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Joseph F. Rutherford and other brothers, when they visit Europe

1920—One Hundred Years Ago

1920—One Hundred Years Ago

FOR the beginning of the year 1920, servants of Jehovah don really ready for the work wey de come. The yeartext wey they choose for 1920 na, “The LORD na my power and song.”—Ps. 118:14, King James Version.

Jehovah really support this brothers and sisters wey dey ready to preach. That year the number of colporteurs, or pioneers, increase from 225 to 350. And for the first time, more than 8,000 class workers, or publishers, send their field service report to headquarters. Jehovah really bless their hard work.

THEY REALLY DO THEIR BEST

For March 21, 1920, Joseph F. Rutherford, give the talk wey the topic na, “Millions Now Living Will Never Die.” That time na Brother Rutherford de direct the work of the Bible Students. The Bible Students do their best so that they go fit invite people come the program. They rent one of the halls wey big pass for New York City. And they share about 320,000 invitation give people.

Newspaper wey they use advertise the talk wey the topic na “Millions Now Living Will Never Die”

The Bible Students no expect the number of people wey come, they really plenty. More than 5,000 people full the hall, and about 7,000 people no fit enter. One Watch Tower talk say, the Bible Students never ever do any meeting wey really go well like this before.

So people that time know the Bible Students say, them de preach about the time wey millions of people go live forever. That time, they no understand say the good news need to spread to different-different place. Even with that one, they still do their best for the work. One sister wey e name na Ida Olmstead, wey start to go meeting for 1902 talk say, “We know say plenty blessing de wait for everybody, and we make sure say we preach this good news to everybody wey we meet.”

WE START TO PRINT OUR OWN MAGAZINE

To make sure say people continue to learn the truth from Bible, the brothers for Bethel start to print some of their magazine by theirself. They buy machine wey them de use print. And they put-am for one house wey they rent for Brooklyn, the place no too far from where Bethel dey.

Leo Pelle and Walter Kessler start their Bethel work for January 1920. Walter talk say, “When we reach there, the printery overseer tell us say, ‘Na one hour thirty minutes remain before break time reach.’ Then, e give us work make we do. We carry some carton wey books dey inside go up-stair.”

Leo remember wetin happen the next day. E say: “Na our work to wash the walls for some part of the building. I never ever do that kind dirty work before. But na Jehovah we de work for, and because of this one, the work make sense.”

Printing machine wey they use print The Watch Tower

After some weeks, some brothers wey support the work with all their heart start to print The Watch Tower magazine. For the place wey the machine dey for the second story of the building, they print sixty thousand Watch Tower of February 1, 1920. And for one room wey dey down, the brothers start to use one printing machine wey they call Battleship. The Golden Age magazine wey they first print na the one of April 14, 1920. E dey clear say Jehovah bless the hard work of this brothers wey work with all their heart.

“Na Jehovah we de work for, and because of this one, the work make sense”

“MAKE WE DEY TOGETHER”

Servants of Jehovah dey happy as they start to preach again and de meet together. But some Bible Students stop to serve Jehovah around the time wey trouble dey for 1917 go reach 1919. Wetin person fit do to help them?

The April 1, 1920, Watch Tower get the topic wey be “Let Us Dwell in Peace” (“Make We Dey Together”). The topic give this fine advice say: ‘We dey sure say everybody wey want obey Jehovah go forget the mistake wey they don make before and they go join God people to do e work.’

Plenty people listen to this fine advice. One husband and wife write say they know say na mistake they make as they stop to preach. But now they don dey ready to put all their heart for the preaching work. Plenty work de wait this brothers and sisters wey don ready to preach again.

THEY START TO GIVE PEOPLE “ZG”

For June 21, 1920, the Bible Students begin work hard to give people the book wey be The Finished Mystery. * This one cover dey soft and they call-am “ZG.” They keep plenty of this books that time wey government stop the work for 1918.

