by stocwach 9 Replies latest jw friends
How convenient--an article about a "quick build" kingdom hall in the metropolitan Phoenix area.
Hmmmm...it's almost uncanny how both the Bill Bowen article and this appeared on the same day.
The big joke is how everyone talks about how ever so happy everyone is.
Sorry...here is the link:
http://www.arizonarepublic.com/arizona/articles/0511Kingdombuild11.html
The local (Bulli) KH was gutted by fire last year and is scheduled for a quick build when they get council approval. I intend to wander over there on weekends with my digicam and take date-embedded shots of the several months of groundwork which gets done before they "assemble the KH over a weekend". I will either put the resulting photos on a webpage, or perhaps I'll send them to the local rag, who are bound to be invited to cover this momentous event!
"We're growing so fast it's kind of hard to keep track," said Randy Maggard, a supervisor with the regional build committee.
Aren't they dismantling congregations in other parts of the country, because attendence is declining ?
The big joke is how everyone talks about how ever so happy everyone is.
Yes it is a "big joke" because that's all is it...just talk..not real.
Had Enough
"Never doubt that a small group of citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."...Margaret Mead
The majority of KHs built today in the US are replacing aging and/or obsolete structures. It's not a matter of a new KH for a newly formed congregation but replacing a building for an existing congregation.
It is interesting how they build these nice Kingdom Halls in the more affluent areas. There are many congregations here in the Phoenix area that are crammed into small halls with as many as 4 or 5 congregations per hall.
Also, much of this "quick build' that is going on is remodeling halls to keep the congregations in debt to the WTS. Back in Wisconsin we had gotten our mortgage paid off and the hall was plenty big enough for the number of people attending, but the CO said we had to remodel. We couldn't help but wonder why if the WTS gets good deals on supplies and the labor is free, how did we end up $150,000 in debt?
Target
Target, that is a good point about the less affluent congregations.
Many congregations are finding out that the WTS is longer funding loans as readily as they used to but that the congregation must come up with the money on their own either by donations or getting their own loan through a financial institution. At the very least they have to buy the land on their own before the WTS will even consider putting it on the schedule for a quick build. No equalizing going on here.
"We're growing so fast it's kind of hard to keep track," said Randy Maggard, a supervisor with the regional build committee.
Careful, these words usually precede how "they're imperfect and have soooo many members to look after. Obviously that is why their god keeps their groups small, they need constant monitoring.
The size of a medium city spread out over the entire world but not in every country yet cause that would mean the end.
Guess they could control the end of the world, all they'd have to do is enter that one last country and start their spiel.
Wonder why they didn't do that in 1975?
Those poor Catholics, their numbers got way too large.
I am remembering from decades ago, but I think from comments here that their policy has not changed.
From experience I have learned, that if a congregation wanted to build a hall, and had already owned a building lot, and they wanted to borrow from the Society, they were asked to go to the bank for financing first. Then the bank would do an appraisal and study the viability of the loan and then if the loan was a good business investment for them they would approve the application. If the bank approved the loan, then the Society would approve the loan also, because, I assumed, the Society relied on all the leg work that the bank had done. If the bank did not approve, neither did the Society.
I was in Quebec province. Many of the halls were built in the poorer areas of town. One hall I know got in trouble with payments to the Society. The Society sent an appraiser, as they made moves to repossess the hall and sell it. Naturally, the hall, built in a poor area of town and in a residential area, the hall was basically worthless.
I got an eye opener. It was strickly business, strickly business
belbab
