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That announcement applied to branch committee members, not the governing body.

I enjoyed reading about Cuba. It is one of the 5 remaining communist countries in the world (and the only one in the Western Hemisphere). Still, they have 83,000 publishers and a ratio of 1 to 118 in their restricted country. They have almost 11,000 pioneers and almost 200,000 at the Memorial. Back in the 1950s, when I lived in Key West, FL we used to get TV live from Havana (which is only 90 miles away).

That's a very good point. It's interesting that next week's meeting quotes an article from 2016 which contains the following comments. Although written ten years ago, it could have been written this morning: We need to be careful with what we express and what we feel. Sometimes it's so difficult to stay neutral when we see big injustices. However, if we look at things from Jehovah's viewpoint, all political leaders are actually Satan's tools, and the only real solution for any problem is the Kingdom.

Simpson's comment was quoted on new article on our website. https://www.jw.org/en/library/series/more-topics/you-are-going-to-hear-of-wars/

Zambia my country is a preaching paradise, the people are warm and very receptive to the good news

Neutrality isn’t broken by awareness. Reading the news! It’s broken by approval, preference, or emotional investment in a political outcome. 1 Timothy 2:1–2 teaches us to pray about those in authority as they currently exist, asking that their decisions allow us to live quiet, peaceable lives and continue our worship. It does not instruct us to pray for a different government to take over because it might treat our brothers better. Praying for workable conditions under existing authorities is neutral. Praying for regime change, or expressing hope that another power will rule, is not. Neutrality means we do not ask Jehovah to favor one political outcome over another. We trust Him to care for His people regardless of who is in power.

Brazil needs about 40,000 more publishers and they will be second country in the world to pass the 1 million publisher mark.

In 2003 we had an international convention here in Madrid, and we hosted two delegates from Venezuela in our home. At the time, Hugo Chávez, Maduro’s predecessor, had only been in power for a few months and many Venezuelans were excited because it seemed someone was finally paying attention to the poor. We were stunned when these sisters told us that quite a few brothers had been swept up in the general enthusiasm and were getting involved in politics. Back then, it felt almost impossible to imagine a Christian taking sides politically. More than twenty years later we now see that trend everywhere. A few years ago, when a region in Spain attempted to declare independence, the branch had to send a very firm letter to all congregations because many were making comments that were far from neutral. Even here in the forums, we see some who passionately defend or criticize Trump or other political leaders. They think they’re being neutral, but in reality they’re being influenced by the news sources they follow. This week’s Treasures talk is a good reminder of how vital it is to remain strictly neutral. Otherwise, when the real test arrives we could be caught off guard. All world leaders are simply puppets in Satan’s hands, so it makes little difference when one puppet is replaced by another.

NOW AVAILABLE! Read Here.

Should I make one? JK. I can't promise anything till I release it. 😂😂😂

One thing that stood out to me was how strong the growth was in smaller countries. In several lands, the actual number of new publishers wasn’t large, but the percentage increase was very high. When a country has only a few hundred publishers and gains even 50 or 100 more, that can mean growth of 10%, 15%, or more. That kind of increase feels like momentum, not just maintenance. Another highlight was countries that grew even though conditions are difficult. I noticed multiple lands with political problems, poverty, or instability still showing clear increases in publishers and Bible studies. Even small numerical growth in those places carries more weight because the obstacles are so real. The percentages there tell a stronger story than raw numbers. A third thing that caught my attention was where Bible studies grew faster than publishers. In some countries, the number of Bible studies increased at a higher rate than the number of publishers. That tells me groundwork is being laid. It may not show immediate publisher growth yet, but it points to future growth already in progress.

No, that doesn't track. Someone rejoices that their beloved relative is no longer suffering, but they do not rejoice that the person had to die for the suffering to end. Someone rejoices so-and-so has grown closer to Jehovah but they do not rejoice that the individual had to experience disfellowshipping in order to be properly motivated. To rejoice or be happy at the establishing of a human government is not being neutral. It's taking delight in that government rejoice verb re·joice ri-ˈjȯis rejoiced; rejoicing Synonyms of rejoice transitive verb : to give joy to : gladden intransitive verb : to feel joy or great delight

The JW website is always up-to-date.

I want Brother Lett to present it. Then again, I want to adopt Brother Lett.

