Life On Hold: The CO Visit Week

by sacolton 42 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Pistoff

  We all took time off to the the CO HAIRCUT!!!
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  jookbeard

  I have just noticed through these posts that it is true, the CO on F/S would always pair off with the super dooper R/P to go on his R/V's yet did you ever see him banging on doors? No way, after all these years it has just sunk in ! What a schmuck I am.
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  OnTheWayOut

  I never skipped a vacation because of the C.O. visit. I was an M.S. way back when, working janitorial jobs for a JW elder along with others (a whole crew of us). One year in January, the elder asks that someone plan to go to a different convention so he can cover for the others while they are at the scheduled convention. I volunteered, saying I would visit my mother in another state at the time of her convention. So plans were made.

  The C.O. changes his schedule about a month before it happens and plans to visit my congregation at the same time that I am to be on vacation in another state. The elder I work for says he needs me to change my plans. I said NO WAY, all arrangements were made. He said, "Yeah, but that was before the C.O. visit was scheduled for that week. I would have to work extra to cover for you and I need to be at the Hall."

  I said it was too bad because I put in for this vacation in January and made plans I wasn't going to change. The elder/boss then seemed to indicate that I really didn't want to miss this C.O. visit. (He was trying to tell me without saying it that I would possibly be appointed an elder.) I said regardless of current circumstances, I was going on vacation. (It still sickens me to think that I gave up vacation time to go to a convention.)
  
  I was appointed an elder anyway. Another time I had plans for a week that the C.O. changed his schedule and tried to mess up. Despite the fact that I was the School Overseer, I went on vacation.

  Since fading, the C.O. has visited a couple of times when the wife had holidays from work. She always let me take her out of town and skipped the C.O. visit, then visited another congregation where he was visiting later.
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  The Oracle

  It used to give me a good chuckle observing my fellow elders when the CO would come to visit. They were all on pins and needles and would be over the top friendly to all the "sheep" that week. Elders who normally wouldn't give a shit about joe publisher were chatting him up like crazy on Tuesday night with one eye wandering to make sure the CO saw the discussion.

  I never bought in to the showmanship, I kind of felt that we should be nice to everyone all the time and not just during CO week, but what do I know...I didn't turn out to be a model JW.

  The Oracle
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  WTWizard

  This was a nightmare. I never participated actively in feeding the hounder-hounder, since I believed I should be promoted solely on merit. However, I would see everyone there at the boasting session early (sometimes half an hour earlier than normal). People would flood the Kingdumb Hell--if we normally saw 80 people, we might have 120-150. The boasting sessions ran late, often an hour or more, on a school night that was a popular test night. And people would be out in field circus--you would see 25-30 or more witlesses out on a weekday, and be expected to stay out several hours longer than normal.

  I can remember the last time I saw the hounder-hounder. I didn't know he was coming that week, and wanted to miss him for having the boasting sessions running long. But I blundered in (because I wanted to log an attendance, to throw the hounders off). Sure enough, everyone was 30 minutes early and there was more than 150 in attendance that night. Needless to say, I skipped all other activity that week. Another time I had to go out in field circus while the hounder-hounder was in (to avoid "irregular" status at that time), and he wasted 1 1/2 hours discussing bullsxxx before we even got to start our time.

  What a waste of time.
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  truman

  I have bad CO stories and good CO stories. This one is about a reasonably understanding CO. Long in advance of the CO's, visit another 'sister' and I had purchased expensive, non-refundable tickets to see William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy live (they were doing a series of shows in which they reminisced about their Star Trek experiences). The event was on a Saturday night. Not a usual JW meeting day. For some particular reason that I have forgotten, the cong. scheduled the CO's mid-week talk on that Saturday evening. She and I spoke to the CO about the conflict, and he said to go to the event. He must have been a Star Trek fan! He told us it would be OK to attend his talk at a nearby congregation as a substitute. We went to the Star Trek event, but we never did go to the make-up CO talk. Anyway, it was kinda nice to see a CO who was trying to be a good sport about our conflict of events.
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  inbetween

  Co-visits, omg....

  being a born-in, CO were often viewd as half-gods, elders getting nervous, because big boss is coming.

  worse, some ass-kissy publishers, circling the CO and his wife before and after meeting, I never was that type of person.

  CO-visits always ment more work, stress, and relief on sunday after the last talk....even as true beleiver, I always hated this times...

  even though some CO were decent guys, even funny and one of them almost became a good friend,, (but after 6 visits, its too short of a time to from a real friend-ship)

  the current one is also nice, one reason, why I wait before I resign. Will get a new one in fall though....
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  cattails

  Did you ever witness a "green handshake"?

  I did. It was so obvious, elder extends hand with folded wallop of bills, CO shakes and pockets and the both of them are talking away like nothing doing and the exchange was very automatic. I didn't think much of it at the time. In my family sometimes we've helped the CO and COW (CO's Wife) with a twenty in an envelop with a little handwritten thank you card, but this was very obviously the big leagues of "green handshakes".

  Some in the circuit were known for giving "presents", laptops, and other electronics, to help the CO in his "work" of "shepherding" the Circuit. It is all just paying tribute and bribes for recognition and privileges in the end.
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  freddo

  Some good some bad.

  One I knew as the "Simony" CO among a few of us. One guy in our hall was well off materially but wore it on his sleeve so much that it grated on the congo and although he made MS the elders genuinely felt "love of money" was a problem. He was desperate to be an elder.

  Anyway the CO stays with him a couple of times, gets taken to posh restaurants and gets the green handshakes and really pushes the body to appoint him. A few elders wanted their names on record not to appoint but with the CO's pressure and an 8 to 2 vote it went through.

  Three years later he was removed for "showy display of ones means of life" by the body with the blessing of the next CO! Go figure.
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  Heaven

  I usually don't go to see my Dad the week the CO is visiting their area. My Dad is fairly busy as he is an MS and I guess they have to 'attend' the CO in whatever ways needed (I don't ask). My Dad says that 'he comes to stir up trouble.' (My Dad doesn't have too many flies on him)