New Directives to the Congregation in the UK

by Jim Dee 30 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Englishman

  2 Are there any elderly who have a phone but cannot get to the meetings? If so use the congregation phone to "Hook them up" and count them as attendees!! If there are more than one then use BTs conference service, the elderlys attendance at thje meetings for spiritual food is important (ie we can count them even if they are not here!)

  3. In an elders letter to the congregation in November it highlights "attending the spiritual needs of the territory" including shopping malls, markets, town centres and old peoples homes. It suggests VERY STRONGLY approaching the owners of the mall, market etc to set up a stall to give the mags away.

  It also suggests that the owners of all local old folks homes be contacted to provide a "Free weekly bible discussion" to all elderly who want to attend in the home. This is to be a planned weekly event to increase the number of studys pioneers hold and "provide a valuable service to the community" The society expect to see Bible studies go up by 25% this year

  This so reminds me of when I once ran out of customers in my business. I'd root through the pockets of my old clothes, go on a penny hunt down the sides of the sofa and fish about under the seats of the car looking for loose change to add some money to our meagre and steadily diminishing piggy-bank.

  Hooking up the KH phone line to infirm witnesses to up the attendance figures is really looking down the side of the couch.

  Ah well.

  Englishman.
• 

  willyloman

  Having older ones listen by phone will pump up attendance. Then at the end of a public talk they can say to the 40 people in actual attendance, that all 65 persons enjoyed the talk!

  This was done in my former congo; a typical announcement was, "...all 145 in attendance, including 18 tied in by telephone...."

  I had never heard this before, but I also had never been in a congo where there was a phone system that could accomodate so many. In a previous congo, we had one person hooked up to the sound system by phone, and when others asked to do so, they were told by the PO that we didn't have the technology to do so; he told the elders privately that if we invested in the equipment to allow multiple callers to listen to the meeting by phone, a large number might stop coming. He was adamant and never got much argument from the rest of us. I think there was a feeling on the part of the body that he was right, that if people could "phone it in" they'd stop coming to meetings.

  I wonder how many other halls had systems to allow multiple call-ins?
• 

  anglise

  Hi JD

  2 Are there any elderly who have a phone but cannot get to the meetings? If so use the congregation phone to "Hook them up" and count them as attendees!! If there are more than one then use BTs conference service, the elderlys attendance at thje meetings for spiritual food is important (ie we can count them even if they are not here!)

  3. In an elders letter to the congregation in November it highlights "attending the spiritual needs of the territory" including shopping malls, markets, town centres and old peoples homes. It suggests VERY STRONGLY approaching the owners of the mall, market etc to set up a stall to give the mags away.

  It also suggests that the owners of all local old folks homes be contacted to provide a "Free weekly bible discussion" to all elderly who want to attend in the home. This is to be a planned weekly event to increase the number of studys pioneers hold and "provide a valuable service to the community" The society expect to see Bible studies go up by 25% this year

  They are just targeting the most vulnerable as usual. A few years ago it was the refugees, and learning enough of a relevant foreign language for "witnessing" was being pushed. Has this scheme fallen by the wayside?

  Can we assume from this that the average person they meet on the DTD work is better informed about the JW's due to the internet and media exposure and placements (money) from this source are falling?

  Is it also possible that this is to help them fulfil the status of being a registered charity? or have I become too cynical?

  The elderly are just a soft target and those who care for them must be warned about this new tactic.

  Jim if this information is accurate than maybe a letter campaign is needed.

  Anglise
• 

  Stephanus

  2 Are there any elderly who have a phone but cannot get to the meetings? If so use the congregation phone to "Hook them up" and count them as attendees!! If there are more than one then use BTs conference service, the elderlys attendance at thje meetings for spiritual food is important (ie we can count them even if they are not here!)

  As a fan of Bargain Hunt, I must admit this gave me a fascinating mental image. For this to work for the oldies and to be "just as good" as being at the KH in person, then the person on the phone will need to be able to answer questions, just as if they were there in the hall. So, as in an auction house, there'll need to be a bank of phones manned by people acting as agents for the phone "bidders" (or should that be "biddies"? ), raising their hands on behalf of their house-bound "clients". Phone "bids" will have to be treated as seriously as those from the floor. A spin-off of ensuring the input of the elderly phone conferences will be the creation of a whole new congregational "privilege", as important as, if not more than, the mike-handler, the Congregational Phone Agent. Just think, another chance for the elders to dole out dubious privileges with hefty strings attached. And good news for you, too, Brother Wannabe - another chance for you to show your worth before the "glorious ones!
• 

  blondie

  I

  had never heard this before, but I also had never been in a congo where there was a phone system that could accomodate so many. In a previous congo, we had one person hooked up to the sound system by phone, and when others asked to do so, they were told by the PO that we didn't have the technology to do so; he told the elders privately that if we invested in the equipment to allow multiple callers to listen to the meeting by phone, a large number might stop coming. He was adamant and never got much argument from the rest of us. I think there was a feeling on the part of the body that he was right, that if people could "phone it in" they'd stop coming to meetings.

