Caring for the flock. Questions for elders.

by BeautifulGarbage 16 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  BeautifulGarbage

  I have been following Mulan’s thread regarding her Mother’s living situation and the harassment of the elders from her congregation. The poor woman is in her 90’s and in poor health. Mulan had to call Patterson to have something done to stop it.

  Time after time, I have read such sad stories on this discussion board about those individuals, now elderly, that have given either most, or their entire, lives to the WTS to be virtually ignored once they are no longer able to distribute magazines. This seems to be especially prevalent among elderly females. How it reminds me of my grandmother. I still remember watching her walk down the street, lop-sided, because of the weight of her book bag. She busted her ass for the WTS and it got her NOTHING.

  All those years these people give, and what gets the elders to pay attention to them? Either a situation the congregation finds “questionable” or doubts. The doubts either being expressed directly, or reported to the elders by a congregation member that thinks they will get extra credit with Jehovah for ratting someone out. Of course, elders smell blood and go seeking its source. It seems that cleaning the flock is much more position justifying, and ego satisfying, than caring for the flock.

  So, my question to elders, either current or former:

  What did YOU do in such situations? Were you ever derelict in your duties in caring for the flock? Especially when it came to elderly members that weren’t performing anymore? Did you make sure to visit them on a regular basis just because it was your Christian duty? Or were they pretty much ignored by you?

  I hope that my questions do not put anyone on the defensive. However, I do think them valid.

  I hope I get some honest responses.

  Andee
• 

  rekless

  Personally, I was removbed as an elder because I spent too much time visiting the older folks and taking time to help them me and my family...I never was too enthused about making time pushing mags.

  I have seen old annointed ones put out to pasture as well as pioneers that became ill and even dying be left alone. The last act I and my family did was after I was removed and just before my wife passed away was spend time with this sister who was a pioneer on her death bed and had an opposing husband . Most of the members were afraid of him but he was a nice guy and was appreciative of our concern for her...he never could figure out why she was abandoned by the congregation...so I don't look back at any time and regret my actions.

  I dfed myself about a year later after my wife died.

  I don't want anything to do with that crowd.

  Hell is truth seen too late. H.G.Adams
• 

  Pathofthorns

  Since elders and publishers are people with their own lives and problems they all have limited time.

  And since everyone, but particularly elders have obligations to this organization, any spare time that could be spent with the elderly is almost non-existant.

  Looking after 'orphans and widows' and the elderly is a scriptural obligation, but the focus in this organization is all wrong and so many more things have a higher level of priority in their minds. So much time is wasted on an imaginary public ministry at the expense of these ones.

  If just a fraction of the time everyone spent driving around knocking on empty homes or people that don't care, was spent visiting the elderly, I believe they would be much better off.

  Unfortunately, much in this organization is driven by the "hour requirement" and what can be counted on a time slip. I realize this sounds pathetic, but I believe that if hour credits were granted for visiting the elderly, more people would choose to do this over the ministry and they would be better cared for.

  I think it is sick and disgusting how this organization has treated those (for the most part) who have busted their asses for this cult for a whole lifetime. They care more about numbers and statistics than they do about the people behind them.

  Path
• 

  HoChiMin

  BG,

  "What did YOU do in such situations? "
  Same as anyone else, if they were enjoyable people to be around I would visit them. If they were nit picking pains in the ass they got less attention. That may sound cold to some but it's just human nature to avoid pains in the ass.
  ______
  "Were you ever derelict in your duties in caring for the flock?"
  Yes, sometimes I just didn't give a F**k.
  ______
  " Especially when it came to elderly members that weren't performing anymore?"
  See above.
  ______
  "Did you make sure to visit them on a regular basis just because it was your Christian duty?"
  Most visits were because of peer pressure from other elders, from a list of assignments, it was like drudgery to perform this empty unfeeling duty.
  _______
  " Or were they pretty much ignored by you?"
  Yes, pretty much ignored.
  _____
  Now I'm starting to become more caring as I meet new people (non witnesses) and develop real ties to them by getting to know them and because of mutual appreciation, rather than a forced sense of obligation.

  HCM
• 

  JT

  i used to give a talk called "Love the ID Mark of True Christians" and i use to use this little line in my talk and after my talk

  Folks would come up to me and say I'm glad I came today-- I STARTED TO STAY HOME JAH KNEW I NEEDED THIS, - We needed to hear this in this hall, sometimes folks would come up to my wife and I with TEARS in their eyes.

  I used to say this and I GOT DOGGED BY SOME LOCAL HEAVY WEIGHTS IN THE ORG FOR SAYING THIS ON A CIRCUIT ASSEMBLY

  I would say:

  Do we continue to show love to folks, we will knock on somones door even when they don't want us there, and then the next week we will go back again knowing full well that they told us they were not interested and why, because we love people

  Then they invite us into their homes and we share our message, then they start to study with us to the point of being willing to come to the hall, but do we show them the same love at the hall as we showed when we were knocking on their doorss

  They come to a place , they know no one other then the person they are studying with, do we get up and go over to this same person that we were running down every other week tryin to get them to open their door and introduce ourselves-

  are we showing this person of interest that same level of love that we showed when they were in the territory.

  Then the person progresses to the point of dication and baptism, now they are our bro or sisters –

  do we know show them the same level of love and concern that we did when they were standing behind the door telling us that they were not interested.

