Does Anyone Remember.....

by Cassiline 9 Replies latest jw experiences

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  Cassiline

  I was a member of a hall in PA not far from Bethel as a child and teen. There were trips scheduled every couple months to Bethel for the sisters to meet the brothers there. We would stay in a hotel couldn't tell you the name now but the society had some ties to it because the room rates were only a couple dollars per night.

  We would go on tours of Bethel. I saw the book binding factory and heard the glue jokes one too many times.

  We would go tour the tunnels and eat with the Bethel family then the sisters would be approached afterwards by different brothers and a date would ensue. Usually a dinner at a Greek restaurant (loved the stuffed grape leaves and the Baklava(sp))and proceed to a movie.

  They were expeditions to find husbands. I went on several occasions as a chaperone, I was only 15. Again as I stated it was a fishing trip for husbands.

  Did any other Halls practice this or was my hall one of few?

  PS. The way a brother at Bethel would let you know he liked you upon your return would be to send a yearbook to your hall addressed to you.

  C

  When the pain of being where we are, becomes greater than our fear of letting go...we will risk and heal and grow.
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  Elsewhere

  Sounds like a tribal ritual I saw on the Discovery Channel.

  "As every one knows, there are mistakes in the Bible" - The Watchtower, April 15, 1928, p. 126
  Believe in yourself, not mythology.
  <x ><
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  Dutchie

  Interesting post, Cas. No, I have never heard of this ritual. So, did you find a husband? Did anyone? How many Yearbooks do you have?
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  Cassiline

  Hiya Duchie!

  Like I said I was there at 15 as a chaperone, and never considered myself a "candidate" but I do have one yearbook from a Bethelite from the last times I went at the age of sixteen still acting as a chaperone.

  I can still remember the sisters waiting for those yearbooks, though looking back now its quite amusing and strange at the same time.

  My favorite part of the trip was going through Bethel in the tunnel system and of course the food that I was able to eat for free when the sisters paid for dinner. Being a chaperone I had to accompany them whenever they were with a brother. Yes, they paid because it was not in the Bethelites budget.

  Yes to your question Dutchie several sisters found a husband in this manner.

  C

  When the pain of being where we are, becomes greater than our fear of letting go...we will risk and heal and grow.
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  Dutchie

  Thanks Cas, for sharing such an interesting experience. Who knew such a practice existed?
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  Cassiline

  Now you know Dutchie.

  C

  When the pain of being where we are, becomes greater than our fear of letting go...we will risk and heal and grow.
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  Elders_Kid

  Yup, my dad was at Bethel in the late 60's and he used to tell stories about it. I gues they used to joke about the "husband-hunters".

  It's too bad you had to experience it!!
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  SYN

  *LOL* That is just so sad...yeah, it does sound like a tribal ritual, doesn't it?

  Another question: What if the Bethel brothers couldn't afford yearbooks? Did they send Kingdom Ministries instead?

  Well, at least we know these women who went to search for husbands at Bethel were most certainly not gold-diggers. The opposite, in fact...

  During a code review, when I asked why there was not a comment in 240,000 lines of code which was getting handed to me for maintenance, the programmer replied, "I'm terse."
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  gsx1138

  They may have not been gold-diggers but they were definately status diggers. What higher status in the congregation than to be married to someone who works alongside the faithful and discreet slave? Anyway, I remember that we had a few conventions in the Tacoma Dome. Everyone knew that the second floor concourse was for all the young folks to Oggle each other in hopes of finding a mate. My friends and I always made the rounds "checkin out the chicks"

  Dear Lord, please save me from your followers.
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  NeonMadman

  About the Yearbook thing; we used to have a friend at Bethel. Every year he'd send us an early copy of the Yearbook (generally a month or two before you could get it through the congregation). We, in turn, would send back a thank-you card containing a small donation (maybe $25 or so) for his personal use. Apparently, he had several friends with whom this scenario was played out annually, and I gathered that quite a few other Bethelites did, too. It doesn't surprise me that, in addition to the early Yearbooks being used as "reminders" to send a contribution, they were also used to impress girls.

  All in all, it seems a pretty harmless practice to me. After all, from the JW viewpoint, the Bethelites are sacrificing a lot for the Kingdom; it only seemed right to help them out a bit. I don't fault the Bethel boys who did this at all, only the organization that exploits them for a false hope.

  Tom

  "At midnight all the agents and the superhuman crew go out and round up everyone who knows more than they do"
  --Bob Dylan