We topped nine million. 304,643 Baptized is almost 35 new brothers and sisters an hour.

US president attacks UN for 'very little assistance,' claiming America has become 'real United Nations' (in relation to Thailand- Cambodia conflict) He then attacked the UN, claiming Washington has effectively replaced the global body. "With all of the wars and conflicts I have settled and stopped ... perhaps the United States has become the real United Nations, which has been of very little assistance or help in any of them," Trump said. He added that the organization "must start getting active and involved in world peace." https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/trump-says-thailand-cambodia-to-go-back-to-living-in-peace-after-ceasefire/3783263

That is really KotS vs KotN because Venezuela is part of KotN (Russia and its ALLIES). Nice push here

You’re still young Bro. @jwhess And as far as these Governing Body members, they are “still sharp as a pencil” ✏️ They process a wealth of knowledge, wisdom and experiences. And they have set a fine example of endurance. I’m still amazed at Bro. Lett coming out to speak at the annual meeting in-spite of his wife just passing in death. That has taught me a important lesson that even if I’m hurting emotionally inside, I still can praise Jehovah by preaching about the Kingdom, keeping my Faith intact, and making the Hope in a New World assured!

the US attacked Venezuela... what a start for 2026

My expectations about 2026 Governing Body Update is permit we live in tropical hot areas use shorts.😀

Another big increase in partakers.🍷

We had three Sunday meetings in a row (in December) where the whole congregation was on Zoom due to snow and wind (record attendance over 100 each meeting. We average about 60+ in person and 30 on line each meeting. A few more attend in person on Sunday morning because some older ones can only drive in daylight hours. We are and 'older' (aging?) congregation. About 50% are over 50 years of age and about 40% are over 65. We have only one elder under 50. So we keep an eye on those with heath & vision problems. Many have chronic problems with bones, joints, arthritis and other plagues. We have several with various stages of dementia (including some of the Pioneers). We pray for strength until the New World comes.

No. If you told someone you are so glad a government was toppled - you are not neutral. If you told someone you are glad the brothers are not being persecuted, that is neutral. Your joy is in your brother's well-being, not politics.

You are right, I didn't know that Venezuela was allied with Russia

"Russia condemns the aggression"? That's rich ....

Definitely praying for our friends in South America!

JW Library Sign Language® App Discontinued The JW Library Sign Language app has been discontinued and will be removed from the app stores. All sign-language content is now available in the JW Library app, which contains improved features for sign languages. Further enhancements will be added in the future. Read the announcement here.

Here is the plus and minus compare to 2024 Year Report. Any corrections, please do. Branches of Jehovah’s Witnesses: 84 Same Number of Lands Reporting: 241 +1 Total Congregations: 119,652 +825 Worldwide Memorial Attendance: 20,635,015 -484,427 Memorial Partakers Worldwide: 24,576 +1,364 * Peak of Publishers : 9,205,326 +161,866 Average Publishers Preaching Each Month: 9,047,083 +218,959 Percentage of Increase Over 2024: 2.5 Total Number Baptized : 304,643 +8,376 Average Pioneer c Publishers Each Month: 1,743,567 +64,541 Average Auxiliary Pioneer Publishers Each Month: 864,870 -2,632 Average Bible Studies d Each Month: 7,603,182 +122,036 * Past 1942 Memorial Partakers

2 Countries that had the biggest increase in peak publishers. Congo Dem Rep and Zambia. What happened in Moldova?

It is becoming more and more difficult to get a residency over there. Many need-greaters and brothers with a another nationality are forced to leave the country. Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-S911B met Tapatalk

I found a 'workaround'. If you are searching for a word or phrase you remember from the early NWT, switch your app to the 'reference' Bible. The search will then find it. TIP: Don't forget to switch back to the 'Study' Bible before the next meeting. Lol PS It works with all Bibles. Eg: I recently searched for 'unicorn' in the KJV 🦄 .

Just a couple comments, without any reference to the neutrality issue: - Jehovah’s Witnesses are not being persecuted in Venezuela. They can still hold their meetings and participate in the ministry. The shortages of food, medicine, and basic goods affect the entire population, and of course our brothers and sisters are included in that hardship. But they are not banned, nor is the government targeting them. - Nothing has really changed in Venezuela, and there’s no indication that anything will change in the near future. The U.S. army captured President Maduro and plans to try him on various charges, but his regime wasn’t overthrown. The vice president, Maduro’s second-in-command, will simply take his place, and the same system will continue with a different figurehead. Same people, same ideology, same corruption. In the end, a dictator may be judged and possibly punished for his crimes, but that’s as far as it goes. It won’t have any real impact on Venezuelans in general or on Jehovah’s Witnesses in the country.

