What does your congregation do socially now?

by truthseeker 21 Replies latest jw friends

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  truthseeker

  If you're still in or hear about JW social activities through the grapevine, what does your congregation do now socially?

  My hall does absolutely - NOTHING - with the exception of high school graduations.

  I read a few posts about JW socialising in the 70s and 80s and honestly, reading about it is completely foreign to me - I grew up in the 80s and never experienced the "good times" of JWdom.

  It seems most people do their own thing.

  My congregation's excuses are:

  1) The Society tells us not to have large gatherings (isn't the District Convention a large gathering?)

  2) The congregation doesn't want to sponsor any activities in case someone has an accident and sues the congregation or the brothers (Has this ever happened?)

  People thrive when they're together having a good time - the Watchtower takes out the human element and replaced it with a very bland-one size fits all of association before and after the meetings.

  As if you can form life-long friendships for 15 minutes a week....

  I think this will be their down fall. When you leave a congregation meeting, doesn't it sometimes feel that the congregation only exists within those four walls?

  So what does your congregation do now? Anything?
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  done4good

  What congregation?

  j
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  FreudianSlip

  I have been df'd for 7 years, but back in the good ol' days our congregation had all kinds of get-togethers. We had picnics every few months (they went all out for the Circuit Overseers visit); we had a few dances for the teens (that got stopped); large gatherings (20+) at people's houses for game/card night. I'm sure it's still the same.
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  5go

  Most gathering were squashed during the 90's in my old congregation. Most brothers don't want to bother with making gatherings acceptable, so they don't bother with them anymore.
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  wednesday

  we once had a group of elder MS + wives who went dancing all the time. Very exclusive club. Went dancing and drank. I always wondered if any infidelity occurred?
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  frisbee
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  frisbee

  All congregations seem to have their own personality, ours is very gregarious, parties every few weeks with wine and cheese parties attended and organised by elders or ms, in fact we seem to be setting a standard.

  Large gatherings ? How many were at the wedding at Cana, calculate how much wine was available.Reasonableness has to be the watchword, our youngsters love it, bowling,the cinema, theme parks,country walks, cycle days,camping,all are on the agenda. And the BoE dont discourage it, as it keeps the youngsters out of worldly trouble ?

  Go for it guys, life is what you make it,in or out of the org.Yes I am still in.
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  Solace1998

  enough gatherings to fill the week's schedule.
  
  Of course, im not allowed to play in the reindeer games any longer.
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  LearningMore

  When I was a kid, we had organized "get togethers" probably every 6 months or so. I remember a couple of talent shows organized, and there were occasional large gatherings at a local park. I don't know if people with kids still do those types of things and those without kids or with adult kids don't go or what. I've been out for a decade, but hearing from my mom, there aren't nearly as many gatherings. She always says that it is because people are so much busier now. I don't know about that. I do think it could be perception. She is older now and doesn't have young kids, so perhaps she isn't aware of the get togethers....
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  Sway

  What I eventually noticed was the congregations were made up of cliques, and they stuck together within the hall and socially outside of the hall. So there were gatherings, but you had to be part of one of those cliques to participate. Sort of like high school. I will say though that in one of the last congregations I attended in Minnesota, we had an unofficial picnic each Sunday after the meeting at a local park. It wasn't announced or anything, but it was known that's where the JWs would be. Actually it was one of the few things I miss about those days, pretty fun. We played ball, had BBQS. Then when the weather turned cold, we would meet at a local bowling alley. When I moved out here to Seattle, the congregation did nothing, and I mean nothing! I don't think they even socialized much in their little cliques. They were mostly just completely self-absorbed people.