No be only pioneers they invite to give people this book, they still invite all publishers. Everybody wey don baptize for congregation and wey dey ready fit join for the work. The organization come encourage all the publishers make they do everything wey they fit do to give people the book. One brother wey e name na Edmund Hooper talk say, this book wey they start to share that time, na the first time wey many brothers don ever join preach from house to house. This brother still talk say, “We start to really understand the kind work wey we need to do, for the message to reach different place wey we no even expect say e fit reach.”

THEY START TO ARRANGE THE WORK AGAIN FOR EUROPE

That time, first world war make-am hard for the organization to talk with Bible Students for other countries. So Brother Rutherford want encourage this brothers and arrange the preaching work again. Because of this one, for August 12, 1920, Brother Rutherford and four other brothers travel far go England and many other countries.

Brother Rutherford for Egypt

When Brother Rutherford visit Britain, the Bible Students arrange three conventions and 12 meetings. The number of people wey attend reach about 50,000. See wetin one Watch Tower talk about this visit, e say: “The visit really encourage the friends. Their love come strong pass before and they work together. Many of them wey dey sad before come dey happy again.” For Paris, Brother Rutherford give the talk again wey the topic na “Millions Now Living Will Never Die.” The hall don already full when they start the talk. Three hundred people talk say they want learn more.

The poster wey they use advertise the talk wey they give for Royal Albert Hall for London

For the weeks wey follow, some brothers visit Athens, Cairo, and Jerusalem. So that people wey get interest for the message go fit continue to do well, Brother Rutherford arrange make people fit go de carry magazines for one town near Jerusalem. The name of the town na Ramallah. And Brother Rutherford go back to Europe to form the Central European Office and e arrange make them de print our publication for there.

THE BIBLE STUDENTS NO HIDE THE BAD THING WEY PEOPLE DO THEM

For September 1920, the Bible Students release The Golden Age No. 27. This magazine make people know the kind suffer wey Bible Students don suffer from people for 1918. They use the printing machine wey the name na Battleship to print more than four million of this magazine. The machine work from morning till night everyday.

Picture of Emma Martin wey police snap

People wey read that magazine learn about one special case, about one sister wey e name na Emma Martin. Sister Martin na one pioneer for one place wey them de call San Bernardino, California. For March 17, 1918, this sister and three other brothers wey their name na E. Hamm, E. J. Sonnenburg, and E. A. Stevens go one small meeting wey the Bible Students do.

One man wey come the meeting, no come because e want learn Bible. The man talk after say e go the meeting because the government people wey de charge person go court, send-am go the meeting. The man talk say e go the meeting so that e go fit find wetin e go use hold the Bible Students. The man see the book wey e find go, wey the name na The Finished Mystery. After some days, they arrest Sister Martin and the three brothers. They talk say this sister and the brothers break law because them de share the book wey government talk say make they no share again.

They talk say Sister Martin and the brothers do bad thing, and so they go put them for prison for three years. Our brothers try tire, whether they go win the case, but e no work. So for May 17, 1920, they go prison. But small time, things change.

For one convention wey they do for San Francisco, for June 20, 1920, Brother Rutherford talk wetin happen to this sister and the brothers. The people wey dey the convention no like the way government people treat this sister and the brothers. So, they send message to president of America that time. They write for the message say government people don use their power anyhow because they set trap to get wetin they go take send Sister Martin go prison.

So the next day, the president that time, wey e name na Woodrow Wilson, talk say make they free Sister Martin, Brother Hamm, Brother Sonnenburg, and Brother Stevens. And they release them from prison.

For the end of 1920, the Bible Students get many reasons why them dey happy. The work for headquarter continue to grow, and the brothers and sisters use all their power to preach say na God’s Kingdom go end all the problem for this world. (Matt. 24:14) The next year wey be 1921, go be the year wey they go even do more for the Kingdom work to help many people hear the truth.

^ par. 18 The Finished Mystery na the number seven volume of Studies in the Scriptures. They call the ones wey they print with soft cover “ZG,” and they print-am as March 1, 1918 Watch Tower. “Z” mean Zion’s Watch Tower, and “G,” na the number seven letter for ABC.