Congregation Letter - 2021 Magazines Delayed???

by JWTom 26 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • JWTom
    JWTom

    I see that the January-February 2021 Meeting Workbooks have now been released since I posted this topic. Myself and I think many others had a thought that the Meeting Workbooks would be adjusted for 2021 given Covid-19 impacts continuing likely through the end of 2021 or even longer potentially.

    The idea that JWs (like me) are continuing to sit in meetings and to talk about the door to door ministry while there is no door to door ministry is INSANE.

    I think many R&F JWs were hopefully that 2021 would bring some acknowledgement of the pandemic, that we are no longer meeting in Kingdom Halls, that we are no longer doing traditional ministry and so on and so on.....

    Even my strongly PIMI father has stated "if JW Org. continues to pretend that the pandemic has not happened....then they are going to start losing many people".

  • Anna Marina
    Anna Marina

    You mean coronavirus took them by surprise? Oh. Not like World War I then. Guess that was back in the day when they were on the ball.

    Still, God has purpose not a plan and they can only discern his purpose looking backwards. He didn't have to send them a prophet and say - "three weeks to COVID, get ready guys." He just did it and then they've got to do catch up. Yeah... just kind of like nothing in the Bible.

  • Diogenesister
    Diogenesister
    the end of this system is dependent upon the "good news" being spread throughout the earth, a few well placed television, radio and internet ads could have the job done in a matter of hours. They could briefly tell people the gist of the message and where to learn more about it. The supposed end to mankind suffering could happen within the year.

    I agree, but that would involve the actual Corp JW.org spending their own money, and they'd never do that!!!!

  • Jeffro
    Jeffro

    notsurewheretogo:

    I've seen you post this a few times and I agree it is very strange...have they ever mentioned in great detail COVID in any of their publications yet?

    COVID-19 only appears a few times on Watchtower Library (the DVD version).

    Meeting Workbook, May 2021, page 9:

    ASK YOURSELF, ‘What lessons regarding being prepared can I learn from the COVID-19 pandemic?’

    Bible Questions Answered, article 176:

    The Bible does not foretell specific pandemics or diseases, such as COVID-19, AIDS, or the Spanish flu.

    Neither elaborates on anything specific about COVID-19.

    The rest are in their "How Your Donations Are Used" series (one of which contains the only reference to "coronavirus").

    How Your Donations Are Used (July 2020):

    Typically, such a project would take a year or more to plan and complete. But because of circumstances resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, translators of the 2020 “Always Rejoice”! Regional Convention had less than four months to complete the work.

    How Your Donations Are Used (August 2020):

    [Footnote]
    The sets for Nehemiah: “The Joy of Jehovah Is Your Stronghold” were created before the COVID-19 pandemic. Physical distancing was not required at that time.

    How Your Donations Are Used (October 2020):

    Some of our brothers in Sri Lanka have suffered food shortages as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    How Your Donations Are Used (November 2020):

    To support this growth, Local Design/Construction Departments around the world planned to build or renovate more than 2,700 places of worship during the 2020 service year.
    Unfortunately, these plans were hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic. To protect our brothers and sisters and to comply with government regulations, the Publishing Committee of the Governing Body paused the majority of construction projects worldwide.

    How Your Donations Are Used (February 2021), which has the most they've ever said about COVID in their publications:

    The year 2020 saw numerous natural disasters and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. How have Jehovah’s Witnesses helped those affected?
    During the 2020 service year, the Coordinators’ Committee of the Governing Body approved spending 28 million dollars on disaster relief. This provided relief for victims of over 200 disasters—including the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple tropical cyclones, flooding in Africa, food shortages in Venezuela, and drought in Zimbabwe. The donated funds helped pay for food, water, shelter, clothing, and medical care, as well as basic supplies for cleaning, repairs, and reconstruction. Consider a few examples of the relief work.
    COVID-19. All over the world, the pandemic affected our brothers and sisters physically, emotionally, and economically. To help them, over 800 Disaster Relief Committees (DRCs) were formed worldwide. These committees monitored our brothers’ needs and provided prompt reports that helped the Coordinators’ Committee know how best to direct the relief.
    Throughout the year, DRCs helped many to obtain food, water, items for sanitation, and basic medicine. In some areas, DRCs also worked with local elders to help brothers access government aid.
    Non-Witnesses have noticed our relief work. For example, Field Simwinga, the district commissioner for Nakonde, Zambia, told our brothers: “We are indebted for your timely provision of much-needed relief to the affected families.”
    Food Shortages in Angola. The COVID-19 pandemic affected food supplies in Angola and raised prices significantly. Many of our brothers and sisters found it increasingly difficult to buy food.

    So their primary motivation relating to COVID-19 seems to solidly revolve around 'please give us more money'.

    Still no sign of Awake!

  • dropoffyourkeylee
    dropoffyourkeylee

    This is a little off topic, but I am a little surprised they are not trotting out the 'there will be pestilences in one place after another' prophecy. They used to say that the 1918 flu was fulfillment of that, and surely by the same reasoning they could say that the COVID 19 is. A little curious to me.

  • mynameislame
    mynameislame

    I would have assumed it had to do with folks hording toilet paper and they didn't want to give up their stash?

  • mikeflood
    mikeflood

    Maybe they're gonna eliminate Awake or Watchtower public edition....or both....

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