Jehovah’s Witnesses adapt during pandemic
Public ministry shifts to help slow COVID-19
Before COVID-19 reached the United States, Roderick and Danesha Allen spent an estimated 60-70 hours every month going door to door.
As Jehovah’s Witnesses, spreading their message is a central part of their religion, and witnesses have been doing so “door to door” for years.
“That was our go to,” said Roderick Allen, who lives with his wife near West Memphis, Arkansas. “We spent a lot of time knocking on doors, talking to strangers about the Bible, something we both really, really enjoyed, being able to connect with people, show an interest in people and their situations.”
But for the first time in the history of Jehovah’s Witnesses, public ministry, including that trademark, was shut down in the second week of February 2020. The denomination also closed 13,000 congregations across the United States, seeking to slow the spread of the virus.
“Our lives revolved around our ministry.”
Cynthia Faulkner
Jehovah’s Witness
Carts were taken off street corners, and Jehovah’s Witnesses stopped knocking on doors.
But the changes, like knocking on doors in the first place, are all in line with Jehovah’s Witness beliefs, said Robert Hendriks, national spokesperson for the Christian denomination.
What guided the decision to close Kingdom Halls and shut down public ministry were two principles, Hendriks said: the belief in the sanctity of life and “the second greatest commandment given by Jesus Christ, and that is love thy neighbor.”
Founded in the late 19th century in the United States, Jehovah’s Witnesses today have about 8.7 million adherents worldwide.
“To knock on their door and say we love them and potentially take the virus to them or take it away to our family or to our congregation or the next neighbor, well it just wasn’t compatible with that second greatest commandment of love,” Hendriks said. “It wasn’t a choice of do your ministry or don’t do your ministry, it was a choice of go to door-to-door or find another way, and Christians have always found another way.”
For the Faulkner family, finding another way to do public outreach meant continuing the main things, but doing them at a distance.
Normally, the Memphis family of four knocks on doors, trying to meet people and tell them about their beliefs. They offer home Bible studies to those who are interested, and often focus on the Hispanic population in Memphis, since the family speaks Spanish.
“Our lives revolved around our ministry,” said Cynthia Faulkner.
Now, the family has begun writing letters, said Sequoia Faulkner, 20. In her letters, she invites people to give her a phone call or directs them to the Jehovah’s Witness website.
Christian Faulkner, 17, Sequoia’s brother, said they look through the phone directory to make phone calls as well — something that’s not too different than knocking on doors.
And as for the Bible studies that used to occur in people’s homes, Cynthia Faulkner said she’s participated in studies on Facetime and on Zoom.
The Allens have also begun letter writing, starting with people they connected with prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Danesha Allen said she based her letters on notes she had taken when meeting with people in person.
“A deadly pandemic will be a time more than ever where people will need a message of hope,” Roderick Allen said. “The Bible isn’t rigid or too restrictive. It allows for adapting. So in a situation like this, there were still principles in the Bible that could guide us.”
Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the Bible foretells “pestilences” and “deadly plague,” signs of the “last days.”
Because of this, Cynthia Faulkner said they’re well prepared for a global pandemic.
“He (Jesus) told us things are going to get worse, but he also told us what to do,” she said.
“We hope things return, normalcy as they say or the new normal, where we can go back and knock on a person’s door, talk to them face to face, get their opinion personally, share a good encouraging Bible thought and return to our Kingdom Halls as well, see people and give them a hug,” said Daniel Faulkner.
“We miss the hugs,” Cynthia added. “But as Cynthia said, the more important thing is maintaining our spirituality, being connected to Jehovah God,” her husband said.
Katherine Burgess covers county government and religion. She can be reached at katherine.burgess@commercialappeal.com, 901-529-2799 or followed on Twitter @kathsburgess.