Remember when out of town convention delegates stayed in private homes?

by juni 20 Replies latest jw friends

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  juni

  We were asked if we would volunteer for this important work of asking our Bible Students or good return visit clients if they could rent a room out to out of town delegates attending the DA.

  We opened up our home to a nice family and we became friends. For MANY years we would visit each other and they would stay w/us when they went to NY to visit relatives. They lived in Austin, Minnesota.

  This all ended very abruptly when our oldest son was announced no longer an approved associate (DF) even though he wasn't baptized. We never heard from them again. I called the elder of their cong. to see if maybe they had moved, but they hadn't.

  Again---conditional friendship.

  Juni
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  Mary

  This all ended very abruptly when our oldest son was announced no longer an approved associate (DF) even though he wasn't baptized. We never heard from them again.

  Isn't that pathetic, that their "agape love" for the brethren is about as reliable as a politician's concern for the public after they're elected? If your son was never baptized, then where do they get off treating him or you as though you don't exist? I don't recall Jesus ever treating people like that......Then again, He did say "by their fruits you will recognize them."
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  juni

  Good evening Mary.

  In the ' 80s they had a policy of DF unbaptized ones who were unrepentant of wrongdoing. Our son was 16 at the time and got involved w/a girl in the cong. and was guilty of unclean conduct. He just didn't care anymore - not excusing his behavior - but he knew that his peers (especially elders' kids) were guilty of all sorts of things and lied to get off the "hook". Elders specifically prompted their kids to say the right things to appease the committee. They certainly didn't want to lose their positions, but later we did find out that a lot of these kids when they got older left or were DF. Dad couldn't hold anything over their heads anymore.

  So when he was announced that's when our entire family was ostracized. Our younger kids lost their friends. It was a HORRIBLE time. Before this happened we were looked upon as a good example. But we kept plodding along for years and then finally left.

  Does that help w/your question? By the way, they ended this DF unbaptized ones in probably ' 86. They had a WT study that in a backwards way gave some stupid scriptural reason for discontinuing this practice. After the study, only a few people came up to greet our son. But that was temporary. People were confused about the whole issue so they just played it safe and things were never the same again.

  Juni
• 

  garybuss

  My wife's pioneer partner lived in Austin, MN.
  
  
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  Nina

  I remember. The call went out in our district to house the "delegates from Australia". There were quite a number of them travelling together and the idea was to house them all under one roof.

  I emptied three of our bedrooms of their inhabitants and offered hospitality. Our home was chosen; the delegates were to arrive the day before the convention. The P.O. and his wife and her family planned an elaborate "gathering" so that others in the congregation might meet our guests.

  The day before the convention they didn't appear. No call. No word.

  The day of the convention, literally as we were walking out the door to the car, the phone rang. It seems the delegates had decided to skip the convention in our area in favor of Disneyland and other tourist attractions. They wouldn't be staying with us. They would catch parts of the convention in other cities as they travelled through the USA.

  Not so much as an apology. We never knew their names. We never saw their faces. It was up to me to share the news with the P.O. and other elders in the congregation. I don't know whether they went ahead and had the gathering or not. I know my family wasn't invited.

  Nina
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  Quentin

  Remember when out of town convention delegates stayed in private homes?

  1966, Dallas Texas. Spent two weeks prior to the District Assembly canvassing neighborhoods, soliciting rooms from householders for out of town attendees. Can you imagine the stones it took to approach total strangers and ask them to open their homes to other total strangers. Surprisingly many people signed up. Man that brings back memories. Hadn't thought about that for years. Wonder how many householders changed their mind at the last minute?...
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  misguided

  I remember this well...

  I grew up in Vancouver, 4 city blocks from the PNE grounds where the conventions were held.

  We had EVERYONE and their dog sleeping EVERYWHERE in our small (no more than 800 sq ft home.)

  I also remember going out and canvassing the area for rooms in our territory for the delegates from out of town to stay at. I think it was usually during the "International Conventions."

  We had some folks from Idaho stay with us for one assembly, too. The son kept in touch with me for a few years by letter.

  My mother is still in contact with one delegate who came to stay with us in the 70s from Calgary.

  Rose
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  Undecided

  Yes I remember it well. When I was 19 I was put in charge of finding and assigning rooms for the circuit assembly in our town. This was in 1955. It was very stressful for me to handle this responsibility but it worked out OK. My dad had just died a month before the assembly.

  Ken P.
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  blondie

  Remember when we went door to door "canvassing" for rooms in private homes, the slips we wrote it up on, (how many people, men, women, both, children, families, how long staying, private bath or no) and then submit to rooming and then they matched to the room to the JW(s). Imagine letting complete strangers stay in your house and staying in the homes of complete strangers.

  *** km 3/78 p. 3 International Convention Rooming Information ***

  Rooming work for obtaining private home accommodations from publishers, interested ones and the public began in each convention city in February. Thus there will no doubt be enough rooms available for all who send in a Room Request form for whatever type of accommodations they desire, whether hotel, motel or private home. Those who choose to request private home accommodations should be prepared to pay a nominal amount for the accommodations, since the householder, whether a Witness or not, will be put to extra expense to care for such guests in the way of utilities, linens, and so forth. They should also have in mind that the householder is not required to provide food or transportation for such guests, nor is the householder required to let the guests stay in the rooms for more than the days of the assembly. It is up to the householder if he wishes to make any exceptions.
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  serendipity

  We were newbies the first time I heard of this. To my 10 year old mind, it was a crazy arrangement. Both sides took tremendous risks. I'm glad my mom didn't volunteer our home.