To the Bible Students, Christian fellowship tasted especially sweet after the severe trials of the past few years: wartime opposition; bitter dissent in the congregations; the closing of Brooklyn Bethel; the imprisonment of many for the sake of the Kingdom, including eight leading brothers who had been sentenced to as long as 20 years behind bars.
Antara lain, mereka mengalami penindasan pada masa perang, perpecahan di sidang, ditutupnya Betel Brooklyn, dan dipenjarakannya saudara - saudari karena pekerjaan Kerajaan, termasuk vonis 20 tahun penjara atas delapan saudara yang bertanggung jawab dalam organisasi.