Swahili Congregation in the Midwest -- Why?

by SnakesInTheTower 6 Replies latest jw friends

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  SnakesInTheTower

  I almost posted this in the humor section, because honestly, I almost thought it was a joke.

  My family and I were driving through a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri this afternoon on the way back to Illinois and home. I took a back road through a bedroom community and ended up on a 2 lane road that led me right past the last Kingdom Hall I attended in 2007 before I left for good.

  At the time I attended, I think there were 4 English and 1 Spanish congregation there, maybe an ASL group, not certain. When I drove by today, the sign had changed, English KH sign on top of the roadside sign, but an unknown language on the bottom. Curiosity got the better of me and I looked it up on the evil j dub org site (I refuse to type the address in and link it). Sure enough, it was Swahili. What? Now the pic on google maps is older so it shows the old sign.
  

  Black Jack, MO KH google maps

  After further research, I found this information about Swahili speakers in the U.S. There are 36,390 speakers in the U.S. But only 940 in Missouri, and to give benefit of the doubt, 1,225 in neighboring Illinois. Another source says maybe a larger number speak Afrikaans, of which only a small subset is Swahili.

  My point? EXACTLY. Is WTBTS so desperate that they will tuck a Swahili group into a suburb of St. Louis in the middle of nowhere?

  Jehober must be pleased with the increase and the bringing in "from all Nations."
  

  Snakes ())
  
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  LoisLane looking for Superman

  Wow. That is one heck of beautiful KHall property wholly owned by JW dot org.

  That Swahili language group is far from home.

  Interesting.

  LL
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  Joyzabel

  I grew up in St Louis, but can't remember Black Jack (will google it) but isn't it near Ferguson???

  late 50's my parents studied and went to the Kinloch KH (morphed into the Florissant cong). Kinlock was a small city in the St Louis suburbs with an all black government. Not heard of anywhere in the USA in the late 50's. Kinlock borders Ferguson,

  sorry to high jack, but nothing surprises me about that cult. (Crazy)
• 

  hoser

  Foreign language groups are make work projects
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  SnakesInTheTower

  If you grew up in the area, Black Jack is the municipality the KH is located. I think it is Riverview, Halls Ferry, Jamestown,Spanish Lake, and not sure what else. It is a double auditorium with 2 apartments. Look at it on Google Earth, along with the Assembly Hall in Spanish Lake (Larimore and Laredo). Very near Florissant and Ferguson.

  Beautiful properties not on tax rolls, whitewashed graves full of dead dead men's bones.

  Snakes
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  tim3l0rd

  I think all the foreign language groups and congregations are to give the illusion of growth to those in the US and other developed countries. Those that join are usually pioneers or are bored in their congregation. ASL congregations have exploded over the last decade. Most ASL congregations have about 50 publishers, but only about 10 deaf who regularly attend and maybe 2-3 deaf publishers. We constantly here about how much it's growing, but it's mostly from hearing people joining.

  On a side note, I think ASL is the reason why tablets finally were allowed and utilized throughout the org. We've been using them since the fist iPad to show videos and it's been the only thing most brought to the ASL meetings for quite a while.
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  Joyzabel

  Snakes, that maybe the last KH the ex and I worked on in St Louis. Lots of prep work for quick builts back then. About 30 some years ago, a double KH in that area.