Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses
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Kingdom Hall is the term for a meeting place for Jehovah's Witnesses. The term was first suggested in 1935 by Joseph Franklin Rutherford, then president of the Watch Tower Society, for a building in Hawaii.[1] Rutherford's reasoning was that these buildings would be used for preaching the "good news of the Kingdom."[2] Jehovah's Witnesses use Kingdom Halls for the majority of their worship and Bible instruction.
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[edit] Term
Regarding their places of worship, Witnesses prefer the term "Kingdom Hall" over "church", noting that the term often translated "church" in the Bible refers to the congregation of people rather than a structure.[3]
In certain cities, Jehovah's Witnesses have meeting places intended for simultaneous meetings by more than one congregation. If there are only two or three such auditoriums, the entire structure is referred to as "a Kingdom Hall"; however, "Kingdom Hall" can refer to just one auditorium within a "Kingdom Hall complex".[4][5] Larger Assembly Halls or Convention Centers of Jehovah's Witnesses, or any rented arena or stadium used for larger gatherings of Jehovah's Witnesses are also regarded 'as a large Kingdom Hall'; casual clothing and undignified behavior are considered inappropriate during their religious events, even if the facility is a sports or entertainment venue.[6]
[edit] Location and presentation
Kingdom Halls are typically modest, functional structures with practicality in mind.[7] As Witnesses do not use religious symbols, such are not displayed on or in Kingdom Halls. An annual Yeartext, or "theme scripture", which is the same for all congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide, is prominently displayed in each Kingdom Hall. This text can be displayed in several languages if the Hall is used by foreign language congregations. Most Kingdom Halls have a literature counter, where publications are displayed, stored and dispensed to members of the congregation.
[edit] Uses
Congregations typically meet in their Kingdom Halls two days each week. Meetings usually open and close with song and prayer. Gatherings held in the Kingdom Hall include Bible readings, public talks on matters such as the Bible, family life, Christian qualities and prophecy, as well as discussion of specially-prepared study articles in The Watchtower magazine and other publications of Jehovah's Witnesses. Witnesses also meet in Kingdom Halls for preparation and prayer before engaging in their door-to-door ministry. While such uses are part of their worship, Kingdom Halls are built primarily with an educational purpose in mind and this is the primary factor in their architecture and construction.
[edit] Weddings
A Kingdom Hall may be used for a wedding ceremony of a Witness-baptized bride and groom, or of an unbaptized bride and groom simultaneously approaching baptism as Jehovah's Witnesses. A congregation's "service committee" considers a written request from the couple, neither of whom need attend congregation meetings at the requested Hall. The committee will assure that "the bride and the groom must be in good standing, living in harmony with Bible principles and Jehovah’s righteous standards" and that their wedding party (that is, groomsmen and bridesmaids) will not include "individuals whose lifestyle grossly conflicts with Bible principles or whose conduct would raise questions in the minds of those attending".[8]
Jehovah's Witnesses attach no particular significance to a Kingdom Hall wedding over a secular service. A Witness couple may choose to be married elsewhere for a wide range of personal or practical reasons. Kingdom Halls are not used for wedding receptions or other social events.[9]
[edit] Funerals
A body of elders may permit a Kingdom Hall funeral service "if the deceased had a clean reputation and was a member of the congregation or the minor child of a member".[10]
The Watchtower noted, "As to funerals conducted among Jehovah’s Witnesses, a service can be held at any appropriate location, such as a funeral home, the Kingdom Hall, the home of a member of the family or even at the burial ground. A respected male member of the congregation can be asked by the family to conduct the service. A simple Bible-based talk would be given".[11] Depending on family preference and local custom, a Kingdom Hall funeral may or may not have the casketed deceased present.[10]
[edit] Disaster relief
The disaster relief efforts of Jehovah's Witnesses are typically channeled through branch offices, and are staged at Kingdom Halls and Assembly Halls as close as practical to the disaster area. Disasters have included:
- War: During the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, a Kingdom Hall property in Goma (then Zaire, now Democratic Republic of the Congo) housed 1600 Witness and non-Witness refugees. In July 1994, relief workers set up a 60-bed relief hospital at the Kingdom Hall, as well as a water treatment system.[12]
- Earthquake: Following the Great Hanshin earthquake in 1995, six Kingdom Halls in Kobe, Japan were used as relief centers and to depot relief supplies.[13][14][15]
- Storm: In the ten months following Tropical Storm Allison in 2001, seven Kingdom Halls were used by Jehovah's Witnesses as "hubs, or regional relief centers" to dispatch volunteer crews and to store tools and materials while they organized 11,700 volunteers to repair or rebuild 723 homes.[16]
- For over two years after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, Kingdom Halls were part of a Jehovah's Witness relief infrastructure of "13 relief centers, 9 warehouses, and 4 fuel depots". Nearly 17,000 Witness volunteers repaired more than 5,600 homes and 90 Kingdom Halls during their extended relief effort in the United States' Gulf Coast region.[17]
- Volcano: On January 18, 2002, the day after the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo, six Kingdom Halls in the vicinity received three tons of basic necessities and housed 1800 refugees. One week later, these relief centers were providing daily rations to 5000 people.[18]
[edit] Construction
The construction crews of Kingdom Halls and larger Assembly Halls consist of volunteering Jehovah's Witnesses, sometimes from other countries, who have been pre-approved for work on the buildings, grounds and sites.
