District Conventions

EAGLES

I hadnt been to a D.C. in about 10 years is it really true that Congragations have to sit together now???? Whats up with that is it so that the elders can see who's there and who isnt. That would blow my scam from way back when I would maybe make one half of one day and tell people I made all 4 days. How do they decide who gets the good seats the ones people show up at 6am to save? The congregation with the most pioneers gets the best seats?? What if you meet a hot chick from another congregation can you sit with her or do you have to wait till intermission to hold her hand. And where do visiters and DFers sit? With the congregation that invited/DFed them?? what about witnesses that missed their convention?? Anyway any light that can be shed will be appreciated

Arthur

is it really true that Congragations have to sit together now????

No, that is absolutely false.

How do they decide who gets the good seats the ones people show up at 6am to save?

People stand it line outside the doors; and when the attendants open the doors, everyone files inside and seeks out their own seats.

The congregation with the most pioneers gets the best seats??

No, that is also absolutely false.

And where do visiters and DFers sit?

Where ever they want.

what about witnesses that missed their convention??

They can make it up, or they can simply choose to play hooky.

OnTheWayOut

Is it really true that Congragations have to sit together now???? Whats up with that is it so that the elders can see who's there and who isnt.

No, there is no requirement that peoples sit together. Some congregations asked rank-and-file to sit in a section that they
had to clean or something like that. But that was never instructions from Mother.

I would maybe make one half of one day and tell people I made all 4 days.

That can still work for folks. I have known plenty to pop-up during the 3 days, but never be found.

How do they decide who gets the good seats the ones people show up at 6am to save?

Doors open at 8 AM for all to run and grab the best seats. Attendants stand inside and wait until 8 AM, then mark the seats
for their family just as the rest of the crowd runs in.

MinisterAmos

No, there is no requirement that peoples sit together. Some congregations asked rank-and-file to sit in a section that they
had to clean or something like that. But that was never instructions from Mother.

Almost right. If your congo has the "pleasure" of hosting the WT study, then select participants (read the Super Sisters and well-coached R&F) will be ~~ordered~~ instructed to sit in the front row.

Otherwise congoes are usually (in my experience) asked to sit where they clean.

mimimimi

Yup,. you were told what section your congregation was to clean and it was suggested you sit in that section, but that if you did not you could still have the "privilege" of coming over there to clean after the session.

Gee, what a relief to not be going to those things any more. My back would be killing me by the end of the day.

VanillaMocha73

Well, pretty much it was a strong suggestion that each congregation had an assigned section for cleaning, and therefore it would be helpful or "you might want" to sit in your section for "easy access" to the cleaning. I don't think it has been mandated yet.

As far as pioneers getting the good seats, I think that happened a lot because they are the ones who show up a day ahead for cleaning duty, and early for parking and etc. Therefore, they pour in at 8am and save seats.

blondie

We never sat where we cleaned. We just showed up at a designated time and one or two brothers brought over brooms and dustpans. We could sit wherever we wanted. Some men assigned to the cleaning might sit there but weren't required to.

undercover

It was never mandated by the Society that the friends sit in assigned sections.

Each congregation was assigned a section to clean and many of the friends would just go ahead and sit in the assigned section just to be close to where they needed to be after the session.

That's not to say that some over righteous elder never overstepped his authority and told his congregation that they "should" sit in their assigned section. And, of course, like good little sheep, the dubs would fall right in line and sit exactly where they thought they were told to sit without ever questioning why.

Crooked Lumpy Vessel

How do they decide who gets the good seats the ones people show up at 6am to save?

People stand it line outside the doors; and when the attendants open the doors, everyone files inside and seeks out their own seats.

The last convention I attened with my infant son I arrived early and sat at the doors for an hour. When they finally opened it was like the Kentucky Derby meets musical chairs. Trying to run to a seat with an infant while at the same time trying not to push anyone...only to find the first 25 plus rows of seats draped with watchtowers which were saved by those with talks/parts. So there I was, arriving hours earlier for sucky seats while the other members were sleeping in and enjoying breaskfast and getting the best seats in the house. There I was....stuck in nosebleed...trapsing up and down the steep narrow steps to the nursing mothers room and back. They announced several times not to save seats and not to push and shove. But every day I arrived early and the good seats were gone and people were knocking me over.

undercover

When they finally opened it was like the Kentucky Derby meets musical chairs. Trying to run to a seat with an infant while at the same time trying not to push anyone...only to find the first 25 plus rows of seats draped with watchtowers which were saved by those with talks/parts.

I remember one of my first moments of disillisionment with the organization.

For years, I never went early to the convention. Since it was in a 15,000 seat arena with an average attendance of under 10,000, it didn't make sense to me why there should be a problem in finding a seat.

But one year, I was asked to go early and save seats for a couple of elderly people in the family. I got there about 15 minutes before they unlocked the doors. I noticed that the crowd was mostly elderly people, with a few dads/moms sprinkled in amongst them. As the brother approached from inside to unlock the doors there was a surge as the people scurried to get right up against the door. The brother had to ask people to step back so he could swing the doors open. I was not prepared for what happened next. I was one of the younger, more fit people in the crowd but I was knocked around and pushed around as old people rushed by me to get in the door. One old sister stuck her cane around me and hooked me out of the way so she could get by (kinda like a hockey defenseman trying to stop Wayne Gretzky). I finally just got out of the way...I mean, damn...they're just seats.

A newly interested person was in the crowd with her two small children. I remember because I ran into her back out in the parking lot and she was in tears. She told me that she got knocked down and she lost the grasp of one of the kids and then when she went to put her books on some chairs a brother quickly cut in front of her and started putting old mags down in the entire row. When she complained, he just shrugged his shoulders and said he got there first. She didn't last long in the "truth" after that. In hindsight it was the best thing for her in the long run (to scare her a away from the religion), but at the time I was extremely embarrassed at how she was treated and I saw how cruel Jehovah's people could be.

At that same convention, a member of the GB was there. Henshel, I think. I saw him come out of the offices and in an instant, people rushed around him, waving magazines and bibles for him to autograph. It was as if a rock star was there. I was sickened. I didn't see the GB as men to be worshipped but as fellow slaves, yet here was this man being worshipped...and he did nothing to subdue the crowd. Maybe he was just used to the attention, but I got the impression that he enjoyed it...why else would he allow it to happen?

It's interesting that I can remember those details but I couldn't tell you the theme of that convention, or the name of the drama or the Sunday talk. All I remember is the poor example of Christianity that was displayed.

District Conventions

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