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Since our last update,
the coronavirus pandemic has taken
a grim toll around the world.
And we know
that more and more of you
dear brothers and sisters
are grappling with the effects
of this crisis every day.
We want to assure you of our love
and of how deeply concerned
we are about each one of you
and of the many prayers
being offered in your behalf.
And we trust that Jehovah will give you
“the power beyond what is normal,”
as promised at 2 Corinthians 4:7,
so that you can endure this pandemic
with your faith
in Jehovah’s unfailing promises intact.
Despite all the challenges we’ve been facing,
hasn’t it been encouraging to see how quickly
and effectively Jehovah’s people have adapted
to the change in circumstances
—from holding meetings by videoconference
to preaching and teaching
by e-mail, letter writing,
telephone, and text message?
And this was especially true
regarding the Memorial.
In this report,
we’d like to share a few updates
about how our brothers
and sisters around the world
were strengthened
as they came together
for the special talk
and the Memorial.
As the day of the Memorial drew closer,
did you wonder
how this was all going to work?
Would we be meeting in smaller groups?
How would we handle the emblems?
How could we invite coworkers,
neighbors, and interested ones?
Where would we invite them to
if we couldn’t meet at the Kingdom Hall?
We longed to be together
on this important occasion,
but we also recognized
how important it was to comply fully
with any government restrictions
and physical-distancing guidelines
—not only to show
our “subjection to the superior authorities”
but also for our own safety
and that of our neighbors.
And so we observed the Memorial,
even though that meant
doing so in unique ways
—ways we might never
have experienced before.
For the first time in theocratic history,
millions observed the Memorial
by videoconference.
This resulted in some unique opportunities
to share the Memorial with others.
As you may have seen
on the jw.org® Newsroom,
in the Philippines,
one young pioneer’s invitation
to view the Memorial by videoconference
resulted in over 31,000 non-Witnesses
tying in by video or audio!
For each of us, being in our own home
for the Memorial
was an unforgettable experience.
Yet, we were fully united
with our brothers worldwide
in demonstrating our love
for Jehovah and Jesus
on this special day.
In this video report from Tab Honsberger,
who serves as a member
of the Haiti Branch Committee,
notice the benefits that came
from observing the Memorial
by videoconference
and even by telephone in Haiti.
No doubt you will identify
with the feelings experienced
by the brothers in Haiti.
We can truly say
that the commemoration of Christ’s death
in Haiti this year was a memorable Memorial.
One congregation of 24 publishers
in the far northwest of our country
was so pleased and thrilled
to have 85 in attendance
for the Memorial in their congregation.
A brother relates how he studied
the Bible with a man in the past,
but because he didn’t progress, it was
decided at that time to stop the study.
That was two years ago.
So this year, for this year’s Memorial,
in fact, the day before the Memorial,
the man (the former student)
calls the brother
and says,
“I would like to attend the Memorial.”
Of course, our brother said:
“That’ll be wonderful.
You can attend the Memorial
with our congregation via Zoom.”
So that’s what the man did.
After the Memorial observance,
he was quite touched by it.
He said, “You know, when I look
around the world right now
“and I see everything that’s happening,
it’s very clear to me
“that it will be very soon
when God’s Kingdom will intervene
and put a stop to all the problems
that we now know.”
In fact, he said, “If anybody
wants to serve God,
it is now the time to start doing so.”
So the man took his own counsel to heart,
and we’re happy to say that he’s attending
meetings with us once again.
So whether it was
through videoconferencing
or telephone conference calls,
we can say that the faith of our brothers
was truly strengthened
through the Memorial this year.
In fact, one sister, a pioneer sister
in the south of the country,
explained why it was special for her.
She said, “It’s like we took
the commemoration of Christ’s death
and we brought it into the homes
of all the brothers and sisters.”
And, of course,
Jehovah blessed that arrangement.
Don’t we feel united
with our brothers in Haiti,
having observed
the Memorial in similar ways?
Here at world headquarters,
we realized that not all
those invited to the Memorial
could log on to a videoconference.
So adjustments were made
to the jw.org website
to make the special talk
and the Memorial talk available
to the public to stream
or download in over 500 languages.
Thanks to this provision, millions more
had the opportunity
to benefit from these programs.
I’d like to share one beautiful example
of a brother named Martin,
who lives in a very remote town in Kenya.
He downloaded the Memorial talk
so that he could share it
with others in his service group.
Now, Martin is disabled
and also suffers
from a serious health condition
that causes his body to overheat,
but that didn’t stop him from hiring a driver
with a motorcycle
and traveling in hot weather
to provide a recording of the Memorial talk
to those who otherwise
wouldn’t have had access to it.
