Are oil prices hurting the Watchtower?

truthseeker

With all the talk about the Society now printing paperback Bibles, cutting the Awake! issue from 2 to 1 per month, it raises the question:

Are high oil prices affecting the Watchtower?

Consider that oil is not just used to move WT trucks, vehicles and planes.

Oil is used in the production of paper (to keep machine parts moving in their MAN presses), in the use of plastics and other supplies that WT Maintenance need.

People are already starting to cut back on the costs of gas using creative means.

What does this mean for the Society? If oil were to top $70 per barrel, there would be some pain felt.

If oil went up to $80 per barrel, the Society may be forced to use alternative fuel methods.

Bethel, like everywhere else in North East America where the winter is worst, needs to be kept warm for the workers. Heating oil is projected to increase by 25% this year from last year for residential and business customers.

With the ever decreasing contributions coming from the rank and file, it is likely that there will be further "simplifying" in the future, with production cutbacks, etc.

Individual Kingdom halls will probably not be affected too much, but the Society is a global printing machine.

Another question - Can anyone find out if the Watchtower uses hedging when purchasing oil?

Elsewhere

I think the price of gas will most affect the average JW who has to drive around all day delivering the literature. This in turn will affect donations and to amount of time a JW is willing to spend in FS.

The WTS will be affected substantially in an indirect way through reduced donations and lower “sales” time.

stillajwexelder

However, beacuse they are global they can move production to placs like Selters or the UK - energy here can come from other sources. It is a well known fact that France has a whole bank of Nuclear power stations on the coast of Normandy and there are subsea cables running to the UK - so energy is low coast in the middle of the night when demand is low as you can not just switch of a nuclear sation. So London Bethel could expand again and print in the middle of the night. However TRANSPORT costs would increase if production moved to London - but the point is the WTBTS has options

JH

Most Kingdom Halls that I know of are on the outskirts of town, making it more expensive to get there with higher gas prices.

When you calculate that Witnesses have to go to the hall over 100 times a year, it adds up.

Sunspot

I think the price of gas will most affect the average JW who has to drive around all day delivering the literature. This in turn will affect donations and to amount of time a JW is willing to spend in FS.
The WTS will be affected substantially in an indirect way through reduced donations and lower “sales” time.

Most definitely! Most families are struggling as it is, just to make ends meet, and the KH "activities" will be given less attention than things like food, shelter, clothing and transportation!

The wealthier families, singles and couples will be forced to fill up the coffers and they will feel the pinch too. What JH said was true too, that having to travel back and forth three times per week to a KH that isn't exactly in the neighborhood----will become more and more of a problem as well.

It's gonna hurt the WTS in that sense, that the donations and such will very well be dwindling as we speak!

I wonder how single pioneers are going to manage, with less to spend on gas, and less folks willing to go out so often?

Hmmmmmm.....

Annie

carla

Do gas prices in Europe affect any fs or halls? Or do Europeans just tend to walk more than Americans anyway? carla

DevonMcBride

It certainly will. Consider the fact that shipping supplies to Bethel and Kingdom Halls such as paper, ink, food, office equipment, etc will increase due to the rise in oil prices. Another thing, non-JW's who donate money during field service will most likely cut back so they can use the money to fill their cars.