Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Philippines have established an educational center south of Manila in a bid to train more volunteers as they aim to reach the hearts of more people with the Bible message.
Due to the growing number of people gaining interest in the Bible, the Bible Educational Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses established in Imus City, Cavite seeks to fill in the needs by training and sending volunteers to various locations throughout the country.
“The community work of Jehovah’s Witnesses involve the sharing of a systematic Bible course to interested individuals. In the Philippines, we noticed the growth in numbers of people who want to learn the Bible. The Bible educational center is set up to provide training to selected congregants of Jehovah’s Witnesses. They, in turn, would train others after they finish the course, so we have an ample number of skilled volunteers to help others learn about the Bible,” said Mr. James Morales, spokesperson of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Philippines.
The educational center has classrooms and libraries designed to provide a conducive learning environment for volunteers who will be attending the School for Kingdom Evangelizers (SKE). The SKE is a two-month Bible course with the objective to train Jehovah’s Witnesses accepted into the school to enhance their “art of teaching” the Bible message, and be effective in their Bible education work in many areas across the country.
Since its opening in 2019, the Bible Educational Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses have trained about 400 students, and is expected to train 300 students each year.
“Most graduates move to areas where there is a high number of people who wishes to learn the Bible. Some were also invited to our head office to do operational work. While some were invited to volunteer in the construction work on our places of worship in different towns and cities,” Mr. Morales explained.
The Bible educational center is also expected to help the people in communities all over the country as they apply the learnings in their daily lives.
“The practical advice found in the Bible…can help all people to be kind, law-abiding citizens. This type of education fosters good interpersonal relationships and healthy social connections. Additionally, the positive information found in the Bible can contribute to the well-being of those struggling with mental and emotional challenges,” said Mr. Morales.
The construction of the Bible educational center was completed by volunteers, and is currently being maintained by volunteers. This means that the people behind the construction and maintenance of the facility have no monetary compensation for working in the educational center.
During an open house, local officials and the neighboring community were invited to tour the facility which used to be a resort.
“The place really improved. The classrooms you have are similar to what I saw in the Congress. I could imagine it would be enjoyable to learn here. I hope I too can study here…I appreciate that you put high regard to safety and cleanliness. The students here sure are well-taken care of. Jehovah’s Witnesses are really good people,” a local official commented.
There are more than 9 million Jehovah’s Witnesses in 240 lands, and they hold more than 7.4 million free home Bible courses worldwide. Information about the work of Jehovah’s Witnesses could be found on their official website, jw.org.
