These are snippets from a thread on change to circuit boundaries in the US Please don't assume a single narrative here.
Well, we just had a letter tonight saying that the Branch has decided to dissolve 2 of the Ohio circuits, one being Ohio Circuit #3 which I am in. Ohio Circuit #3 will continue to exist until the new service year in September, at which point the congregations making up our circuit will be redistributed to other current circuits. We'll be moving to Ohio Circuit #8.
Interestingly, our sister congregation with whom we share the same Hall was assigned to a completely different circuit, along with a lot of others we are used to seeing at our assemblies. We'll be getting to meet some new faces here near the end of the year.
We had a letter read from our current Circuit Overseer which stated that the branch had noted that in recent years, a number of English congregations have been dissolved and that it has become necessary to dissolve 2 circuits.
The economic collapse of 2008 is probably also to blame. Many individuals have left the area, and then others have moved over to foreign language congregations. In addition, we already had a number of small congregations who combined and sold a Hall to help alleviate expenses. If you got 40 publishers here and 30 publishers there, it makes sense to combine them and dissolve one.
I heard about this Tuesday from Brother Illingworth, but he didn't mention we were getting your hall. That's awesome! He said we were losing 5 Congregations to other circuits and gaining 5 to ours, including Wadsworth and Medina. Not sure where Bath is going. Guipel called him in a "panic" while we were out in service. He wonders what will happen to him since he will be a CO without a circuit.
That's going on here in Mexico as well. Ensenada has changed from 4 congregations to 2. Tijuana from 15 to like, 5 I think. But it was all small congregations, around 40 or so. The dynamics are hard because it's not just "need greaters" here with the attitude of serving and focus, cuz it's close enough to the border that people move here to live cheaply but go back and forth to the states all the time. Makes it hard in the congregations if you are relying on brothers that are gone a lot. Our Service Overseer worked one week a month in the states, so he was gone, Then they liked to "serve" other places from time to time while visiting family and friends. So that put a strain on the congregation, we were always waiting for him to come back. Puts a strain on other elders, Jess is COBY so he try's and cover for the missing elders and do his own job. Now that we have merged, the new Service Overseer is present, and we now have carts for street witnessing and that work is being organized. Jess had finally stepped in and ordered them, always thinking the other service overseer had done it when he hadn't, yet. So it can make sense to merge congregations and strengthen them.
A circuit without a CO here in Canada so maybe your footloose CO will come here. It has happened before.
There is a problem in the United States with a lack of circuit and district overseers. It seems there aren't as many younger brothers reaching out for CO and DO as their are older COs and DOs that need to retire/come off the list.
Canada must be dealing with the same issue.
I think so also, I believe that we are in for quite a few changes this year and relocating, mixing with those that we have never met, The International Conventions I believe and my option only that Jehovah is telling us something. We just have too wait for clarification, we see that 2 Bethels are in the process of moving and further out New York is relocating further North, Great Britain is going further East I do not know but this did mark the 100yrs of Christ rulership so changes should be expected. Please correct me if I am wrong as always I accept corrections especially scriptural.
Make of it what you will...