  To many times bro we become so concerned about trying to bring folks in thru the front door of the hall that we fail to see our bro or sister who is sitting right beside us is FALLING OUT THE BACK DOOR"

  and then i would build on this with different aspects that we can deal with eah othter- youth, old folks, single, etc

  Man I got raked acrossed the coals for telling (WHAT SOME DEEMED AS) telling the the bro not to go in service but to go and see the inactive and sick ones instead

  And I got into a heated debate with some Heavy weights as I was trying to explain that was not what I was saying but only that we have a greater responisiblty to those "IN THE FAITH" than those in THE STREETS , but I got dogged

  So after the last elders school I had reached a point of where the DO MORE DO MORE mindset, BEAT THE FRIENDS- BEAT THE FRIENDS mindset was just too much I HAD TO LEAVE THIS RELIGION

  My wife- LADY "C"--used to try and have a "Ladies Night" out where the single sisters and we had 42 of them 25-45 yrs of age-- could go out to Fridays or Ruby Tuesdays and just have a night for themselves
  She got doggged

  I tried to have a bowling get together once a month after service on sat, we had a ton of folks who were starting to go out in service young folks , old folks and afterward we would head down to the alley and bowl it was nice

  Till the CO shot that Sh!t out of the water

  He dogged me in that the time spent on that ONE SAT AFTERNOON COULD be used for afternoon witnessing

  So I reached a point where all good elders reach

  YOU CAN'T BEAT THE WT SYSTEM OF BEAT THE FRIENDS BEAT THE FRIENDS so I had to leave

  jaems
• 

  D wiltshire

  James,

  Good heartedness got you out of the Borg, I'm glad for that, but feel your pain at trying to do what is good.

  Join the Watchtower or you will die.
  Only Jehovah's Witnesses have the TRUTH all other religions EVIL and from the Devil.
  You must beleive the Watchtower or you're going to die a painful death forever, isn't that really GOOD NEWS?
• 

  Mulan

  They recently had a talk on the service meeting to remind everyone that they cannot count their time visiting the sick and elderly. I guess they think your time is better spent knocking on doors of not at homes.

  Marilyn (aka Mulan)
  "No one can take advantage of you, without your permission." Ann Landers
  
• 

  JT

  the struggle for many elders who are trying to leave up to an unrealistic title is really the problem
  a few days ago someone thought that was dogging a man who works at manual labor to put bread on his table. not the case at all

  what i was talking about is how the wt will get anyman off the street regardless of his background, education, etc and put him in charge of give 120 folks life and death information that he himself does not understand

  i look at myself and see just how lacking i was, each jan we did the blood card thing and i didn't know what those blood component did or didnt do- but i was goood at quoting what the wt said

  that is why we often refer to loyal jw who come up here as merely Parroting the wt line

  i was good at that- but if a dr was to ask me any questions i would have been like a fish outta water

  after going to elders school and the constant drum beat in the org

  the avg elder and publisher feels that with the wt KM school for elders these men are getting the finest training in the world

  recall that old Awake on the back cover where the wt used a quote from someone who said READING THE MAGS ARE LIKE GETTING A 4 YR DEGREE

  and i recall hearing that repeated over and over so much growing up as a kid at how the org TEACHS AND TRAINS US
  yes equips us FOR EVER GOOD WORK
  and we believed that too

  like i stated it is like the Hotel commerical we have here in the states

  these folks think that they can fly a play, sky dive, run a nuclear reactor just because the sleep at a Days Inn or something

  and the same with wt, the elders feel that they can and the friends expect them to give adivce and directions on every aspect of thier lives

  can i work here, shop here, buy this, watch this at the movies, have sex with my wife from the back, oral sex, and the list of things that the avg elder feels he is quailified to speak on just becuse he has a FLOOKBOOK AND THE INDEX

  HOW SAD
• 

  Reborn2002

  these folks think that they can fly a play, sky dive, run a nuclear reactor just because the sleep at a Days Inn or something

  LMAO. I KNOW that commercial.

  Tragically sad. I can imagine a JW public service announcement:

  "I can pick your spouse FOR you, dictate YOUR life, REMOVE all fun from your life, GIVE you a guilty consience, DIVIDE your family, and CONTROL your sex life all because I read The Watchtower and it is published by GOD!"

  PERSONAL WEBPAGE-
  http://www.geocities.com/latinloverchicago/Jason1.html
  FREELANCE ARTWORK FOR SALE-
  http://www.geocities.com/latinloverchicago/JasonArtwork1.html
• 

  sf

  "I think it is sick and disgusting how this organization has treated those (for the most part) who have busted their asses for this cult for a whole lifetime."

  This is percisely WHY this criminally corrupt book publishing empire FRONT has got to be exposed and stopped, once and for all.

  This is what will CONTINUE to happen to many other individualsand their family nucleus'. The householder has no Klue what's waiting for them once the Kommit themselves. The family is immedietly "targeted" by the org. It's now up to this "once householder" to Konvert as many family members as possible, or else. (listening to Puddle of Mudd's "Blurry"..great lyrical song)

  This insanity must cease...period

  sKally, the past is the past, yet It's always present!!!! How many more wasted lives??????? KLASS ACTION KLASS

  If man was supposedly created in gods image, then.....holy krap...we're all doomed.-sKallyWagger