Welcome to theWelcome to theFRANCEFRANCE

Branch Office ofBranch Office ofJEHOVAH’S WITNESSESJEHOVAH’S WITNESSES

We sincerely hope that your visit to Bethelhas been a rewarding one. No doubt it hashelped you to become better acquainted withthe work that Jehovah’s Witnesses are doingto aid people who are searching for a betterfuture through God’s Kingdom. May your visitwith us be an encouragement to you in yourefforts to learn more about our loving Creatorand to live by his righteous standards.

Visiting Hours:Visitors are welcome to take a guided tour of

our facilities. Tours are availableMonday through Friday,9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon

and 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.Tel.: �33-2-32-25-55-55

˘ 2006 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of PennsylvaniaAll rights reserved

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The Kingdom Hall Construction Deskprovides guidance to help congregations buildand renovate Kingdom Halls. It also oversees theconstruction of Assembly Halls.

The Shipping Department fills requestsfor magazines and other Bible literature fromcongregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Franceand in French-speaking countries in the Carib-bean, the islands of the Indian Ocean, and WestAfrica. The Shipping Department also regularlysends humanitarian aid to countries in Africa.

A BRIEF HISTORYThe activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses in France go

back to the end of the 19th century. Shortly thereaf-ter, in 1905, a literature depot was opened in the Ar-d

`eche D

´epartement in southeast France. The first

local religious association was legally registered in

1906. In 1929 an officewas opened in Paris.

In 1959 the branchoffice moved to Boulo-gne-Billancourt, a su-burb west of Paris,and in 1973 some ofour activities weretransferred to Lou-viers, in Normandy.Since 1996 the entireBethel family has beenlocated in Louviers.

Paris office, 1931-1940

Boulogne-Billancourt,1959-1996

IT IS a pleasure to welcome you to the Francebranch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Wehope your visit will be a pleasant one. Ourbranch is called Bethel, meaning “House of

God.” This Biblical name is fitting, for those ser-ving here are ordained ministers who have dedi-cated themselves to Jehovah God and who devotethemselves full-time to supporting the worldwidework of Kingdom preaching.

In over 230 lands, there are some 7,500,000Witnesses of Jehovah, who are carrying out the

commission Jesus gave his followers—to preachthe good news of God’s Kingdom. (Matthew 24 :14 ; 28 :19, 20) To organize this work, thereare more than 100 branch offices worldwide—allworking under the direction of the GoverningBody of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

INTRODUCTION

The branch complex includes several resi-dence buildings, which contain some 200 rooms.All Bethel family members are furnished withroom and board. Those serving here represent avariety of ages and backgrounds. Nevertheless,they are truly like a family because they unitedlyworship their heavenly Father, Jehovah God. Asa family they serve together, enjoy their meals

together, andstudy the Bi-ble together.In addition,members ofthe ChristianC o m m u n i t yof Bethel i-tes perso-nally share inthe Kingdom-p r e a c h i n g

work. Theyattend va-rious nearbycongregationsof Jehovah’sWitnesses.

A numberof necessaryservices areperformed atBethel. Fore x a m p l e ,some mem-bers servein the kit-chen and di-ning room,providing nu-tritious meals

for the entire family. Others do cleaning, house-keeping, and laundry. All these assignments

contribute to the family’s high standard of clean-liness. Members also care for the upkeep of equip-ment.

BETHEL HOME

SPIRITUAL PROGRAMSEach workday morning, the Bethel family comes

together to consider a Bible text from the bookletExamining the Scriptures Daily. A chairman pre-sides over this 15-minute discussion, and mem-bers of the family are assigned to comment on thetext. Following the discussion, the family is led inprayer, after which breakfast is served.

On Monday evenings, the Bethel family gathersto study the Bible with the help of The Watch-tower. At times, there are special programs afterthe Watchtower Study. These morning and Mon-day evening Bible discussions are an importantpart of Bethel life.

Those invited to serve at Bethel attend the Be-thel Entrants’ School soon after their arrival. In ad-dition, new members are required to read the en-

tire Bible during their first year of Bethel service.Each member of the family also makes time forpersonal Bible study and has access to a librarycontaining the publications of Jehovah’s Witnessesand other reference works.

The preaching activity of Jehovah’s Witness-es in France is organized by the Service De-partment. This department handles corres-pondence with traveling overseers, congregationelders, pioneers, and publishers. It also sched-ules districtc on ve n t i on s ,circuit assem-blies, and spe-cial assemblydays. It arran-ges for the theo-cratic schoolsand deals with

pioneer and territory as-signments.

Under the direction ofthe Writing Committeeof the Governing Body,the Writing Deskprepares articles for

publication in the Watchtower and Awake! maga-zines. Text is sent to the Writing Department inBrooklyn, New York, where it is edited, proofread,and prepared for publication.

The Translation and Proofreading De-partment translates the Watchtower and

Awake! magazines and other publications intoFrench. English text is received from headquartersin Brooklyn. After it is translated, the text is care-fully compared with the English original and proof-read. Certain publications are also translated intoFrench Sign Language.

The Hospital Information Desk providesHospital Liaison Committees throughout the coun-

try with the latest information on bloodless medi-cal procedures. In turn, the congregation eldersserving on these committees make this infor-mation available to doctors who are willing totreat their Witness patients without the use ofblood.

Audio recordings of the Bible, The Watchtower,Awake!, and other Bible-based publications aremade in the Recording Studio. Recordings ofsound tracks for Bible dramas are also producedhere. The recorded audiotapes are then duplicatedin other branches.

The Public Information Desk endeavorsto provide the media and the public at large withan accurate picture of the beliefs and religious ac-tivities of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Some services at Bethel are performed with thehelp of computers. The Computer Depart-ment installs and maintains the computersystems used by the branch.

In the Prepress Depart-ment, translated text is com-posed into pages using a uniquecomputer system called the Mul-tilanguage Electronic Phototypeset-ting System (MEPS). Thissystem facilitates the si-multaneous publicationof the Watchtower andAwake! magazines inmany languages. Com-posed text is sentabroad for printing.

OFFICES