  Willy, I heard similar concerns in many congregations. There were so many with chronic illnesses but their congos would not put in the equipment. So they would call other congregations and flood the lines available there. Finally one congregation had a list making certain ones priority. If the lines were full, it was too bad.

  Also the brothers running the phone hookups had little understanding of how to do and lost connections.

  The same elders who would not spend a dime on updating the phones would not update the toilets in the sisters' restroom because these services were used exclusively by women.

  Blondie
• 

  drawcad_1

  The first two questions show that the child abuse issue is starting to bit them. But, it is almost a pathetic attempt at controlling it. ?Have you ever been a child molester?? ?Really??. Okay, you?re in. Every child molester out there would readily agree to this question. The fact that they are including the elderly shows a certain amount of desperation on their part. I love the meeting that highlights the annual growth rate. An Elder gets up to give a talk that highlights the statistics of some of the ?lands?. The thing that gets me is he will say ?such-and-such place had a 13% growth rate?, but fail to include that there are only 15 publishers in that country. It will be another year of cooking the books and showing a nominal growth rate.
• 

  95stormfront

  An elder is to be appointed to direct this work and is to communicate progress to the CO directly on a monthly basis.

  Sounds to me like they're putting in a "director of marketing" in every KH too pump up sales...errr...ummm.....attendance; another layer of management to further beat the flock to get t hose numbers up.

  And as usual, they're going after the most vulnerable...the most needy.
• 

  Nosferatu

  1. Before an MS or Elder is appointed a specific question is asked:-

  "Has the brother ever been, or been accussed of, or alledged to be a child molester?" The next question is "are you absolutley sure, is there any hint of this?" - score one for Silent Lambs

  This is hardly a tactic to deal with Child Molesters. They're just preventing Child Molesters from being authority figures. That doesn't do anything for the R&F molesters. Victims will still need 2 witnesses. As usual, the WTS is going only as far as they need to go.

  Also, I'm not sure if they'll do this in North America. Many of you have mentioned that they're really pulling strings to get new elders since young JWs are exiting.

  2 Are there any elderly who have a phone but cannot get to the meetings? If so use the congregation phone to "Hook them up" and count them as attendees!! If there are more than one then use BTs conference service, the elderlys attendance at thje meetings for spiritual food is important (ie we can count them even if they are not here!)

  I believe my old congregation has since had multiple phone lines installed for this purpose.

  It also suggests that the owners of all local old folks homes be contacted to provide a "Free weekly bible discussion" to all elderly who want to attend in the home. This is to be a planned weekly event to increase the number of studys pioneers hold and "provide a valuable service to the community" The society expect to see Bible studies go up by 25% this year

  Once the amount of elderly folks peaks, it won't move anywhere. It does sound like they're really digging to drive the numbers up.

  7.A review of the item "Listening to the voice of strangers" from the last assembly was reviewed. Our CO mentioned the question of the BBC/ Hutton report - however no mention was made of the panorama program (It didn't need to be, everyone knew it anyway)

  Sounds like Apostates are becoming a large concern for the WTS.
• 

  BONEZZ

  Thanks for the info Jim Dee. It's always nice to be several steps ahead of the R&F...and some of you others are right on when you said it's all about getting into the old folks wills. And yes, they may be trying to fullfill some sort of charity requirement with the nursing home visits.

  -BONEZZ
• 

  Klaus Vollmer

  on the continent there is moving too into these directions:

  congregations are ordered to work out following situations within their district:

  airport, habors, highway-parking places, large shopping centers, homes for elderly people, flea markets, universities, high schools and such like institutions where preaching can or could be organized.

  They are going to define solutions to preach there, with theocratic warfare: not to mention WTS but speaking in the own name where in the shopping centres or big train stations there is demanded eg an insurance or something fee like that, must be payed from the brothers.

  When a commune has a special celebration where things are sold or so JWs are encouraged from WTS to be present.

  This new preaching aerea seems to have given already some good experiences.

  The JWs are encouraged to find new ways to preach.

  I wonder how that would function as the attendents of the meetings decline, less baptized ones, declining publishers and a young generation that like more the lord of the rings than Jesus Christ.

  These developments I heard from Germany and Austria.