by tijkmo 13 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
i'm just back from my parents who mentioned in passing they they just received a letter to say there will be no more pioneer meetings on the friday before the circuit assembly
they are in a foreign language congregation so it might just apply to them..even so why??
has anyone heard whether these meetings are no longer going to happen in english or other national language settings..
bttt
Not more pioneer meetings on the Friday before the circuit assembly
1. Not enough pioneers
While the number has dropped in many areas, there would be enough in the whole circuit.
2. Too hard for pioneers to get off on Friday
Now this is a real possibility. With regular pioneers having to work more hours to support themselves today, it could be too hard for them to get Friday off.
3. The circuit overseer just can't make the time
This is another possibility. Over the last 25 years, the CO schedule has altered dramatically compared to my HS years. COs no longer go out on Wednesday evening or Sundays after the meeting. COs used to meet with the pioneers on Saturday afternoon; now it is on a weekday afternoon.
Blondie
blondie...is that verefied then...and you are suggesting the reasons...
or are suggesting that if it is true then these might be the reasons...
i think the pioneers will feel they are being denied something they actually quite enjoy...
but then i was thinking that this arrangement came about because they had said at the start of the pioneer schools that pioneers would go more than once and then it never happened but now they are putting all the pioneers through again..so maybe thats it...no reason why they cant do both though imo
Just making educated guesses.
I would bet #3 is the most likely. COs have quite an active schedule. The older ones are getting more and more ailments and the WTS is taking it easy on them. It is hard to recruit new COs these days.
Blondie
I attended Pioneer meetings in the late 90's as a pioneer. Of course we always came away with 'how well Jehovah is taking care of us - " but they were really just a pain in the neck. Usually involved a trip to a local hall in the opposite direction of the assembly site on the night before. With socialization, ect, it was late time we got home. Early to rise for the three hour trip to the ass hall the following morning.
Last I knew though the CO's in this circuit always were out in service on Sunday, Blondie. Might just be a local call. They are busy though. I know one CO told me he had to work on his day off - Monday - to prepare meeting parts for the assembly, the upcoming parts for the DA, and to work on his public talk for the next round in the circuit. So that might be the reason for no more Pioneer meetings - a busy regional sales manager.
Jeff
Just local, AK-Jeff, maybe, but then it has been the last 10 years in this area in every congregation they visit in this circuit, making the last 3 COs. Sunday afternoon service is poorly attended when the CO is not visiting. Usually it is only the brother assigned to conduct the meeting for field service and then he wouldn't go out himself.
But I'm still willing to bet it is because the CO is too busy. The CO does a lot of administrative reports required by the branch office, besides visiting 20 or more congregations twice a year, 1 circuit assembly, 1 special day assembly, 1 DC (either in charge of a department, giving talks and in some cases supervising the whole DC), 2 week pioneer school, involvement in any quick builds.
When it comes to saving time, the WTS will do it any areas that impact the preaching and women for the most part. Nothing gets in the way of the administrative duties.
Blondie
Blondie - Of course, not disputing that the CO has discontinued Sunday service in your area, they just still do it here. At least when I was still in two years back they did. I know you have the busy part right. Also the Sat service. At least here. In fact, I go past the hall everyday, and there is always a predictable group of 4 or 5 cars parked there for service. I suppose it is usually 1 car group, sometimes two, mostly pios. But when the CO is in town, you would think that there is a full blown meeting everyday. What a pretense.
One brother I knew always called it the 'circus overseer visit'. Ain't it the truth.
Jeff
I know one CO told me he had to work on his day off - Monday - to prepare meeting parts for the assembly, the upcoming parts for the DA, and to work on his public talk for the next round in the circuit
yes he may well have had to take that monday off to prepare items...
but once they were done he had no more to prepare for 6 months..
unlike congregation elders who had to prepare meeting parts on a weekly basis..book study every week..different fs arrangements..had a bunch of administrative duties to perform too...aswell as their secular work..and who rarely had the opportunity to take a whole day off per week...and they had to stay in a congregation and actually deal with problems with all the time and emotions that that entailed..
i dont see the co schedule being the reason for the pioneer meetings being cancelled if they are
Just to clarify, I wasn't saying they are busy, just that they feel they are busy. I say this from hearing 2 COs say they were too busy and scheduled a substitute CO to do the pioneer school. COs also take at least 2 weeks off for vacation, are called back to headquarters for two weeks for "re-training" whatever that means. My observations have been that the COs of today are not as willing to give all to the organization as in days ago. The WTS has had to be more accommodating. The COs are getting younger and less experienced every year.
Blondie
(of course we don't know for sure that the cancellation of the pioneer Friday before the circuit assembly is extensive)
I will say this, they used to have one before each half of the circuit. Now they combine it into one just before the first circuit half.