Interesting one rural congregation during covid did "zoom car witnessing"...they took google street view map and "drove" along country road and then wrote letters to each house on the route

Of course it depends on circumstances. If you really cannot attend in person, then Zoom is better than nothing. But definitely you need to attend meetings in person if you want to be able to encourage others and receive encouragement, work for the congregation and feel part of it. Zoom is like the IV fluids they put you on at hospital when you cannot eat. It feeds you and keeps you alive, but it can't compare with eating real food. in most cases, as soon as the meeting ends most Zoom participants disappear, so they receive the spiritual food but none of the association. Often when many in a congregation are constantly on Zoom, that means the congregation has a problem. On the other hand, if most of those on Zoom are very sick or house-bound or have other compelling reasons that prevent them from attending in person, then they are probably doing all they can.

But he did not say rejoice over regime change.

Maybe? Maybe not …. But turmoil is here for sure. Things can quickly escalate or settle down …. In the meantime Jehovah can act suddenly and make things very different overnight.

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Monday. Interesting observation by the Associated Press: The 15-member council has been surprisingly inactive on the issue of Venezuela for the last several months, even as US posturing and boat strikes in the Caribbean increased.

Please, let's not start rumors about GB adjustments when none have been announced ...

The Governing Body decided that starting January 1, 2026, brothers 80 years of age or older will no longer serve as members of a Branch Committee. However, these dear brothers will serve as consultants to the Branch Committee.

Putin have about 20 residences and palaces in a different places of Russia. Ukraine has attacked in Novgorod region war target that been attacked before that is far from a residence, by 18 drones according to first internal reports of Russians. The next (political and external) report was 92. Putin never visited most of residences from the beggining of war (and have destroyed palace in Sochi as been avaliable for attacks) One residence in Valday where sometimes he visiting and (near this place, that is interesting) two sons are live. This place is most resisted anti-aircraft place in Russia after Moscow His non-official name is a "bunker-daddy" because he always hiding in highly protected bunkers

“Become full-grown in your understanding.”—1 Corinthians 14:20 There are some things we understand with our mind long before we ever understand them with our heart. We can repeat the words. We can explain the teaching. But the meaning stays just out of reach—until life places us inside the experience. That is what happened to me the day my son was born. He is my firstborn. Thirty-five years and a week ago, on December 21, I became a father. Leading up to that moment, I had feelings that confused me. I talked to him. I listened to him. I felt him kick. I knew he was real. But I could not honestly say that I loved him yet. I hadn’t met him. I hadn’t carried him. And that troubled me, because I thought I should feel something more. Then he was born. The moment I saw him—that moment—I fell in love. It wasn’t gradual. It wasn’t learned. It arrived whole, complete, undeniable. I did not decide to love him. I simply did. And in that same instant, something else happened. I finally understood what Jehovah gave. I had always known why Jehovah gave his Son. I could explain the ransom. I could quote the scriptures. But standing there as a father, holding my own child, the reality of the sacrifice opened in a way it never had before. There is not a thing, not a person, not a cause—nothing—for which I would give up my son. And yet Jehovah did exactly that. “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son.”—John 3:16 That day, I did not learn something new. I became someone new. I had to be full-grown to understand it. I had to be a father to comprehend it. Only then could I feel—deeply and personally—the measure of Jehovah’s love. That understanding was not painful. It was beautiful. And it changed the way I have loved ever since.

