Welcome to the Brazil Branch Office of Jehovah s Witnesses

Transcription

1 We hope that you enjoyed your visit to Bethel. No doubt it has helped you to become better acquainted with the work that Jehovah s Witnesses are doing to assist people who are searching for a better future through God s Kingdom. May your visit with us encourage you to continue learning more about our loving Creator and to live by his righteous standards. Visitors are welcome to take a guided tour of the branch facilities. Tours are available at the times shown on the schedule below. Tour times: Monday through Friday; mornings: 8:15, 9:15, 10:15 a.m.; afternoons: 1:15, 2:15, 3:15 p.m Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania and Associac aotorredevigiadeb ıblias e Tratados All rights reserved. Printed in Brazil. fo-e Ba Welcome to the Brazil Branch Office of Jehovah s Witnesses

2 Introduction Welcome to the Brazil branch office of Jehovah s Witnesses. It is a pleasure to have you with us. We hope you will enjoy your visit. 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 full-time to support the worldwide work of Kingdom preaching. Matthew 24:14. During your visit, you will notice that members of this family are of various ages and nationalities. Yet, they are truly like a family because they unitedly worship their heavenly Father, Jehovah God. The Brazil branch office prints Bible literature and sends it throughout the country, including locations where boats are used by full-time ministers for preaching the Kingdom message in the Amazon region. Also, magazines for Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay are printed here. Our publications are sent to virtually all countries in South America.

3 Spiritual Programs Each morning Monday to Friday, the Bethel family comes together at the breakfast table 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. On Monday evenings, the entire Bethel family gathers to study the Bible with the help of The Watchtower. At times, there are special programs after the Watchtower Study. The program is transmitted via closed circuit television throughout the dining room, allowing all in attendance to benefit from this arrangement. Following the discussion, the family is led in prayer, and breakfast is served. These Bible discussions each workday morning and Monday evening are an important part of Bethel life. Bethel family members personally share in the Kingdom-preaching work and attend various congregations near the branch office.

4 Bethel Home Those serving in this department work in the laundry, in the kitchen, or in the dining room. Others care for cleaning and housekeeping, helping to make Bethel a pleasant and comfortable place to live. Laundry On average, more than two tons of clothes are washed daily. Every hour up to140shirtsand60pairsofslacksareironedwiththehelpofsteampresses. Housekeeping Housekeepers help to maintain a high standard of cleanliness, which is a mark of Bethel homes throughout the world. Farm Those who serve here care for the gardens, lawns, roadways, and forested areas around Bethel. The farm also supplies the kitchen with some food items and produce. Various species of birds and animals live in the forested areas. Kitchen Nutritious meals are prepared using modern equipment. Three meals are served daily in our spacious and comfortable dining room. Some of the animals that have been sighted on our property include: anteaters, armadillos, capybaras, coatis, deer, iguanas, porcupines, and squirrels. There are also seven ponds on our property. Water from these ponds is used to irrigate our gardens and lawns.

5 Offices Legal Department The Legal Department provides assistance to congregations whenever the preaching work or beliefs of Jehovah s Witnesses are called into question. Philippians 1:7. Translation Department Those working in this department translate Bible publications into Portuguese, Brazilian Sign Language, several indigenous languages, and Portuguese Braille. After the English text is received from headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A., the text is translated, checked, and proofread. Kingdom Hall Construction Desk This desk oversees the construction and maintenance of Kingdom Halls. Brazil is one of the countries that benefits from a worldwide Kingdom Hall construction program. Using the methods developed by this program, it is possible to build a Kingdom Hall in about 40 days. Since the start of the program in 1999, over 3,500 Kingdom Halls have been built in Brazil. Branch Committee The Branch Committee, under the direction of the Governing Body of Jehovah s Witnesses, oversees the activities of the Bethel family and takes the lead in organizing the Kingdom preaching and teaching work throughout Brazil. Service Department This department cares for correspondence with traveling overseers, elders, pioneers, and publishers. It schedules district conventions, circuit assemblies, and special assembly days and makes territory assignments for congregations and isolated groups. The department also schedules schools to train traveling overseers, congregation elders, pioneers, single brothers, and married couples. Hospital Information Desk This desk supplies Hospital Liaison Committees throughout the country with the latest information on nonblood 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. This desk also coordinates the distribution of information on nonblood medical management at medical conventions and at hospitals. Sign Language The deaf receive Bible instruction by means of recorded sign-language videos that are distributed in the form of DVDs or through the website. Deaf Witnesses who are fluent in Brazilian Sign Language help the translators to prepare these videos. Among the publications translated into Brazilian Sign Language are some of the books of the Bible, brochures, Kingdom songs, and The Watchtower.

6 Audio/Video Department At this Regional Audio/Video Center, recordings in Portuguese and Brazilian Sign Language are made for the songbook, magazines, books, and Bible dramas. These recordings are produced as CDs and DVDs or as electronic files for the Internet. This department also produces audio/video recordings for other countries and in various indigenous languages spoken in South America.

7 Printery Pressroom The Man Roland Lithoman press can produce up to 90,000 magazines per hour, or the equivalent of 25 magazines or brochures per second. Press operators monitor production by means of several computer controls so that quality is ensured throughout the various phases of the printing process. Prepress Before printing can start, artwork and composed text are combined to form a set of electronic files. Then this information is inscribed by laser onto metal plates. The entire process for reproducing printing plates is computerized. This department also verifies that the printing meets our high quality control standards. Bindery In the bindery, printed pages are bound with either soft or hard covers. Books that are produced on the softcover bindery line are packed as soon as they come off the production line. To produce hardcover books, the printed pages are first sewn together into single volumes. Then titles are embossed onto hard covers and finally the books are bound with the covers. Braille Publications for the visually impaired are prepared here. The complete Bible as well as The Watchtower and Our Kingdom Ministry are available in Portuguese Braille. Braille publications are also sent to other countries. Shipping Congregation literature requests are processed with the help of a computer-controlled system that indicates which items need to be packed. This system allows requests to be filled quickly and efficiently. Job Press Book covers are printed on sheet-fed presses and then laminated. Convention and assembly programs and various forms are also printed here.

8 Maintenance Shops All of the electrical and mechanical systems as well as machines and vehicles used at Bethel are maintained by welltrained maintenance crews. There are also welding and machine shops that care for the production of parts needed to maintain branch equipment.