Standing Room Only at Tulsa District Convention

by darthfader 41 Replies latest jw friends

  • undercover
    undercover
    Is it true they are starting to strong-arm people to sit with their assigned congregations?

    It's been a few years since I've attended but when I last attended, each congregation was assigned a section to clean. So a lot of the dubs sat in the assigned cleaning section. Over time it kind of became the thing to do - sit in your assigned section. Occasionally an elder might "suggest" at the Service Meeting before the convention for everyone to try to sit in the assigned section, making it easier to clean after the session.

    But, as of my last time there, there was no hard or fast rule that people had to sit there. It was just a "suggestion". But you know now suggestions go in the organization...if you don't follow suggestions, you're viewed as rebellious.

    My personal experience was that it worked better to not sit in the assigned section. I sat across the coliseum. That way - by the time I made it across, the dubs already in that section had already grabbed all the available brooms and other tools and were well on their way to being done. I'd grab a trash bag and carry it out on my way out to the parking lot, making it look like I had been there and done something.

  • snowbird
    snowbird
    I'd grab a trash bag and carry it out on my way out to the parking lot, making it look like I had been there and done something.

    Sneaky, sneaky ...

    LOL.

    Syl

  • CuriousButterfly
    CuriousButterfly

    Is it true they are starting to strong-arm people to sit with their assigned congregations? We always sat with friends and family from other congregations (any place that had enough room), but the latest news is they want all members to sit in the same area with their congregation (I guess to make sure "Brother Noshow" was present all three days). I can't imagine having assigned seating.

    That is completely new to me and is not done at least in New England.

  • CuriousButterfly
    CuriousButterfly

    But remember the attendants and other workers are inside the building and can quickly save seats, faster than people outside the building.

    Completely agree and understand.

  • seawolf
    seawolf

    It was packed there. Had to park 4 blocks away and got soaked in the rain. fun fun fun when the power went out, too.

  • Palimpsest
    Palimpsest

    This has been happening at the DCs for my circuit periodically over the past few years -- not because the interest is so great (attendance stays pretty stable), but because the society is so cheap and keeps renting places that aren't big enough. Even when they rent large facilities, they only pay for the first level, so if they get any overflow, they can't go past the dividers into the second level. They've also been skimping out on renting folding chairs for the floor seating area because they don't want to pay to have enough set up.

    Also, the overall size of the facilities used in my area has been steadily decreasing since I was younger, and they've been moving farther and farther out of the major cities. For example, went went from a large civic center in a metro area of 700,000, to mid-sized civic center in a city of 124,000, to a university basketball hall in a town of 35,000. They're saving money by going farther out and renting less space, but it makes for cramped quarters indeed.

  • darthfader
    darthfader

    I havent spoken to my parents since the weekend. But they are in their 70's and probably didnt wan't to walk the 4+ blocks to the convention center. I remember when I was probably 7 or 8 at Dodger stadium -- I saw "brothers and Sisters" running to get seats in the shady sections.... Oh how I miss the chocolate pudding and burritos :)

  • carla
    carla

    That means they are not organized.

  • LongHairGal
    LongHairGal

    sacolton,

    Yes, they are trying to pressure people to sit in an assigned area. I think this is a control mechanism to see who is present and I also suspect it is a way to put people on the spot to give rides to others.

    This became a bone of contention to single sisters in my area because they were targeted to be chauffeurs. The problem is that they couldn't get out of it!! People then acted like it was their "Job". To save their sanity they had no choice but to flee and sit where they were anonymous and nobody could bother them. Sorry, if this sounds cruel but you have no idea what it is like to be hounded. Going to the assembly 'incognito' was a relief and breath of fresh air and we wouldn't have it any other way. Either that or we would not go at all.

  • Nathan Natas
    Nathan Natas

    Scully and I are of one mind on this matter!

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