Asking for money at the hall.

by GapingMouth 33 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  WTWizard

  The Worldwide Fund is for the Worldwide Pedophile Defense Fund. What you are seeing is a batch of pledge forms toward the new project--I have seen a round of them when our Kingdumb Hell was built in 1996, and a previous batch in 1991 when it was proposed. You are supposed to commit a monthly amount for this purpose, on top of the amount you already donate. This is a separate fund, solely toward paying for the new Kingdumb Hell or the remodel, and not for the Worldwide Pedophile Defense Fund itself (though a new Kingdumb Hell is still a huge waste of money, especially if there is no problem with the existing one).

  You will be asked to commit a monthly amount, plus any one-time "gifts(??)", toward this project. Of course, if you commit and circumstances deteriorate, you will still be held to the original amount under a guilt trip that you promised the original amount. If circumstances improve, you will be hounded to take "advantage" of it and donate more--though with the depression the economy is in, that is not very likely (and especially with the witlesses and their crap jobs).

  If you do not fill in the amount, you will be hounded and harassed. Once (in 1996), I told them that I would have to take mine home and fill it out there--they wanted it filled in at the book study. Wherein I "forgot" my slip at home (on purpose), they shoved another one in my face and expected me to fill it in right in front of the hounders to see if I was going to be too cheap (or if I could be guilted into a nice big sum, and then held to it). I simply told them that, unless they backed off, I was going to simply take a red pen and put a big fat goose egg in the blank, and hold myself to that. I took the slip home and missed the next few boasting sessions, of course "forgetting" it again next time.

  I would not commit anything. Circumstances can deteriorate, and you might need the money yourself (never trust in that Almighty Lowlife Scumbag Jehovah--He would just as soon you be destitute and Himself wealthy). And, whatever you do donate is going to waste--for sure, ask what value you are actually going to get out of the new project. If you are going to get zero value out of it, you should donate zero. If you donate more than you stand to get value, you are doing something bad for yourself (wasting your money), and for society (making it easier for the witlesses to grow in the community). And, I would not donate if they hound you, especially if they hound you more than once.
• 

  anewme

  Where I lived in California in the late 60s early 70s the brothers built their own hall, a small round building. It was a wonderful

  ampitheater inside and was cozy and pretty. The brothers paid for it themselves and built it themselves and it was a source of great pride for them.

  Then all of a sudden in 1972, with the talk of growth in the air and the elder arrangement happening, the sale of the little hall was announced and the purchase of an old Baptist Church with many architectural and cosmetic issues was made. Well, not a small number of brothers who were not chosen as new elders but who slaved to build the little hall and who gave of their own blood sweat and tears (some who had spent time in prison for the Society during WWII) were absolutely crushed and devastated by this undemocratic move to an ugly Baptist Church that had to be completely renovated (at a cost of 2million dollars!)

  I remember I was pioneering at the time and only 19 years old and very shy. I had left my entire family to be a JW and was on my own financially and making ends meet doing housecleaning. When I signed up for pioneering I was told I would get all sorts of support. But no one reported for field service for an entire summer while they were working on the hall.

  I was too shy to beg people for help in F.S. in the afternoons and found myself day after day alone doing door to door work or return visits or back calls as they were called then. I was very naive and was asked inside one home where an old man made a pass at me. I was the only pioneer and that year. Anyway, stupid story short, I gave up amid the bickering I was hearing from the brothers and sisters about the

  new hall and the homesickness for the old hall and being left to flounder in the F.S. for a whole summer. I quit pioneering and never tried it again.

  My whole time I was a JW I was very naive to everything. I bought the whole stupid story hook line and sinker. I believed

  that in 1972 the Great Tribulation was coming in 1975. I believed there was going to be a big influx of people flocking to Jehvoahs Ark of Salvation

  and I wanted a share in that. I gave up having children believing that the end was any day. I did not pursue a career or full time job and married an elder in a wheelchair to help him and we auxilliary pioneered together. We never had two cents to rub together.

  35 years!

  I was a genuine believer too Angel Eyes.............but now I think I was a very stupid sucker. It embarrasses me to think how much I gave up uneccesarily. Other witnesses worked full time and bought houses and had oodles of kids and went on vacations and threw parties and had grand weddings and celebrated their anniversaries and wore expensive clothes to the hall and furnished their homes grandly.

