Does the Memorial™ generate BIG $ for the WTS?

by Scully 14 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Scully

  I'd never before thought of this angle for the Memorial™.

  It makes sense though: They get people who have become Inactive™ making an extra effort to show up and maybe donating some "guilt money" to make up for having missed a few months' worth of Meetings™. They invite Worldly People™ who perhaps take it for granted that when you go to "church" you drop something in the collection plate, and just automatically drop an offering in the Contribution Box™. This is one meeting of the year where JWs try to make sure everyone they know has an invitation to attend - and they wait with baited breath for the Attendance™ numbers from their own Congregation™ and other local Congregations™ and finally worldwide Attendance™.

  But I wonder if the WTS is mainly focused on the cash that comes in and obscures that agenda by getting the R&F to focus on Attendance™ instead?

  Are there any former Accounts Servants™ out there who can shed light on this?
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  geevee

  Good point scully.
  In all the time I went, i never noticed how many people went near the box. Guilt payments greatly accepted [not greatly appreciated].
  Yep, take extra care to count the partakers, and all the attendees, but not too many would count the money, but why wouldn't there be a little extra in the www on that night.
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  Honesty

  Are there any former Accounts Servants™ out there who can shed light on this?

  Unfortunately, I can't remember how much the donation sent to the Society increased the month after the memorial but it was considerable. It's been over 10 years since I was the Accounts Servant™.
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  blondie

  My husband who did accounts for over 10 years laughed to think that the memorial generated more donations at the KH. He said if people did n't give when they came regularly to the meetings, they didn't donate just because they came to that one meeting. Since there was no explanation during the meeting what the contribution boxes were for, non-JWs didn't have a clue unless their JW contacts informed them specifically and I never saw that even for meetings other than memorial.

  Were JWs more inclined to give on that day? No.

  Of course, that was only 3 congregations.

  I have had relatives and friends that were accounts servants who never saw any change in donations.

  The only time was when there was a little talk on the service meeting telling the rank and file that the congregation was $3,000 in the hole and there was a danger of the lights being shut off by the electric company.

  Blondie
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  unclebruce

  Interesting™ scully,

  The memorial™ is a night where the 'collection boxes™' actually get a hammering but I think the main purpose™ of the memorial™ is theocrapic™ - a morale boost for the faithful™ and not so faithful™. Through the actual love fest on the night and the 'attendance figures™' afterward.

  The superstitious 'walking wounded' that feel they must not miss the memorial™ is a weird JW™ phenomenon. Our hall™ was always packed to the gunwales on 'memorial night™' and one couldn't help but wonder why one was working so hard if these slackers were gonna get through Armageddon™ on just one meeting™ a year.

  Apart from baptism™, this is the only magic/ritual/celebration left for JWs to enjoy (in a largely non-participatory way of course - although each johnadab™ , including children, must personally recieve and refuse to accept the symbols of jesus flesh and blood - mmm is this JW 'passing of the plate' a satanic ritual?

  unclebruce
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  unclebruce

  PS: To Blondie: Ours was an old area, maybe our memorial attendies were more guilt stricken and more open to the idea of bribing thier way to paradise.
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  NewYork44M

  I was the account servant for many years. I don't remember any increase in contributions at the memorial. I would always check the box and count the $$ but I don't recall anything unusual about the contributions that night. Of course I came from a cheap congregation.
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  slimboyfat

  What a silly idea.
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  blondie

  Increase because

  Non-memorial meeting

  80 people = $40 donations

  Memorial meeting

  240 people - $120 donations

  Increase because more people not people giving more than usual per person.

  Maybe it is different in Australia.

  The only money generating "meeting" are the assemblies/conventions where the attendees are manipulated to think that the funds are in the hole.......especially, since the elders voted $5,000 off the top to send to the WTS.

  Blondie
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  drew sagan

  There where no accounts at the memorial while I was doing them. If anything is generated, it must be very minimal.