Tired of listening to your local elders giving the "special" talk ever year after the Memorial? Well don't worry, as of next year we will be spicing things up for your enjoyment.
Not only will we be having the talk before the Memorial (I know, wild huh), but we will be treating you to the talk via video starring our famous speakers from Bethel so you can see how a talk should be given (after all Bethel does boast the best speakers in any country, right?!)
Here's a copy of the text from our latest letter as I'm sure that with so much excitement you won't believe it at first!
September 18, 2017
TO ALL CONGREGATIONS Re: 2018 Memorial and Special Talk
Dear Brothers:
On Saturday evening, March 31, 2018, we will gather to observe the Lord’s Evening Meal. (Luke 22:19) To generate enthusiasm for the Memorial, the special public talk, entitled “Who Really Is Jesus Christ?,” will be presented one week before the Memorial, during the week of March 19, 2018. Congregations that have an assembly or the visit of the circuit overseer the week of March 19 will have the special talk one week earlier. Most congregations will view a talk that has been prerecorded by the branch office, and in many cases, given by a member of the Branch Committee. We hope this advance notice will be helpful to you in preparing for these important events. Your brothers,
Page 2 PS to bodies of elders:
Please arrange for this letter to be read to the congregation at the first midweek meeting after its receipt. Thereafter, it should be posted on the information board. However, this postscript should neither be read to the congregation nor be posted on the information board.
In preparation for the 2018 Memorial, please review the direction on selecting a Memorial speaker and selecting Memorial meeting times found in the February 13, 2017, letter to all bodies of elders.
The prerecorded special talk will be available on JW Stream about one month prior to the week it is to be presented. Please assign an elder or a ministerial servant to download the prerecorded talk from JW Stream (using his jw.org credentials) several weeks before the congregation is scheduled to view it. Since there may be multiple recordings available in the same language, in early 2018 the branch office will inform groups and congregations which recording they should use. If possible, a backup speaker should be assigned in case of technical problems with the recording. If a congregation or group does not have the necessary equipment to view the recording or if the recording is not available in the language of the congregation or group, the body of elders should assign a qualified speaker to give the talk in the usual manner.
Since the speaker in the video recording will demonstrate how to develop an outline and effectively teach from it, each elder and ministerial servant who serves as a public speaker should carefully review the special talk outline, the Ministry School book, pages 52-55, and Reminders for Those Assigned Public Talks (S-141) before the talk is presented in the congregation. During the presentation, analyse how the speaker draws attention to the theme, how he uses the Bible as the basis for his talk, and how he teaches directly from the Scriptures. Also, observe how the speaker applies some of the teaching methods that will be discussed in the Kingdom Ministry School for the 2018 service year. The coordinator of the body of elders should ensure that any ministerial servant who serves as a public speaker is made aware of this direction and has access to a copy of the outline.