Welcome to the Venezuela Branch Office of Jehovah`s

W
e 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.
Welcome to the
VENEZUELA
Branch Office of
JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES
Visitors are welcome to take a guided tour of our facilities. Tours
are available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and
2:15 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Sociedad de los
´
Testigos de Jehova
de Venezuela
Avenida Intercomunal
La Victoria-El Consejo
´
Urbanizacion
La Mora II
´
Urbanizacion
Vista Hermosa
´
Urbanizacion
Morichal
˘ 2003 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
All Rights Reserved
Printed in Brazil
fo-E Ve
INTRODUCTION
I
t is a pleasure to welcome you to the Venezuela branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses. We
hope your visit will be a pleasant one. Our complex of buildings is called Bethel, meaning
“House of God.” This Biblical name is fitting,
for the more than 150 volunteers who live and
serve here are ordained ministers who have dedicated themselves to Jehovah God and who devote themselves full-time to supporting the
worldwide work of Kingdom preaching.
In some 236 lands, there are now over 7,000,000 Witnesses of Jehovah, who are carrying out
the commission 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 over 115 branch offices worldwide—all
working under the direction of the Governing
Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses. This branch in La
Victoria supports the activities of Jehovah’s
Witnesses in Venezuela.
A BRIEF HISTORY
Since the 1930’s, literature produced by Jehovah’s Witnesses has been available in Venezuela.
However, it was not until September 1946 that a
branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses was established in Caracas. From September 1954 until
December 1976, the branch was located in a
house called Quinta Luz, on Avenida Honduras
in Las Acacias, Caracas. However, to keep up
with the growth of the Kingdom work, it became
necessary to expand the branch facilities. In 1973,
Brother Nathan H. Knorr, who had oversight of
the worldwide preaching activities of Jehovah’s
Witnesses, suggested that the branch be transferred to the town of La Victoria. There, in February 1977, the first Bethel Home in Venezuela
was dedicated. At that time, there were some 13,000 Kingdom publishers in the country. Because
of the constant increase in the number of publishers, the Bethel Home was enlarged, and an extension was dedicated in April 1985.
Since the number of Kingdom publishers in
Venezuela continued to increase, a larger branch
was needed. The new facilities, dedicated on
March 3, 2001, include a residence building, a service building, and an office complex. Presently,
the branch supports the activities of more than
110,000 Kingdom publishers in Venezuela.
SPIRITUAL PROGRAMS
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. These morning and
Monday evening Bible discussions are an important part of Bethel life.
As members of the Bethel family,
all of us regularly share in personal
Bible study and various programs for
spiritual education. Keeping spiritually
strong is essential to the happiness
and contentment of our family.
T
hose invited to serve at Bethel attend the
Bethel Entrants’ School soon after their arrival. New members also read the entire Bible
during their first year of Bethel service.
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.
Each member of the Bethel family also makes
time for personal Bible study and has access to
a library containing the publications of Jehovah’s Witnesses and other reference works. In addition, Bethel family members are assigned to
serve with various congregations of Jehovah’s
Witnesses in La Victoria and surrounding areas.
In the evenings and on weekends, they share in the
Kingdom-preaching and disciple-making work
and other congregation activities.
KINGDOM HALL CONSTRUCTION OFFICE
This office provides architectural designs and
engineering services for Kingdom Hall building
projects. It ensures that local building codes
and governmental requirements are met. It also
organizes the volunteers who serve in various
Kingdom Hall Construction Groups in Venezuela.
Most of the offices are located in a
functional four-story building. Some
of them are described as follows.
BETHEL DEPARTMENTS
SHIPPING
Here the literature and magazines ordered from
the Colombia branch are received. Then
trucks transport and distribute the literature
along ten different routes throughout the
country.
SERVICE
Volunteers serving in this department support
the Kingdom-preaching activity carried out in
Venezuela. They handle correspondence with
traveling overseers, elders, pioneers, and publishers. In addition, the Service Department keeps
records of congregation territories and compiles
reports of field service activity.
MAINTENANCE
Volunteers in various shops care for mechanical,
electrical, and other needs of the branch facilities,
as well as for the upkeep of branch equipment.
LITERATURE AND MAGAZINE
Congregation orders for literature, magazines,
forms, and other items are processed in this department. Every two weeks, the orders are sent
electronically to the Colombia branch office of
Jehovah’s Witnesses. The ordered literature is
then shipped from Colombia to the branch here
in Venezuela. From here, our trucks deliver
the literature to congregations throughout the
country.
HOSPITAL INFORMATION SERVICES
This department provides some 22 Hospital Liaison Committees throughout the country with
the latest information on bloodless medical procedures. In turn, the congregation elders serving
on these committees make this information
available to the more than 3,500 doctors who are
willing to treat their Witness patients without
the use of blood.
CONVENTION OFFICE
Annually, this office arranges for some 50 district conventions in Venezuela. It obtains convention facilities and assigns the approximately
1,400 congregations to their respective district
convention locations. This department also organizes circuit assemblies and special assembly
days.
All Bethel family members are
volunteers. They are furnished with
room and board and a small monthly
reimbursement to assist with their
personal expenses.
INFORMATION S YSTEMS
Some services at Bethel are performed with the
help of computers. Volunteers in this department install and maintain the branch’s computer
systems.
COMPOSITION
Some branches use a unique computer system
called Multilanguage Electronic Phototypesetting System (MEPS). This system was developed
by Jehovah’s Witnesses and can handle hundreds
of languages.
LEGAL
This department provides assistance when it becomes necessary to defend the public ministry or
beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses. (Philippians 1:7)
It also obtains the permits required for buying
properties and building Kingdom Halls.
BETHEL HOME
T
hese volunteers are truly like a
family because they unitedly worship their heavenly Father, Jehovah
God. As a Bethel family, they serve together, enjoy their meals together, and
study the Bible together.
A number of necessary services are
performed at Bethel. For example,
some volunteers serve in the kitchen,
preparing nutritious meals for the entire family, which are served in a dining room. Other volunteers do cleaning and housekeeping. Still others do
the laundry. These assignments contribute to the family’s high standard
of cleanliness.