Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Year Without Knocking on Doors

It’s been one year since Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide adjusted
their hallmark methods of sharing comfort and hope from the scriptures due to
the pandemic.

For many, the change from ringing doorbells and knocking on doors
to making phone calls and writing letters expanded and invigorated their
ministry.

“Witnesses have embraced this shift, finding the good in these
trying times,” said Joseph Castano, who reports a 30 percent increase in the Witnesses’
preaching activity in his region of northern Virginia and nearby parts of West
Virginia. “In fact, I hear many saying, ‘I’m able to do more now.’”

In March 2020, the some 1.3 million Witnesses in the United
States suspended their door-to-door and face-to-face forms of public ministry
and moved congregation meetings to videoconferencing.

“It has been a very deliberate decision based on two principles:
our respect for life and love of neighbor,” said Robert Hendriks, U.S.
spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “But we are still witnesses and, as such, we
must testify about our faith. So it was inevitable that we would find a way to
continue our work.”

In the bitterly cold winters of Arden Hills, Minnesota, Terri
Whitmore normally bundles up for the door-to-door ministry in a long down coat
and snow boots—sometimes with removable cleats to help navigate icy sidewalks.

Now she sits at her dining room table, sips on hot tea, and calls
people on her cell phone to share the same message. In December, she conducted
more than twice as many Bible studies than in any prior month. “I’m having a
blast,” she said. “After a nice phone call, it energizes you. You can’t wait to
make the next call.”

Her “go-to” topics for conversation with her neighbors are
COVID-19, civil unrest, and government. “Some people feel like they have
nothing secure to hold on to,” she said. “The power of God’s word is amazing.
You can just share a scripture and you feel like they’re settling down.”

Nearly 51,000 people in the United States last year made a
request for a Witness to contact them, either through a local congregation or
jw.org, the organization’s official website, according to Hendriks. Since the
outbreak, the Witnesses have followed up on these requests via letters and
phone calls instead of in-person visits.

“Our love for our neighbors is stronger than ever,” said
Hendriks. “In fact, I think we have needed each other more than ever. We are
finding that people are perplexed, stressed, and feeling isolated. Our work has
helped many regain a sense of footing—even normalcy—at a very unsettled time.”

Harriet Polk has been engaged in the public preaching activity of
Jehovah’s Witnesses for over 40 years. She could often spend a full day
knocking on doors or standing with a cart displaying Bible-based literature at various
locations throughout the city. Then health complications set in. “It slowed
down my ministry,” said Polk, 65, of New Orleans.

But during the pandemic, she has regularly participated in
virtual ministry groups, making many telephone calls and writing over 300 letters,
so far. “I didn’t know what to do at first. But once we got organized, I
realized I was able to do much more than before,” she explained.

Polk is eager to return to her public ministry, but even then, she
will continue writing letters. “We’ve been able to reach so many more people,”
she said. “You never know who is opening up your letter and benefiting from a
Scriptural thought.”

In the rural areas of Salina, Kansas, where the wheat and corn
fields stretch for acres, the Milbradt family sometimes drives miles from one
house to the next to reach their neighbors. Now, instead of buying gasoline to
fill up their vehicle for the ministry, they spend money on paper, envelopes,
stamps, and crayons.

“We look for ways to add variety to our ministry,” said Zeb
Milbradt. He and his wife, Jenny, help their boys—Colton, 8, and Benjamin,
6—write letters to children’s book authors, local police, and hospital workers.
Sometimes the boys even include with the letters hand-drawn pictures of the
Bible’s promise of a global paradise.

“We’ve been able to get the message to people who we wouldn’t
necessarily reach otherwise,” said Jenny Milbradt.

A letter Benjamin sent to nurses at a regional health center
included a quote from the Bible’s prophecy at Isaiah 33:24 of a coming
time when no one will say, “I am sick.” The center’s marketing secretary
replied to Benjamin, informing him that she scanned and emailed his letter to
2,000 employees. It “made so many people smile,” she said.

Witnesses have also made a concerted effort to check on distant
friends and family—sometimes texting links to Bible-based articles on jw.org
that cover timely topics, such as isolation, depression, and how to beat
pandemic fatigue.

“Former Bible students have started studying again,” said Tony
Fowler, who helps organize the ministry in the northern portion of Michigan’s
Lower Peninsula.

“Colleagues at work have now started to show interest. Some have
started Bible studies with family members who showed very little interest
before the pandemic.”

Castano has been reaching out to Witnesses who had long ago
stopped associating with fellow Witnesses. “The pandemic has reignited their
spirituality,” he said, adding that many are attending virtual meetings with
some sharing in telephone witnessing and letter writing even after decades of
inactivity. “It’s been pretty outstanding,” he said.

Fowler and Castano both report about a 20 percent increase in
online meeting attendance. But perhaps the most significant growth is in an
area that cannot be measured by numbers.

“I think we’ve grown as a people,” Fowler said. “We’ve grown in
appreciation for other avenues of the ministry, our love for our neighbor, and
love for one another. We’re a stronger people because of all of this, and
that’s a beautiful thing to see.”

For more information on the activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses,
visit their website jw.org, with content
available in over 1,000 languages.