by JH 26 Replies latest jw friends
Booked them, got them together for the congregation(S) and worked there several times and various branches. It is just another expense that many cant afford but feel obligated much like other religions and their pilgrims to shrines. Wasn't that encouraging and don't you feel holier now?
abr
We did a mecca. Almost every year we went. There was a year or to we did not go but that was because we went to a bethel in another country. The upside, my mom paid for the trips and for the oversees ones- it was bethel in an hour and then off to bigger and better things.
We lived nearby and went a few times over the years. We got to eat and drink in the rooms of the friends. Even had some drinks with one of the anointed in his room. Beer flowed freely in the young Bethelites rooms. This was in the early seventies. We were assigned to the Kingdom Hall at Bethel. Saw all the places, visited all the places. It was a big thing back then. Now I hear it is no big deal.
Blueblades
my parents paid for me to go with a group from our hall in the early 90s -- i think they thought it would encourage me to do better. the thing i remember the most is how tidy it was (i'm a bit of a neat freak). other than that, i just liked walking around the city late at night. it *didn't* encourage me to "do better", though... just encouraged me to make it out to ny without other witnesses around so i could see and do what i wanted to.
We went to Mecca/a.k.a Bethel & Watchtower Farms/ Stanley Theater a number of times over the years. We thought we were in "Paradise" at the time. I remember walking through the factory. It had crystal-clear view across the East River where you could see the Statue of Liberty & The Twin Towers. I remember thinking how Manhattan looked tempting to me, but being in NY with a Bethel tour, there'd be now way we could visit the "Wicked City".
And then they's take you in to the bowels of the factories where all the laundry people were pretending to happy with their plastic "smile for the camera" looks on their faces. Hot as blazes, yet those doing the ironing and blowing compressed air up shirts and pants thought they were in the "New System".
It still amazes me to this day how they ended up with all that $$$ real estate.
Dismembered
Being a sincere, devout witness at the time, I did enjoy visiting various Bethels. I did however, get a bit bored, when hearing the routine on th washing procedures, because it is the same whatever Bethel you go to ;-).
small resume of my impressions:
Bethel USA: visited for half a day when going to New York in the late 80s, also went to Stanley Theatre (which was quite impressive). I did however, think that the US Bethel was somewhat old-fashioned and "boring" compared to e.g. the German HQs. The machinery was somewhat outdated. Did like the lobbies of the two hotels though. I guess I liked the flair of "luxury"... (Although it was kind of un-witness like). Had a nice tour guide. Used to know a brother who worked there as an architect, called Mark Anderson coming from Upper Saddle River. If anyone knows him or his whereabouts, please pm me.
German Bethel, Selters: very modern, up-to-date. The guides being very orderly, expecting everything to abide strictly to rules... Businesslike, a bit cold and stern, but impressive. Did notice a little board at the dining hall stating that there was a weekly visit by doctor, dentist and psychologist (!). Also remember my German friend, who is very theocratic, and still in, serving as an elder, never wanted his girlfriend to stay in Bethel cause it was too strict.
French Bethel (the old one in Boulougne-Billancourt, Paris): small, secluded, not very tidy, all brothers having moustaches. (funny, cause at that time, you could not even handle the microphones in my home cong if you had a moustache, and it still is the same - but that is a cultural thing I guess).
Bethel, London (Mill Hill): Nice, but a bit dull, a bit old-fashioned too. Had a beer at the pub before entering.
Sweden: went on a bus tour with a lot of witnesses. Stayed in a witness-operated hotel. The senior-psycho-elder got mad because we were not quiet at exactly 11. He flipped out yelling at us.... Nice structure, marble in the entrance. Extremely clean, like the German one.
Norway: nice, small structure - no printery. Nicely situated near the forest. Also visited the previous Bethel there, which was situated in the embassy area of Oslo and it had worldly tenants on the 3rd and 4th floor...
Denmark: nice Bethel too, nice guides.
Austria: visited the old one in 1984, it was very old-fashioned and small. Saw the new one a few years later. Then I saw the curtains used in the lobby were being reused covering some items in another room. That was kind of funny, they did not waste things...
Italy: visited in shorts (always visited according to dress code elswehere). Welcomed nicely. Lively guide.
