I havent got my KM for Jan 08 yet but weve just had our co visit and in one of his talks he was highlighting the 2 main needs in the UK. 1) Spending more time in the ministry.surprise,surprise.. 2) The need for more MS and Elders. It seems that the jws love of the ministry is growing cold.Could this have something to do with the fact that 93 yrs have gone by and the same old,same old message is being preached.The end is coming soon !! Our co even encouraged us to conduct bible studies with people over the telephone. On the subject of servants and elders I have noticed that as soon as someone is appointed their whole demeaner changes.The first talk or item they have at the KH is peppered with the latest info from the WT mag.They become fully fledged members of the "party",their wives suddenly start answering more often and the invites to other jw homes increase.One flock under one shepherd ? I think not.There is a clear hierarchial system in operation that none of the fools can see.Maybe Satan has blinded the minds of these "watchtowerites" so the REAL good news about Christ cannot shine forth.This post may seem like I am bitter at them all.I am not,in fact before I eventually leave the borg I intend to sow as many seeds of doubt in the WTS as I can.Why ? Because there are people in my cong that I care about very much and true love for them will not allow me to at least try to set some of them on the "right" road before it is too late.Take care all.
Reading between the lines in the January 2008 "Our Kingdom Ministry"
by TooBad TooSad 34 Replies latest watchtower scandals
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WTWizard
It sounds like they are phasing out those time wasters. Get to the Kingdumb Hell at 9:00 AM, and get into the territory before 9:15 (and 9:05 would be optimal). Then run from door to door at top speed. Everyone needs to be knocking hard enough to be heard. If one group gets in for a long time, they need to have everyone else doing something else all the while. No more warming up when it is -40 and windy out.
That is also trying to knock out the going in after one hour excuse. Gone will be the days when you will be going in at 11:30 instead of noon. They want people that normally go in at noon to stay out until 12:30 PM, or 2, or 3, 4... Only in the event of a real emergency, of which the number of permissible excuses is dwindling, is a person actually allowed to go in early. It is also not to disrupt others who could stay out longer but might not want to.
I bet this is to be the beginning of the end of people showing up late or straggling. Also, the going to pick someone up and having to waste another half hour will be done away with, as they will expect everyone to get cars (even those who cannot or will not get a license or spend the money on a car that they do not otherwise need). For a while, it will be ignored by many as even the hounders themselves waste a lot of time. Incidents of hounders wasting time are even posted here on this thread. Then the hounder-hounder will put a stop to it, threatening to remove hounders that do not adopt a zero tolerance for stragglers, late time, coffee breaks, warming up and cooling off, and having people sit in the car while it's raining and the other group is at a call. Before long, it will be drudgery non stop.
That is something I would not be looking forward to if I was still in or if I ever get forced and dragged back. Aside the first few months when the promises were still coming out, I could not tolerate going out in field circus non stop for hours at a time without a break. Not that I would be tired. I just wanted to stall. There were calls that made me want to puke just thinking about going to. And now they want me to race toward such events.
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Hortensia
so glad to read this - fs bored me to the point of wanting to scream scream scream - but I was pioneering with a bunch of real sincere JWs so we took short breaks and actually put in all the time we reported. omigod I am so glad those days are over and it makes me feel good to know I was not the only one who hated every minute of it. I must still have some lingering shreds of guilt over what a slacker I was.
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SirNose586
Wow, what a killjoy of an article. It stomps on what little downtime there could be had out there.
The poor dubs have less and less to look forward to--they're always getting beaten by their master Slave!
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Billy the Ex-Bethelite
"Once the meeting for field service ends, do not linger unnecessarly, ..."
As an elder, in my congregation I hereby decree that all lingering is necessary !! [cue applause]
Whenever possible, I shall assign one unbaptized publisher to every car group to keep everyone's time counting from start to finish !! [cue louder applause]
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chickpea
ever hear of the "star of david" pioneer? the zealous one who has RVs in many locales so his/her route in service, when mapped, resembles said star!!! a guaranteed time killer (learned that one from an elderly elder's elderly wife who was decrying the shameless display!)
then there was the pioneer/elder/study conductor who talked me into aux pioneering .... telling me he pumped up HIS hours by waking his 4YO son up at 730 for a bible study and started the clock on his hours!!....so by the time he was conducting the FS mtg he was already had 1.5 hrs..... and this was AFTER they dropped therequired pioneer hours the first time
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flipper
Too Bad, Too Sad- It really makes me sick, now that I've been out of the org. for 4 years how they browbeat older people, crippled people, and all others to do more, more, more. Nothing is ever enough with this organization ! It is the perfect example of an organization under " cult mind control". This is how they control theirmembers, through fear ! Peace out, Mr. Flipper
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SnakesInTheTower
Blondie...
