S - 147 - 2 2.0 5 - E Bi Announcements and Reminders May 2022 FOR ELDERS 1. Public Talks : When in - person meetings are held at the Kingdom Hall, it is preferred that those delivering public talks be physically present at the Kingdom Hall. However, if the King- dom Hall is equipped to hold hybrid meetings, the congregation may arrange for a public talk to be given by means of videoconference occasionally. This option should be used no more than once a month. This updates the direction regarding public talks in the March 19, 2022, announcement for elders. 2. As a reminder, groups and small or isolated c ongregations having very few brothers qual- ified to give public talks may also request approval from the circuit overseer to view prere- corded talks using JW Stream Details on how to use JW Stream can be found in Access to Programs on JW Stream by Elders a nd Ministerial Servants (S - 142) — sfl chap . 20 par. 26; chap. 24 par. 13. 3. Audience Participation During Hybrid Meetings : A brother at the Kingdom Hall who is conducting a part that involves audience participation should endeavor to select comment- ers from bo th the Kingdom Hall audience and the audience tied in virtually. Balance is needed so that neither audience feels neglected. 4. Kingdom Hall Equipment for Hybrid Meetings: The congregation, or Kingdom Hall Operating Committee, may purchase an electronic devic e, such as a tablet, so that brothers conducting meeting parts can see the audience that is tied in virtually. Having one device for use by those conducting audience participation parts simplif ies the technical aspects of the hybrid meeting. Those caring for audio/video support should have the device charged and ready at the beginning of each meeting. S ome congregations may choose to mount a holder for the device to the lectern. Others may choose to use a stand next to the lectern. The device should not obstruct the conductor’s view of the audience in the Kingdom Hall. 5. Participant Locations During Hybrid Meetings : In connection with assignments on the midweek meeting that require multiple participants, Audio/Video Guidelines for Resuming In - Per son Meetings at the Kingdom Hall (S - 260) states : “ I f one of the participants will be connected to the videoconference, the other participant should also be connected to the videoconference. One participant should not be attending in person while the other partici- pants are attending via videoconference.” The purpose of this direction is to prevent audio feedback. If one of the participant s is attending the meeting in person, the elders may ar- range for the person to join the videoconference temporarily in an auxiliary room where the Kingdom Hall audio is turned off 6. Updated Documents: Audio/Video Guidelines for Resuming In - Person Meetings at the Kingdom Hall (S - 260) and Audio/Video Instructions for Hybrid Meetings (S - 261) will be up- dated in due course 7. Revised Accounting Instructions (England and Wales only) : A revised version of In- structions for Congregation Accountin g (S - 27b Bi KHT) and Instructions for Kingdom Hall Operating Committee Accounting (S - 42b Bi KHT) will soon be posted on jw.org. Listed below is a n overview of the significant changes to the Instructions for Congregation Accounting Similar changes have been made to Instructions for Kingdom Hall Operating Committee Accounting S - 147 - 2 2.0 5 - E Bi Appendix A • Par. 4: Removed reference to the Receipts statement. This in formation will no longer appear as from the May 2022 statement. Appendix C • Removed direction for secretaries to enter the total from duplicate Transac- tion Records (S - 24) on jw.org. • Par. 2: Inserted direction which appeared in paragraph 8 of the March 2022 Announcements and Reminders (S - 147) regarding the selecti on of qualified brothers to assist individuals with their donations on donate.jw.org. • Par. 4: Inserted a clarifying comment regarding how to record cheque con- tributions on the Accounting feature. • Par . 6: Inserted direction that the Transaction Record (S - 24) must specify the total amount and denomination of cash donations that qualify under the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme (GASDS) Appendix E • Par. 1: Replaced direction to use a Payment Request in M icrosoft Excel for- mat with direction to submit such requests using the Accounting feature. • Par. 1 : Replaced direction to email the Accounting Department for monthly payments to the Kingdom Hall Operating Committee account with direction to submit a payment request for this purpose each month. Appendix F • Par. 3 : Inserted the following regarding the Accounting feature on jw.org: (1) accounts servants are to be granted access, (2) congregations must use the feature, and (3) notes on its initial setup. FOR COORDINATORS OF THE BODIES OF ELDERS 1. Announcements for Congregations: Please ensure that the announcements for con- gregations are read at the next midweek meeting and thereafter posted on the Kingdom Hall information board 2. Announcements Regarding Hybr id Meetings: Please ensure that th e information in the announcements regarding hybrid meetings is shared with those who care for audio/video support 3. Disaster Preparedness: As a reminder, the body of elders should annually review local arrangements for dis aster preparedness. This should be done even if natural disasters are not common in your area, since man - made disasters can occur without warning. (Prov. 22:3) This review includes confirming contact information, verifying the arrangements for those with s pecial needs, and planning to secure congregation records. ( sfl chap. 26 pars. 2 - 6) When reviewing arrangements for those with special needs, consider how to reduce their potential exposure to COVID - 19 if it becomes necessary to assist them before or after a disaster. 