Greece: I was on spending a week with my school there (all girls, me being the only boy). Spent one of the two days I had off taking the underground to the posh suburb where Bethel was situated before (now it has moved out of Athens). Had a very nice reception. When I got there, the brothers had some time off playing volleyball outside in shorts. I got lunch there with white wine and everything. They were genuinely nice.
Barbados: very small Bethel (now it is a new one), went on a morning visit on our honeymoon. Had a nice visit there. A friendly caribbean brother showed us the premises. I later saw a photo of him the Watchtower. He did warn us to be careful because we told him that were going on a cruise with Jolly Roger (a party boat)...
Kenya: (I guess they have a new one now): was called IBSA. Went as a part of an organized visit when going to Kenya as an international delegate for an assenbly in 1985. We got lunch boxed there. What was different there, was that it had separate living quarters for brothers who worked there who had their wives and children. Perhaps they did translating or whatever, but I have never seen that anywhere else. The brother showing us around was Mark Noumair, I think he is now working at Gilead.
And that was about it.
So no wonder I know the laundry routines....
Being a sincere, devout witness at the time, I did enjoy visiting various Bethels. I did however, get a bit bored, when hearing the routine on th washing procedures, because it is the same whatever Bethel you go to ;-).
small resume of my impressions:
Bethel USA: visited for half a day when going to New York in the late 80s, also went to Stanley Theatre (which was quite impressive). I did however, think that the US Bethel was somewhat old-fashioned and "boring" compared to e.g. the German HQs. The machinery was somewhat outdated. Did like the lobbies of the two hotels though. I guess I liked the flair of "luxury"... (Although it was kind of un-witness like). Had a nice tour guide. Used to know a brother who worked there as an architect, called Mark Anderson coming from Upper Saddle River. If anyone knows him or his whereabouts, please pm me.
German Bethel, Selters: very modern, up-to-date. The guides being very orderly, expecting everything to abide strictly to rules... Businesslike, a bit cold and stern, but impressive. Did notice a little board at the dining hall stating that there was a weekly visit by doctor, dentist and psychologist (!). Also remember my German friend, who is very theocratic, and still in, serving as an elder, never wanted his girlfriend to stay in Bethel cause it was too strict.
French Bethel (the old one in Boulougne-Billancourt, Paris): small, secluded, not very tidy, all brothers having moustaches. (funny, cause at that time, you could not even handle the microphones in my home cong if you had a moustache, and it still is the same - but that is a cultural thing I guess).
Bethel, London (Mill Hill): Nice, but a bit dull, a bit old-fashioned too. Had a beer at the pub before entering.
Sweden: went on a bus tour with a lot of witnesses. Stayed in a witness-operated hotel. The senior-psycho-elder got mad because we were not quiet at exactly 11. He flipped out yelling at us.... Nice structure, marble in the entrance. Extremely clean, like the German one.
Norway: nice, small structure - no printery. Nicely situated near the forest. Also visited the previous Bethel there, which was situated in the embassy area of Oslo and it had worldly tenants on the 3rd and 4th floor...
Denmark: nice Bethel too, nice guides.
Austria: visited the old one in 1984, it was very old-fashioned and small. Saw the new one a few years later. Then I saw the curtains used in the lobby were being reused covering some items in another room. That was kind of funny, they did not waste things...
Italy: visited in shorts (always visited according to dress code elswehere). Welcomed nicely. Lively guide.
Greece: I was on spending a week with my school there (all girls, me being the only boy). Spent one of the two days I had off taking the underground to the posh suburb where Bethel was situated before (now it has moved out of Athens). Had a very nice reception. When I got there, the brothers had some time off playing volleyball outside in shorts. I got lunch there with white wine and everything. They were genuinely nice.
Barbados: very small Bethel (now it is a new one), went on a morning visit on our honeymoon. Had a nice visit there. A friendly caribbean brother showed us the premises. I later saw a photo of him the Watchtower. He did warn us to be careful because we told him that were going on a cruise with Jolly Roger (a party boat)...
Kenya: (I guess they have a new one now): was called IBSA. Went as a part of an organized visit when going to Kenya as an international delegate for an assenbly in 1985. We got lunch boxed there. What was different there, was that it had separate living quarters for brothers who worked there who had their wives and children. Perhaps they did translating or whatever, but I have never seen that anywhere else. The brother showing us around was Mark Noumair, I think he is now working at Gilead.
And that was about it.
So no wonder I know the laundry routines....
