the sri lanka branch office - jw.org / official website of jehovah`s

the sri lanka branch office - jw.org / official website of jehovah`s

We sincerely hope that your visit to Bethel
has been a rewarding one. No doubt it has
helped you to become better acquainted with
the work that Jehovah’s Witnesses are doing
to aid people who are searching for a better
future through God’s Kingdom. May your
visit with us be an encouragement to you in
your efforts to learn more about our loving
Creator and to live by his righteous standards.
Visiting Hours:
Visitors are welcome to take a guided tour
of the branch facilities. Tours are available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to
11:30 a.m and 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Location:
711 Station Road, Wattala, 11300 (It is a
two-minute walk from Hunupitiya Railway
Station to the branch office, or a five-minute
walk from Hendala Junction.)
Telephone: 94-11-293 0444
Fax: 94-11-293 2657
Web site: www.watchtower.org
5 2007 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.
Printed in Japan
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WELCOME!
WELCOME TO THE
SRI LANKA
BRANCH OFFICE
OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES
It is a pleasure to welcome you to the branch
office of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Sri Lanka. We
hope your visit will be a pleasant one.
Our branch is called Bethel, meaning “House
of God.” This Biblical name is fitting, for those serving here are ordained ministers who have dedicated themselves to Jehovah God
and who devote themselves fulltime to supporting the worldwide
work of Kingdom preaching.
In over 230 lands, there are some
6,500,000 Witnesses of Jehovah,
who are carrying out the commission that Jesus gave his followers—to preach the
good news of God’s Kingdom. (Matthew 24:14;
28:19, 20) To organize this work, there are more
than 110 branch offices worldwide—all serving
under the direction of the Governing Body of
Jehovah’s Witnesses.
All members of the Bethel family are furnished with room and board. Those
serving here represent a variety of
races, nationalities, languages, and
ages. Nevertheless, they are truly
like a family because they unitedly worship their heavenly Father,
Jehovah God. As a family they
serve together, enjoy meals together, and study the Bible together. In
addition, Bethel family members
personally share in the Kingdompreaching work and attend various congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses in and around Wattala.
Recording Studio. Sound tracks for
Bible dramas are recorded in this studio.
Hospital Information Services. This
department provides Hospital Liaison
Committees in Sri Lanka with the latest
information on bloodless medical procedures. In turn, the congregation elders
serving on these committees make this
information available to doctors who are
willing to treat their Witness patients
without the use of blood.
Maintenance Department. This department cares for the upkeep of the branch facilities. It ensures that
the electrical and mechanical installations
of the branch complex are kept in good
repair.
OFFICES
Service Department. The Service Department coordinates the preaching activity of all congregations in Sri Lanka.
It handles correspondence with traveling
overseers, congregation elders, pioneers,
and publishers. This department schedules district conventions, circuit assemblies, and special assembly days. It also
makes arrangements for the Kingdom
Ministry School, Ministerial Training
School, and Pioneer Service School.
Translation Department. The Translation Department translates the Watchtower and Awake! magazines and other
publications into Sinhala. English text is
received from headquarters in Brooklyn.
After it is translated, the text is carefully compared with the English original
and proofread. Next, translated text is
composed into pages, and the composed
pages are sent electronically to the Japan and India branch offices for printing.
Assembly Hall. This beautiful hall is located just 15 kilometres from the branch office
in a quiet rural setting and is
used for circuit assemblies and
special assembly days.
Kingdom Hall Desk.
This desk coordinates
the construction and
renovation of Kingdom Halls throughout Sri Lanka.
Printing. The Watchtower and Awake! magazines in Sinhala are printed by the India branch
office, while books in Sinhala are printed by
the Japan branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Shipping Department. After literature arrives from Japan or India, it is sorted and
packed in this department. Then, the literature is shipped by road, rail, and postal services to the congregations.
INDIA PRINTERY
HISTORICAL MILESTONES
1910
1912
1917
1923
1926
1947
1951
1952
1953
Two zealous Christian women visit Sri Lanka
and preach the good news.
Charles T. Russell gives a lecture to an audience of 900.
The “Photo-Drama of Creation” is shown.
More than 50 persons are associating with the
Colombo Congregation.
Edwin Skinner from India visits Sri Lanka.
The first Gilead graduates arrive—Stanley
Bowdery, George Griffiths, Frank Stebbing,
and Ray Matthews.
More Gilead graduates arrive—Harold Gluyas,
John Wesley-Smith, and Fred Carroll.
Public meetings are held on Galle Face Green,
a large open area in Colombo.
Despite pouring rain, 235 attend Nathan H. Knorr’s talk “Will Religion Meet the
World Crisis?”
Gilead graduates Ralph and Betty Johnson and
Charles and Marion Boshnyak arrive.
A branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses is established in Colombo.
1954
1956
1957
1958
1962
1963
1975
1990
1995
1998
2003
The first circuit assembly is held—357 in attendance.
The first issue of The Watchtower in Tamil is published.
Nathan H. Knorr delivers the talk “New World
Peace in Our Time—Why?” to 435 in attendance.
The first issue of The Watchtower in Sinhala is
published.
Henry Abraham and two other local pioneers
attend the 31st class of the Gilead School.
Milton G. Henschel visits Sri Lanka.
The first Kingdom Hall is dedicated in
Mount Lavinia.
The Memorial of Christ’s death is attended by
1,377.
Translation with the help of MEPS begins.
The dedication of the new branch office facilities in Wattala takes place.
A program of Kingdom Hall construction begins.
The Japan branch starts printing books for Sri
Lanka.
The India branch starts printing magazines for
Sri Lanka.
JAPAN PRINTERY
BETHEL FAMILY
Bethel family members perform a variety
of necessary services. For example, some do
cleaning and housekeeping. Others do the
laundry. These assignments contribute to
the family’s high standard of cleanliness.
Still others serve in the kitchen. The wholesome meals they prepare are served in the
dining room, which can accommodate up
to 60 people.
Bethel family members regularly share in
programs of Bible study. Each workday
morning, the Bethel family comes together
to consider a Bible text from the booklet Examining the Scriptures Daily. A chairman presides over this 15-minute discussion, and
members of the family are assigned to comment on the text. Following the discussion,
the family is led in prayer, after which
breakfast is served.
On Monday evenings, the Bethel family
gathers to study the Bible with the help of
The Watchtower. At times, there are special programs after the Watchtower Study. These
morning and Monday evening Bible discussions are an important part of Bethel life.
Those invited to serve at Bethel attend the
Bethel Entrants’ School soon after their arrival. In addition, new members are required
to read the entire Bible during their first year
of Bethel service. Each member of the Bethel family also makes time for personal Bible
study.