Last summer I went to a wedding of a relative that is a Witness. We're not disfellowshipped or disassociated, but have been inactive for about ten years. Because no one mentions our history to others, very few members of our relatives congregations, even know we used to be Witnesses. At the wedding though, my family and I set down at a reception dinner table and got our food and began to eat. The wedding was not held in a Kingdom Hall, and although an elder conducted it, it was not the typical Witness wedding feel. Well we were sitting there, and the group at our table were all "worldly" but dressed nice and cleaned cut. We were all eating and this man, who I know was an elder in relatives congregation, comes over and tries to get us to move as apparently someone else wanted to sit there and were promised as saved seats. When we came in, nothing was on the table, and we had been there nearly an hour. Apparently these were ones who helped set up the reception hall, and choose the seats while doing that. Well, one of the men at the table with us spoke up and said, "we all have our food, were settled and I am sorry but there was no one hear before we got here. Were not moving." The elder seemed irritated, and walked back to these people and I could tell they were upset. He comes back and states, "brothers, this is very unloving, do you think you could work with me on this?" ...
~ So that we do not look like asses, I want to explain there was no reserved seats and two of the couples had babies that were settled in with high chairs. There was nothing showing people had been sitting here. The couple waiting had other places to sit, they just were a couple known in the congregation and used to getting their way ~
... The same man who spoke before, who apparently was our table spokesman, again mentioned that we were settled and pointed out other tables. The elder said something I found amazing, "what congregations are you in?" This elder was looking to report us, can you believe that? He was frustrated that he did not have control, and wanted to take steps to report us. I spoke up, "We're not Jehovah's Witnesses." The man turned and it seemed he worked out the issue and the people set elsewhere. The table all stared at each other for a minute and then almost at the same time, people all started asking "what did it matter what congregation we were in?" or "what was that about?" I spoke to my relative later and she laughed, as apparently she did not care for the elder or the people who came. They kind of self invited themselves anyway by volunteering to help set up and spent most of the time during set up, chasing their out of control children around. So she was not upset.
Yet here is this example of something, elders do not like losing their power over you. Yes, they kick some of us out of the congregation, but down deep they hope they still have some control over you and everyone. When they don't, it frustrates them to no end. So anyone else deal with elder situations like this?