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1924—One Hundred Years Ago

1924—One Hundred Years Ago

JANUARY 1924 Bulletin a talk say: “For the start of every year, e good make every servant of Jehovah wey don baptize . . . try to see how e fit do more for Jehovah work.” That year, the Bible students follow this advice as them use strong heart do plenty things for Jehovah work and start to preach for new ways.

THEM USE RADIO STATION TO PREACH

Brothers for Bethel, work for more than one year to build radio station for Staten Island, for New York City. Them call this radio station WBBR. After them clear the land, them build one house for the people wey go de work for the radio station and build another house wey them go keep things wey them go use for the radio station. After them finish, them start to arrange the things wey them go need to fit start the radio station. But them face plenty problem.

E no easy for the brothers to fit put the main antenna wey them go use for the station. The antenna tall reach 91 meters (300 ft) and them need to hang-am between two poles wey each of them tall reach 61 meters (200 ft). The first time wey them try to put the antenna, them no succeed. But because them trust say Jehovah go help them, this one help them succeed to put the antenna. Brother Calvin Prosser, wey dey among the brothers wey join build the station talk say: “If to say we succeed the first time wey we try to put the antenna, we for think say na our own power we take do-am.” Instead, the brothers thank Jehovah say e help them succeed. But no be only this problem them face.

Them de try put one of the antenna pole for WBBR

That time, radio stations no plenty and e no easy to get the things wey we need to fit start our own. But the brothers see one of the things wey them need to fit start the radio station around, wey person don already use before, and them buy-am. Instead make them buy new microphone, them use the microphone wey dey ordinary telephone. For February, the brothers decide to use one night test all the things wey them don arrange. Since them no get any program wey them don arrange wey them fit use test the radio station, them decide to sing some of our songs. One of the brothers wey im name na Brother Ernest Lowe tell us something wey happen that day wey fit make person laugh. E say, as them de sing, them receive phone call from Judge Rutherford b wey hear them from Brooklyn, wey be 25 kilometers (15 miles) from where the radio station dey.

Brother Rutherford tell them say: “Make una stop that noise. Una voice just be like when plenty cats de shout.” This one make the brothers shame small and them stop the program quick-quick. But e help them know say the radio station de work, and them go fit start to use-am.

As them de do the first program for the station for February 24, 1924, Brother Rutherford talk say we go de use this radio station “to do the work wey Jesus wey be our King tell us say make we do.” E talk say the reason why we build this radio station na “to help people understand Bible and help them know say the time wey we dey now, na the time of the end.”

Left: Brother Rutherford dey for the first studio wey we use for the radio station

Right: Instruments wey them use for the radio station

The first program wey we do for this station really succeed. We use this radio station for 33 years to teach people about Jehovah.

THEM NO FEAR TO CONDEMN LEADERS FOR RELIGION

For July 1924, the Bible students do one convention for Columbus, Ohio. Brothers and sisters come from different-different parts of the world and them hear talks for different-different language like Arabic, English, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Lithuanian, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, and languages wey people from Scandinavia de speak. People listen to some of the talks for radio and brothers still arrange with newspaper people, make them write articles about each day of the convention program for their newspaper.

The convention for Columbus, Ohio, for U.S.A, for 1924

For Thursday, July 24, e pass 5,000 brothers and sisters wey go for preaching for the city wey them do the convention. Them give about 30,000 books to people and start plenty Bible studies. The Watch Tower talk say this day “na the day wey people happy pass for the convention.”

For Friday, July 25, as Brother Rutherford de give one of im talk for the convention, e no fear to read one document wey condemn leaders for religion. E talk say leaders for politics, religion, and business “de stop people make them no learn about God Kingdom wey God go use bless people.” E still talk say wetin this people do really bad, because them “de support League of Nations and de talk say ‘God de use-am to rule the whole world.’” The brothers and sisters go need strong heart to fit preach this message to people.

Later, The Watch Tower talk say: “This convention for Columbus make the faith of the brothers and sisters strong more. E make them get strong heart to fit preach no matter the problem wey them face.” Brother Leo Claus, wey be part of the people wey attend the convention talk say: “After the assembly, we happy well-well to tell people this message for our territory.”

One copy of the tract wey them de call Ecclesiastics Indicted

For October, brothers and sisters start to share plenty copy of the tract wey the name na Ecclesiastics Indicted. The message wey Brother Rutherford read against the people wey de lead for religion dey inside the tract. For one small town for Oklahoma for U.S.A, one brother wey im name na Frank Johnson finish to share the tract for the small town and e finish 20 minutes before the time wey the brothers arrange to come meet-am. Because the people no happy with the message, e no dey safe for-am to wait for place wey people fit see-am. Brother Frank decide to hide for one church wey no too far. And because people no dey inside the church, e put some of the tract inside the Bible wey the pastor for the church de use and put one copy for each chair. E do this one quick-quick and comot for the church. E see say e still get small time, so e go two other church and do the same thing.