Because of Martin’s self-sacrificing effort,
13 people in this remote area,
including some Bible students,
attended the Memorial.
What a blessing all of these
special arrangements proved to be!
In many cases, they resulted
in non-Witness family members
“attending” their first Memorial
right from their own homes.
Now, of course, the technology
that made this possible
is not readily available everywhere.
In many parts of Africa, for example,
Internet access is extremely limited.
This made video and telephone conferencing
or streaming talks over the Internet
virtually impossible.
Since this all unfolded very quickly,
about one week before the Memorial,
several African countries faced the fact
that many of their publishers
would not be able to use
any of these options.
As a result, the Governing Body
approved for branches in Africa
to make the special talk
and Memorial available
on TV and radio.
As reported on jw.org,
these arrangements benefited
over 400,000 publishers
in addition to an untold number
of interested persons.
Brothers worked tirelessly
just days before these events
to negotiate the needed arrangements
with radio and TV stations.
In one location in Mozambique,
the agreement
with the TV station was finalized
only three hours
before the Memorial talk
was to be broadcast!
In some congregations,
after struggling
with unsuccessful downloads,
unreliable phone lines,
and failing Internet connections,
the situation started to feel hopeless.
Then brothers
unexpectedly started receiving
e-mails and text messages
notifying them that the Memorial talk
would be available on TV.
In some cases, they found out
just minutes before the program began.
Here’s how some
who received the program this way
expressed their gratitude:
One brother said:
“The Creator has surpassed our needs
“in a way that we could not imagine.
“The pandemic
cannot stop Jehovah’s will.
“This makes us more and more convinced
that he indeed is a strong tower.”
Another wrote: “We are very grateful
“for the arrangement that was made
to broadcast the Memorial.
“It felt like we were
at the Kingdom Hall and not alone.
“We are deeply grateful
that in this time of COVID-19,
“nothing has prevented us
from holding the Memorial
of the death of Jesus Christ.”
The Branch Committee in Congo (Kinshasa)
made similar arrangements for both
the Memorial and the special talk
to be broadcast on television
and radio stations throughout the country.
In the following interview
with Hugues Kabitshwa,
note the encouraging experiences
that resulted.
With the lack of Internet in most parts
of our branch territory
and the growing restrictions
because of the pandemic,
we were delighted
to receive approval
to have the special talk
broadcast over radio.
But we were asking,
Will it really work?
A circuit overseer reported
that in the city of Gemena, the brothers
tried to arrange
with a local radio station
to broadcast the special talk.
But when they went to pay,
they learned from the director
that the original time they had arranged
for was no longer available.
The only available time
was an hour and a half earlier,
at 8:30 a.m.
Relying on Jehovah,
they agreed to the new time,
but they had only a few hours
to inform everyone about the change.
Despite the earlier time,
many people tuned in.
And right after the talk,
a heavy rain began
disrupting all radio broadcasts
until later that night.
Jehovah’s hand was with the brothers.
And we’ve received encouraging reports
from all over the territory.
For example, another circuit overseer
reported that in his circuit,
public response to the talk was so positive
that people called the radio station
asking to hear the talk again.
So the brothers arranged to broadcast
the talk a second time on the same day.
So far this
has resulted in 25 new
telephone Bible studies in that circuit.
Clearly, despite this pandemic,
the radio worked
—Jehovah made sure that this talk
remains for us even more special.
What do these experiences show us?
Even a global pandemic could not stop us
from being united in true worship.
As Jesus said at John 14:15:
“If you love me,
you will observe my commandments.”
Above all else,
it was our deep love for Jehovah
and for Jesus that moved us
to give thanks for what they did
in providing the ransom
and to obey Jesus’ command
to “keep doing this
in remembrance of me.”
We showed that love
by observing the Memorial
and enjoying the special talk
as one united people,
even though it meant
doing so in unique ways.
We are certain
that Jehovah and his Son
are very happy and very proud
of what we were able to do
worldwide under the present circumstances.
Surely, the words
of Hebrews 6:10 apply,
where we’re reminded
that Jehovah will never ‘forget our work
and the love we have shown for his name.’
Although we don’t know
when the present world situation
with this pandemic will end,
we do know this:
God’s purpose will not fail.
There was a beginning to the pandemic
and there will be an end.
Jehovah and his Son will make certain
that all causes for harm
will soon be completely removed
once this system of things
is gone forever,
and aren’t we grateful for that?
Please be assured of our warm love
and prayers in your behalf.
From the World Headquarters
of Jehovah’s Witnesses,
this is JW Broadcasting®.

2020 Governing Body Update #3