4. Please ensure that the elder who is assigned the midweek meeting part “ Are You Pre- pared to Face Civil Unrest? ” during the week of May 23 , 202 2 , is prepared to read to the congregation the information provided on the following page. A lso , ensure that he is S - 147 - 2 2.0 5 - E Bi prepared to share with the congregation any additional information directed by the body of elders regarding disaster preparedness. FOR SECRETARIES 1. Emergency Contact Informatio n: You should maintain a contact list of publishers, in- cluding the emergency contact information, as outlined in the Shepherd book , chapter 26, paragraph 2. B efore accepting a publisher’s emergency contact information , confirm that the publisher has informed his emergency contact that the contact’s information will b e shared with the elders for them to use in an emergency FOR SERVICE OVERSEERS 1. Annual Items: Each congregation should enter its own request for annual items for 202 3 no later than Monday, August 1, 2022. The quantity requested from the branch office should reflect the actual quantity requested by publishers. 2. Delay in Printing Public Magazines: In view of the delay in printing public magazines, requests for reprints of The Watchtower No. 2 2019 and Awake! No. 1 2019 may be reduced or canceled. Although delivery of the new issues Awake! No. 3 2021, The Watchtower No. 1 2022, and Awake! No. 1 2022 may be delayed, requests will be filled once printing of the public magazines resumes. Information to Be Read to the Congregation During the Part “Are You Prepared to Face Civil Unrest?” During a disaster, but especially during events such as war or civil unrest, please be very careful when sending or receiving personal messages that contain photos, videos, or expe- riences about our brothers. Bear in mind that it may be difficult to verify the accuracy of such informal reports. P lease be aware that pictures or video s could contain location information, which could put our brothers and sisters in danger. Continue to rely on the JW News section of jw.org , which is one tool that the faithful and discreet slave uses to dispense accurate information to the brotherhood at the right time. Occasionally, it has been noted that well - intentioned brothers who live outside the area of a disaster solicit funds for those in need or for disaster relief . However, these efforts may actually result in a disruption of the work of the bro thers appointed to coordinate relief efforts and may result in a duplication of effort and expense. If you wish to contribute financially to help our brothers being affected by disasters around the world, please donate directly to the worldwide work. Durin g a disaster it may be difficult to access spiritual food. Therefore, please plan ahead for how you and your family will have a supply of spiritual food. Some have prepared to have access to theocratic publications and videos even if electricity or the Int ernet is disrupted. If there is a need to host displaced brothers because of a disaster , the family head of each household desiring to take part should consider the COVID - 19 risks, especially if any in his household are elderly or have underlying health co nditions. Family heads of displaced fam- ilies should consider these same risks. — Gal. 6:5 As your family considers its disaster preparedness plan, please ensure that your congrega- tion secretary has your up - to - date emergency contact information. Your emergen cy contact should be someone you are likely to contact in the event of a disaster or other emergency. Additionally, it is preferred that your emergency contact live outside of your immediate area so that he is not likely to be affected by the same disaster or emergency. The emergency contact does not have to be one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. When selecting your emergency contact, please inform the person that you will be providing his contact information to the congregation elders. This contact information sho uld consist of the individual’s name and minimal information on the best way to reach him , such as a phone number or an email address. After informing your emergency contact that you will provide his information to the elders, please give that information to the secretary. If you have any questions, please con- tact the secretary. We encourage all to review Awake! No. 1 2022 entitled “A World in Turmoil — How You Can Cope” during family worship or persona l study and prayerfully consider whether you should take any further steps to be better prepared for a disaster. S - 147 - 2 2 0 5 - E Bi Announcements and Reminders May 2022 FOR CONGREGATION S 1. Annual Items: Annual items for 2023 will be made available for download beginning in October 2022. Publishers who require hard copy editions may now request the following items: 2022 Watchtower and Awake! bound volume, Examining the Scriptures Daily — 2023 , and Watch Towe r Publications Index 2022 Additionally, requests may be submitted for braille editions of Examining the Scriptures Daily 2. Bethel Service: Baptized Christians 19 years of age or older who desire to pursue Bethel service or assist with theocratic construction projects on a part - time or full - time basis should speak to their congregation secretary to receive further instructions on submitting an appli- cation. Where possible, it is preferred that publishers who have access to the Internet use the online application features. Additionally, applicants should view the videos Making Your- self Available for Bethel Service and Be Honest in All Things ( Bet hel/Construction Applica- tion ) before submitting an application to their elders 3. Delay in Printing Public Magazines: The printing of Awake! and the public edition of The Watchtower may be delayed by several months. In the meantime, digital publications and other printed literature, including older issues of the magazines, may continue to be used in the ministry.