Assemblies - Before and After Waking Up

Funchback

Happy Friday to all!

I haven't been to a meeting for maybe 10 years. I only know what's happening nowadays from the experiences I read here or the Internet in general.

Anyway, on to the topic: I started attending meetings at the age of 7. As a kid, the only thing I looked forward to at the assemblies (Circuit/District) was walking around Veteran's Stadium (Philadelphia District Convention) during intermission, hanging with friends, looking at girls (as I got a little older) and trying to have enough tickets to get pizza!

After intermission, I looked forward to sleeping. Fortunately, I had a cool mom, unlike my friends. Man, if they dozed off, they would get plucked hard on the head by their parents.

At the DCs, I also looked forward to the drama, as it was the only thing "spiritually" that interested me.

At the CAs, I only looked forward to pizza and lemon-lime Shasta.

Then, one day pizza was off the menu and Shasta was replaced by Vess (the billion bubble beverage).

Eventually, to save money, the WTBTS decided to have everyone BYO food (making like the decision was to benefit the people). They also tied to this the "rule": Do not go to public vendors and buy your lunch. Bring your own! Me thinks this was because, if you spend money on food, you will donate less to the Society.

As an adult, I never looked foraward to any convention or assembly...I only looked forward to eating out afterward.

After waking up to TTATT, I loathed the assemblies! I hated everything about them, from the brothers walking around with the 'Quiet please' and 'Please be seated' signs to the pioneers sitting by the cash boxes to the echoes of the brothers' voices giving the talks (Hello...hello...Please open-pen-pen your bibles to-to-to...) to the haughty way they changed their voices during talks to the parking lot attendants to the demonstrations to the final prayer. I HATED IT ALL!

And what about you? How high was your level of annoyance when you were "in" (but out)?

How about those of you still "in" but awake? Are you losing your mind yet?

Brian

ToesUp

"Quiet please and 'Please be seated' signs "

I hated those signs! Especially, when I was walking around with a rambunctious 2 year old, trying to keep my child quiet so I didn't get the stink eye by the attendant at my seat. Just like the JW's, you sit down and get the stink eye for having a wiggly kid and then you take them out and get the crazy signs shoved in your face. You're damned if you do and damned if you don't.

Wasanelder Once

I go back to the days when the district convention was held outdoors at fairgrounds and the like. The most fun at them was working in the kitchen as a preteen, wearing the tall aprons and paper hats in the kitchen as a go-fer. We played as much as we worked and didn't have to listen to the drivel much. Those HUGE pots with food cooking in them were impressive. There were tables, to eat at standing up, that were miles long it seems. This was in Monterey California in the 60's. Witnesses came from all over in their campers and such. A strange but sincere lot they were. That was when they were really students of WT crap. After waking up? Couldn't stomach the BS and stopped attending immediately.

Funchback

Just like the JW's, you sit down and get the stink eye for having a wiggly kid and then you take them out and get the crazy signs shoved in your face. You're damned if you do and damned if you don't.

You couldn't win, could you? Everyone in your section looking at you, like, 'Will you please take your noisy child out of here so we can pay attention?' and then, after you go out to the corridors, you get the sign guys standing in front of you, effectively telling you to shut your baby up and go sit down.

pile2222

I never liked going to any conventions or assemblies because it´s just too damn long to sit in those uncomfortable stadium seats and the hours would never go by! The only thing that I looked forward to is also the drama and going home at the end. A weekend wasted.

WingCommander

Ahhh yes......"The Vet". One who had attended that concrete circular hell will never forget it. You either froze your balls off, or nearly died of heat stroke. It was usually the latter. I remember sitting up top, like at the VERY top around 1983-84. In July or so. It was PURE HELL. You couldn't hear a damn thing at that elevation except echo, and you got the full blast of the sun for not just hours, but DAYS on end because DC's were like 4-6 days or something.

Circuit Assembly? I remember being very young, and going down to a race and/or polo track. That was kind of neat. But mostly, it was the old Grantville Assembly Hall. Back when they actually served FOOD!! Back when the carpet and seats were ORANGE! When they had a woman actually play a grand piano up at the bottom of the stage. It had food service and a dining room! It also had the coolest baptismal pool I've ever seen in my life. My parents got dunked there around 1982 or so. I was witnessed it at age 3, and still remember it. The pool was great because the walls surrounding it were this nature seen, with frogs, birds, etc. I don't mean painted, I mean 3D painted, etc. There were also little waterfalls trickling down the sides, of real water! The railing was a cast iron, that I can still smell/taste even 30+ years later.

But seriously, CA's and DC's were the some of the most boring times of my life. School was 1000 x more preferable to me, as it kept my attention and I could take a leak without getting the "frown" from my parents.

MarkofCane

Still have to go, due to family. But some day not far into the future I will say, "no mas and adios baby". I said to my wife why don't they shorten it to maybe 4 hours max why drag it out and just repeat the same old crap there going to change anyways (nu lite)?

I can make 4 hrs disappear quickly. 1st hr. walk around and talk to old friends, 2nd hr. read on my I pad (Game of Thrones).....What lunch time (sweet mother of Jesus) long lunch out with the family, time it so I only have maybe 1.5 left. (repeat morning session activities until fat lady sings)

Still such a waste of time and money, cant wait till the day, its all in the past. Oh and contributions..... goose eggs

baker

Never did clap, always thought it was an outward show of total agreement. The last prayer would usually last 10 minutes over the stated ending time, sometimes i would clap cause it was over

TipsyMangoTea

MarkofCane Same here! I try to either read Game of Thrones or Harry Potter during the assemblies and meetings until Mom notices, then I cover my phone with the Watchtower magazine or Bible and peek-read my preferred literature that way, hahaha.

baker My sister and I stopped clapping for anything and just give each other looks of relief when the assembly or meeting is over. Sometimes we'd make faces during extra long prayers to break the monotony. ^_^*

BeautifulMind

Ahhhhhh...the good old days at the Vet! We used to sit all the way at the top too in the nose bleed section. It was pretty empty up there. The highlight when I was a teen was walking around with my friends at the Vet, and at the Buckingham circuit assembly being there at like 5:30 in the morning with my friends helping to make and serve breakfast and lunch. But as I got older, I could barely stay in my seat for more than 5 minutes. The talks were boring and predictable. For the final talk, I had my clap hands ready for the "friends, did you enjoy this wonderful program?!" and other such clap-ready statements. Oh, and that final prayer was a killer!! I started kicking off my heels to get ready for what seemed like an eternity prayer. So glad I don't go anymore!

Assemblies - Before and After Waking Up

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