Calendar & Year-texts from the past

[jwhess]

In 1957 the focus was still on the world-wide work,  The picture showed our printing facilities in New York and the background highlights the message shared around-the-world.

 

 

[jwhess]

What is fascinating about this picture is the year's text.  It is quoted from Psalms 96 in the New World Translation.

 

The book of Psalms was released in Volume 3 of the Hebrew Scriptures.  But it was released in 1957.  The 1957 calendar was printed at the end of 1956.  the text from which the theme of the year is taken wasn't release until about 6-7 months later at the District Assembly in the summer.

 

Wow...talk  about "up-to-date" (or even in advance before the date).  Very nice...

[jwhess]

In 1958 and 1959 the Watchtower Society made a change to the annual calendars.  They went from a single picture for the 12 month calendar to a series of 4 cardboard pages strung together with a piece of cord.  There were 3 months of calendar printed on each picture.  This lasted for just these 2 years.  By 1960 we were back to the larger single picture.

 

 

[jwhess]

The artwork improves in 1960.  We are still picturing Jesus without a beard.  The picture has several subliminal aspects.  Not only is Jesus pointing the way to life in Paradise, but note the weapons being cast-off at the feet of the people in the foreground.  Also, note the admirers grasping Jesus' garment.  How many of these prople are there?  Note the "foreign" looks and clothing.  We get to combine several scriptures in this single picture.  The year text is 1 Peter 3:11-12.  "Seek peace and pursue it...Jehovah's eyes are on the righteous".

EDIT:  I forgot to note that Jesus is holding a "book" in his hand.  Leafed-style 'codex-type' books were not around for more than 100 ears after Jesus died.

 

Edited February 8, 2021 by jwhess

[Maui]

Thanks for sharing @jwhess It's really fascinating looking at these.

[EccentricM]

On 10/10/2020 at 3:04 AM, BLEmom said:

That is too funny!!! It does look like Batman and penguin! 
 

What is the whip thing satan is holding and are there some type of claws on the end of his batwings?

Some sort of scourge I think? Most likely has a scriptural refernece to the "scourge of Satan" or something.

 

On 10/11/2020 at 6:38 PM, More4me2do said:

Notice the Nazi flag and the cross receiving a bolt of lightening. Boldness at a most difficult time.

 

Something, something, Indiana Jones.

[momma]

Thank you so very much for sharing your collection of calendars. 

[jwhess]

The 1961 calendar picture shows the newly remodeled Bethel home in New York.  It had an enhanced garden entrance.  If you look in the upper right side you will see the “bird’s eye” view of Bethel and can see the entire walled garden next to the building.  I have included a photograph from that yearbook showing the building and the garden.

 

The text that year was..."In unity I shall set them, like a flock in the pen".  Micah 2:12 nwt.  We still used the word "shall" in those days.

 

*** w62 10/15 p. 634 Preaching in All the Inhabited Earth ***

VISIT TO BETHEL

As the two large headquarters buildings in the pleasant residential neighborhood of Columbia Heights come into view, a visitor is immediately impressed by their size. Each towers well over 100 feet in the air and they cover the better part of two city blocks. One is therefore not surprised to learn that they can comfortably accommodate 950 persons, two in a room.

To reach the entrance of the newer of the two buildings one enters a wrought-iron gate and proceeds down a 125-foot walk that leads through a beautiful garden decked with a profusion of multicolored flowers. This place is called Bethel, for that name means “House of God.”

*

** w67 5/15 pp. 318-319 My Treasure Find in the “Land of Promise” ***

Later I was assigned to take care of the beautiful garden in the recent addition to the Bethel home. It is nicely designed, and at least two architects stopped and remarked about the fine arrangement. In fact, one day one of two mothers who wheeled their baby carriages through the garden was heard to say: “My, this is like a paradise.” The other said: “It is like an oasis in New York!”

 

 

[jwhess]

The 1962 Calendar still shows Jesus without a beard.  But we are getting closer to the change.  The colors in this calendar are very light and muted.  It is a night scene in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of  Olives the night Jesus was arrested.

 

The year text is about having courage.  "Be courageous and let your heart be strong. Yes, hope in Jehovah" from Psalm 27:14.  We had over 950,000 publishers world-wide at the end of 1961.  So the report in 1962 (when the year was over) we would get to a million...💗

[retroHelen]

I remember there were 2 calendars depicting the 3 Hebrews in the fiery furnace many decades apart though. Both times we had none-JW workmen at the house who raised eyebrows that those depictions!

[rocket]

Yeartext 1904 - 2021

Yeartext_1904-2021.pdf

[daydream]

Quote

I DO NOT GUARANTEE THIS TO BE 100% ACCURATE

Quite alright Brother Lynn, 

I guarantee you my memory will agree with any list, going back the last 40+ years. Thanks for the walk down memory lane. It's a pity I didn't bother to memorize the day text over the years. Better start pinning the scripture at the top of my PC and somehow embed it into this 'not young'  brain of mine. 

