by darkspilver 10 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
The locations and months for the seven 2018 Special Conventions (AKA International Conventions) have been announced.
Of course they wouldn't be special without a logo - see bottom of post......
Locations
Papua New Guinea - Port Moresby - July 2018
Sri Lanka - Colombo - July 2018
Mozambique - Maputo - September 2018
Peru - Lima - November 2018
Basic Eligibility Requirements
+ You attend a congregation that has been invited by the local branch office. Or, someone in an eligible congregation has invited you to join their travel group. Your congregation secretary can provide further details on these arrangements.
+ You are exemplary in every respect, including dress and grooming.
+ You are able to travel without the physical assistance of others. Standing and walking for long periods of time should not pose a health risk.
+ You can stay in one of the designated hotels for a minimum of seven nights.
All applicants should meet one of the following requirements, as of January 1, 2018
+ 19 years of age or older and serve as elders, as ministerial servants, or in some form of full-time service.
+ Baptized for 20 years or longer. The baptized mates of such ones may apply as well.
+ Baptized and unbaptized minor children between the ages of 12 and 19 years and are still living at home may accompany their baptized parent(s).
+ Baptized adult children still living at home may accompany their baptized parent(s).
Submitting Your Application
+ If more than one member of a family is applying, a separate application is needed for each person in the family.
+ Applications should be submitted to the secretary and you will receive an e-mail message when they have been entered into jw-org asking you to verify the submitted e-mail address.
+ Please submit your application by the due date announced to your congregation.
+ It is not necessary to contact the branch office to determine if you have been selected. If selected to attend you will be notified via e-mail, and more information related to the specific convention for which you have been approved will be provided, including the specific dates. If you have a question about your status, ask your congregation secretary. If he informs you that your “Status Summary” on jw-org indicates “Applied,” you have not yet been selected.
Travel Groups
+ Effort will be made to accommodate the requests of those who wish to attend the same convention with family members or friends. However, the size of the group will be limited to no more than eight persons. One member of the group should be designated to serve as the group contact before applications are submitted. Generally, a brother will serve as the contact. However, if a group is comprised of sisters only, one of them may act as the group contact. To be linked together, each applicant must use the same travel group identification.
+ To obtain a group ID, the group contact should request one from the congregation secretary as soon as possible. He must provide his e-mail address to the secretary in order to receive a group ID. The secretary will obtain a unique number from jw-org and provide it to the group contact. The group contact must provide the group ID to the other members in his group for them to include on their respective applications. Using the same number will be the only way to link applicants wishing to travel together. This includes friends as well as all family members (even a marriage mate and others in the same household). Also, all members in a group must stay in the same hotel and have the same preferences for activities.
Convention Arrangements
+ You will benefit, not only from the spiritual association during the three-day convention, but also by spending three additional days with the local brothers either before or after the convention so that there may be “an interchange of encouragement by one another’s faith.” (Rom 1:12) Therefore, you will spend at least seven nights in the convention city.
+ The host branch office will provide you an Approved Hotel List at the time of your selection. You will be required to make your own reservation directly with one of the hotels listed on the jw2018.org website
+ The host branch office will create an itinerary for your group based on your activity preferences. This will include field service, attending a gathering with local brothers and possibly visiting places of local interest.
+ Travel agencies can be used for auxiliary tours before or after the seven days spent in the convention city.
+ No plans should be made until you have been selected as a delegate.
Reminders
+ Airfare, hotel stays, meals, and other costs can be expensive. Heed Jesus’ advice at Luke 14:28 to “calculate the expense.”
+ Please make sure all in your group have up to date passports and understand any specific travel requirements before you travel.
+ Only individuals who are selected by the branch office as delegates should plan to attend one of the special conventions. Problems arise when individuals who are not delegates attend these events due to the limited amount of space at each convention location.
+ Applications should be submitted by the date specified by the congregation secretary.
