To Those Who Still Go To Meetings, Do You Sense Anything Different? (page 5)

stillajwexelder

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/12/78308/1.ashx

Soledad

Well I haven't been to a meeting in nearly 10 years but from what I can see the congregations in this circuit are stagnant, even the Spanish speaking ones.

outoftheorg

Yeah Stilla. I guess I wasn't alone in having those feelings.

Outoftheorg

it's funny but I had not been to one in over 18 years. I was raised in it and one of the things that did make it exciting is the activities. Believe it or not football or basketball after service on a Sunday. When I lived in Buffalo we would go out to Lunch after the WT. We would take half of a Bennigan's...are they even still open? What was hard is that the transition from having all of the association to nothing sucked but, I slowly built my way back up. It was not easy when you were in you early 20's.

MJ

DaCheech

In mine the Kids all talk about business during and after the meetings. One ex-bethellite used his connections to get into it too. the others are just dead even saluting them is dreary

Midget-Sasquatch

There are definitely more people in the movement now with serious issues. And I also see the same things others have already noted: less thoughtful commenting, sharp drops in attendance and a greater number of people are in it just for the social benefits, like having help with moving (I got suckered into that a number of times) or knowing someone who'll do a job real cheaply etc.

Calliope

in my hall, though i haven't been in 2 months (but no house calls yet so i'm happy), everyone is breeding and planning their "house schooling" itineraries. it's a little sad.

the comments are repetitive. the talks are repetitive. the material is repetitive. the same people (including yours truly) sitting in the back row, laughing heartily with another... that's the only entertainment i get at the meetings.

note: i have nothing against having children... it's just the twelve years olds having kids and then planning the congregational lives around raising these kids... sigh.

Highlander

a greater number of people are in it just for the social benefits, like having help with moving (I got suckered into that a number of times) or knowing someone who'll do a job real cheaply etc.

That's what I really detested about going to the meetings. Being one of the few skilled 'brothers' at the KH, everyone would try and hit me up to do them favors.

Can you fix my car?

Can you fix my house?

Can you help me do my taxes?

Can you fix my computer?

Blah, Blah, Blah!!

Sure I'll fix your microwave for ya,, but you better wash my windows! and this time don't leave any streaks!!!

I said no to everyone, but amazingly they keep on begging.

Oroborus21

I've noticed that the service groups seem to be extremely small these days. Last Saturday I was standing outside when a group of just 6 spanish friends (four sisters, 1 young sister and the bro leading) passed by me.

Coincidently, I happened to be holding up and reading Andrew Holden's "Jehovah's Witnesses Portrait of a Contemporary Religious Movement" which has a picture of a guy presenting the WT right on the cover, but I don't think they even noticed, or maybe they did since they scooted by me pretty quickly (even though they don't me).

I've noticed other groups for formal field service of similarly small size. But the regulars still haunt the streetcorners in their usual spots like in my poem "Ghosts in the Byways"

-Eduardo

Pubsinger

Earlier in the thread someone said that 1 in 4 JW's in the US are in a spanish speaking cong.

Is this statistic verifiable?

Forgive my ignorance, but is that figure representative of the US population?

To Those Who Still Go To Meetings, Do You Sense Anything Different?