Spiritual Growth in the Balkans

Franz Brand was excited about the new truths he had heard and decided that he must spread the good news.   He found work as a barber in Maribor, a city in Slovenia near the border of Austria, and started to preach to his customers, who usually sat and listened  quietly  as they were being shaved. As  a result of his efforts , there came to be a small group of Kingdom proclaimers in Maribor in the late 1920's.  Bible  talks were given in a restaurant, which was later appropriately named Novi svet (New World) Seafood Restaurant. 

In time, the good news spread throughout the whole land.  The use of the "Photo-Drama of Creation" (an eight-hour presentation involving films, slides, and recordings) was  instrumental in this expansion.  Then in the 1930's when Jehovah's Witnesses  came under severe persecution in Germany, the ranks of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia were fortified with German pioneers who fled their homeland.  Setting aside personal comfort or convenience, they reached out to the most remote parts of this mountainous country to preach. At first, there seems to be little response to their message.  In the early 1940's, only 150 publishers reported field service. 

In 1941, fierce persecution set in, which lasted until 1952.  What a joy it was when finally  on September 9, 1953, under General Tito's  Communist regime, Jehovah's Witnesses were legally registered!  That year, there was 914 publishers  of the good news, and the number grew steadily. By 1991, the number of publishers had increased to 7,420, and 16,o72 attended the Memorial that year. 

From August 16 to 18, 1991, the first international convention of Jehovah's Witnesses in this country and abroad, 14, 684 attended.  This unforgettable convention prepared Jehovah's people for the trials ahead. Among the last vehicles to pass the checkpoint between Croatia and Serbia were the buses taking the Serbian delegates home. After the bus rolled by, the border was closed and war began. 

Next time: Jehovah's People Have Reasons to Rejoice

From the Watchtower magazine, 2002