Part 1 of some memories
I was an elder in the cong and had a young family and a demanding job about an hours drive away
I suppose most elder bodies had vocal passengers and some workers, literally Pne elder could explain in detail how to claim benefits rather than work so you would think with no job ties he could have all the time in the world to help...wrong!
Mmy phone rang I day at the office around midday. Bro no work the elder as informing me of a young married brother who had apparently committed suicide at work, this persons wife had rung the elder to ask for help, she was not a witness.
After a brief conversation with bro no work I said I would call him when I got home for any updates.
It was around 7 that evening when I got in to learn that bro no work had rung to speak to me a couple of times that evening. I rang him at once only to learn that he had done nothing or seen anyone! Apparently the young brothers parents and siblings did not know this terrible news!
I collected bro no work in my car and began the terrible time of getting round the family to relate some of what we had heard. I did not describe any suicide methods or grim details but tried to at best help relate just the sad news.
The parents were first and then they left it to the two of us to tell the siblings
I had called the wife of this brother to apologise for not being there earlier in the day and eventually visited her, I nearly exploded with rage when bro no work started to talk about widows pensions. I almost swore at him and shut him up.
The next day the late brothers parents rang me in distress as they had been told by sister jobs comforter that no brother would take a funeral. I assured them that if asked I would handle a talk at the crematorium. On the Sunday post mtg the elders met and mumbled about checking with the branch re a funeral. I said they had a moral obligation to the living who needed every comfort and that there WOULD be an announcement to the cong when date and time arranged
To this day many years later I have never told anyone what caused this suicide, although I knew from personal conversations with the lost brother what reduced him to this action. I attended the inquest with none of his family except his wife and heard the evidence of WHAT happened but not WHY. I did not relate what I had heard in private from the lost brother as all his family deserved at least dignity.
At the funeral I centred thoughts against the scripture " God is not so unrighteousness as to forget you good works for him"
That was one of many examples of the two classes , not of Gods servants, but of the elders,, workers and talkers. Bro no work continued milking the state for welfare until his recent death.
Not all my memories are so sad but many bitter over inaction over child abuse or just plain funny. Who remembers the assembly at Oldham Athletic when scores had paint dropped on them as the main stand was being repainted while we sat there! More elder or animal memories soon