Publisher Attendance Records

by Lozza Aussie 17 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  tiki

  micro-management. and then he could find out why the absences and color code them in varying levels of credibility. Like, pale pink = they had a headache/stomachache - lousy excuse; hot pink = they had to work - losing sight of prime importance of meetings over making a living; red = hospitalized in traction - okay, but somebody better tape the meeting for them to listen to. and the ultimate black mark just not there and don't give a dammm.

  maybe the poor dude is just wicked bored with the same ole stuff day in and day out and this is his means of amusement. hahhaha.....i used to count how many times people commented in WT studies....and grade them on meaningfulness. most were pretty lame....
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  Splash

  Next time it's out in the open, use your phone and take a photo of it. Tell the elder and the COBE that this violates the data protection act and you will email it to the CO for his opinion.

  Ask what he expects the congregation will say when you show them their 'records'.

  Splash.
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  blondie

  Actually, it bothered me that the elders never noticed I was on vacation or had been seriously ill until they couldn't find my time slip for the month. But then I was only a woman who had no privileges in the congregation that had to be covered by someone else when I was gone.

  One elder (who tried to be kind and was cruelly treated himself by the other elders) told me about an event in his congregation. An older sister with a non-jw husband had been coming to the congregation for many years, faithful and cheerful. No one called...no one when she suddenly stopped coming...the rumor was she had moved to Florida. No one called....6 weeks went by and the CO was going to be visiting. He took this elder with him to call on this sister. The husband came to the door....looked at the two brothers who asked if she were home, that they were there to encourage her and said, "You're too late." She died last week and the funeral was yesterday." How could congregation let 6 weeks go by without checking on her....no one?

  I have found that the elders for the most part have no time to check up on people unless they are a thorn in the collective BOE (back)side.
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  St George of England

  As stated above it's probably an over jealous elder trying to look efficient.

  However, I remember in the 1950's and maybe even into the 60's when a roll call was taken at the start of the Ministry School each week.

  George
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  steve2

  The format may be new,but the "practice" of taking a head count and noting who is absent is not. A n earlier poster is correct. In my local congregation, in the earlier years there was a roll call of publishers at the theocratic ministry school. At some stage it morphed into a checklist of who was/wasn't present at that meeting without names being called out. The CO always knew beforehand percentages of publishers not attending - this served as one of the topics to include in the COs talks. I remember a few occasions in which close to 100% publisher attendances occurred closer to the COs visits - we got a pat on the back and a warning not to just to do it in the lead up to his visit!
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  Quarterback

  I would mess up this Elder's mind when he came to visit me. When he brings up the absence, going back a few months, I would state that his records are not accurate. I was there all along, he just didn't see me.
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  steve2

  LOL Quarterback - although may be wise to contradict the elder's record only if you have another witness to back you up - i.e., the 2-witness rule.
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  Oubliette

  Virtually all elders do this, most just make a "mental note" of who is and isn't in attendance. That being said, I've seen quite a few elders over the years with their Attendance Records.

  It's a nice way to turn something that should be done with joy into something that is done for appearances and to please men, or more likely out of fear of being harrassed by the elders.