Aug 28, 2022 04:04 AM
(This post was last modified: Aug 28, 2022 04:24 AM by C C.)
https://www.deseret.com/faith/2022/8/23/...d-pandemic
INTRO: In March 2020, Jehovah’s Witnesses around the world got a message they’d long feared receiving: They needed to stop their public ministry work.
But rather than come from hostile government officials, it came from their own church. The faith group’s leaders said Jehovah’s Witnesses should stay home so as not to catch or spread COVID-19.
“We never thought our organization would say, ‘Stop your public ministry,’” said Robert Hendriks, U.S. national spokesperson for the Jehovah’s Witnesses. “It took a few days and weeks for many of us to get our minds around it.”
The Witnesses, who are best known by non-church members for their door-knocking efforts, suddenly had to rethink their whole evangelistic strategy. They started writing letters to and calling neighbors and friends, working hard to still contact every household in their area at least once per year.
“Over the course of 2.5 years, we’ve probably written hundreds of millions of letters. Certainly tens of millions,” Hendriks said during our Zoom call, holding up a few that he’s written but not yet sent.
But soon, he and other Witnesses will be able to push their stamps and envelopes aside and hit the streets again. The church recently announced that members can resume door knocking and other forms of public ministry at the beginning of next month.
“Believe it, there will be thousands of Witnesses in this country (door knocking) on Sept. 1,” Hendriks said... (MORE - details)
INTRO: In March 2020, Jehovah’s Witnesses around the world got a message they’d long feared receiving: They needed to stop their public ministry work.
But rather than come from hostile government officials, it came from their own church. The faith group’s leaders said Jehovah’s Witnesses should stay home so as not to catch or spread COVID-19.
“We never thought our organization would say, ‘Stop your public ministry,’” said Robert Hendriks, U.S. national spokesperson for the Jehovah’s Witnesses. “It took a few days and weeks for many of us to get our minds around it.”
The Witnesses, who are best known by non-church members for their door-knocking efforts, suddenly had to rethink their whole evangelistic strategy. They started writing letters to and calling neighbors and friends, working hard to still contact every household in their area at least once per year.
“Over the course of 2.5 years, we’ve probably written hundreds of millions of letters. Certainly tens of millions,” Hendriks said during our Zoom call, holding up a few that he’s written but not yet sent.
But soon, he and other Witnesses will be able to push their stamps and envelopes aside and hit the streets again. The church recently announced that members can resume door knocking and other forms of public ministry at the beginning of next month.
“Believe it, there will be thousands of Witnesses in this country (door knocking) on Sept. 1,” Hendriks said... (MORE - details)
