Handbill for 2010 District Conventions

by dozy 29 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  dozy

  The WTS has announced the usual handbill invitation "campaign" for the conventions this year. I haven't seen a copy but I assume that it will be similar to the one for congregation meetings and from previous years. The usual 30 per publisher allocation.

  I seriously wonder about the efficacy of these campaigns. While I can see the sense in a local distribution around the convention location , many congregations are tens , even hundred of miles away. And the conventions themselves are primarily aimed at retaining and encouraging existing JWs rather than "interested persons". Imagine someone new sitting listening to a symposium on Malachi , for example. Or the numerous interviews with people who gave up their jobs to pioneer. And even the dramas are very much JW oriented , often quite scathing of "worldly people" who are framed as "bad associates" and usually up to no good.

  And as a day out , how will people cope with the lack of any catering facilities , not even able to buy a Coke or coffee?
• 

  sir82

  The GB has no interest whatsoever that "worldly" people attend.

  In fact, they undoubtedly hope and pray that these campaigns are a colossal failure.

  Every publisher gets 30 tracts, right? Let's suppose there were to be a success rate of 10% - 10% of the people who receive an invitation actually decide to go. So each publisher brings along 3 extra people.

  A 10% success rate is dismal by any standard. Yet it would cause the attendace at a convention to increase by 300%. A stadium or arena which holds 10,000 people, with 8000 JWs assigned to it, would have 32,000 people trying to cram in. Traffic and parking would be a nightmare - hours and hours of delays. There wouldn't be nearly enough literature.

  No, it's just a feel good exercise, a slight change of pace, an opportunity for "new unbaptized publishers" to get started. Nothing else.
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  slimboyfat

  The handbill invitation is not a serious attempt to get people to come to the convention. But what's new there? It seems only fitting from an organization that has given us:

  "Public talks" which the public rarely attend.

  "The Lord's Evening Meal" where virtually no one eats.

  "The Theocratic Ministry School" that bears little relation to actual ministry.

  "Bible Studies" where the Bible hardly gets a look in.

  "The Watchtower Study" where study into the topic beyond what's in the paragraph, and possibly a few marginal references to their own literature, is not encouraged.

  An "Awake!" magazine that has no urgent message to relate beyond puff articles on "The World's Smallest Bat".

  It's all pretty depressing.
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  MissingLink

  What sane person is going to be handed an invitation to attend a convention on something they've never heard about and just decide to travel 300 miles to attend it out of the blue? But I guess sane people aren't really the target demographic.

  I never participated in those. It seemed like a really bad idea to go around your community and tell everyone that you and all the other local JWs were going to be away for the entire weekend. It seemed like inviting someone to rob your house while you're away.
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  yknot

  I agree it is nothing but hyped busywork when not a local event....
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  Elsewhere

  > I agree it is nothing but hyped busywork when not a local event....

  Yup. The invitations are NOT meant to actually cause random people from the public to show up. Several years ago I took an invitation to the District Convention. I dressed in jeans and dress shirt. Just a normal looking guy off the street.

  • I was given ugly looks in the parking lot.
  • I was questioned by elders.
  • I was followed by security guards.

  While there I did not do anything provocative. I wanted to make audio recordings so I talked to the people in the audio department to find a good place to setup my little recorder. My intention was to be as open and honest about my actions and not try to do anything in a "sneaky" manner.

  The elders instantly wanted to know why I was there. I told them I had an invitation that I printed from the watchtower.org website. The elder told me that I cannot trust what the internet says about JWs. I reminded him that the invitation came from their own website.

  Bottom line: If you are a random guy off the streets, you are NOT welcome to the District Convention.
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  TardNFeatheredJW

  I remember in the 70s doing this in philly. They used to reserve part of one of the mornings for this activity. We were supposed to distribute locally.
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  sir82

  I remember in the 70s doing this in philly. They used to reserve part of one of the mornings for this activity. We were supposed to distribute locally.

  That actually made some sense. The convention was in Philadelphia, you were in Philadelphia, and you invited people who were already in Philadelphia to come to the convention.

  The current campaigns are much different.

  Three weeks before the convention even starts, every JW in every congregation goes to every house in their own territory to invite people to the convention in advance. Some territories are 100 miles, 200 miles, maybe even 500 miles or more away (in the case of a foreign language congregation) from the convention site.

  "Hey, there's a group of us (we're not a cult!) getting together about 8 hours drive from here. Surely you'll want to spend $150 in gas, $100 per night on a hotel, and bring your own lukewarm sandwiches and pop to sit in a cramped seat with harsh lighting and awful echoing acoustics to join us won't you? Did I mention the arm-waving lip-synched semi-biblical drama featuring men in skirts and fake beards? You'll love it!"
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  boyzone

  Living on a smalll Island off the south coast of the UK, (Isle of Wight) JW's here are assigned to attend the Bournmouth district convention on mainland UK. (approx 25 miles away) This includes an expensive car ferry journey (approx £60-£100) then a 3 day stay at a hotel (approx £200-£300), Food for the 3 days (£100+) not including any peripheral expenses. Even if a visitor only attended one day they'd still have to pay for the ferry fare and their food and fuel costs.

  Whats the chances of getting someone to attend on the stength of a handbill? Sub-zero.

  This is just Busywork, its pointless and means nothing, just like all the other handbill campaigns they've done.
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  observador

  I couldn't have put it better than sir82 did. In fact, in many places they don't even do handbill distribution for the Convention anymore.

  This reminds me of those "encouragement" to wear your Convetion badge everywhere you go, as if that would produce interest in anyone... haa...

  I think all this, as well as the preaching work itself, is designed much more as a "show of loyalty" to the Org.

  It's the same rational a Gang leader uses to require prospective members to do horrible things before acceptance in the Gang. Nothing more, nothing less.

  Observador