Brooklyn? Russell yaravuze ati ‘nyuma yo gusenga Imana tuyisaba ubuyobozi, twese twemeje ko i Brooklyn muri Leta ya New York, ari ho hantu heza hari hakwiriye gushyirwa ibiro bikuru bishinzwe umurimo w’isarura, kubera ko wari umugi ufite abaturage benshi kandi uzwiho kuba “wari urimo amadini menshi.”’ Ibyagezweho bigaragaza ko uwo mwanzuro wari mwiza cyane. Mu gihe gito, disikuru za Russell zasohokaga mu binyamakuru 2.000.

Hari indi mpamvu yatumye bahitamo kwimukira mu mugi wa New York. Mu mwaka wa 1909, hari harashyizweho ibiro by’amashami mu Bwongereza, mu Budage, muri Ositaraliya, kandi nyuma yaho bashyiraho n’ibindi. Ku bw’ibyo, byari bikwiriye ko ibyo biro bikuru biba mu mugi ukora ku nyanja kandi ufite imihanda myinshi y’imodoka n’iya gari ya moshi.

Ibiro bikuru bya mbere bya Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society byashinzwe mu myaka ya 1880 i Allegheny (ubu hakaba ari mu mugi wa Pittsburgh) muri Leta ya Pennsylvania. Icyo gihe, byitwaga Inzu ya Bibiliya. Ahagana mu mwaka 1896, iyo nzu yakoreragamo abantu 12.

 Icyakora, igihe ibyo biro byimurirwaga i Brooklyn mu mwaka wa 1909, inzu abakozi bimukiyemo yiswe Beteli. * Kuki yiswe Beteli? Iyo nzu Watch Tower Society yaguze ahitwa 13-17 Hicks Street, yari iy’umuyobozi w’idini w’icyamamare witwaga Henry Ward Beecher. Iyo nzu yari izwi ku izina rya Beteli ya Beecher. Inzu Beecher yari atuyemo, ikaba yari ahitwa 124 Columbia Heights, na yo yaraguzwe. Igazeti y’Umunara w’Umurinzi yo ku itariki ya 1 Werurwe 1909 yaravuze iti “birashishikaje cyane rwose kuba twarashoboye kugura Beteli ya Beecher, ndetse tukagura n’inzu yahoze atuyemo tutari tubyiteze. . . . Iyo nzu nshya yo kubamo tuzayita ‘Beteli,’ naho ibiro bishya hamwe n’inzu mberabyombi tubyite ‘Ihema ry’ibonaniro ry’i Brooklyn.’ Ayo ni yo mazina azasimbura ‘Inzu ya Bibiliya.’”

Muri iki gihe, i Brooklyn no mu tundi duce tubiri two muri leta ya New York, ari two Wallkill na Patterson, haraguwe hubakwa andi mazu yo guturamo, ay’icapiro n’ay’ibiro, kandi yose yitwa Beteli. Ubu ku isi hose amazu ya Beteli ari mu bihugu 113. Abakozi barenga 19.000 ni bo bakorera muri ayo mazu, bakaba bagira uruhare mu kwamamaza ubutumwa bukubiye muri Bibiliya.

Amazu Beteli y’i Brooklyn ikoreramo yeguriwe Yehova ku itariki ya 31 Mutarama 1909. Ku wa Mbere, tariki ya 6 Nzeri 1909, wari umunsi wo kwakira abashyitsi aho kuri Beteli. Abahamya ba Yehova babarirwa mu magana, icyo gihe bitwaga Abigishwa ba Bibiliya, basuye ayo mazu. Abenshi muri bo bari bavuye mu ikoraniro rya gikristo ryari ryabereye mu mugi wa Saratoga Springs, uri ku birometero 320 mu majyaruguru y’umugi wa New York. Charles Taze Russell ubwe ni we wakiriye abo bashyitsi kandi abaha ikaze. *

Na n’ubu, abashyitsi bakiranwa urugwiro kuri Beteli. Buri mwaka abantu barenga 40.000 basura amazu y’i Brooklyn. Beteli y’i Brooklyn ikomeje kugira uruhare rw’ingenzi mu guteza imbere inyungu z’Ubwami bwa Yehova, ibyo bikaba bigirira akamaro abantu babarirwa muri za miriyoni.