What Nathan said, sign of spiritual progress. BTW if you are an elder, servant, or pioneer you "need" to be on the TMS.
Is everyone required to be enrolled in the theocratic ministry school?
by hoser 28 Replies latest jw friends
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Terry
There was a fellow in my Kingdom Hall (way back when) who not only didn't join the Theocratic Ministry School, but wasn't Baptized, didn't go
out in door to door work OR raise his hand and comment at meetings. He was just THERE at the door greeting people and handing out Wintergreen
Life Saver mints to everybody.
Brother Robinson, I'll never forget him.
He had a key to the Kingdom Hall and was the first person there before meetings.
In the winter he'd have the place all warmed up or in the summer he'd see to it the air-conditioner had been running long enough for comfort.
He was an insurance salesman by profession and he dressed and lived well. But, as I said above, he had none of the traits of an active JW.
His son, Harry Jr., was one of my good JW friends.
Harry Jr. was a riot. Someday I'll tell you about him.
Suffice to mention...
Harry Jr. decided one day he didn't want to be a JW any longer. He borrowed his father's key to the Kingdom Hall and went inside and removed his
Publisher's Card from the file cabinet in the Hall library.
He took it with him and never went back.
Harry and I are still friends.
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THE GLADIATOR
One of my experiences as a boy of 14 years old. (Names changed)
Tim was working on the correct use of notes. He finished giving the six minute talk, using verses from the Bible, to an audience of around a hundred. Picking up his Bible, he left the rostrum and returned to his seat. His father, Ron, who had been assigned as the school overseer, took the platform and swayed from side to side for a moment as he cleared his throat.
‘You have given an excellent talk. This is a fine example to other young people. It shows what can be achieved through training in the theocratic ministry school. You used your notes so well I was unaware you had any. Could you hold up your notes so we can see how few notes are needed, if they are used properly?’
Tim shook his head. ‘I don’t have any notes that I can hold up.’
Ron was exasperated. ‘No notes! How can I counsel you on use of notes if you don’t have any? You’re working on use of notes. You are supposed to have notes. You will have to work on use of notes again next time you give a talk. You have wasted our time today!’
Ron’s handkerchief was out as he mopped his eyes and swayed from side to side with more vigour than before. For a moment Tim felt sorry for his father, until he became aware of the shocked look on the faces of people in the audience. They were looking round to see how he had taken the counsel. The school overseer is not supposed to have a strop but counsel in a kind and tactful way. It seems that on this occasion Ron had lost his cool.
After the meeting a number of people approached Tim, to commend him and see if he was upset. Brother Game approached, smiling.
‘That was a fine talk Tim. It’s a shame about the lack of notes but you haven’t wasted anyone’s time. We always enjoy your talks. I hope this has not upset you. Next time you will have some notes,’ he added, nodding.
‘I did have notes,’ he replied.
Brother Game looked puzzled. ‘But you told your father that you didn’t have any notes.’
Tim raised both eyebrows. ‘No, I said I didn’t have any notes that I could hold up. I only had notes pencilled into the margin of my Bible, to cross- reference the next verse that I needed to go to.’
‘Oh dear Tim, why didn’t you tell your father that and avoid being told off in front of everybody?’
Tim looked at brother Game with a twinkle in his eye and replied dryly, ‘That would have spoilt all the fun!’
Brother Game looked at him for a moment as though he had misunderstood, and then the penny dropped. He started laughing. Chuckling to himself, he patted Tim on the back.
‘I have a feeling that you are going to be alright. Wait until my wife hears about this,’ he said as he walked away still laughing.
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Captain Obvious
When I quit service and after my last shepherding visit, I haven't been assigned any more talks. I work shift work, so I'd usually just say I couldn't do that one, busy. Now, I haven't received a slip in over a year!
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Captain Obvious
When I quit service and after my last shepherding visit, I haven't been assigned any more talks. I work shift work, so I'd usually just say I couldn't do that one, busy. Now, I haven't received a slip in over a year!
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BluesBrother
When I was once a School Overseer (seems a different life now) I tried to make it easy on the students and be sympathetic to those, usually sisters, who had real difficulties with the school. One dear soul produced a doctor's note saying that her nerves were such that public speaking was inadvisable! I assured her that the letter would not have been necessary and she was free to resign the school . There was indeed a list also of school B only names . I have found though that some O/seers take no notice of it and put them in school A anyway
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Quarterback
"It's about time." "It's about time". Those were the words uttered by the conventioneers. Why did they say it?
It was all about the introduction of the Theocratic Min School.
It was announced that sisters could now participate in some instructional capacity in the congregation. Prior to then sisters had no teaching opportunities in the congregations.
Now years have passed, and nobody has ever graduated from that school.
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Simon Templar
The TMS is voluntary. There is no problem not joining or quitting it. Today (not years ago) the school overseer will just smile and accept it. I even know an Elder who was appointed and was not in the school.
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LongHairGal
hoser:
I dropped out because I couldn't stand it. I didn't care if I was in "good standing".
In my opinion, the whole thing was dreamed up to make the men in the religion feel all warm and fuzzy to see the "sisters" working together like it was some kind of quilting bee. It is symptomatic of a religion that is not in reality with real life and people who have jobs and have to function in the world.
It was too stressful to get together with other sisters and also because I feel the women in the religion are inflicted on each other far too much and in a way the men are NOT inflicted on each other.
Also, a person in the workforce has better things to do with their spare time.