I Have Done What I Ought to Have Done By Don Ridley - Conclusion of LEARNING THE TRUTH

After  completing some employment obligation, I started my Bethel service in Brooklyn, New York, in 1984.  I was assigned to the Legal Office.  For me, the timing could not have been better. 

The Stanley Theater in Jersey City, New Jersey, was purchased in November 1983.  The brothers applied for permits to renovate the building's electrical and plumbing systems.  When they met with the local officials, the brothers explained that they had intended to use the Stanley Theater as a convention hall for Jehovah's Witnesses. That posed a problem.  The city's zoning ordinance restricted houses of worship to residential neighborhoods. The Stanley Theater was in the downtown business district, so the city officials refused to issue the permits. The brothers appealed the decision, but the appeal was denied.

During my first week at Bethel, the organization filed a lawsuit in the federal district court, challenging the denial of the permits. Because I had just finished my two-year clerkship in the federal district court in St. Paul, Minnesota, I was very familiar with the arguments presented. One of our attorneys argued that the Stanley Theater had been used for various public events, from movies to rock concerts.  Why, then, should it be illegal to have a religious event?  The federal district court considered the matter and ruled that Jersey City had violated our religious liberty.  The court ordered the city the needed permits, and I started to see how Jehovah blessed his organization's use of illegal means to advance his work. I was so happy to have had a share in it.

The brothers launched a massive renovation project, and the graduation of the 79th class of Gilead was held in the New Jersey Assembly Hall on September 98, 1985, less than a year after the renovation started. I felt privileged to be able to advance Kingdom interests as part of the legal team, and the satisfaction I felt far surpassed any feeling that I had experienced in connection with a legal endeavor prior to my coming to Bethel. Little did I know that Jehovah had many more such privileges in store for me.

Next time:  I Have Done What I Ought to Have Done - By Don Ridley -  DEFENDING RIGHTS FOR BLOODLESS MEDICAL TREATMENT

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