Hundreds of Jehovah’s Witnesses put on hard hats and took up hammers to renovate the North Windham Kingdom Hall on Route 302 this past weekend.
Through a regional building committee, local elders called together “brothers and sisters” from communities throughout New England to take part in the renovations, many of whom sacrificed their summer vacations to help out.
“These friends have come from neighboring towns all over New England,” said local elder Brad Poland, a presiding overseer of the renovation. “With them, they bring their trade.”
Poland said that, over the course of two weekends, the old Kingdom Hall was stripped of siding, gutted and underwent a full renovation inside and out. The Witnesses worked in groups on different parts of the renovation, from exterior vinyl siding, new windows and signage out front to interior carpentry work, painting and wallpapering as well as a retooling of the electrical and heating systems.
Because of the sheer size of the renovation task force (with an estimated 500 Witnesses having participated over the weekends), several safety inspectors kept watch on the various facets of the building project.
“Safety is a primary concern,” Lamar Washington of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire said. “Getting the project done without anyone getting hurt.”
Through the long days, a meal tent on site provided the workers with breakfast, lunch and dinner. After the day’s work, those who traveled from afar were offered lodging at fellow Witnesses’ houses.
In the past, Witnesses from the North Windham congregation have likewise traveled to other communities in their district to build and/or renovate Kingdom Halls throughout Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts.
“That’s really the benefit of the way (the congregations) are set up because we can mobilize very quickly,” said Jeff Quimby of Gray, who came with a crew of 30 to paint and wallpaper the Kingdom Hall.
Because of the large number of volunteers who come together to lend a hand and their individual expertise, renovations and constructions of Kingdom Halls around the world are typically completed in no more than two weeks, says Poland.
“Anything we need, we have available,” Poland said. “Since we’re all brothers and sisters, we help each other out.”
After a series of hurricanes ripped through the Gulf Coast last year, Witnesses from Maine made the trip down to Florida and Jamaica to help fellow Witnesses repair their homes.
This tradition, similar to Amish “barn raising”, dates back to the 1970s when the Witnesses first began bringing together area congregations to help build new Kingdom Halls in growing communities. The 21-year-old North Windham Kingdom Hall, the second built in Maine, was constructed from the ground up in 1984 as one such “quick build.”
“The first Kingdom Hall was built in two days. And that’s no prefab,” Poland said. “It’s stick hill construction. By 7 o’clock, the first hammers fired and 10 minutes later, the first wall went up.”
With the new renovations in place, the Witnesses have a refurbished meeting place, equipped with a brand-new sound system installed by the Witnesses themselves and complete with a library and downstairs cafeteria. Here the North Windham congregation will meet to talk about their faith.
“The Kingdom Hall is the local building that talks about the Kingdom of God,” Poland said. “Our main focus is on Bible education. If someone needs to learn to read and write, we’ll help them with that too.”
Poland went on to say that the Kingdom Hall is a “hub” for the congregation to further their own Bible study. Each Witness is taught to be an “ardent student” of the Bible. Those enrolled in the Theocratic Ministry go door-to-door “to preach the good news of the kingdom,” said Poland. Classes for the Ministry take place at the Kingdom Hall on Thursday nights to teach Witnesses about public speaking and other aspects of “field service.”
But the Kingdom Hall is not reserved for only professed Witnesses. Once the finishing touches added to the renovated Kingdom Hall, its doors will be open to anyone who wants to learn more about the Bible, says Poland.
Jehovah Witnesses from all over New England gathered in Windham this weekend to renovate the interior and exterior of the North Windham Kingdom Hall.Send questions/comments to the editors.