I like the list...here were my favorite time wasters.....
1.) Offer to drive during "Early Morning Laundromat" witnessing...make sure the route works out so I (as driver) got out at the ones where no one was there to talk too,.,,While there, leave 1 new magazine, take the other dozen issues from the early 1990s (this in 2005) and trash can them (after tearing them to shreds) UP TO 2 HOURS FREE TIME
2.) Drive slowly and encourage quick stops for coffee and soda (you know, those big 52 oz Humdinger drinks at the convenience store) MIGHT GET OUT AT EMPTY PLACES TWICE IN TWO HOURS
3.) Drive slowly and encourage separate quick bathroom breaks, about the time that the others were half way through the aforementioned Humdingers. SAME AS #3
4.) Instead of accepting others apologies for overstaying at a laundromat while they were actually doing real witnessing, commend them for their enthusiasm and let them know "That's what this is all about...talking to people"...thus enforcing in their mind its OK to stay long in the laundromat (while I enjoy counting time in the car, NOT witnessing.) EXTENDS TIME BETWEEN TIMES I HAD TO ACTUALLY GET OUT
5.) I disagree on the dragging my feet at the KH....as the conducting elder, I used to turn out the lights while people were still lingering....much better to get everyone out promptly in the misery so that I can then go to my "phantom RV" by myself...better known as a coffee shop in another territory. LOL (BONUS points if pioneers commend you for "helping" them get their time started sooner) (NEGATIVE POINTS because the other elders didn't like it...because it meant they had to start knocking sooner...) BETTER FOR ME TO GET STARTED ON MY COFFEE BREAK OR BACK HOME FOR MUCH NEEDED SLEEP
6.) "Star Method" of Return Visits....great back in the day when gas was a $1/gallon...not so great when its $3/gallon...GREAT FOR A "LONG DAY"....ORbetter to just not bother...
...oh that's right...that's what I am doing RIGHT NOW!!! No Field Circus for Mr. Snakes since December 2007.
SnakesInTheTower (of the "not even a phantom publisher anymore" Sheep Class)
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david_10
I've been out of the loop for a long time now, but it doesn't look like things are much different now that they ever have been: basically, people hate going in service. Another article in the Kingdom Ministry isn't going to change that, either--------------------------------elders, pioneers, publishers, one and all, are going to keep right on fudging their time.
When I was pioneering back in the early 70's, pioneers had to get in 100 hours a month and so we learned ALL the tricks. Now, I never actually lied on my report because that would have been stealing from Jehovah. But I became very skilled at manipulating numbers, just like publishers do today. The most common thing that I did was the Not - At - Home ploy. I had several not - at - homes scattered around and I would always start my time at one before meeting for service. Many times, I would get so desperate for time that I would go back and forth among these houses knowing that I would never have to talk to anybody. I know all the neighbors saw me and it's a wonder nobody ever called the police.
I remember the struggle for time would get so fierce that toward the end of the month I would go to the train station and bus station around midnight to pass out magazines, usually by leaving the back issues on a bench. I got to where I would do anything to get that time in. It was the only thing that mattered. Visit someone in the hospital or nursing home? Only if I counted my time. I had several elderly return visits and I would regularly go see them because I knew that they were so lonely they would always let me in and I could stay as long as I wanted and count the time. Of course.
Love had nothing to do with it. Thinking about it now makes me feel sick and ashamed. And it never dawned on me how fanatical and pointless it was. And all my pioneer partners were the same way. We all thought that we were being blessed to put ourselves through that torture. After all, 1975 was bearing down on us and we were going to die if we didn't. And it didn't end there. Even after I was off the pioneer rolls, I was an appointed servant up until I left the Organization in 1987 and I had to do pretty much the same thing, only on a smaller scale. My "privileges" were very important to me and I had to keep those hours up. I think back on those times and I just can't believe I did it.
Sick and ashamed.
David
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jayhawk1
(Could already be mentioned)
Going to any Garage or Yard Sale along the way. Talk about a perfect way to waste time. Heck, a certain former pioneer sister would spend up to 30 minutes looking at each item of clothing. After all, she was on a tight budget in order to pioneer, so nobody ever said anything about it. But all that time would count, as she would leave a tract. Of course we all counted the time too as we watched her pick through the stuff.