by praiseband 47 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
That's my title right now. I'm not in the rotation for attendant, but everything on your list is part of my duties.
SirNose, that's surprising!! I wish I'd known about JWD (or dared to explore such websites) while I was still going to meetings.
penny2
In most churches, there are standing microphones for the speaker, and perhaps at a large Bible study or church council vote type meeting there might be microphones passed around.
Kingdom Halls are different. They spend a lot of time asking questions. Now the answers come straight out of the article or book that was just read over (literally, they read a paragraph and then answer from that paragraph) and have been diligently underlined by all the good JWs before they get to the meeting. They eagerly (or not!) raise their hands to give the expected and pre-determined answer. Then, a young man of the congregation, who has proven himself worthy, takes a long pole with the microphone at the end of it and passes it across the various rows until it finds the lucky person who will be answering the question. This requires the young men to pay attention to the speaker and to be able to hold a long pole across up to 5 or so people to the person responding. Sometimes, little old ladies try to grasp the microphone, not wanting to let it go when they have had their say-or more importantly when the elder at the front is trying to get them to shut up and go on and they haven't finished yet, Many try to adjust it, or talk really close to the microphone, little kids pull on the cord. It can be challenging. THAT is microphone duty. It also requires them keeping it out of the way of folks headed to the bathroom, keeping the cord (which is very long-it covers the entire hall)neatly coiled. These young men are the pride of their congregations, from early to late teens usually-pre ministerial servants (deacons). Girls do not get mike priveleges unless there are no men to do it. They do not read the paragraphs in the books or magazines. They do not give talks. They do give little demonstrations with other sisters (only).
Men, women and children give answers at the meetings. Sometimes even the mike guys do, but not often.
I was never allowed microphone duty becasue I didn't have a penis.
lisa
I figure the microphone "priveledge" was created to fill a vaccum of jobs in the Kingdom Hall. Unlike many churches, there is no Sunday School, music team, praying grandmas, greeters, etc. etc. etc. to satisfy the talents and abilities of the people in the congregation. The way a regular church is run, I am reminded of 1 Corinthians 12. People have many gifts, all equally important, all expressed differently.
By contrast, every JW has the same job; mark the magazine, field service, and meeting attendance. So then, how in the heck can there be a progression of responsibility in the Kingdom Hall? How can a young man present himself well, in preparation for the grand "priveledge" of elder? It's not like he can go off to Seminary or Bible College and get himself a well-rounded education on spiritual counsel and bible knowledge. Hence, the plethora of mundane non-jobs of microphone handling, literature distribution, and so on.
I was one of the first two to do mike duty in our hall. We did it to perfection. Sat in a chair adjacent the isle, and jumped up and ran to each commentor keeping the mike a regulation 4-6 inches from their mouth, and holding it there until my arms bled if necessary. We did it with absolute precision.
Then when some newbie....from then on did it and it wasnt as good, we would bag the sh*t out of them...not to their faces of course!
But I would sit there and get hot under the collar if I thought it wasn't done just as good as when I did it! We got annoyed with the long leads so my wife and I donated a set of fm mikes! What a suck!
My son who was about 8 or 9 was asked if he would like to fetch the mikes from the platform at the end of the meetings. He has to wipe them with some disinfectant and put them back in their little boxes. Another young lad thought it should be his privelege and used to race my son for the platform as the prayer concluded. Some other guy thought he was using too much disinfectant and had a go at him. So he just stopped doing it. Stuff it he said!
Lisavegas420.....some of the elders wives did have balls I am sure of it, one I suspect may have had even more...but even they didn't get to use the mikes!!
Microphone duty is meant to show:
1) Will the brother be punctual or will he show up as the song is playing or not at all without letting the brother in charge know.
2) Will the brother follow directions or will he do it his way
3) Learn how to dress "properly"
It is noteworthy that many congregations have to use the elders on microphone duty because there are not enough MS or "qualified" brothers. Several congregations explored the possibility of using sisters and were told NO, use the elders. Can't be letting people see that the congregation can't "grow" qualified brothers.
Blondie
Will someone please explain what the big deal is about having responsibility for microphones is all about?
You can't do microphones if you have a vulva.
Privilege not Duty, Privilege not Duty!!!!!!!
It was a privilege dont you remember????
G
I cant believe that all the fine upstanding brother's on this site have missed the true 'privilege' that goes with carrying the mike. Namely the ability to look down sister blouse while habdling the spiritual utensils. Maybe I am the only perv who did that, hell I was a teen denied.
OK I just remembered another aspect of mike duty. Any of you ever stand next to the person you wanted the conductor to call on? Also did you know that when your at bethel There is a class and application process to carry the special bethel mikes?
