Ever BUILD a Kingdom Hall?

by Gregor 56 Replies latest jw experiences

  • Gregor
    Gregor

    I was involved in several, starting when I was about 10 or 11 with jobs like sweeping up sawdust or picking up loose nails. I loved it. Once, when I was about 22 we were building the KH south of Santa Barbara in Carpinteria. We were doing the hot tar roof and some volunteer helper sloshed a bucket of scalding tar off the edge of the roof and it splashed on a brother down below. Got his right arm and hand. He was taken to hospital with a very bad burn. Of course, the Society got the real property and he got the medical bills.

    Seemed their were always brothers in the construction trades to supervise and I remember them all as great guys. All in all, building Halls and working in food service at the conventions was the most fun I had with Org. related activity.

  • stillajwexelder
    stillajwexelder

    Oh yes -quite a few

  • AudeSapere
    AudeSapere

    I worked on the 'quick-build' in Oxnard in the early 80's and loved it. Assisted on a few remodels as I was beginning to fade. Then I wasn't allowed to participate because my hours were too low.

    I also enjoyed many of my other volunteer activities. Not so much field service, but the other more tangible activities were great.

    Seems that 'Christendom's Churches' found that those sorts of activities both help the community AND help keep their congregations happy and cohesive.

    hmmmm.

    -Denise.

  • primitivegenius
    primitivegenius

    unfortunately, tons of them. i enjoyed it at the time, now i am like dang all that effort wasted enriching a publishing company grrrrrrrrr. food was good tho

  • RunningMan
    RunningMan

    Yep, when I was around 13, my congregation renovated an old building. This was in the days before the quick builds. We hired a brother who was a carpenter and I went there every day during the summer. Years later, when we had a big hail storm, I pounded shingle nails until I couldn't open my hand. Good times. Seriously.

  • Cellist
    Cellist

    We've worked on a few. For the most part, we enjoyed the "quick builds". I wasn't sure what to think when I found out that some of the trades got paid, while others didn't.

    Cellist

  • Nina
    Nina
    some of the trades got paid

    Oh?

  • Cellist
    Cellist

    Yep, I don't remember all that got paid. But the cabinet makers certainly did.

    Cellist

  • Nina
    Nina
    the cabinet makers certainly did.

    Were these cabinet makers JW's donating their time and skills or were they outside contractors?

    How do you know they were paid? At what rate?

    Nina

  • AudeSapere
    AudeSapere

    Seems appropriate that the cabinet makers got paid for the materials (and maybe they marked up the costs of materials) but I doubt that the building committees actually offered to pay for the installation labor...

    I have no info either way. Just my own doubts.

    -Aude.

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