A Jehovah's Witnesses publication providing an encyclopedic guide to topics of the Bible.

What would happen if I accepted an invitation to Bible Study from Jehovah's Witnesses? What would attending a Kingdom Hall meeting involve? And if I invited door-knocking Witnesses into my home? This book introduces Jehovah's Witnesses without assuming prior knowledge of the Watch Tower organization. After outlining the Society's origins and history, the book explains their key beliefs and practices by taking the reader through the process of the seeker who makes initial contact with Witnesses, and progresses to take instruction and become a baptized member. The book then explores what is involved in being a Witness – congregational life, lifestyle, rites of passage, their understanding of the Bible and prophetic expectations. It examines the various processes and consequences of leaving the organization, controversies that have arisen in the course of its history, and popular criticisms. Discussion is given to the likelihood of reforms within the organization, such as its stance on blood transfusions, the role of women and new methods of meeting and evangelizing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The earliest ancestor in America was Jacob Jans van Amsterdam who was also known as Jacob Jansen Gardinier. He traveled from his native Holland in 1636 to what later became known as New York. One of his many descendants was Russell John Gardinier (1920- ) who was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1944 he married Rebecca Pauline Culpepper (1921- ) who was born in Palmyra, Arkansas. She descends from the Cupepper family of Virginia who were early settlers in both Virginia and the Carolinas and were among the nobility of England.

Presents a picture of the Rift Valley's terrain, wildlife, and complex geological features.