  I digress from the point of the thread: KH building funds. On some days I join the bitter I guess. Thats the connection.

  Anewme
• 

  civicsi00

  Maybe they should hold garage sales at the KH to help raise cash.

  Or hold bake sales...like other churches...LOL

  I remember they used this same arrangement in the hall I grew up in. They'd pass around a little piece of paper and you'd have to write down how much you were going to contribute (for improvements or building a new hall). We were in the spanish hall, and now that I think about it, I feel sorry for all those that donated. Our hall had mostly poor Mexicans but they still contributed. Sucks..
• 

  blondie

  Garage sales were thought of by the rank and file but.............

  *** km 10/73 p. 8 Question Box ***

  Question Box

  ? Is it all right for the congregation or a few brothers to hold a "garage sale" or other such "sales" for the financial benefit of the congregation and make it a congregation matter?

  If a member of a congregation wants to hold a "garage sale," that is something of a personal nature and for him to decide. What he does with such proceeds thereafter would also be a personal matter. However, it is never appropriate for anyone to make such sale a congregation matter or indicate in any way that the congregation is involved.

  Each Kingdom Hall provides a contribution box where contributions for the congregation can be made on a completely voluntary basis. The Scriptures clearly indicate that Christians should have the opportunity to contribute for necessary congregation expenses, but this should be done willingly, from the heart, not by appealing to a desire for personal material gain in return for what is given.—2 Cor. 9:7.
• 

  OUTLAW

  "Jehovah`s Witness`s don`t pass a Collection Plate"

  They ask for money right from the Frigg`n Stage!!

  Near the end of the month at a Kingdom Hall..:"Brothers we don`t have enough money to pay our monthly bills!"

  Near the end of an Assembly..:"Brothers we did`nt make enough money to cover the cost of our Assembly"..

  At the end of an assembly..:"Brothers we have a surplus of cash..Lets send it to the WBT$"..

  AND..

  ..

  The Multi Billion dollar publishing company the WBT$,just keeps raking in the Cash!!
  
  
  
  
  
• 

  IWillBeDubbedNoMore

  It happened at my hall in the seventies. We wanted to build a new hall, but first we had to see if we could afford it. Little sheets of paper were passed around and we were asked to write down an amount if any, that we could donate on a continual basis. We were told to put the slips in the donation boxes. Don't know the tally, but we did build the hall and finished paying the mortgage off from the Society 20 years later
• 

  JWoods

  In the early 1970s, (before the temporary suspension of Society loans), the little congregation in Kingfisher Oklahoma seriously overbuilt a KH far beyond their real needs due to an overachieving special pioneer overseer pumping the congregation members into overdoing their little slips of paper. Needless to say, soon it became obvious that needs were not being met.

  The Society, soon after they missed some payments, went to the Oklahoma City elders and demanded that WE somehow come up with money to help them get current on the Society loan.

  Many, including the city overseer and a great majority of the local congregation servants, strongly objected - after all, they did not take on this burden and many thought at the time that this KH was a prideful overdone mess for a congregation of about 35 publishers. For gods sake, it had several urinals in the men's room instead of a simple water closet like every KH in OKC had for 100 publishers!!! I remember the city overseer saying - now WHO would be in a better position to help these brothers than the society itself?

  We eventually knuckled under and quietly passed a resolution to clean up their finances with money from the circuit assemblies, of course. I was especially po'd at it because I was assistant congregation servant for an equally poor down and out congregation in Clinton Oklahoma and we were in a squalid dugout cellar KH and paying our own bills, too.
• 

  blondie

  I can remember a congregation that made a tactical error when they sold off part of their land. Thus they did not have enough land later per city code to build a larger hall with parking according to code. The WTS pressured 2 other congregations to fund a new building for them. They refused but did offer a 3rd spot in their shared KH. I learned from that that the WTS cannot always make congregations donate money to other congregations.
• 

  JWoods

  I learned from that that the WTS cannot always make congregations donate money to other congregations.

  That is true, but in my case quoted above nobody had the stones to go against them. It was, after all, early 1970s and the big A was coming soon. Sickening when you realize that the money the Society loaned them came from US in the first place -

  More sickening when you realize that probably after the loan was repaid the Society probably made the local congregation deed the KH back to them.
• 

  undercover

  Help us out, Blondie...

  What was Russell's quote, something about never asking for money. If Jah didn't provide then it would be a sign that the work was done or sumthin like that...