Update From a Friend in Brooklyn (page 3)

NVR2L8

My brother is the coboe at his hall that is going through a remodel...very little work is done by the locals except for dirty jobs. The whole project is turnkey....pay the RBC who provides materials, furniture, equipment and labor. No way to evaluate the real cost...just pay.

NeverKnew

Can the WTS see the financials for facilities it doesn't own? Would they have known about the $180K surplus?

stillin

Does anybody remember the days when the Kingdom Halls had personality in how they were built and decorated? And the local brothers and sisters had boosted their self-esteem because they actually played a part in the process? And the Hall was actually owned by them! If they found a better location, they knew what could and could not be done based on local circumstances!

it was true that the "one-day-miracles" were too much. Quality suffered, building codes inspections couldn't be shoe-horned into the equation. But while it lasted it was fun, joy prevailed, a true spirit of giving and brotherhood and accomplishment was just what was needed.

RBCs ended most of that. I guess the next "arrangement" will be even worse.

neverendingjourney

In our area, it has become common place for 600 volunteers to show up when there were only 200 invited

If this were a normal religion that provided social opportunities for its members, you wouldn't see this.

Quickbuilds became opportunities for single women to put themselves in positions where they could meet men from other areas, for single men to show off their rank to these women by walking around with a clipboard "supervising" the friends, and for old people to catch up with friends from other congregations they hadn't seen in a while.

There were way too many old people, children, and horny, distracted teenagers/young adults for what was nominally supposed to be a construction site.

steve2

In my out-of-date memories, I assumed quick-builds were marvellous opportunities for "available" sisters to turn up throughout the day with tasty food to lure "available" brothers. Many a relationship - clean or otherwise - got its start during quick-builds.

neverendingjourney

clean or otherwise

Yup. I (unfortunately) never engaged in such shenanigans, but I remember hearing rumors of teenagers hooking up (read: porneia) on these ocassions.

OnTheWayOut

Can the WTS see the financials for facilities it doesn't own? Would they have known about the $180K surplus?

Yes, and yes. The C.O. goes over all the books for every cong. he visits. Also, congs. are encouraged to put their money in Watchtower funds and only withdraw them if they need them.

AndDontCallMeShirley

You may have heard all this already, the RBC's being dissolved and being replaced by a specialized team under the Branch direction

.

Totally speculating here, but I wonder if the Menlo Park, Ca. fiasco has anything to do with this decision????? Take the local RBC scammers out of the picture so WT has more control over it's own version of the scam?

zebagain

From this distance i see the wts ever closing in on it self. The doing away with DO etc and putting out people from the branch instead. this sounds a lot like sending out the marshall to watch over the 'indians'. Or putting a solid company man to check up on things.

There will be reports a plenty go back to bethel with this one.

Phizzy

The WT has probably become aware of the extent of the scam worked by RBC connected JW businesses, and rather than wanting to provide a service to the Bros at cost, they want the profits from fleecing the flock to go direct to them.

I would bet a reasonable sum that prices for the work increase year on year under the WT's direct control.

The WTB$ indeed, it is always about the $$$.

Update From a Friend in Brooklyn

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