Welcome to the

ITALYBranch Office of

JEHOVAH’SWITNESSES

It is a pleasure to welcome you to the Italy branchoffice of Jehovah’s Witnesses. We hope that your visit willbe a pleasant one. Our complex of buildings is calledBethel, meaning “House of God.” This Biblical name isfitting, for the more than 350 men and women who servehere are ordained ministers who are dedicated to JehovahGod and who devote themselves full-time to supportingthe worldwide work of Kingdom preaching.

In some 236 lands, there are over 7,000,000 ofJehovah’s Witnesses, who are carrying out thecommission Jesus gave his followers—to preach the goodnews of God’s Kingdom. (Matthew 24:14; 28:19, 20)To organize this work, there are approximately 100branch offices worldwide—all serving under the directionof the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Thebranch office in Rome coordinates the activities of morethan 240,000 of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Italy and in theRepublic of San Marino.

Introduction

A BRIEF HISTORY. From the second decade of the20th century until 1945, the activities of Jehovah’sWitnesses in Italy were directed by the Switzerlandbranch office. However, in order to provide bettersupport to the Witnesses in Italy, an office wasopened in the town of Pinerolo, nearTurin, in the early1920’s. In 1932 an office was also opened in Milan.

After functioningfor just a fewmonths, however, itwas closed by theFascist authorities.In 1946, shortly afterthe second world war, a small Bethel family was formedin a house onViaVegezio in Milan.

Later, the decision was made to move the Bethel familyto Rome so that the branch office would be centrallylocated. In September 1948, a three-story house wasacquired onVia Monte Maloia. In time, this branch officeproved insufficient for the needs of the growing numberof Witnesses in Italy. Hence, land was purchased on thenortheastern outskirts of Rome. Work began on a newthree-story building, which was completed in 1972. Thiswas the first building of the present complex located atVia della Bufalotta 1281. From 1980 onward, severalbuildings were added to accommodate a printery, offices,living quarters, and other necessary facilities. Since 1985several houses located in the nearby area have also beenacquired.

We sincerely hopethat your visit

to Bethel has been a re-warding one. No doubtit has helped you to be-come better acquaintedwith the work that Je-hovah’s Witnesses aredoing to aid peoplewho are searching for abetter future throughGod’s Kingdom. Wehope that you willcontinue to learn moreabout our loving Crea-tor and to live by hisrighteous standards.

VISITING HOURS. Visitors are welcome to take a guidedtour of our facilities. Tours are available from Monday throughFriday, 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.� 2011 WatchTower Bible and Tract Society of PennsylvaniaTutti i diritti sono riservati. 2/11 fo-E It

Druck und Verlag: Wachtturm, Selters/Ts. Printed in Germany

Bethel activities are supportedby a number of servicesperformed by variousdepartments.

Residence buildings, part of theVia della Bufalotta complex,house the Bethel family. Thebiggest of these residences,Building No. 2, contains some 70rooms.

Some members of the familyprepare nutritious meals for thefamily. These are served in the

dining room, which seats more than350 persons. Other members take careof cleaning and housekeeping. Stillothers are assigned to the laundry,where up to 600 kilograms ofclothing are washed each day and

about 1,500 shirts are ironedeach week. Clean clothes

are then deliveredto the rooms. Theseservices contributeto the family’s highstandard ofcleanliness.

Bethel HomeMembers of the Bethel family regularly share inpersonal Bible study and in various spiritualprograms that are arranged for their benefit.

FAMILY WORSHIP. Each workday morning,members of the Bethel family come together atthe breakfast table to consider a Bible textfrom Examining the Scriptures Daily. A chairmanpresides over this 15-minute discussion, andmembers of the family are assigned to comment onthe text. Following the discussion, the family is ledin prayer, after which breakfast is served. As thefamily is finishing their breakfast, there is a readingof a portion of the Yearbook or a passage from theBible. Field experiences and highlights of the Biblereading are presented on alternateWednesdays.

On Monday evenings the Bethel family gathersto study the Bible with the help of The Watchtower.At times, there are special programs afterthe Watchtower Study. The Bible discussions thatare held each workday morning and on Mondayevenings are an important part of Bethel life.

