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Picture of the platform with the banner wey dey for the top

1922—Wetin Happen One Hundred Years Ago

1922—Wetin Happen One Hundred Years Ago

THE yeartext for 1922 na: “God . . . use Jesus Christ . . . help us win!” (1 Cor. 15:57) This one help the Bible Students to dey sure say Jehovah go bless them as them de worship-am with all their heart. And true-true, Jehovah bless them that year. They start to print their own books and use radio preach the Kingdom message. After, for the same 1922, another thing happen wey show say Jehovah de really bless e people. The Bible Students do one important convention for Cedar Point, Ohio for U.S.A. Wetin happen for that convention affect the work of Jehovah Witness reach today.

IDEA WEY REALLY MAKE SENSE

As more brothers and sisters de join for the preaching work, they need more books to use preach. Even though say brothers for Bethel wey dey Brooklyn de print magazine, they still use some company print book wey get thick cover. E get one time wey book scarce for many months, this one really affect the preaching work. This one make Brother Rutherford ask Brother Robert Martin, wey dey in-charge of the place wey them de print magazine for Bethel, if they go fit de print books by theirself.

Factory wey dey Concord Street for Brooklyn, New York

Brother Martin talk say: “This idea really make sense because e mean say we go get one new factory wey go de produce books fast-fast.” The brothers rent house for 18 Concord Street wey dey Brooklyn and buy the machines wey they need.

Some people no happy say our brothers want start to print books by theirself. The oga of one company wey de print book for us before, come the new factory. E talk say: “Wuna get better machine wey them de use print book, but nobody for here sabi use-am. I give wuna six months, wuna go use wuna hand spoil all this machine.”

Brother Martin talk say: “Wetin the oga of that company talk be like say na true, but we know say God go help us, and true-true, God really help us.” This thing wey Brother Martin talk really correct. E no take long before the new printing machine start to produce 2,000 books everyday.

Operators stand near their printing machines for the factory

THEY PREACH TO PLENTY PEOPLE WITH RADIO

Jehovah people no only preach to other people with books, they start to use another way to preach the good news to plenty people. They use radio to preach. For Sunday afternoon, February 26, 1922, Brother Rutherford give talk for radio station for the first time. The topic of the talk na “Millions Now Living Will Never Die” for radio station wey them de call KOG for Los Angeles, wey dey California, U.S.A.

Na almost 25,000 people hear the talk. Some people wey hear the talk send letter to thank Brother Rutherford for the talk wey e give for radio. One of the person wey send letter na Willard Ashford, wey live for Santa Ana, California. E thank Brother Rutherford for the way e make the talk “sweet and reach people mind.” E still talk say: “Since we get three people wey de sick for our house that time, e for no dey possible for us to hear the talk if to say you no use radio, even if na the next house you stay give the talk.”

They still use radio preach to plenty people for the weeks wey follow. For the end of the year 1922, the Watch Tower talk say, “People wey pass 300,000 done hear the good news for radio.”

The letters and comments of people wey de listen to the talks for radio, make the Bible Student decide say they go build one radio station for land wey they get for Staten Island, wey no far from Brooklyn Bethel. For many years wey follow, the Bible Students use this new radio station wey them de call WBBR to make the good news reach plenty people and for plenty place.

“ADV”

June 15, 1922, Watch Tower announce say Bible Students go arrange one convention for Cedar Point, Ohio, wey go start for September 5 to 13, 1922. The Bible Students really dey happy as they reach the convention.

For e first talk, Brother Rutherford tell people for the convention say: “I dey very sure say the Lord go . . . bless this convention and e go use this convention move people to preach pass as we de do before.” Other people wey give talk for the convention still encourage brothers and sisters again say make them de preach.

People wey attend the 1922 convention for Cedar Point, Ohio

For Friday, September 8, e reach 8,000 people wey come the convention, and e de hungry them well-well to hear the talk wey Brother Rutherford go give. Them be de think say e go explain wetin “ADV,” wey they write for their invitation mean. As the people sit-down, some people see the banner wey they roll for up where the platform dey. Arthur Claus wey come the convention from Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.A, see where e go sit-down hear the talk well, because microphone or loudspeaker no dey wey go increase the voice of people wey de give talk.

“We de sofri listen to everything wey e de talk.”

To make sure say nobody go disturb the talk, the chairman announce say they no go allow anybody wey come late to enter the hall when Brother Rutherford de give e talk. For 9:30 for morning, Brother Rutherford start e talk with wetin Jesus talk for Matthew 4:17 say: “The kingdom for heaven don near.” When e de talk about how people go hear the good news of the Kingdom, e talk say: “Na Jesus talk-am say for the time of the end, e go gather people wey hold God tight to be e disciples.”

Brother Claus, wey sit-down for inside the hall where they hold the convention remember say: “We de sofri listen to everything wey e de talk.” But small time, e start to de sick and need to leave the hall. Claus no happy as e de leave the hall because e know say they no go allow-am to enter the hall again.

After small time, Claus start to de feel better again. E talk say as e de go back to the hall, e hear people for the convention de clap. The clap make-am want hear the talk more-more. So, e decide say e must listen to the remaining part of this better talk, even if na to climb the roof to fit hear-am. Brother Claus, wey dey 23 years that time, find way to climb the roof of the hall. The hall get one place wey open for up, and as e near the open place, e start to hear the talk well.

But no be only Claus dey on top of the roof. Some of e friends dey there too. One of them wey e name na Frank Johnson meet-am and ask-am say, “You get small knife for your pocket?”

Claus answer-am say, “Yes, I get.”

Frank talk say, “Na you be the answer to our prayer.” E still ask Claus say: “You de see this big banner wey them roll for up here? They tie the banner to this nails. Listen well to the Judge. * When e talk say, ‘Make you advertise, advertise,’ make you cut this four rope.”

So Claus hold e knife and wait with e friends to hear when Brother Rutherford go say the words wey be the sign to cut the rope. Small time Brother Rutherford reach the part wey dey important pass for e talk. E dey happy to use all e mind talk and shout say: “Make wuna no leave God and try work well for the Lord. Continue to de preach until all lie-lie religion no go dey again. De preach the good news everywhere. Everybody must know say Jehovah na God and know say Jesus Christ na King of kings and Lord of lords. Today really dey important for God people. Know say, the King don de rule! And na wuna get the work to tell people about-am. So, make wuna advertise, advertise, advertise, the King and e Kingdom!”

Claus talk say they cut the ropes wey hold the banner and the banner just roll down small-small. Wetin dey the banner just explain the meaning of “ADV” wey dey the invitation. Wetin dey the banner na: “Advertise the King and the Kingdom.”

ONE IMPORTANT WORK

The convention wey they do for Cedar Point help the brothers to put their mind to preach the good news of the Kingdom and na this work dey important pass. And people wey get good mind dey happy to join for the preaching work. One colporteur (wey them de call pioneer now) for Oklahoma, U.S.A., write say: “We preach for area where many people work na to dig for coal and they really dey poor.” E still talk say when people hear the message wey de give them hope about their condition from the Golden Age magazine, they go just start to cry. We really dey happy say we fit comfort the people for the area.

The Bible Students know how the word wey Jesus talk for Luke 10:2 dey important reach when Jesus talk say: “The things to harvest plenty, but people wey go do the work no plenty.” As the year de end, they make up their mind to preach the good news about the Kingdom for everywhere, pass as them de do before.

^ Them de call Brother Rutherford “the Judge” because e don work as judge before for Missouri, U.S.A.