Sit back, kids, and let me tell you about Willis B. Bentley, Jr. If any of you had him as a CO you can probably add your own stories.
He was like a cross between Eddy Murphy and Al Sharpton, gesticulating and pulling faces as he spoke. He'd pace back and forth across the platform at times, pointing his long fingers at the audience and rolling his eyes.
He was a complete control freak. In every congregation in our circuit (Boston, MA) he made the brothers rearrange the seats, even theater seats, unbolting them from the floor and moving them around.
Then, at each meeting the publishers would be greeted by an attendant who would seat them, filling in the front rows first and leaving no empty seats.
He had a meeting with the ministerial servants and elders where he went to the literature and magazine counters and checked out the surplus/old literature and made all of them buy a chunk of it themselves so that the congregation didn't carry it on their books. (This was back when we were still paying for literature instead of donating.)
His elders' meetings on Friday night were legendary, running late in to the night. Everyone was expected to show up for FS the next day, and many elders were tired, especially the older ones. Ministerial servants were expected to buy donuts for everyone and bring them to the hall. Each elder was placed at the end of a row of chairs, and then those who wanted to work with with Bro. Bentley were to sit in their row, wives not allowed to work with their husbands.
Bro. Bentley worked in FS almost exclusively with children. Kids loved him.
We all had to meet back at the hall at noon and report in on placements and interest found. Wednesday evening service was mandatory as well, and Bentley would give a report, congregation by congregation at the next Circuit Assembly of the percentage of publishers present for evening witnessing. Most congregations had in excess of 100% of pubs because he'd count everyone who could speak in complete sentences.
He was absolutely the most out of touch individual I've ever met. He bragged that he'd never held down a secular job in his life. He was raised in a divided household, pioneered after high school then went to Bethel. From there he went into the circuit work.
I remember a talk he gave in which he thundered from the platform about those who left dirty dishes in the sink and then went to a meeting. Then he got on a rant about people who didn't brush their teeth before coming to a meeting.
Now, at the time my schedule got me home at 6:15 with 45 minutes to get something to eat and make it to a 7:00 meeting. I told my husband, "It's going to be one or the other - the dishes or the teeth. Can't do both." I chose the teeth.
He had a bunch of aphorisms he loved to trot out, like "Are you whole souled or do you have a hole in your soul?" He was really good at the no-excuses approach to "encouragement." In his world, every moment you weren't at work or school you should be in the ministry. Okay, but when do I do the dishes?
Anybody else remember Willis B. Bentley, Jr?
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The Odd Life of Jehovah's Witnesses
