Did You Like Your Congregation? (page 3)

Reefton Jack

I was in a total of ten different congregations during my time with the Borg.
Most I thought were all-right; at least as "all-right" as anything connected with the WTS could be!

However, for me, there seemed to be a thin patch in the mid-1980s:
- I recall in particular the Christchurch South West Congregation.
- diamaondblue1974's post accurately describes the Elders and Ministerial Servants in that congregation, also.
- All I could add to diamondblue1974's post is that I am not sure if the "plastic"
was of the Thermoplastic (i.e. re-mouldable) or the Thermo-hardening (i.e. strictly a "Oncer") type material!

Jack.

Frequent_Fader_Miles

The very first one I was in as a child ... yes. After that one, I never felt like I fit in to any of them.

Vernon Williams

No.

Hannah

Interesting topic. I've been in a few different congregations in my life and was treated differently in each one. I often wondered why this was, but it I think it has to do with status.

For example, growing up as an elder's kid and teenager, I always was in the clique. I seemed to know everyone and assemblies were actually fun. Then I "drifted" away and married a "worldly" guy. Shortly after, my husband and I were baptized and started going to a new congregation away from my family. Things were different and we had to build a reputation on our own, but since most people knew my dad, it made things much easier.

However, once we moved to another city where no one knew us it was an entirely different story. It was as though we were the "disgusting thing" to stay away from. We had a very hard time there. Seemed no one wanted to make space for new friends. My husband and children always had to work in service alone together--week after week. Once we asked an elder from a neighboring congregation when their meetings were so we could attend. Hoping our children would be able to meet some other kids. His response to my husband was, "When you become and elder you can come visit when you give a talk". Needless to mention, this is when my meeting attendance started to decline.

I believe the tone of the congregation is set by the BOE. Other factors are whether there is a lot of people moving in and out, or if it is a stale congregation with generations of related and interrelated people attending.

Champion

It's funny to think back to those times growing up. My dad was the Overseer in a Long Island Cong. We had split with another cong where the Overseer was one of the remnant. It was always hard for my brothers and me trying to live up to what others thought about us. But for the most part there were some remarkable people and if they weren't in the "Cult" many would have lead amazing lives. I can really say I loved some of my parents friends, most have passed away. My dad is still alive, lives in Florida and is still a stauch JOBO. Sometimes I really feel so very sad for what might have been. My dad is an amzing loving man blinded by the "light"......

metaspy

I liked my old congregation very much. It was considered a "golden congregation".
No other cong in the Circuit/District/State compared with ours.
However, as time rolled around, I found that the elders were overbearing, the other MS were stuck-up, and in general people were nosy.
So at the end of my time there, I disliked the hall.

aquagirl

no,they were nasty spiteful and jealous.and always spying on and gossiping about one another...still are.overly concerned about clothes and makes of car..these were folks i wouldnt have as friends at all...there would be one young turk type vbrother w/a pretty wife who was allowed to wear makeup and dye her hair,a few of his cronies,and then the rest were like redheaded stepchildren...very very unfair...yuk....

JH

I liked the congregation but disliked many of the elders. They asked and expeced too much.

flipper

Minimus- Having been raised in the org. I went to many congregation over the years. And the one common denominator I saw was as so went the elders, so went the congregation. That was a phrase my dad 82 an elder for years always used. It seemed to be pretty accurate. If you had a body of elders that was uninvolved for the most part, aloof, unapproachable, you would sense a spirit in the congregation like that. However if you had some really down to earth normal human being elders who sincerely got involved with publishers , because they wanted to, you would see a warm, hospitable, giving friendly spirit in that congregation.I generally liked that latter kind of congregation, where most people would act real instead of fake or plastic. A congregation would generally be what each person put into it

minimus

I agree that if the BOE is an alright bunch, there's more latitude, more fun.

If the elders suck then everyone else is miserable.

Did You Like Your Congregation?

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