In many countries, a number of standard designs of construction are used that can be built in just a few days.[19] The act of constructing a Kingdom Hall in this manner is called a quick-build, although typically the preparation work involving the structural foundation and surrounding surface may take several weeks prior to the scheduled build. For various reasons, not all Kingdom Halls are constructed as quick-builds or using the standard designs. There is however, a noticeably dominant architectural style of the Kingdom Hall which is often used based on standardized design concepts and models, depending on needs.
Donations to the Worldwide Work fund are, in part, used to contribute towards the construction of meeting places for fellow believers in less prosperous parts of the world.
[edit] Regional Building Committee
Jehovah's Witnesses' branch offices appoint local Regional Building Committees (RBC) to oversee the construction and maintenance of their places of worship. The objective of such committees, which usually consist of five to seven persons, often with experience in the construction trades, is to coordinate the efforts of those involved so as to provide attractive and functional facilities that are financially viable.
Regional Building Committees cooperate with local congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses seeking to build or renovate a place of worship, under the direction of the local branch office. Committees help in assessing the suitability of a possible construction site, purchasing the land and materials and coordinating the efforts of volunteers from the wider area. The work of the Regional Building Committees has made it possible for Jehovah's Witnesses to build or renovate Kingdom Halls in a very short time, sometimes as little as two days, although typically the preparation work involving the structural foundation and surrounding surface may take several weeks prior to the scheduled build. Members of a Regional Building Committee work voluntarily and receive no remuneration for their work.
[edit] Maintenance
Routine maintenance of Kingdom Halls is performed by the members of the congregations that use them. The "Kingdom Hall operating committee" oversees maintenance of the building; at least one elder or ministerial servant from each congregation is selected to be part of the operating committee.[20] Kingdom Hall maintenance costs are covered by donations to a local fund.[21]
[edit] References
- ^ "Jehovah's Witnesses – Proclaimers of God's Kingdom" chap. 20 p. 319, 721
- ^ "Jehovah's Witnesses – Proclaimers of the kingdom" chap. 20 p. 319 Building Together on a Global Scale
- ^ "Should We Go to Christian Meetings?", Awake!, March 8, 2001, page 12
- ^ "Highlights of the Past Year", 2006 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, page 16
- ^ The Watchtower, March 1, 2004, page 31
- ^ "Maintain Fine Conduct That Glorifies God", Our Kingdom Ministry, May 2000, page 6
- ^ "Organized to Do Jehovah's Will" p.120-123 (Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 2005)
- ^ "Question Box", Our Kingdom Ministry, November 2008, page 3
- ^ "Marriage Ceremony and Requirements", The Watchtower, September 15, 1956, page 571, "Receptions following weddings should not be held at the Kingdom Hall, converting it into a place of entertainment"
- ^ a b "Question Box", Our Kingdom Ministry, March 1997, page 7
- ^ "Is Your Course of Life Death-Oriented?", The Watchtower, June 1, 1978, page 7
- ^ "Caring for Victims of Rwanda’s Tragedy", Awake!, December 22, 1994, page 15
- ^ "Volunteers at Work", Awake!, July 22, 2001, page 8
- ^ "Love Toward Those ‘Related in the Faith’", The Watchtower, June 15, 1999, page 8
- ^ "Japan", 1998 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, page 143
- ^ "Love in Action—A Marathon Relief Effort", Awake!, November 22, 2002, page 22
- ^ "A Love More Powerful Than a Hurricane!", Awake!, August 2008, page 16
- ^ "How We Escaped a Terrifying Lava Flow!", Awake!, November 8, 2002, pages 24-25
- ^ "Romania", 2006 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, page 159, "However, thanks largely to the Kingdom Hall Fund arrangement, in recent years the brothers have been able to complete, on average, one Kingdom Hall every ten days! Simple, functional buildings, they are made from standard designs and with materials that are easy to obtain."
- ^ "Let Us Keep Our Place of Worship in Good Repair", Our Kingdom Ministry, August 2003, page 3-4
- ^ "The Giver of “Every Good Gift”", The Watchtower, December 1, 1993, page 29
