by truthseeker 23 Replies latest jw friends
The KH's here in South Florida have at least 4 and in many cases 5 congs sharing the same hall.
Most have Sundays at 10, 1 and 4 and Saturdays at 4 and 7
Actually, the 4PM Saturday is quite popular here since you are done by 6PM (now about 5:45) and have the evening and followind day "off"
Rub a Dub
Don't even joke about having the doors locked. By the time I was leaving the whole faith, they had started locking the Kingdom Hall gates - safety reason - The day I finally walked out, the damn gates were locked and I was in a fit of tears and couldn't get out !!!!!! Eventually they opened the gates and I was free.
They have since put huge gating around the whole hall including the parking lot, and you need a remote in order to access it - seems they making it more difficult to leave half time.
Nothing says "welcome" quite like a locked gate.
Watchtower 2004
October 1st p.16 par.7 "Have Tender Affection for One Another"By being present and involved before, during, and after meetings, we encourage and incite one another "to love and fine works." (Hebrews 10:24, 25) "I fondly recall," relates an elder in the United States, "that when I was a child, my family was always among the last to leave the Kingdom Hall, enjoying the friendly and meaningful conversation as long as possible."
Watchtower 1992 August 15th p.12 pars.10-11 Keep Building One Another Up
The time before and after meetings is convenient for building others up with conversation that is favorable to the hearers. It would be easy to spend these periods in pleasant talk with relatives and a small number of friends with whom we are comfortable. (John 13:23; 19:26) However, in line with Ephesians 4:29, why not seek out others to speak with? (Compare Luke 14:12-14.) We could determine beforehand to go beyond saying just a formal or passing good-day to certain new ones, older folk, or youngsters, even sitting down with young ones so as to be more on their level. Our genuine interest and periods of upbuilding speech will make others even more able to echo David’s sentiments at Psalm 122:1.
Another aid to upbuilding conversation is varying where we sit at meetings. A nursing mother might need to sit close to the restroom, or an infirm one might need an aisle seat, but what about others of us? Mere habit may lead us back to a certain seat or area; even a bird returns instinctively to its roost. (Isaiah 1:3; Matthew 8:20) Frankly, though, since we can sit anywhere, why not vary our location—right side, left side, near the front, and so forth—and thus get better acquainted with different ones? While there is no rule that we do this, elders and other mature ones who vary where they sit have found it easier to impart what is favorable to many instead of to just a relatively few close friends.
There is NO RULE but Elders and others have a strange way of inventing 'RULES'.
fokyc
