Has anyone been on a Bethel bus trip?
It was very popular to send your kids on one for a graduation present.
The retired ones would take fly/bus trips to branches in Europe.
Blithe
Bethel Bus Trips
by Blithe Freshman 3 Replies latest jw friends
-
-
xjwtruth4you
Below is an interesting excerpt from the book: “Where Else But Pittsburgh!”
It's a book written by George Swetnam, an ordained
Presbyterian minister, who wrote for years for the Pittsburgh Press
newspaper, and is regarded as the foremost historian of the
Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania areas.
_____
"It is an amazing thing that no Pittsburgh history has ever
even so much as contained the name of C.T. Russell, since his
influence has easily been the widest of any man who ever lived in a
city...including Andrew Carnegie.
"He was a pioneer in the Chain store, the Motion Picture
industry and other important ventures. He was one of the most
prolific and widely read authors of his day, turning out many books
and a column carried by more than 1500 newspapers, with some 15
million readers. Russell traveled over a million miles, delivering
more than 30,000 sermons and lectures.
"He was always interested in religion, writing Bible verses
on the sidewalks with chalk when a youth. As a boy he was quick &
alert, so his father took him into partnership in his general store
at the age of 11. When he was 15 he was sent out as a buyer.
"Like many other youths Charles was troubled in mind. He
battled over the doctrine of predestination and was pondering these
things for while he was unable to accept religion he was unable to
let it go. It was a successful but skeptical businessman of 18 that
he stepped into a dingy basement to see if a handful who met there
had anything more sensible than the creeds of the churches. What he
heard set him searching the Bible again, which he did for 46 years!
"Soon he rented a hall & started a Bible School where for 5
years he lectured. Then, convinced he had a divine mission, he did a
strange thing for a young man of 26 with no formal theological
education. He invited ALL the ministers of Pittsburgh to a meeting,
explained his beliefs and urged them to unite with him! The fact that
they accepted his invitation shows how high young Russell stood in
the community. Yet after hearing they declined his offers.
"Rebuffed by the ministers in his home town Russell turned
himself to a life of evangelism. He carried on his haberdashery
business for some time but his interest in commerce gradually waned
and he closed his store for the next year.
"Russell was nearly 6 feet tall, well built, with piercing
gray eyes. His manner was always CALM, stressing argument rather than
emotion, sometimes adding a touch of humor. In later life he was
snowy haired, white bearded, and saintly in appearance.
"In 1914 he completed work on the first epic motion
picture: "The Photo Drama of Creation" 15 years before any other
sound pictures were produced. It ran for eight hours and was viewed
by some eight million people!
"Late in life he set up his entire fortune, by now
amounting to well over a million dollars, into a trust fund for the
W.T.B.& T Society, the business organization for Jehovah's Witnesses.
"He made many close friends and bitter enemies. He was the
target of many stories accusing him of all sorts of crimes and wrong
doing in regard to his marriage, although there appears to be little
if any basis for such charges.
"All through his life Russell told his followers NOT to
revere him; He taught them this so well that the publishing house he
founded has never published a biography of "Pastor Russell".
"The movement he founded now has worldwide scope & is still
one of the world's fastest growing religions. In 1958 some 250,000
came to NYC to hear the same doctrines Russell preached to the
unreceptive clergy 80 years earlier".
-
Quandry
I just saw this thread.....it was originally about bus tours to Bethel. Yes, I've been on one. To Brooklyn, and then to the farm. Ooohed and aaaahd over the printing, dry cleaning, etc. at Bethel. This was before Patterson was built. The tour also went through Washington, D.C., and Hershey, Pa.
It was actually well done. We had many, many side trips that were interesting. I'd never have gotten to see so much if it weren't for the tour.
Did you have any other questions?
-
Blithe Freshman
No questions. I just kept seeing adds pop up for a company I was not familiar with. Wondered how popular they were.
Blithe