 

https://blog.acton.org/archives/62727-lincoln-bible.html

Quote

Those who knew him best reported that Lincoln had an intimate and thorough knowledge of the sacred text and was known to commit lengthy passages to memory.

 

https://www.thetrumpet.com/21110-lincoln-and-the-bible

Quote

Despite Lincoln’s obvious familiarity with the Bible, scholars debate whether or not he was religious. He didn’t attend regular church services. As a young man, he was known as the “village atheist.”

 

.... He was known to carry a copy of the New Testament with him. He studied daily. If you truly study the Bible, you realize pretty quickly that what mainstream Christianity teaches is simply unbiblical.

I think I'll put a tiny pocket size bible in my bag and try to imitate Lincoln's ability to memorize the scriptures.

 

Edited March 7, 2021 by Mclove

[jwhess]

Because of Pioneer School I have gotten behind in posting the next calendar.  It is the year 1963.  It is a special year for me.  Although I began publishing in 1957, I got baptized in 1963 at Painesville, OH

 

Don't miss Abraham in the upper left corner.

 

 

Edited March 10, 2021 by jwhess

[jwhess]

Here is the calendar and year text for 1964.  It contains the report for the previous year.

It was a special time.  This was the first time we saw the publisher totals show over 1 million proclaimers of god' Kingdom.

It was the year that vicious persecution broke out in Liberia, Africa and the soldiers broke into our summer convention and brutalized attendees for several days, trying to make them salute the Liberian flag.

 

Among those beaten was Milton Henschel (one of the Governing Body).  I used to have a picture of him after he was beaten but  can't seem to find it.  He has a black eye, bandages and other injuries.

 

We wrote a special Awake magazine on it and started a worl-wide writing campaign to the president Mr. Tubman.

 

 

[jwhess]

Here is our 1965 Calendar and Yeartext.  The faithful stand of the "three Hebrew children" has been mentioned by some before. The text is from Matthew 10:28..."Do not become fearful of those who kill the body".

 

This was the year I began Regular Pioneering.  I graduated from High Scholl in late May of that year and I applied 2 times before I was accepted.  There was a rule at that time that to Reg Pioneer you had to already be conducting a Bible Study.  And in those days, a Bible Study did not count until you had conducted it for 6 months straight. I didn't have one before May, so six months later I was accepted in November.

 

I have included a page from the 1964 Yearbook because it had a nice chart of our progress, Our organization used to track "publishers" not how many were baptized.  This was a measurable goal.

 

 

Edited April 1, 2021 by jwhess

[EccentricM]

Better version 😄

 

[pgwenlan]

1 hour ago, EccentricM said:

Better version 😄

 

Now you're getting to calendars I remember - I was 4!

[jwhess]

I apologize that I marked the top of the calendar with the wrong year.  It should be 1965.  I had gathered the material researching the wrong year.  We are getting to the time period when the artwork took on a more detailed tone and appearance. I always think of 1965 as a year when our pictures became "realistic" in detail (less "stick" figures and more "photographic" in nature...although I like 1944 in the home scene).

 

Apologies on the date error.

[pgwenlan]

17 hours ago, jwhess said:

I apologize that I marked the top of the calendar with the wrong year.  It should be 1965.  I had gathered the material researching the wrong year.  We are getting to the time period when the artwork took on a more detailed tone and appearance. I always think of 1965 as a year when our pictures became "realistic" in detail (less "stick" figures and more "photographic" in nature...although I like 1944 in the home scene).

 

Apologies on the date error.

Never mind - it just means I was 5!!

[jwhess]

Time marches on.  We have come to 1966.  Momentous times are ahead in the next 10 years. This was the year we released the Life Everlasting book (in the summer) and the chronological chart it contained on page 31.  It will be reported on in the next year's yearbook.  So we can comment on it next time.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 12, 2021 by jwhess

[minister159]

Ah yes!  I remember it well. I was baptized that summer at the district convention held at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. Over 3,000 were baptized that day!

[nanceebgd46]

Thanks for reminding me were I was for the 1966 district convention ... it was mighty cold in

San Francisco that summer!!  

[jwhess]

I was at Kitchener Ontario at an outdoor dirt race track. Ruined my one good suit.  It was my first full year regular pioneering.

[jwhess]

4 hours ago, jwhess said:

I was at Kitchener Ontario at an outdoor dirt race track. Ruined my one good suit.  It was my first full year regular pioneering.

I just re-checked my notes.  I was in Kitchener, Ontario in 1965 and in Toronto, Ontario in 1966.

[jwhess]

The 1967 Calendar and Yearbook are very colorful.  The Year's theme and the calendar promote the ministry.  In the Yearbook it said the preaching was NOT winding down.  It was time to pick up the pace.  The opening narrative in the Yearbook focuses on the fact that the 4 disciples that joined Jesus in this picture, did so after more than a year (1 1/2 years) of knowing Jesus and his ministry.  We often think of these fishermen leaving their nets at the beginning.  Not so.  It was a little less than half-way through Jesus' ministry.