Book study potlucks/treat-nights/ice cream soicals, etc. (page 2)

drewcoul

yeah, those were the good old days................... along with competitive basketball games.

Those are the only things I miss.

DA CHEECH:

DITTO! We used to play b-ball about twice a month or so with brothers from about 4 or 5 congregations. We'd rent out a gym and everybody paid 2 bucks and winner stayed on the court......I Definitely miss those good times.

Treat night was really something to look forward to. Especially when Sister Matthews would make her no-bake cookies......I don't know what she did to those, but they were the best!

Leolaia

Yeah I even have a picture of the post-book study potluck from around 1980. I think our congregation did away with it around 1981.

I also remember a post-Memorial potluck at a Witness house located about 2 blocks from my elementary school where the Memorial was held (either in 1979 or 1980). I hated the woman who lived there; my mom was assigned to her as a study and so she babysat me after school because she lived so close to the school, and she was abusive to her kids and very strict to me. I had nightmares about her (I remember a dream from third grade about Halloween and she tried to scare me with a skeleton and I closed my eyes and she said, "No, you see, it glows in the dark!"); I also had my first part at the kingdom hall with her in second grade. Anyway, the potluck was at her house (and I remember wondering WHY we were allowed to call the meals potlucks if luck is so pagan and a big no-no), and I was starving...we went straight to the Memorial without having dinner. But I was worried about the food -- I didn't know if I was allowed to eat it. I know at the Memorial you aren't allowed to eat, so I wasn't sure if this post-Memorial meal was the same. I asked people, "Can I eat? Can I eat?"; no one paid attention to me. But I saw people started eating it, and they weren't of the anointed, so I thought I'd sample the food myself. However it was held outdoors and there wasn't any good lighting. I reached into a bowl and there were these seeds or something like that, and i put it in my mouth and it was HOT, like chili pepper flavored. That made me feel like throwing up. I had no idea what it was I ate. Anyway, that's my memory of that.

blondie

We continued having "treat" nights up until I left 10 years ago. They stopped when the book studies were moved and added with the TMS and service meeting. The book studies were considered small and controlled enough to have treat nights. But some elders were very rigid starting in 1980 and some COs but it was not an official rule for all. It was at the elders discretion. My last congregation even continued to have a picnic where all the congregation was invited but it was not called a "congregation" picnic, people were individually invited with a written invite, and one elder would take "responsibility" for what happened. They still do it.

love2Bworldly

I brought cookies to a book study and the elder said we should not do that every week because it was a distraction for everyone! Sheesh, I could never have any fun doing the most innocent things.

Then we started having talks that basically told us it was not good to have large gatherings because then there was no control. Then we were told in a talk that we shouldn't go do fun outings on Sundays EVEN ONCE IN A WHILE if it meant missing a meeting. Then we were told it was not good to visit other Kingdumb Hells all the time because we should be at our own to support the local congregation.

Talk about a High Control Cult!!! I felt so guilty all the time and so depressed. I am so glad that life is far behind me.

DarioKehl

One of my congregations was quite liberal. It was called "club med" and "the party congregation." Eventually, a heavy-hitter CO came in and wrecked it to pieces. Too bad--it was great while it lasted. I hosted book study in my bachelor pad for a few years and "treat night" was the first Monday of each month. And on Memorial Day and Labor Day, we would move book study to Tuesday! TOTALLY our decision! Anyway, we didn't just have punch and sheet cake. We threw down every month. It was wonderful. In fact, my bachelor kitchen was glad to recieve so much attention--those poor appliances never got used otherwise! We had deep dishes (casseroles, lasagnas, crock pot roasts, chilis...), salads, desserts, pop, I threw all the kids into my bachelor's den and plugged in the Xbox and DVD but theeeeee bessssssst part was this: it wasn't just permitted... it wasn't just allowed... it was EXPECTED, it was almost DEMANDED that booze flowed as soon as the closing "amen" was over. I never cooked, but I'd run and get a case of corona or a 5th of something. It was wonderful. I wouldn't have built my bar had it not been for the monthly addition I made to in the spirit of book study!

THIS is probably why the GB wised up and eliminated book study in the home. It sucked when they did that. Nothing better than the smell of apple pie or jambalaya wafting through my family room as we raced through the Daniel book. And lemmie tell ya, on "treat night," book study lasted about 35 minutes. *sigh*

Here's to fond memories... I would never have begun my fade if I still had the party congo...

serenitynow!

One Saturday bookstudy I went to sometimes had a brother who owned a bakery. Every Saturday he brought an assortment of delicious pastries, and everybody stayed and had a good time. Then they would have the meeting for service, and people would go out for maybe an hour, or until 12 N, whichever came first. Good times.

wha happened?

yea we usually had bookstudy at our house. we always set up treats for after the meeting. once the bookstudy moved out of my house then the treats stopped. No one else bothered with it and people left right after the meeting

factfinder

I was in a book study where EVERY week was cake night!

In other book studies we had cake night about once a month or so. It was something to look forward to!

So were the congregation picnics. Sadly they too came to an end.

It seems like the GB wants to take away any shred of fun in being a witness.

Teary Oberon

Dictating when a congregation can have get-togethers and fun nights isn't the responsibility of the GB. That is more on the individuals in the congregations (and honestly, I am still fine with losing the treat night and extra book study night simply because it saved so many people so much gas from the extra trip).

But yeah, just losing a single treat night after the book study doesn't somehow make it impossible to still get-together and have fun. Teary's old congregation, even after the meeting consolidation, still had cook-outs at local parks, fish frys, basketball games, little parties after Sunday meetings, ect. I supposed you could technically even say that their thursday night schedule included a 'treat night' every week, because about 15 Witnesses (including me) would always end up going to Braum's to get ice cream after the meeting. Yum!

Yolena Bristow

We had 'goody night' at various groups

One group had Goody Morning, before service .. Hot Coffee and Pastries

Book study potlucks/treat-nights/ice cream soicals, etc.

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