What's with the new Luxurious K.H's?! (page 2)

imanaliento

oh ScoobySnax, she was out delivering lambs for her belief in SILENTLAMBS.ORG

IT'S SOMETHING THAT TAKES DESIRE -DETERMINATION, wish more people had the will she has !!!

I was NOT out driving around to check out the kingdom halls. I was out, dumb*&%, to deliver Lambs (as in Silentlambs...) and flyers to the congregations. That was my only reason for being anywhere near those hell-holes, to make a Silentlamb statement. Finding one or two that I knew of personally suddenly being gone and replaced by something else was comical, hysterical actually. Then to find the new ones, in a whole new style, size and luxurious to boot, I found quite interesting.

I'd love to know the reasoning being used now...Oh wait I know! It's "new light".

Edited by - Lin on 28 September 2002 22:14:37

Dino

You rock Lin!

I havent forgotten your question posed earlier this week. I will touch base with you tomorrow.

Love to you,

Dino

Max Divergent

On this thing about the WTS being the ultimate benificiary of property and so on...

I once had the job of setting up a new bank account for the Congo. Under the local tax system religious entities can fill in a form and be exempted from taxes charged on bank accounts (eg: exeption from the 0.06% local tax on all bank deposits!).

One of the questions on the form was who would get any money that was left over if the body applying for exemption was wound-up. What do you say? It wouldn't make sense to the JW's for, say, the local Children's Hospital to gain a KH if all the JW's left town, so making the WTS the benificiary is the only possible answer.

So, in a formal sense the WTS was the benificiary if the congo wound up. Also, if the Congo borrowed money, who would they give the morgage to: the local bank or the WTS? That's easy to answer! What else can they do? I just don't think it's fair to make an issue of that sort of busines dealing. I think that's the sort of thing being talked about?

Cheers, Max

garybuss

The newest Kingdom Hall here in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA, has an attached parsonage. The building is brick and the parking lot is paved with a very commercial looking landscaped lot located on a busy street in a residential area. Across the street is the cemetery where my first wife, who suffered and died from virtually untreated leukemia, is buried.

gb

RR

RR jumping up and down "Show me the pictures"!

waiting

I think it's part psychological. If the locals have a nicer place - and have to pay for that nicer place - they tend to work harder for it. Lol, they have to. If the building is already paid for by the generation residing there beforehand, no need to contribute much, eh? All donated/paid for years ago. People like to take pride in their homes/churches/cars....human nature & a reflection of them. Perhaps the WTBTS knows that?

Well, the new, posher building gets paid for, land values continue to rise, in another decade building is sold - yet a bigger, better building is structured.....it's a lot like any homeowner or business. Keep expanding - putting the money in real estate. The chances of attracting a more upscale follower is better because the affluence is noticable.

If I understand a previous post ------ ultimately, if the congregation "wounds down" - or folds up & leaves, the ultimate owner is the WTBTS? Makes sense. The WT ends up looking more expansive, growth orientated, paid totally by locals, and the ultimate owner in case the locals slink away.

Anyway - that's my opinion. "Keeping up with the Jones."

waiting

Lin

I personally found it rather funny that they've been building these humongous K.H's, spending tons of money but at the same time they are stopping magazine subs, books have to be picked up at the local K.H. etc. If the end is supposedly so near, I would think they'd be buckling down on their building and spending money left and right. New halls is one thing, but Good Gawd!

RR, sorry but I didn't even think about taking pics. But it sure gives me an idea! Some of these are so far behind the gates, I may need a helicopter to take a pic. Plus, they're way up on hills surrounded by luxurious landscaping. Those gated entrances really cracked me up! Some sort of fortress! I'm just waiting for them to have armed guards added. LOL

dsgal

Hey Lin,

Did you make your way to the Mesquite Central Hall on I-20? Those uppety sons of bit#%es could use some of that literature you were distributing.I always felt out of place because I drove a 1995 model car and all the other ones on the lot were new.They also have the best clothes and live in fine homes.All that talk about living a simplistic life is baloney.And if you are not on their economic level they leave you out of everything.This has been my experience anyway.When I was a teenager I went to the old Dallas Central Hall when it was over on San Jacinto St.,way back in the sixties.I think it is boarded up now.

blondie

The style of hall is very dependent on where the money is coming from. If it is a loan from the WTS, then they dictate very closely what will be built. If the congregation comes up with the money all on their own be it having the cash on hand or taking out a loan as a congregation, then you will see more elaborateness. If quite a few construction trained people (many on the Regional Building Committee) attend that congregation, you will see quite a few exceptions. Traveling out east I saw several recently built halls with amenities that would never have been allowed where I lived...but it turned out that the head of the RBC attended there.

In the past, larger halls were built, but with the dropping attendance, congregations have been told to scale back. For example, certain halls in my area if they were to try to build them today, would have to be scaled back in size before the WTS would approve the plans.

So money and influence rules what a KH looks like. It reminds of JW weddings where one family tries to outdo the next in expense and elaborateness. I could never imagine a $10,000 wedding in my area but in LA, Chicago, NYC, it is not unusual.

No matter the type of KH, they all look better with a little lamb hanging on the door.

What's with the new Luxurious K.H's?!

Share this