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1923, One Hundred Years Ago

1923, One Hundred Years Ago

THE January 1, 1923 Watch Tower say, “We expecting the year 1923 to be very encouraging. We get wonderful privilege to tell people who suffering that the future will be better.” In the year 1923, the Bible student them made some good-good changes to their meetings, conventions, and their preaching work. Because of that, it help them to be more united.

THE MEETINGS HELP THE BROTHER THEM TO BE MORE UNITED

Calendar with scriptures and song numbers

In that year, the organization made some changes that help the Bible student them to be more united in worshipping Jehovah. The brother them use to use different-different scriptures in their Prayer, Praise, and Testimony Meeting. They started explaining some of this scripture them in The Watchtower. Beside that one, the Bible Student them also print one calendar that was having the list of scripture them that they will discuss every week to the meeting. They also use to print the song them they will sing anytime they doing their personal study or having family worship.

The Bible Student them use to gave “testimonies” to their meetings. They use to talk about thing them that happen in field service, give the reason why they telling Jehovah thank you, sing one song or even pray. Eva Barney, who got baptize in 1923 when she was 15 years old say: “If you want give testimony, you use to stand up and say something like, ‘I want tell the Lord thank you for all the good-good thing them he na do for me.’” Some brother them use to like giving Testimony. Sister Barney also say: “Dear old Brother Godwin use to get plenty thing them to tell the Lord thank you for. But when his wife notice that the brother who conducting the meeting getting tire, she will haul her husband coat, then he will stop talking and sit down”.

One time every month, one congregation will hold one special Prayer, Praise, and Testimony Meeting. The April 1, 1923 Watch Tower tell us how they use to have this meeting: “The Bible students use to use half of the meeting to gave comments and experiences about the field service and to encourage the brother them who were working hard in the preaching work. . . . We believe that this encouraging meeting them use to bring the brothers very close together.”

One 19-year-old class worker (congregation publisher) name Charles Martin was from Vancouver, Canada. He really benefit from this meeting them. Later on, he say: “That the first place I learn what to say in the house-to-house ministry. Most of time, people use to give experience from the house-to-house ministry. This one help me to know what to say and how to answer different-different question them.”

THE PREACHING WORK HELP THE BROTHER THEM TO BE MORE UNITED

May 1, 1923 Bulletin

The brother them were having days where everybody was encourage to go preach. They use to call this day them “Service days” and it help the brother them to be more united. The April 1, 1923, Watch Tower made this announcement: “Tuesday, May 1, 1923, will be general service day so that all of us can be united in doing the same work . . . After that, every first Tuesday in the month will be service day . . . Everybody in the congregation must take part in the work.”

Even young Bible Student them use to take part in this work. One 16-year-old sister name Hazel Burford, say, “The Bulletin was having some easy example for preaching for us to memorize. a Me and my Grandpa use to work hard in the preaching work.” But, Sister Burford was surprise about the way one brother was feeling about her preaching. She say: “One old brother never wanted me to preach to people. At that time, some of the Bible student them never understand that all Bible Students suppose to take part in the preaching work to praise their Grand Creator, whether that young man or young woman.” (Ps. 148:​12, 13) But Sister Burford continue preaching. Later on, she attended the second class of Gilead School and serve as missionary in Panama. After some time, this brother them change their thinking about young people taking part in the preaching work.

THE CONVENTIONS HELP THE BROTHER THEM TO BE MORE UNITED

The conventions also help the brother them to be more united. During plenty of this convention them, they were having one day for field service. For example, to the convention in Winnipeg, Canada, everybody who attended were invited to preach in that city on March 31. Because of this special days for preaching, the brother them were able to preach to plenty people and the result was good. On August 5, about 7,000 people attended another convention in Winnipeg. At that time, that was the first time for this amount of people to attend the convention in Canada.

One of the very important convention Jehovah people have that time was on August 18-26, 1923, in Los Angeles, California. Some weeks before the convention, the newspaper them advertise the program and the Bible students gave more than 500,000 invitations. They were having banners on public transportation and on their own cars announcing the convention.