Brother Frank rush go back to the place wey e suppose meet the brothers. E hide for the back of one petrol station and de look to see people wey de pursue-am. The people come pass inside motor, but them no see-am. As them pass, the brothers and sisters wey Brother Frank don de wait for, wey de preach for another area wey no too far, come carry Brother Frank with their motor and all of them drive comot.

One of the them talk say: “As we de leave the area, we pass the three church wey Brother Frank put the tract. We see about 50 people wey stand for front of each of the church. Some of the people de read the tract and others de show their pastor. The good thing be say we comot before any problem start. But we thank Jehovah say e help us know how to preach the message and e help us make them no catch us.”

THE BIBLE STUDENTS USE STRONG HEART PREACH FOR OTHER COUNTRY

Józef Krett

For other country, the Bible students no still fear to preach. For example, for north part of France, Brother Józef Krett preach to people wey come from Poland and this people de work for company wey de dig ground to find things like gold and silver. Brother Krett arrange to give one talk wey the topic na: “People Wey Don Die Go Soon Come Back to Life.” When brothers and sisters invite people for the town to come listen to the talk, one priest tell people for im church say make them no go. But them no listen to-am. E pass 5,000 people wey attend, even the priest imself attend. Brother Krett tell the priest make e come defend wetin e believe, but the priest no gree. After the talk, Brother Krett give all our books wey e get, because e see say the people really want know more about God.—Amos 8:11.

Claude Brown

One brother wey im name na Claude Brown travel go Africa go preach the good news for Gold Coast, the country wey them de call Ghana now. Many people hear the good news because e give plenty talks and give plenty people our books. One man wey im name na John Blankson wey de go university to become pharmacist, listen to one of the talks wey Brother Brown give. Quick-quick, e see say e don see the truth. E talk say: “I really happy to learn the truth, and I tell plenty people for our school.”

John Blankson

John don learn from Bible say God no be Trinity. So one day, e visit one church and e ask the priest about-am. The priest vex well-well and e shout for-am and talk say: “Comot from here, you no be Christian, na Satan be your papa!”

When John go back to im house, e write letter to the priest and invite-am to one place wey many people go gather, make them talk about the Trinity matter. The priest tell John say make e go meet the main teacher for the school for im office. When John reach there, the teacher ask-am if na true say e write letter to the priest.

John talk say: “Yes, Sir.”

The teacher tell John say make e write letter to the priest and tell-am sorry. So John write say:

“Sir, my teacher don tell me say make I write you letter say I dey sorry. I ready to do-am if you gree say wetin you de teach no dey for Bible.”

Wetin John write shock the teacher and e talk say: “John! na wetin you want write be this?”

John talk say: “Yes, Sir. Na wetin I want write be this.”

The teacher talk say: “We go remove you from this school. How you fit talk this kind thing against priest for religion wey government de support?”

John talk say: “But, Sir, . . . When you de teach us and we no understand some things, we no de ask question?”

The teacher answer say: “Yes, una de ask.”

Then John talk say: “Sir, na wetin happen be that. The man be de teach us Bible and I ask-am question. So, if e no fit answer my question, I no see why I need to write-am say I dey sorry.”

Them no remove John from the school. And e no write any letter to say sorry.

THE BIBLE STUDENTS READY TO DO MORE WORK

When The Watch Tower de talk about the work wey brothers and sisters do for that year, e talk say: “We agree with wetin David talk for Psalm 18:​39, say: ‘You go make me get power to fit fight the battle.’ Things wey don happen for this year don really encourage us because we don see how Jehovah help us fit do im work. Jehovah people really happy to use all their mind preach the good news.”

When the year don de end, the brothers arrange to get another radio station. Them build the radio station for Chicago, for U.S.A. Them call the new radio station, WORD, because na the word of God them go de preach for there. The instruments wey them use for this radio station get power well-well, so e fit allow people to hear the good news for far place, even go reach Canada.

For 1925, Jehovah help the Bible Students get new understanding about wetin dey Revelation chapter 12. Because of this one, some brothers and sisters stop to serve Jehovah. But plenty other brothers and sisters happy to get better understanding for the things wey de happen for heaven, and how this one de affect Jehovah people for this earth.

a Now we de call-am Our Christian Life and Preaching—Meeting Workbook.

b Them de call Brother J. F. Rutherford, wey de direct the preaching work that time, Judge Rutherford, because before e enter bethel, e don serve as judge for the Eighth Judicial Circuit Court for Missouri.