I love vegans because they leave more meat for the rest of us.

https://www.jw.org/download/?output=html&pub=jwb-134&langwritten=E English 2025 Ramapo Construction Project Update

Here are brief, clear comparison comments and demographic trends drawn directly from the 2024–2025 Zambia Service Year Reports. 1. Overall Growth Trend Zambia experienced strong, accelerated theocratic growth in 2025 compared to 2024. Average publishers rose from 228,281 to 253,206 — an increase of 24,925 publishers. Percentage increase improved from 8% (2024) to 11% (2025), showing faster growth momentum. Comment: Jehovah is clearly blessing the preaching work with increasing responsiveness, not just steady growth. 2. Population Coverage & Field Effectiveness Population slightly declined from 21.315 million to 21.177 million. Publisher-to-population ratio improved from 1:93 to 1:84. Comment: Despite a stable population, the message is reaching more people per publisher, indicating better coverage and effectiveness in the field. 3. Baptisms & Spiritual Progress Baptisms increased from 18,073 (2024) to 20,634 (2025). This reflects a 14% rise in baptisms, outpacing population change. Comment: Not only are more people studying, but a higher proportion are making dedication and baptism, showing depth, not just interest. 4. Pioneer Strength & Workforce Maturity Average pioneer publishers rose from 23,330 to 27,548. That is an increase of 4,218 pioneers in one year. Comment: The growth is being supported by a stronger core of full-time ministers, which stabilizes congregations and fuels further expansion. 5. Congregational Expansion Congregations increased from 3,654 to 3,908 (+254 congregations). Comment: Organizational growth is keeping pace with publisher increase, preventing overcrowding and improving shepherding care. 6. Bible Studies vs. Memorial Attendance Average Bible studies rose from 421,860 to 450,950. Memorial attendance decreased slightly from 1,085,831 to 1,046,891. Comment: While Memorial attendance dipped slightly, the increase in ongoing Bible studies shows more sustained, long-term interest, not just seasonal attendance. 7. Demographic & Social Trends Reflected Zambia continues to have a young, receptive population, especially in urban and peri-urban areas. Growth in pioneers and baptisms suggests: Strong youth engagement Family-based studies Increased retention from Bible study to baptism Comment: The work in Zambia is shifting from broad interest to disciple-making, reflecting spiritual maturity in the field. Summary Comment (One-Sentence) The 2025 service year shows that despite stable population figures, Zambia is experiencing accelerated spiritual growth marked by stronger field coverage, increased baptisms, more pioneers, and expanding congregational structure—clear evidence of Jehovah’s blessing on the work.

FWIW both of these significant numbers where released last month during the Governing Body 2025 #7 Average of 9,047,083 publishers during 2025 Service Year, representing a 2.5 percent increase: That 2.5 percent increase is also important .... it is the biggest percentage increase in publishers for 15 years - since 2010 - and follows an impressive 2.4% increase last year, in 2024 (FWIW a bit of rounding is involved, so the 2010 increase was 2.533%, and the 2025 increase was 2.480%.) 304,643 baptized during the service year represents the biggest number of baptisms for 26 years - since 1999.... And only six previous years have ever had a higher number of baptism .... (Note: baptism figures for 1956 and 1961 are not available)

Progress in Africa is amazing ! (Sudan though ) Also Bangladesh ! There was a SPC this month over there, so we may expect even better numbers next year !

World's situation at the moment ...

It is now available for iOS!

Zadok lived at a time when choosing sides was not easy. David had been chosen by Jehovah, but not everyone accepted that yet. Zadok showed courage by supporting Jehovah’s choice before everything was settled. He did not wait to see who would win. He trusted Jehovah enough to take his stand early, even as a young man, even while surrounded by thousands of others. That tells us something important about loyalty. Loyalty is not proven after the outcome is clear. It is shown when a person decides, “I will stick with Jehovah,” even when there is pressure, uncertainty, or risk. Zadok did not need to be famous or loud. Jehovah noticed him because his heart was already decided. That same kind of loyalty is shown today in quiet, everyday ways. A student may already be sitting when others stand for a flag salute or national anthem. Staying seated may not draw attention, but it still takes courage. That choice quietly says, “Jehovah comes first,” even when it feels uncomfortable. Loyalty is also shown in regular spiritual routines. Showing up for field service, following up on not-at-homes, or writing letters may feel ordinary. But those efforts show respect for the precious truths Jehovah has trusted us with. They show that we care whether others benefit from what Jehovah has given us to share. Sometimes loyalty simply means staying steady—going to meetings when tired, keeping spiritual habits when no one is watching, and not drifting when it would be easier to blend in. Like Zadok, we show Jehovah our loyalty before outcomes are known. And just like then, Jehovah sees it.

Governing body members will remain members only until they are 80 years old, after which they will be consultants.