What happened to the "Witness" part of Jehovah's Witnesses?

by donny 25 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  donny

  I just got back from my afternoon walk/run and about a block from home I saw two sets of JW's going door to door handing out invites to the memorial.

  The first pair walked past me and only said "Good afternoon" as they passed.

  About two minutes later the second pair approached me and handed me an invite to 2014 memorial on April 14. I asked them why they chose the JW's as their church of choice and was told "We'd like to chat more but we have a set number of invites we have to get out before the memorial. If you contact the Kingdom Hall listed here, they will tell you more ... on how God's Kingdom will rid the world of Satan and the evil associated with him."

  I replied "You can't talk now?"

  "No sir," came the answer. "We are quite busy at the moment but check out that contact info and your questions will get answered, I promise."

  As he left I took a look at the invite and it is just a 4" x 5" piece of white paper with no pictures. The text reads:

  Memorial of Jesus’ Death

  You are warmly invited to meet with us to observe the anniversary of Jesus’ death. Find a meeting location near you.

  You Are Invited

  On the night before he died, Jesus instructed his disciples to commemorate the sacrifice that he was about to make. He told them: “Keep doing this in remembrance of me.”—Luke 22:19.

  In 2014, the anniversary of Jesus’ death falls on Monday, April 14, after sundown. Jehovah’s Witnesses invite you, your family, and your friends to come on that date to listen to a brief talk explaining why Jesus’ death is so important.

  This free event will take place at:

  1484 Constitution Blvd,
  Salinas, CA 93905
  (831) 442-1400

  What happened to Witnessing by the Witnesses? And I know they are tight on money, but this invite was obviously printed by a publisher on his home PC.
• 

  NAVYTOWN

  I would be very interested to know if ANYONE other than JWs shows up for the Memorial. From my last time attending, it seemed that any non-JWs would feel VERY out of place. The program seemed to be totally geared to people who were already Witnesses. All that Bible-flipping would be a total turnoff to the uninitiated. Plus the sight of nobody partaking of the emblems would seem VERY bizarre.
• 

  neverendingjourney

  From my last time attending, it seemed that any non-JWs would feel VERY out of place.

  This has ALWAYS been the case, at least it has been for me, and my memory goes as far back as the early 80s. It's not tailored for the general public at all. I don't understand how any sane visitor would leave feeling anything but complete confusion over what took place.
• 

  joe134cd

  That just blows my away that they said that. If I genuinely knew nothing about the witnesses and I got a reply like that. It would be see you later amego.
• 

  smiddy

  In my 32 years as a JW , in my experience the only people who attended the memorial service were active JW`s and members of their extended familys , who only came once a year , never to be seen again until the memorial in the following year.

  smiddy
• 

  mariu

  Last time I got a memorial invite at the door, they basically slapped the leaflet into my hand, mumbled a quick thankyougoodbye the same moment and turned on their heels. I didn't even have a chance to get a word in. (Not that I wanted to.) What a fine witness! Those were men in their 30s, which you'd expect to be really active in the service.

  The only other time I ever see JWs in "service" is at public transport stations. They're usually positioned so that nobody would ever stop for them. They hold up a bunch of magazines tightly to their chest, clipped together to show the title in various languages, definitely not in a way that you would feel invited to actually take one. Most of the time it's elderly immigrant ladies silently staring at the opposite wall with a grumpy face or busy talking amongst themselves. The whole thing is just bizarre and an utterly pointless waste of time.

  I mean, I can somehow wrap my head around the door-to-door idea, biblical or not, but whoever claimed that the 1st century Christians stood on street corners passively waiting for people to approach them to find "The Truth"?

  They should consider selling kebabs or something. Then at least they'd talk to people.
• 

  sherrie11

  Regardless that this is a memorial invite the apathy prevalent in modern day witness's just consolidates my experience with the literature stands. Witness's knocked on my door I asked about the stands . the reply was "we are not like greenpeace or others we wait for people to approach us"

  Mariu I agree, in my day they were pro active...
• 

  emeth

  First of all ,.. invitations for the memorial are never printed out by brothers and sisters at home but are printed by the society and look the same worldwide

  2nd the invitations will be distributed starting saturday march 22nd and not sooner.
• 

  blondie

  *** km 2/10 p. 1 par. 2 Memorial Invitations to Be Distributed Earth Wide! ***

  How to Do It: You might hand the invitation to the householder so he can see the cover illustration, then say: “On the evening of March 30, millions around the world will meet to commemorate Jesus’ death. I’m here to give you and your family this invitation to attend. Your friends are also welcome. Please note the time and location of this local observance.” Depending on the circumstances, you may choose to read Luke 22:19 from the Bible to point out the Scriptural command. Keep in mind, however, that since we have a limited time to cover the territory, it is best to be brief.

  *** km 1/08 p. 5 par. 15 “Bear Thorough Witness to the Good News” ***

  Since we have a limited time to distribute the invitations, it is best to have a brief presentation. Be friendly and enthusiastic. You might say something like this: “We want to make sure that you, your family members, and your friends are invited to an important event being held on March 22. Here is your invitation. The details are printed on the invitation.” The householder may have questions. Or he may accept the invitation and even express that he will be present. Make note of the interest shown, and arrange to call back.
• 

  donny

  emeth:

  First of all ,.. invitations for the memorial are never printed out by brothers and sisters at home but are printed by the society and look the same worldwide

  2nd the invitations will be distributed starting saturday march 22nd and not sooner.

  So these JW's are participating in a rogue operation here? This invite was definitley not printed by a professional, so does this mean they are running ahead of Jehovah?