Tell us about the offbeat people you have had in your congregation

BonaFide

We had a brother once in my sisters' Hall who would preach downtown with OLD Watchtowers and Awakes, I mean like 15 year old magazines, and he would SELL THEM ABOVE COST. Even after the donation system went info effect, he would still sell them. The elders tried to talk to him about it, but he could never really have a normal conversation. He was a nice guy, though.

Another bro in my Hall when I was a teenager used to carry the Large-Print Bible, the Aid book, and the Concordance (big maroon book, remember?) in the field service every day. He had a huge bookbag. He called the three books the "Three Witness Bearers" And he used to try to get us to read Isaiah chapter 58:1 which says, "Call out full-throated!" He said Fred Franz used to yell it out loud, so he tried to get us young ones to scream out that verse. It was pretty weird, kinda fun though.

One time another brother always gave weird, unrelated comments at the WT study. So the conductor started to avoid calling on him. One Sunday a younger elder was conducting. He refused to give this brother a comment, so he got up and sat in the very front row. He raised his hand on every question. Finally on the last paragraph, when the conductor ignored him again, he yelled out, "Pick me, you jerk."

Crazy.

So what about your congregation. Any unusual personalities?

BF

BabaYaga

Finally on the last paragraph, when the conductor ignored him again, he yelled out, "Pick me, you jerk."

I LOVE it! Great stories, Dear Bonafide.

The one personality that really stands out in my mind is the very large elderly sister who dyed her hair bright orange and kept all of her money wadded up in a Kleenex... stuffed down into her bosom. She also happened to be "one of the annointed".

AnnOMaly

There was this one sister who passionately believed she was one of the 'two witnesses' in Revelation. We never knew who the other one was. It got her DFed in the end. She later died in an accident - or was it? There have been no reports of her revival yet. (Seriously, I felt sorry for the woman even though she was a pest.)

gubberningbody

I remember one old brother who lived in a WWII surplus quonset hut, grew his own food, had a sistern system for water and was as cheapo as cheap could be until someone was in need. Then they'd get an anonymous wad of money dtuffed in a paper sack left at their door. I didn't realize he was rich until much later. He would never spen money on himself, but only on other people. His name was David, and I remember his especially because I saw him when I was 10, about 15 years before I became a JW and I saw his old place and wondered what weird old coot lived there. His wife Lilly had been a dancer in the Zigfield Follies. He was kicked in the head by a mule when he was younger and it made him a bit off, but he was a great old guy.

friday77

One elderly sister (approximately between 75-80 years of age) in a cong. when I was first raised in the truth, was actually running after young Bethelite bros! She would, after field service, travel over to B'klyn Hghts area to watch the Bethelites after 5:00 p.m. and try to walk along with a "a few handsome selective ones" and talk to them--she even gave (according to two Bethelites in my cong. and the neighboring one) her digits (phone number), telling them to "Call me! I'm a bonafide Regular Pioneer!" Plus, she, unfortunately, treated the young sisters (except for the ones whose fathers were Elders) disrespectfully--because she felt that they were all "competition". LOL! How Lame!

OUTLAW

We had one elder that would turn around,nod and smile at everyone..If he heard a comment he liked at a meeting.....My Grandmother thought he was nuts!..LOL!!.......................................OUTLAW

AllTimeJeff

At one bookstudy, there was a newly baptized sister (who in hindsight got baptized to marry a brother she liked) who was definitely "off". When the book study conductor asked if there were any announcements, she raised her hand and said "Tomorrow is my birthday!"

Crickets.... But funny to look back on....

Another unbaptized publisher showed up in our territory, claiming to be from LA, and that he worked with Michael Jackson, and that he was a music producer. Turns out, he was crazy. I knew he was nuts when he said he knew and worked with Michael Jackson.

no more kool aid

Let's see, the bipolar sister with lots of lip stick who felt (during the manic phase of her disease) that she could easily place 50 magazines a day and demanded that we turn over our ration to her. Her child ,well into grade school, communicated only in barn yard noises. The incontinent brother that always got assigned to my back seat. The brother that felt dry cleaning his only sport coat was an annual event got assigned to my other back seat. I could go on and on. I'll save some for later.

gubberningbody

Jeff, that reminds me of this old brother that had announcements and one was the "we have a birthday boy here tonight...bro x just turned 40!"...

I actually liked that congregation. That's where I came in. There were plenty of oddballs.

AllTimeJeff

kool aid

I mean this with all respect for southerners, as I was born in the South... But was your congo in the mountains?

Tell us about the offbeat people you have had in your congregation

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