All who are invited to serve at Bethel attend Entrants’School. This course is designed to help individualsprogress in their Bible knowledge and to adjust to theBethel environment. As part of the course, each newmember is required to read the entire Bible during hisfirst year of Bethel service.

All members of the Bethel familyhave access to several libraries,which contain literature publishedby Jehovah’s Witnesses and otherreference works.

CONGREGATION ACTIVITIES.All members of the Bethel familyparticipate in Kingdom preaching.They are assigned to congregationsin the vicinity, where many ofthem serve as elders or ministerialservants.

Spiritual Programs

The Italy branch cares for the

translation of publications into Italian as

well as a few items into Ladin, spoken

in northern Italy. Additionally, a team

of translators for Italian Sign Language

produces publications for the benefit of

the deaf.

TRANSLATION AND COMPOSITION.The English text, received from the headquartersof Jehovah’s Witnesses in Brooklyn, NewYork, istranslated into Italian and Italian Sign Language.The translated text is carefully compared with

the English original. Thenit is thoroughly proofreadto make sure that itconforms to the rulesof grammar. A computersystem makes it possibleto consult several referenceworks for assistance.

Translated text iscomposed into pages using acomputer system called MEPS(Multilanguage ElectronicPublishing System). Thissystem was developed byJehovah’s Witnesses and can beused to process over 600languages. The composed pages

are then checked, after which theyare sent to several branches that do theprinting.

AUDIO/VIDEO RECORDING. Thisdepartment prepares audio recordings ofthe Bible, The Watchtower, Awake!, books,Kingdom songs, and convention dramas. Thedepartment also prepares DVDs in Italianand Italian Sign Language.

TranslationOur offices occupy an area of some 1,100square meters. A conference room inBuilding No. 1 is used for the weeklymeetings of the Branch Committee. The eightbrothers composing this group supervise thepreaching work in Italy and in the Republicof San Marino, following the directives of theGoverning Body.

SERVICE DEPARTMENT. This department handlescorrespondence from traveling overseers, elders, pioneers,and publishers. In addition, the Service Department keepsrecords of congregation territories and compiles reports offield service activity. It also schedules district conventions,circuit assemblies, and special assembly days.The Service Department cares for the growingmultilanguage territory, which includes morethan 350 congregations and 490 groups in over30 languages other than Italian, includingItalian Sign Language.

HOSPITAL INFORMATION DESK. Thisdesk provides Hospital Liaison Committeeswith the latest information on bloodlessmedical procedures. In turn, the congregationelders serving on these committees make thisinformation available to doctors who are willing

Offices

to treat their patients without the use of blood. There are100 Hospital Liaison Committees throughout Italy, madeup of more than 600 elders. As a result of their efforts,thousands of doctors working in more than 200 hospitalshave shown themselves willing to respect the beliefs oftheir Witness patients.

CORRESPONDENCE. The CorrespondenceDepartment receives some 10,000 pieces of maileach month. These are sorted and then routed to theappropriate departments or individuals.

WRITING DESK. Italy is one of the manybranches around the world that submits articles forpublication in our magazines. This desk also answersBible questions from the field.

KINGDOM HALL DESK. Direction isprovided to Regional Building Committeescoordinating Kingdom Hall constructionprojects in Italy. A number of standardbuilding designs have been prepared to makeKingdom Hall construction economical andefficient.

MAINTENANCE. This department caresfor electrical and mechanical maintenance,gardening, and other needs of the facilities. Theyalso maintain vehicles and other equipment usedby the branch.

Congregation literature requests are sent from

Germany Branch to the Medole Assembly Hall

and Rome Bethel. From these locations our

trucks deliver literature to over 100 distribution

centers throughout the country. Congregations

can then collect the literature that they have

requested.

TRUCKING. A fleet of four trucks transportsbooks and magazines to distribution centers andsometimes literature or other material to the branchoffice in Germany. Each month, on average, thesetrucks transport more than 250 tons of literature andtravel about 12,500 kilometers.

Shipping