Tempers A Flare at "Quick Builds"

by orangefatcat 30 Replies latest jw friends

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  2escaped lifers

  I saw a lot of it at Quick Builds. I began working on them in the mid 80's, and rarely missed one in our region until I left the cult three years ago.

  For several years I was an Assistant Department Head of the Design Department in our Region, which meant we did all the drawings for the builds. We had to meet numerous times with the local body of elders and the regional qb committee, well before the quick build ever started. This was one of the things that started me questioning my faith, because some of these meetings, which were only elders and the occassional ministerial servant, were extremely combative. Local elders wanted their way, the regional committee wanted their way, and the occassional Circuit Overseer or District Overseer demanded his input. Sometimes these meetings would end with elders, grown "spiritually mature" men, walking out on the meeting and slamming the door in anger. On more than one occassion, the regional committee had to write "ugly" letters to CO's and DO's who stuck their nose in the regional committee's business.

  Department head meetings could also get pretty nasty. I had one electrical department head tell me I was stupid and that there was no way in hell he was going to install the electrical service panels like our drawings showed (which had been approved by an Architect and approved by the local building officials). He didn't like the extra trouble it took to install commercial type electrical panels, he was going to install two side by side residential power panels, and wire the place like he wanted. We argued for quite some time, even the regional committee had to get involved, and can you believe that they sided with the electrical guy because our region didn't have many experienced electricians, and they didn't want to piss him off, or he wouldn't come. They said they had dealt with him before, and if we pushed him too hard, he would just pack up his tools and leave the site. So rather than risk losing this guy, the regional committee let him wire the hall in an illegal manner, and tried to run interference when the inspectors came, and somehow got away with it.

  Anyway, I saw plenty of ugly arguments, and most of them were not on the job site, but between bodies of elders. I have been in plenty of worldly business and construction meetings, and rarely do they get as heated or ugly as some of the quick build meetings. Sheesh....

  Brandon
• 

  stopthepain

  jdub answer to that"didn't paul and barnabas have a fight".Always an answer.
• 

  unclebruce

  Yes, Beck Melbourne,

  They are still being built - bigger and more modern than ever.. Brisbane to the Victorian border is one long chain of new Kingdom Halls (them and the latest church fetish for big white crosses ruins an otherrwise lovely drive).

  Not long ago Ben Dykstra from Adelaide was in charge of building kingdom and ass halls throughout asia/pacific.

  cheers, unclebruce
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  PinTail

  Yeah in Colorado once I had this twit talk to me like I was his slave, so I knocked him on his ass.

  And once in the hall I was attending, these old brothers (elders) were doing some repair and swore at me to hurry up and they kept it up over and over, needless to say went over and asked him nicely to not speak to me in that manor, and again he continued so I slapped him accross his face in front of the rest and reminded him he was supposed to be a man of god, he swore more at me so slapped him accross his face till he shut up.

  I know it sounds real bad for me to have done that but I don't deserve to be done to like that not from the glorious ones (elders), what a farce.

  Shane
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  Curious Mind

  Hey ,unclebruce have you got any more news from Australia, i can just imagine Ben Dykstra strutting his stuff,that whole family thinks there shit dont stink
• 

  unclebruce

  LOL - you know the Dykstas?

  Ben and Eric were OK but Sally was stuck up .. I was best man at Benitas wedding .. she was pretty upset that my wife popped out a baby before her - JW hieracy is a veeery peculiar thing.

  cheers, unc

  you have me curios about yourself cm .. it's getting near my snooze time but we'll have to catch up one day
• 

  orangefatcat

  I am never suprised about the manners and antics and tatics of JWs' in places of higher responsability. Their christian love abounds.

  Can you imagine the Amish or Quakers acting like a bunch of ya hoos? These simplistic people are excellent examples of men and women working side by side. And the Amish don't use modern machinery the way the rest of us have. They are a spirited people..

  Jehovah's Witnesses could take a good lesson from these folks.

  Love Orangefatcat.
• 

  Incense_and_Peppermints

  i hope none of 'em are packin' staple guns...
• 

  stillajwexelder

  I have seen this quite a number of times. The worst trouble comes when the experience brother is 'just' a publisher and the other brother is an elder construction overseer. The whole JW thing is a hierarchy; and the senior person has the last say, not the most suitable.

  EXACTLY
• 

  dannyboy

  Lots of egos in play at a Quick Build, with the inevitable clashes of personalities. For some years I participated on the administrative level, so I, too have seen amazing conflicts between the local "brothers" and the regional committee, with the occasional opinionated travelling overseer in the mix.

  Lots of "politics" at work, too. Some tradesman with irritating/obnoxious/know-it-all personalities but who did things that were in short supply could get away with a lot more than those with similar traits who's skills were not as scarce.

  While the whole idea of finishing off a project in just a few days makes a big "splash", it takes quite a toll financially and family-time-wise on those who participate month after month during the building season. I think this aspect is sometimes underplayed/overlooked.

  To be fair, it is quite an accomplishment to build in this manner, and I recall being justifiably proud/satisfied at the outcome. In my experience, far more good experiences than bad during Quck Builds. Also, as on any building project, there are mistakes, mis-understandings, disagreements, and clashes of egos....but of course the back-drop of the "truth" brings such human failings into sharper focus, where those involved are supposed to behave in a better manner than the "world" would.

  I've come to see the Quick Builds as yet another way Witnesses build-up the wealth of the Watchtower Society (the Society holds effective control of the finished building), and perpetuating the "more, more, more" mentality of those in charge....

  My two cents,

  -----Dan