The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses has provided excellent web sites and free reference programs, such as JW Library, that allow anyone to research Bible teachings with great benefit. For internal organizational use a variety of first-rate software and additional web sites have been created by unpaid dedicated volunteers worldwide, all coordinated by that Governing Body. Why then create any other software that might be used by Witnesses?
Each Witness is a Christian minister desiring to share the benefits of Bible principles with any who care to learn. And each has a family-like obligation and desire to show loving concern for every other Witness. The help afforded via the Governing Body in meeting these desires is a treasure that has grown in extent and value with each passing year. Gradually Witnesses have experienced God’s ever-expanding blessing thus manifested.
Yet a few desirable aids are yet to be provided in this manner. When they are, they will and should replace any outside efforts, of which currently JwContacts is one. Such replacement has happened for certain other needs well-intentioned brothers had previously striven to meet through individual efforts.
A noteworthy (to me) recent example was the program known as Sound Box (SB), an aid to presenting audio-visual (AV) material at meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses. As such meetings transitioned into using ever more elaborate AV setups, SB provided seamless methods to allow non-technical volunteers to care for those events. For one, I truly appreciated the love and effort the SB authors put into their work.
However, JW Library developed to the point it could meet the same need and the organization encouraged all Witness congregations to standardize their AV practices with its use. The SB authors lovingly gave way, stopped further development, and encouraged all to make the switch. In this they are to be commended.
If ever similar circumstances arise regarding the needs which have prompted JwContacts’ (JwC’s) creation, I will follow their example. But, for now, I believe JwC to be an aid toward serving otherwise unmet needs, especially for elders in the Witness Congregations. Similar third-party efforts in related areas abound. Perhaps you know of software such as Kingdom Hall Schedules (KHS), Ministry Assistant, and Territory Assistant, among many others. (Mention on this site of others’ software is never an endorsement or recommendation for use.) Perhaps in time the needs they serve will indeed be met by centrally-provided software; for now, I know many who are glad they exist.
What aids, then, does JwC strive to uniquely provide on all three supported systems (Android, Apple, and Windows)? As its name suggests, JwC is at heart an electronic contact organizer (CO) optimized for Jehovah’s Witnesses. As many less-specialized COs exist and are widely used, why another CO? Generally, a Congregation maintains a Contacts List (CL) available to its elders so each knows how to reach each member in the Congregation. Such lists are rightly considered confidential no matter what form they take: Paper, a PDF file, etc. Elders with smartphones frequently enter some of this data into whatever CO they may use, even though that may be far less secure from others’ examination. Social platforms, email programs, etc. may encourage users to share their CO data. The arrival of laws such as the European GDPR act in 2018 may have opened some of us up to legal liabilities if we have COs shared with external organizations.
Aside from the need to ensure confidentially, there is an accessibility need. In an emergency or disaster, how likely is it an elder will have immediate (and private) access to the current data he requires to properly care for the sheep under his watch? I have seen (and you likely have also seen) CLs that were far outdated and/or in a form that made quick use nearly impossible. Even one old entry could end up being disastrous. What if the elder has several smart devices, such as both an iPhone and an iPad: how can he be sure both provide him identical, confidential, current CL data?
JwC is designed to maintain confidentially: It is password-protected and all its data can be optionally encrypted. Data sharing with others is highly limited, generally to just other elders in the Congregation. Shared data updates can be encrypted, rapidly sent after even a single change, and quickly applied. There is no need for each elder to wait months (or years) for an updated CL and then laboriously update his personal CO, if he can find the time.
Sharing can be by email, with the data encrypted inside a “zipped” file, an arrangement most email providers will accept. Or sharing can be by storing in a personal, private, remote storage service (example: Dropbox) in a special JwC folder to which you grant only other members of your Body read access.
JwC, though, goes beyond being just a CO for the CL’s contents. It combines this basic, vital function with over a dozen others and allows those for which all Body members would need identical current data to be shared as a single file, requiring a single update. Examples are composition of the Service Groups, of the local Hospital Liaison (HLC) members, of a current Disaster Relief Committee, etc. All known local emergency, medical, and governmental organizations of interest are included.
JwC allows storage and viewing of Congregation schedules as well as any other document not yet included in JW Library but of interest to an elder in his duties, such as his public talk documents and territories assigned him. Service call data and related maps can be kept. Group reports can be easily sent the Secretary in a single file. Brief notations of shepherding efforts can be maintained. In short, JwC is actually an omnibus program for many needs which are common to elders.
I truly hope you find JwC useful. Please, at any time, feel free to comment on this or any other blog or use the provided contact form to share your thoughts. Just sending a brief note to let me know you have at least tried JwC would be tremendously encouraging, something I appreciate deeply. Thank you very much.
David Pressman
