Local Attendees to Annual Meeting

by AMNESIAN 8 Replies latest jw friends

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  AMNESIAN

  Apologies if this has been discussed.

  Two longtime elders (one in his fifties, the other in his eighties) and their wives/families, all from the same one of the many local congregations around here, received personalized invitations to attend this year's (this weekend's?) annual meeting. As the meeting is at the Stanley and their invitation is specifically to attend the hook-up from Patterson, I am assuming a lot of invitations were extended.

  This is all I know so far. I don't know how these two men were selected (CO recommendations?). I don't know if invitations went to specific elders/COs/DOs in every US congregation/circuit/district (doubtful) or just what the process was. I only know that these two men from one congregation here were invited. They appeared as surprised and clueless as anyone.

  Whereas there will be those of you who will inevitably comment on their awareness of this being a very common occurrence each year, I cannot. In all of our years as active JWs, among the occasional invites to "special" events (i.e., not open to publishers in general) we received, neither my spouse nor I recalls in any previous years any of the many elders and families with whom we were acquainted receiving personalized invitations, out of the blue, to the annual meeting. Obviously ymmv. In any event, I have my own speculations as to the possible motivation, if this is, indeed, a unique or otherwise rare gesture.

  And for the record, I do not post informational-type messages unless I have my facts straight and from unimpeachable source(s). Period.

  AMNESIAN
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  Undecided

  I attended one of those meetings back in the sixtes in Philadelphia on the way to the ministry school at the farm in NY. I don't remember having an invite, we just went.

  Ken P.
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  JT

  when i was at bethel we had to take a day off if we wanted to go , sicne it was sat-

  at the time due to having the space we could invite guest, some of you may know all Willy Walker out of Detriot - he is an old timer, single black bro who was afraid to marry he told us- MIGHT HAVE TO LEAVE BETHEL AND GET A JOB

  anyway he used to invite 35 folks, when he would send out yearbooks as gifts to folks like most bethelites did to raise some quick cash the folks would send you money back as an appreciation of letting them be the first in thier congo to get a year book

  and when the yearbook and text were together sometimes they would be the only family with the daily text i recall on couple i sent a yearbook/textbook to WHEN jan 1 rolled around the order had not come in so for like 7 days lots od folks in the hall would call thier house for the text - so they sent me a nice ck and like most bethelites you repaid them in annual meeting tickets-

  The PO in my old hall was a VOTING MEMBER and each year he would bestow up someone the HONOR of rubbing shoulders with the Societies most important folks in the world for all the HEAVY WEIGHTS would be there branch overseers, do, and other heavies from around the world- all becuase he had guest passes

  so each year the folks in the congo would go around asking WHO DO YOU THINK WILL GO THIS YEAR????

  SO SAD

  .
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  AMNESIAN

  like most bethelites you repaid them in annual meeting tickets

  Yes, I am quite familiar with this particular avenue of procuring admission tickets [to the annual meeting] and the like. In this particular situation, though, the two men of whom I speak received their invites specifically from the WTS, addressed personally to them. As of their departure, they were uninformed as to how they came to be recipients. Presumably they'll know more upon their return.

  Again, there may be nothing unique about this. I can only speak from our own experience and knowledge base and that of those to whom we've been close for many years.

  AMNESIAN

  Edited by - AMNESIAN on 5 October 2002 13:12:47
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  bluesapphire

  My guess would be that they are trying to introduce a new "brownie point". So now whomever gets invited gets added "perks" in the eyes of the r&f in their congregation. And people will think they must be extra spiritual because obviously Jehovah's spirit picked them. Too bad if they can't afford the plane ticket, or the time off work, etc. If they are invited and choose not to go, that would be a HUGE NO NO! Just another gimmick.
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  JT

  As of their departure, they were uninformed as to how they came to be recipients.

  #######

  yep very unusal-

  if the "Standard" procedure is followed like so may other things in wt - it was due to some type of recommendation by means of CO , DO or Bethel connection.

  I recall how bro would get a letter in the mail from Bethel stating YOU ARE GIVING A TALK AT THE DISTRICT CONVENTION- AND THE Poor sap thought that holy spirit had picked him, when in fact it was that wonderful process in wt world known as "RECOMMENDATION OF MEN"

  typically the annual meeting is a Yawner- unless the make some new annoucnement like in 2000 with the new corp- other than that it is mainly grandstanding : "LOOKER HERE" this is what jah has been doing in Spain, Europe, etc. lots of branch dudes get to relate thier Sales figures and Staff production

  smile
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  blondie

  Is it only a coincidence that the followup elders' meeting is the weekend of October 12 and 13, 2002, in the US?
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  AMNESIAN

  My guess would be that they are trying to introduce a new "brownie point". So now whomever gets invited gets added "perks" in the eyes of the r&f in their congregation. And people will think they must be extra spiritual because obviously Jehovah's spirit picked them.

  You could be right, Blue, yet, my sense is that these two men are already considered spiritual among the members of this congregation---the eighty-something year-old is the PO and has served for a very long time.

  I'm thinking the Society might be using this year's meeting as a kind of pep rally of sorts to shore up flagging morale in the midst of the unprecedented (in the modern era) media drubbing. As well, these hand-picked attendees---of longtime loyalty to the corporation--- might be deputized to transport some specially-crafted encouragement in these difficult times for God's people to the troops at home. From Christ's very own annointed brothers.

  Just my opinion---worth exactly what it costs.

  AMNESIAN

  Edited by - AMNESIAN on 5 October 2002 16:57:34
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  imanaliento

  is this another we're equal but not so equal stuff.