Discussions with family about the new Kingdom Hall Assistance Fund

by the truth is mine 49 Replies latest members private

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  the truth is mine

  Last week at the meeting they announced the change in donating to help build Kingdom Halls and told us to make sure and be there tonight when things will be explained in more detail as a local needs part.

  My wife and I had a discussion about what it means. I explained how the process was detailed in the three pages of post script.

  Her reply "they can't do that"

  Later that night my mom called and asked me about the announcement. We discussed it and what it means and how it will work.

  Her conclusion "that sounds a lot like tithing and I quit going to church because of tithing"

  I was surprised by both comments. My wife knows how I feel and that I really no longer buy into the whole religion or even god ideas even though I still attend and am quiet about things. And while she still outwardly claims to believe I see a lot of signs that indicate she doesn't believe quite as strongly as she says. (We watch R rated movies both at home and in the theater, she reads books that are not JW approved, we both agree that our children will never be martyrs for the religion, that they will go to college and not be low income servants and we both freely and openly associate with her disfellowshiped and inactive family) But my wife has never openly disagreed with what the GB does or says. This is the first time she has done that.

  My mom is a regular Pioneer and has been one for over 20 years. She parrots every stupid cult expression that excuses the actions and mistakes of the GB. To hear her actually say something that indicated displeasure or disapproval of something they have implemented was a shock, especially since she has no idea how I feel about the religion.

  I was wondering if anyone else has seen similar reactions among what would be considered 'faithful witnesses'.
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  leaving_quietly

  The letter hasn't been read in our cong, yet. I expect it this week. I'm not sure what to expect from my wife. I can see it going either way. If a piece of paper is passed around to tell us to write in amounts, I think she will react negatively. If they simply ask for a congregation resolution, it will have no real reaction. I don't know what those three other pages say, so I don't know exactly what to expect. I only saw the first page of the letter posted here. This will be an interesting week.
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  OneEyedJoe

  Leaving quietly -

  All 4 pages were posted on jwleaks last I looked if you want to read it. The first page is all that will be read, and the rest is instructions for the elder's eyes only on how to determine the amounts, with the suggestion that they take pledges (not using that word, of course) from the congregation if their hall is paid off.
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  cofty

  TTIM - Thanks it's really interesting to hear how this is going down with the R&F
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  DesirousOfChange

  If a piece of paper is passed around to tell us to write in amounts, I think she will react negatively. If they simply ask for a congregation resolution, it will have no real reaction.

  What I ascertain from the letter is that if your KHall currently has a mortgage payment to the WTS, then you will simply be asked to continue paying the monthly mortgage amount (+/-) FOREVER. Your congregation will NEVER pay off and own your Kingdom Hall. Of course, we know that with the new direciton of naming the WTS as the Title Holder, your Cong would never own it anyway, but at least you would have ceased making payments at some point.

  If your KHall is already mortgage free -- no debt -- then cong members will be asked what amount they are willing to contribute EACH MONTH to the New Kingdom Hall Fund (or whatever you call it -- actually I think it just goes into the WorldWideWork so they can use it as they choose).

  If a person still is wearing the "blinders" they will never think a thing about this arrangement other than "Isn't it a GREAT way to help our brothers elsewhere!" Those who are a little more savvy about money will continue to wonder where it is all going. A billion here and a billion there. . . . .

  Doc
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  leaving_quietly

  Thanks, OneEyedJoe. I didn't realize the confidential survey included what a publisher would donate to the local expenses, too. I guess that's how they're going to try to cover local expenses AND donate to this new fund.
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  leaving_quietly

  I am noting that this is a "survey", not something each person is committing to per se, just an indicator. And it's to be reviewed annually to be sure the donations are realistically met. I could see dumb elder bodies tallying the results and using just that figure alone. Smarter bodies will tally the results and put in a percentage that is not 100% of the survey results, giving themselves a little wiggle room. The way I'm reading the instructions, the survey results should be tallied, but a resolution to the cong. still has to be passed afterward. The resolution will likely be for both local expense and for the new fund. The letter reads as if they expect the resolved donation amount to be much, much higher than the current KH funds.

  I don't know why they didn't just say what they say for other arrangements: Take $8.50 per publisher times the number of publishers and put in that amount in the resolution. Having a fixed amount that doesn't infringe on a person's privacy or commit a person is easier to swallow than doing a survey. This is really just a strange thing. I think the best way to handle it is just to write down "I can't commit to a monthly amount, but I'll do what I can."

  I suspect that those who regularly put in $50 toward the local expenses monthly will start to decrease that and put in something like $25 local, $25 KH without really changing what they already do. I know some who regularly put in $100 per month in a check and have the memo line have the amount split to something like $25 local, $25 KH, $50 Worldwide Work. People are just going to work within their existing budget. I'm starting to think the reason for the survey is for those that normally DON'T contribute anything because they can't. And confidential or not, these folks are going to feel obligated to put SOMETHING down, even if it's $5 per month.
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  88JM

  I will be interested to see how it goes down in the small congregation here. They own their hall with no mortgage and they have a few £££ in the bank from years of sitting on it and doing nothing.

  I will do my best to keep dropping the word 'tithing' in conversation in reference to the new arrangement and watch their faces get just a bit redder...
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  Apognophos

  Just for the record, I know my Hall has passed around slips a couple times before, asking what people can give. I don't expect that this will raise too many eyebrows because most of the publishers are not going to think about how this is like a perpetual mortgage (for those currently under mortgage). Any JW who does think this sounds weird is probably going to have rationalized their concern away a week later.
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  stuckinarut2

  Two scriptures:

  Matt 6:1-4

  2 Cor 9:7

  One quote from bro Russells first WT said something about "we will never beg nor petition for money...but when the god of heaven stops supplying , then we will stop" or something like that....