The 1923 Bible Students convention in Los Angeles

On Saturday, August 25, Brother Rutherford gave the talk “Sheep and Goats.” In that talk, he make it clear that the sheep that people who get good heart and want serve Jehovah and they will live on paradise earth. He also gave another talk and read one direction call “A Warning.” This direction condemn Christendom and told people who get good heart to get out of “Babylon the Great.” (Rev. 18:​2, 4) Later on, Bible Student them with zeal all over the earth, gave plenty tracts that was having this direction inside to other people.

“This encouraging meeting them use to bring the brothers very close together.”

On the last day of the convention, more than 30,000 people listen to Brother Rutherford giving the public talk “All Nations Marching to Armageddon, but Millions Now Living Will Never Die.” Because they knew that the place was going to be pack, the Bible Student them rent the new stadium in Los Angeles call the Los Angeles Coliseum. The brother them use the stadium loudspeaker to make sure that everybody was able to hear the program. The loudspeaker was new technology at that time. Plenty other people listen to the program on radio.

PREACHING THE GOOD NEWS ALL OVER THE WORLD

In 1923, the preaching work really started spreading in Africa, Europe, India, and South America. In India, Brother A. J. Joseph help to produce literature in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu while at the same time taking care of his wife and six children.

William R. Brown and his family

In Sierra Leone, two Bible Students call Alfred Joseph and Leonard Blackman wrote to the world headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, to ask for help. On April 14, 1923, the brother them from world headquarters answer them. Brother Alfred Joseph say, “One Saturday, way in the night, I receive one phone call that I was not expecting.” He hear one loud voice asking him, “That you the one write the Watch Tower Society asking for people to help with the preaching work?” Brother Joseph say “Yes.” “Well, they sent me.” That brother William R. Brown was talking with Brother Joseph. That day, he and his wife Antonia and their two daughters, Louise and Lucy came to Sierra Leone from the Caribbean. It not stay long for the brother them to meet Brother Brown and his family.

Alfred say: “The next morning, when me and Leonard was studying the Bible, we just saw one tall man standing to the door. That was William R. Brown. He was really having zeal for the truth that he wanted to give the public talk the next day.” In less than one month time, Brother Brown place all the literature them he brought with him. It not stay long, he receive 5,000 more books, and it not stay long again, the book them finish and he needed some more. But people never knew him to be somebody who can sell books. They use to call him Bible Brown because throughout his life while serving Jehovah, he always use to use the Bible in his talks.

Magdeburg Bethel around 1923

At the same time, the branch office in Barmen, Germany, was too pack, and also, they hear that the French army will soon attack the city. The Bible Student them found one area in Magdeburg that was alright for them to print the publication them. On June 19, the brother them finish packing all their thing them and move to the new Bethel in Magdeburg. The day after they inform the world headquarters that they finish moving, the newspapers announce that France na take over Barmen city. The brother them tell Jehovah thank you for protecting them and helping them.

George Young with Sarah Ferguson (right) and her sister

In Brazil, one brother name George Young who use to travel far-far places to preach the good news, started the new branch and also started producing The Watch Tower in Portuguese. In just few month time, he place more than 7,000 publication them. Sarah Ferguson was very happy when Brother Young visit their family. She been reading The Watch Tower since 1899, but she never been able to give her life to Jehovah and get baptize. After some months, Sister Ferguson and her four children were able to get baptize.

“SERVING GOD WITH ZEAL AND HAPPINESS”

At the end of the year, the December 15, 1923 Watch Tower talk about how the changes they made to their meetings, field service, and conventions really help the Bible student them. It say: “It easy to see that the congregation them faith na get strong . . . So yor let get ready to do more work and continue serving Jehovah with zeal and happiness during the year 1924.”

The year 1924 was also good year for the Bible Student them. For months, the brother them in Bethel were working on one land in Staten Island. This place was close to the headquarters in Brooklyn. They finish the new building them on that land in the beginning of 1924, and those buildings help the brother them to be united and to spread the good news in ways that were never possible before.

The Construction brother them working on Staten Island

a Now we can call it The Live and Preach—Meeting Workbook.