+ You may invite someone from within your own branch territory to join your travel group if they attend a congregation that is not invited and they meet the requirements mentioned above.
+ Single persons may apply if they either have prearranged a roommate of the same gender or agree to pay the single-supplement price for a single occupancy hotel room.
+ Individuals who are engaged and will be married before the convention can apply as a group, similar to a married couple.
They've also pre-registered JW2019 , JW2020 & JW2021,org.... I guess Armaggeddon isn't coming any time soon. jw2022.org is available if anyone wants to reserve it - business opportunity for someone LOL.
A relative of mine went on one of these trips this year - he sounded a bit deflated when he was discussing it. 3 days at the assembly , another day on the ministry ( like - huh? ) , a couple of days socialising with the JW locals who weren't really very hospitable and basically only 1 day sightseeing in a long coach tour that included a visit to a local factory making ( and selling ) ceramic pots ( of the classic "money to the tour operator" modus. )
He's actually thinking of going back in a couple of years to the same location & having a proper vacation and seeing some of the local sites. To rub it all in , I asked him how much he paid the Society for the hotel , and put it into my smartphone - it came up with a price over 40% cheaper for the same dates next year on Expedia. It all just sounds nice a nice little earner for the WTBTS rather than anything else.
I don't know the exact figures for this kind of exercise , but if they can get 10,000 delegates to 7 conventions and make at least $300 hotel booking commission from each of them plus all the kickbacks from the local host city etc - it's at least 20 million dollars pure profit . Easy money , I guess , and there were a couple of USA high-up Bethelite freeloaders travelling as well ( supposedly to act as "coordinators" , but my relative said he hardly saw them ) as well.
dozy: They've also pre-registered JW2019 , JW2020 & JW2021,org.... I guess Armaggeddon isn't coming any time soon. jw2022.org is available if anyone wants to reserve it - business opportunity for someone LOL.
FAKE..... sorry
The WT have registered 2019 and 2020,org
But it appears that other people (non-WT) have already registed both 2021 and 2022 .org
The WT registered the following domain names all at the same time - on July 30, 2015:
http://whois.domaintools.com/jw2016.org
http://whois.domaintools.com/jw2017.org
http://whois.domaintools.com/jw2018.org
Then, in a post on this forum two years ago (in 2015) under the title: "Proof that Armageddon will come in 2020 or 2021" -
berrygerry: The Borg has also registered jw2017, jw2018, jw2019, and jw2020 (all .org)
However, they have not reg'd jw2021. THEREFORE, the conclusion in the title.
(a non-WT has reg'd jw2022,org) ( jw2021,org is presently available, wink-wink).
https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/481980004/proof-that-armageddon-will-come-2020-2021
And it appears that someone (not WT) took berrygerry's advice, because on October 1, 2015, the 2021 variation was registered:
While someone else had already on September 18, 2015, registered the 2022 variation:
Ha.
Time flies when you're having fun.
Just another example from the cult to show that "the worldwide brotherhood" has different glorified levels like Scientology & Freemasonry. J.W's are not "all brothers" as they love to brag about - and neither does the " faithful slave" provide the same "spiritual food" to all of the "domestics".
We went abroad on a 'Special Convention' once , it was enjoyable at the time. Of course I was motivated then. The rules at that time were not so stringent . We just had to be recommended by the cong. I recall the instruction to elders "Do not recommend oddities! "
WT letters and application forms regarding 2018 Special Conventions:
September 7, 2017 TO ALL CONGREGATIONS Re: 2018 Special Conventions
hat tip to wifibandit: https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5760262344802304/_post/5711738743816192
Dates for Regional Conventions in Britain and Ireland released today (Monday, December 11, 2017)
2018 Britain and Ireland Regional Conventions: List of Dates / Venues
Here you can find the Regional Conventions 2018 for Germany.
Insert the name of the town in the field "Eine Adresse oder einen Ort eingeben".
