History
Based on their interpretation of Revelation 17:8, Witnesses anticipated a period of peace after World War II, and saw an opportunity to expand their global preaching efforts. In 1942, at the height of the war, Nathan H. Knorr, then president of the Watchtower Society, proposed the establishment of Watchtower Bible School of Gilead. The first class began on February 1, 1943. No tuition was to be charged. Five months later, graduating students began to move out to their assignments in nine Latin-American countries, including Cuba. As early as 1956, graduates were serving "in about a hundred different lands".
Originally founded as a temporary program, Gilead School has held classes at several of the facilities operated by the Watchtower Society:
- Kingdom Farm in South Lansing, New York from 1943 to 1960
- Watch Tower Society headquarters in Brooklyn, New York from 1961 to 1988
- Watchtower Farms in Wallkill, New York from 1988 to 1995; and
- Watchtower Educational Center in Patterson, New York since 1995.
Gilead has trained 131 classes since 1943, its 131st class graduating on September 10, 2011. In 2008, Gilead School surpassed 8000 alumni. Some Gilead graduates have remained in foreign missionary assignments for decades, others eventually served as traveling overseers, translators, or branch staff; some may be appointed as "special pioneers" if they serve in their home country. Encyclopædia Britannica notes that Gilead was intended to train "missionaries and leaders"; two current members of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses are Gilead graduates, as were four deceased members.
The graduation of each semi-annual Gilead class is a significant event, which may be attended by much of the United States branch staff as well as invited guests from dozens of countries; audiences typically surpass 6000, with the graduation of the 131st class on September 10, 2011 totaling 9,063 in attendance.
Read more about this topic: Watchtower Bible School Of Gilead
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