Privileges of Service
Opportunities to serve can refer to any assignment one may receive that supports, advances, or is related to kingdom interests. With the help of Jehovah, anyone, by putting forth determined efforts to make full use of their capabilities and to surmount the obstacles that may present themselves, can cultivate the ability to perform any divinely assigned service.—Php 4:13
Patient Visitation Group
Brothers assigned to the Patient Visitation Group regularly visit hospitals in order to provide personal support to hospital patients who are Jehovah Witnesses.
George was assigned to the Shands Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida and a local hospital in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Since many patients in the hospitals happen to be female, Stephanie would accompany George and share in his weekly visits to the hospital when appropriate.
A typical patient visitation assignment would include: Providing comforting scriptural encouragement to the patient and their family, listening, assisting the patient with reviewing and if necessary updating their previously completed medical directive documentation regarding medical procedures.
Supporting the patients decision to use "bloodless" surgery techniques, and praying with the patient is all part of the assignment. “Bloodless” treatment means receiving your care without the use of a blood transfusion.
[LDC] Local Design/Construction - Design Staffing Support
Jehovah's Witnesses have branch locations around the world. At each branch, a Local Design/Construction Department (LDC) coordinates the design, construction, and maintenance of Kingdom Halls and Assembly Halls.
Every department in LDC, from the Brothers who are assigned to complete the design work for the construction of a theocratic facility, to those that complete the paperwork to finance the building project, to the various construction teams that actually build the complex itself, to the volunteers who are part of the final interior design team that arrange the furnishings including putting up the last picture on the wall of the facility or Kingdom Hall ... ALL are important to the completion of a house of worship worthy of Jehovah's great and holy name!!
Most recently George has had the privilege to join a team of elders that assist Design department volunteers in a LDC Design Staffing Support shepherding program. Similar to how elders in the local congregation "shepherd" or give spiritual encouragement to congregation members, additional spiritual assistance is also provided specifically for volunteers in the Design department of LDC in the local region (Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of Oklahoma).
Stephanie assists and supports George in this assignment. Through spiritual discussions via teleconferencing visits, talks, and spiritual newsletter articles from Design Staffing Support, the LDC Design volunteers are receiving the spiritual encouragement they need to faithfully continue in their work assignments.
Kingdom Hall Volunteers
Pictured is Stephanie and George at a LDC project to build a new Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in Florida. Most if not all of the Kingdom Halls in local communities were either built or remodeled by Jehovah's Witnesses themselves. All of the labor involved is volunteered free of charge, all other costs are covered by voluntary donations.
By the way, don't let the work site required hard hats Stephanie and George are wearing in the picture fool you. They were working inside an air conditioned trailer as part of the the accounting team responsible for processing purchases of supplies and other work materials. A severe paper cut was probably the most serious safety issue they had to deal with in the four years of heading up the Audit Department!
Jehovah Witnesses have made available other methods of
specialized education to help a number of God's servants expand
their service to him.
Two such examples have been the Kingdom Ministry School,
which trains elders and ministerial servants [men who take
the lead in the local congregations] to care for their oversight
and organizational responsibilities. As well as the School for
Congregation Elders, which is designed to help elders all
over the world care for their responsibilities in the congregation.
In one of the Kingdom Ministry Schools there was a provision for
the wives of the elders to attend a session with their husbands.
This picture is of Stephanie and George in attendance.
Kingdom Ministry School
School for Congregation Elders
George was appointed to serve as a ministerial servant in 1987 and later as an elder in 1992 which brought with it the blessings of attending several Kingdom Ministry schools over the years. Also, George had the privilege of attending the School for Congregation Elders.