More Money For JW.ORG

by The Searcher 10 Replies latest watchtower scandals

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  The Searcher

  My apologies if this topic has previously been spotlighted.

  The following is a portion of the the recent money-grabbing letter from JW.ORG. It's on page 4 - one of the three pages which only the Elders were allowed to read.

  "Surplus funds: Is it necessary to save congregation funds for future construction or major renovation projects? No. What should be done with excess congregation funds that are currently being held or that may accumulate in the future? The elders of congregations having funds on deposit with the branch office should review the balance of such funds and decide if these can be donated in full or in part to the worldwide work and/or Kingdom Hall and Assembly Hall construction worldwide....................... Periodically, the body of elders may also review the balance of the congregation funds to determine if surplus cash could be sent to the branch office as a donation. The recommendation for such a donation should be presented to the congregation as a one-time resolution."

  In a nutshell, by agreeing to a "one time resolution", (to automatically donate future excess funds, i.e. funds in excess of 3-6 months KH running costs) every JW congregation on planet earth should now be prepared to hand over the value of any bequests left to a local congregation in someone's will - straight to JW.ORG!

  That has got to amount to a lot of property, insurance policies, bank balances, real estate, etc.
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  skeeter1

  This is absolutely a money-cult that uses up its followers. The money goes up, but never comes down. Oh, it used to come down as a loan to one congregation for building the building. But, now, it's a pretty-much mandatory donation of all congregations of any and all excess funds and a set amount. And, the WTS then grabs the title to the building that the locals have paid for. As far as the headquarters and arious banch offices, the wTS has sold them . . . for over $2 billion. The new headquarters they are building are a small fracion of that, and many headquarters are being consolidated. Consolidation means less Bethelites needed. The WTS laid off the older ones in droves. The Bethelites took a vow of poverty, have no social security for their time spent at Bethel, and Bethel doesn't give hardly any retirement. So, these people are scrambling looking for jobs, and some of them are old.
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  happy@last

  The elders of congregations having funds on deposit with the branch office should review the balance of such funds and decide if these can be donated in full or in part to the worldwide work

  Really! So no longer loaning the funds to assist with a view to getting it back if required, consider donating it. This is no doubt to prelude the next letter which will say, all funds on loan will be kept as donations, if you need your money donate more.
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  morningworship

  There business model is similar to Pepsi and Coke. The only difference - JW.org sales juice, and the congregations have to pay for their share of the juice...its that simple.
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  pontoon

  Money making machine. Anyone who thinks they are going broke with lawsuits, lack of support...., whatever is kidding themselves. If lack of money was an issue they wouldn't have 10's of millions $$$ projects in progress and 10's ........$$$$$$$$ on the drawing boards. That's right, hugh planned expansion being designed for Patterson. They can't spend it all fast enough.
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  Saltheart Foamfollower

  Many of the congs in my area did this (my cong didn't) and have had to find £1000 for projection equipment. There have been lots of murmerings from elders wishing they hadn't sent all of their money and planning to keep hold of it in the future. I suspect that circuit visits will try to enforce this - I'm looking forward to a showdown if he tries it in my cong (I'm a signatory of our savings account and I wont be allowing it)
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  SnakesInTheTower

  Here is how you keep from sending WT "excess" money: DON'T PUT IT IN THE CONGO ACCOUNT UNTIL NEEDED LOCALLY. CO can't take what he can't see.

  And if you are a signatory and won't cooperate, you won't be a signatory. lol

  Snakes
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  DATA-DOG

  All we can do as individuals is to make our objections known. We have to do it in a very matter of fact manner. We can't be rabid. We can tell those who will listen that we will not support the ORG until the child abuse issue is taken care of. Then we can stop contributing financially.

  I can't make my wife stop putting money in the box. I can tell her my reasons for no longer doing so. As far as the future of the ORG, I can't say. I think they are DESPERATELY trying to make the re-branding work. Desperate people make mistakes. Its hard to predict what will happen to Jwism IF the Pedo issues become common knowledge.

  They make Bill Cosby look like a Boy Scout.

  DD
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  leaving_quietly

  I don't read it that way, Searcher. It sounds more like the direction is to review periodically, and each time, they should have a one-time resolution to donate the surplus funds found during the review. I'm reading it that they are NOT to have a perpetual donation of surplus funds, but only one-time for the surplus found during the review. Then, for the next review, that resolution does not apply, but they'd have to have another one.

  That's how I'm reading it, at least. Regardless, it's still a money grab any way you look at it.
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  LogCon

  If the 'one time' resolution does NOT PASS, how long before the WT Society asks the elders to forward ANOTHER SIMILIAR RESOLUTION?