1) Any Bethelites who have been laid off who would like to share their experiences/impressions?
2) Anybody KNOW any Bethelites who were laid off who'd like to tell the story?
3) Anybody go to a congregation that has had one of these laid off Bethelites assigned to it?
Bethel Layoffs: Any personal experiences?
by under_believer 9 Replies latest jw friends
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under_believer
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Alligator Wisdom
Apparently this is effecting the U.S. Branch only.
The region where I'm currently living in hasn't had any Bethel/Branch layoffs...............................yet.
Alligator Wisdom (aka Brother NOT Exerting Vigorously by WTS standards)
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daniel-p
There have already been about 300 laid off from Wallkill alone. I know of many who have been let go, including some relatives. As I have mentioned several times in other threads - they are letting go middle-aged couples with a history of illness. In one case a woman had a historectomy (sp?), in another, mellanoma, in another, CFS, it goes on and on. THey are letting go of their liabilities, as these couples would have likely stayed as long as they could have, on into their old age where they would be added to those who have to be taken care of. You see, after 8 (I'm 90% sure its 8) years at Bethel there is another little seniority line, where if you have a huge medical problem, they will take care of you through it. They are letting go those who are near this level of senoirity or just beyond it.
The whole "send workers into the field" bit is hilarious. Like 1,000 or so Bethelites are going to make a difference. About half of them I am assuming arn't even going to be able to pioneer once they get out on their own.
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sir82
Like 1,000 or so Bethelites are going to make a difference
Hey now, that's a full 0.1% of the US publisher total!
Imagine the impact of 30 or 40% of those ex-Bethelites pioneering! Why, instead of reaching merely tens of thousands of not-at-homes during mid-week morning witnessing, now we'll have the ability to reach dozens of thousands of not-at-homes with the life-giving waters of truth!
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OnTheWayOut
About half of them I am assuming arn't even going to be able to pioneer once they get out on their own.
Many will pioneer for awhile. They will assume the congregation will try to help them, but the friends will tire of taking turns feeding them, driving them around. I say that about half of them will be very disgruntled. Watch out for the Kingdom Halls being the brunt of the jokes that Post Offices used to get. Instead of "He went postal on you," it'll be "He brandished his full-time service revolver."
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Seeker4
I have a close friend who's sister and b-i-law have been at Bethel since the 1970s - well over 30 years. She's an artist and he runs the braille department. They were both worried about being asked to leave, but my friend told me they are safe, having just been there long enough to be kept on.
They would be in their 60s now. From what I understood, it seems they may have been asking folks to leave with up to 30 years seniority. I could be wrong, but that makes sense. These would be older, less healthy ones.
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ICBehindtheCurtain
I know a couple that have been there for about 25 years and have been "reassigned". What a sham, they barely paid into the Social Security being pioneers before that and all, now close to their 60's having to start over will be HELL. They will have to cook their own food, wash their own clothes pay bills, clean their own place etc., they won't last long as special pioneers!
IC
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under_believer
"Special Pioneer" is a simony title anyways. It doesn't mean anything other than "support us for free plz".
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uwishufish
S4
I noticed your coment "They were both worried about being asked to leave," You mean they have a choice.
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daniel-p
You mean they have a choice.
LOL. When someone "asks you to leave" their house, do you have a choice? Technically yes, but it wouldnt be a very good choice. So in essence, they do not have a choice.