Congregation get-togethers

by freedom96 33 Replies latest jw friends

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  freedom96

  Did your hall ever organize times for the congregation to do activities?

  About every 6-9 months, mine would have a congregation picnic. People would bring food, and we would play a softball game. As a kid growing up, that was a lot of fun.

  Once in a great while, someone would invite everyone over for a barbecue, but very rarely.

  As I have posted before, I believe it is a shame that there were not more efforts made by the WTS to encourage the "fellowship" of each other. I found that all too often, there would be certain little groups that would get together, but not on a large scale, and you had to "fit in" to that particular group. But to socialize, it rarely happened. For a religion, whom the members are only to associate with other members, there really were no efforts made to encourage that. No, we were to busy being scared of the "weakness" of another, or maybe the other witnesses were bad association too. I remember so many talks at the assemblies warning us of other witnesses that might break us down spiritually.

  My greatest memories though, were with a friends congregation. They did seem to get together more often, and during the summer, several congregations on that side of town would meet at a local beach, have fun, games, food, etc. Funny, in my hall, those congregations were looked down upon for being so "spiritually weak." Belonging to those halls, you might just as well been hanging with a worldly person.

  Any social events when you went? Fun? Boring? Rare?
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  Brummie

  Get together consisted of "Bowling" .."Ice skating" and around to someones house to play "spoons" or some made up games!

  We also had a rare board game we used to get together and play, cant rememver the name of it but it was a JW board game where you went round the board landing on squares that said "Hit by a car, go to paradise", or "Survive armageddon go to 1000 years" or "Survive final test, go past the square saying "1000 years" Become one of the remnant, go to square saying "heavenly kingdom"...etc

  What a scream

  Brummie
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  blondie

  Actually, in my area "congregation" sponsored get-togethers are forbidden. If an individual or a family want to have a get-together and invite everyone in the congregation, they can do that, but then that individual or family has to take responsibility for anything bad that happens.

  Few want that responsibility.

  Blondie (thank goodness for cliches or there would be no parties)
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  ChakkaConned

  Hi Freedom,

  This is one subject that really chaps my ass. There were very few *gatherings*(they don't even like the word*party*, do they? Too worldly)in the congregations I attended. By the time I left, they were getting even fewer and far between. Real friendship did not exist and people had to see each other at the meetings so much, they didn't want to look at their faces on their time off, I suppose.

  I remember one day, on my way to work, stopping at a redlight and watching a bunch of kids and their mom's loading into a church bus in the church parking lot. They were laughing and talking as they were, no doubt, going to go do some fun CHURCH sponsored activity. It really struck me that day how little the organization gives back to their flunkies.....er, sheep, especially the poor children. They demand so much, yet give back nothing. Nada, zip. And as you brought out, for a religion who demands it's people to associate only with other JW's, they don't lift a finger to help them do this with all of their $$$. What a dull ass selfish religion. As usual, they put it all on the pubs alone to use their own resources while they just make the rules. Too, we have to remember that they will always minimize recreation lest your valuable time not be spent in the all important preaching of the good news and the meetings. And would it kill them to have built into the KH's a fellowship hall where people could socialize and drink alittle coffee after the meetings? Um, yea, I guess it would. That would mean that they actually cared about the humanity of people. Don't want to be ANYTHING like the other whoreish churches.

  And last but not least, I know what you mean about the bad association thing and how they would build paranoia among the members by encouraging them to be careful of bad association, *not just out in the world but IN the congregation*. What crap!! That just gave license to freely judge your brother's and write them off if you wanted to. Such unity and love....not.

  Sorry about the rant. I told you this chapped my ass. LOL Thanks for the post.

  CC
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  Francois

  When my uncle arrived - after college - in a small congregation in upper East Tennessee - the county was dry and so was the congregation. And the congregation was like the county they talked a good dry game, but they drank wet. One family at a time, my uncle had people over and there was always beer. Then he sponsored an entire congregation get together and had beer by the case. And lots of people got blotto, swagged, planked, creamed, butchered, knee-walking drunker than a shit-house rat. This was overlooked.

  Suddenly, the entire congregation changed. The sisters wore brighter dresses. The men didn't look so solemn. The children laughed out loud. The young folk started acting like young folk.

  After that, the dyke was broken and there was no going back. There was some kinda get together once a month. Sometime there were two on the same weekend. All with the same result. It was like watching animals being released from the zoo; tenative at first, then enthusiastically after that. It was a sight to see. Even congregation membership went up when it was learned that you could be a JW and have fun too.

  And the world still spun on its axis, the moon and stars came out at night, deeminz didn't take over the congregation. Nothing.

  Then my uncle went to work on the COs that came and went. It was a blast. Then the nearby congregations got wind of it and after a few tenative steps all up upper East Tennessee was party land. Proving of course that one bad apple will spoil the entire barrel. I don't know what's going on there now. I suspect they still know how to have fun. But it was really fun showing 'em how.

  francois
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  imanaliento

  any gatherings we were at, they were just as clique as they were at the hall, talking to people they would normally talk to anyway. our sons hated the food, it was always the same, spicy, mushy stuff. the last one we were at, the middle son made foos-ball a contact sport and chipped his front tooth. being it was also made up of a lot of people related to one another, we got invited to fewer and fewer of them. No Tears Here.
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  bigboi

  Damn, I feel for y'all.

  Down here in New Orleans there was always some witness somewhere doin something related to partying. Even the conservative witnesses down here know how to party. Must have sumthin to do with the location.

  I once knew young married couplewho moved from to the N.O. from Miss. They were surprised at the liberal attitude we had towards partying. Dude was the best dj, though. He knew all the good jams to play. Hell,even the old stuff he played got off.
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  nilfun

  Wow, Francois, what you wrote reminded me of the movie Pleasantville. Great post...
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  Dutchie

  I wanna go to East Upper Tennessee!
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  DakotaRed

  The congregation I went to would hold get togethers from time to time, mostly as a "party" for any leaving to Bethel or to another state. I found those rather boring and too many elders watching over all that attended to see that no one "crossed the line."

  Other get togethers were also held, such as after meeting ball games, anniversary parties and such, but it also bothered me that certain ones would not be invited.

  The elder I studied with also held his own Oktoberfest each year, since he is German heritage. Home made brew, lots of homemade wurst, of course, dancing the chicken dance. If we were invited, we had to dress Bavarian. I used to laugh because his wife always called it his own little pagan festival.

  I went one year single and the next, was engaged to be married and she was invited too. It was hilarious being in my mid forties and seeing these people watching us like a hawk to make sure we didn't sneak off somewhere. The real fests I went to in Nurnberg and Munich were much better.

  Lew W