Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses

Kingdom Hall.

Inside the Kingdom Halls around the world, together with the platform, a biblical text stands out for a whole year. - Text of the year 2007.

Kingdom Halls in the Netherlands.

Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses is the name of the meeting places of Jehovah's Witnesses. According to Domenico Finelli, the first Kingdom Hall was built in Roseto, Pennsylvania, in 1927, and he says that it "was inaugurated with a public talk by Giovanni DeCecca." However, the general use of the name "Kingdom Hall" became popular as early as 1935 when Joseph Franklin Rutherford, then president of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, suggested it for a meeting building in Honolulu, Hawaii. Jehovah's Witnesses use the names Kingdom Halls for most of their Bible instruction and worship meet 2 times a week. The midweek Meeting is called Christian Life and Ministry and the weekend one sees a talk offered by a brother on a topic of interest and then the analysis of The Watchtower magazine; all meetings begin and end with a song and a prayer.

History

Kingdom Hall in Germany.

In the beginning, many congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses held much of their meetings in private homes. In Stockholm, Sweden, the few who began to meet regularly rented a carpentry shop that was available after hours. A group from the province of La Coruña, Spain, held their first meetings in a granary (horreo) because of restrictions on the freedom of Jehovah's Witnesses during the dictatorial regime of General Franco.

In countries where there was freedom to rent meeting places, local congregations did so when they needed more space. Where possible, the Witnesses rented a storeroom or upstairs that was not being used, and the congregation gave it exclusive use. But over time, due to the high cost of rents and the lack of adequate premises in many places, they were forced to look for new solutions. In some cases they bought buildings and renovated them.

Before World War II, a few congregations built purpose-built meeting places. As early as 1890 the Mount Lookout (West Virginia) group of Bible Students had built their own meeting place.

The designation "Kingdom Hall" it was suggested in 1935 by Joseph Franklin Rutherford, then president of the Watchtower Society, who arranged for a meeting hall to be built next to the Society's branch office in Honolulu, Hawaii. When asked by James Harrub what he would name the building, Rutherford replied: “Don't you think we should call it the 'Kingdom Hall,' since that is what we are doing, preaching the good news of the Kingdom?” After that, wherever possible a sign reading “Kingdom Hall” began to be posted in the halls where the witnesses regularly gathered. In time, the main meeting place for all the world's congregations came to be known as the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses.

As of early 2020, all Kingdom Halls have closed their doors due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Only after two years, on April 10, 2022, they opened their doors to the public again.

Use of the Kingdom Hall

Kingdom Hall in Portugal.

Each congregation meets at their Kingdom Hall usually two days a week. The meetings generally begin and end with religious songs and prayer. These include readings from the Bible, discussions on topics such as family life, Christian qualities, and prophecies, as well as specially prepared study of an article from The Watchtower and other Jehovah's Witness publications. In addition, Witnesses prepare at such meetings to preach in their house-to-house ministry.

The Kingdom Halls can be used for other purposes of a spiritual nature such as the Kingdom Ministry School or the Pioneer Service School (educational plans of Jehovah's Witnesses). In the same way, they are sometimes used for weddings and funerals, and sometimes, as a refugee center in cases of natural disasters.