Did you/Do you actually LIKE Field Service? (page 2)

stevieb1

I was a regular pioneer for over two years and a "regular auxiliary" (as they were then called) for nearly ten years. I still am one of Jehovah's Witnesses though I have many hang-ups about the organization's theology and what I observe in the congregations. But for now here are my observations about field service:

* As someone previously said I had to work alone the majority of the time. I am naturally shy and sometimes get a bit stuck for words. I hated that part and came away most discouraged on many occasions.

* As a pioneer I needed partners for the ministry. I found that after an hour (AT MOST!) the brothers from the group had all scarpered leaving me on my own. No consideration at all shown here.

* The whole thing was terribly disorganised. Not enough territory etc. I found myself looking all over the territory for the brother looking after the maps for more territory.

* THIS IS THE IMPORTANT BIT!! I came to realise that if the people in the territory were going to be judged on account of their response to the field ministry of Jehovah's Witnesses then I was shocked by the quality of the ministry in my local congreagtion. How could anyone be judged unworthy of life by our righteous God on account of their response to a 30-second presentation of the Awake magazine!! This was no quality ministry. It didn't match that of Jesus Christ either in content or quality. Most people didn't know anything about 'Jehovah's Prophetlike Organization' much less about the Issue of Universal Sovereignty and God's Kingdom which is what I thought the ministry was about. How could they be judged because they didn't listen to JW's when we presented our two magazines or a tract?

I could write a bit more about this matter, but I will say this. I feel that a Christian must be a minister of some sort but not the JW way.

riz

Java,

I'm interested in hearing your stories

riz

dmouse

You can almost sense the relief when my wife looks out of the curtains on a Saturday morning and it's raining - this means she can skip going 'on the work' with a clear conscience.
Personally, I too used to hate it going from door to door - it seemed so forced, unnatural. I much prefered informal witnessing which arose naturally out of conversations.
Like most of you here, I feel that it is a monumental waste of time.
Anyway, if people are to be judged on their response to 'the good news' then calling on them is giving them a death sentence. Far better to leave them alone then they'll survive Armageddon with the excuse of ignorance.

Angharad

I hated every minute of it, as I was very shy when I was younger.

I used to loved those words ' sorry I'm not interested' OK bye, unless of course you were working with someone who had read the reasoning book from cover to cover and had a hundred different responses to this.

Riz - I remember many times calling on someone from school at the weekend and then I would be dreading Monday morning because everyone would know about it.

Java - I'd like to hear your stories as well

perfectpie

Eye actually, for the most part loved going out in field service. This is even surprising to me being that I am a selfish person and have had problems with stuttering my whole life. The thing I miss the most about being an active Witness was the peace I felt for seemingly doing Gods will. I love being with my friends, I loved the sense of being on the same team working through this difficult work together.

I also learned to enjoy the house to house work. The big thing for me was seeing how you could improve in your kindness and tact and be more like Jesus. But in time I lost conviction, not in Jesus and The Father but in the orginization I was supposed to be representing. This slowed me down and eventually I was inactive.

Peace to all "Let the word of the Christ remain as a rich treasure in your hearts"

Casper

Hi All...

Count me in....I HATED SERVICE.....felt like I was "Begging"
for money. Also, hated running into someone I knew from work
or such.....True, how could people be judged from the short,
stammering message I delivered...out of total embarrassemnt..!!

Someone here said, "the householder would be better off, if we hadn't
come to their door"...

I said the same thing to the Sister that was studing with me. When I found out that I was now "Accountable for my actions, after studing for sometime. I said, "Then WHY didn't you just leave me alone, I was better off not Knowing...!!" No reply, of coarse.

One thing I hated was in the dead of Winter..the older sisters
desided that a person would "KEEP" getting out at doors, alone,
in rural ter. UNTIL they found someone at home and talked to them.
Then the next person in the car group would get out...!!!!! I
froze my *** more times than I can count... I really resented those
sisters for this. Just didn't seem fair, and since they were
considered the more "Mature" ones...who could question them...

Cas

joelbear

Stevie brings up some interesting points.

If the field service is a dividing work to determine those who respect Jehovah's Universal Sovereignty, why do anything other than explain this point to householders and ask them how they feel?

Anything other than this specific issue is surreptitious and manipulative.

Maybe they aren't interested in what god thinks about the olympics or bonsai trees or whatever.

If it is truly a dividing work then it should be proffered as such.

hugs

Joel

doubtingsister

Phone Witnessing!
What a horrible idea. Did anyone here ever do that? I was "invited" to a sister's house for coffee and phone witnessing one day and I kept dialing my house and pretending that no one was home. I used my son as an excuse, I told the gals that he wasn't feeling well and I had to get back home to him. And parking lots at grocery stores, forget it. I would never, ever do that.

neyank

Hi All,
I also hated going out in service. Although I did ok at informal witnessing.
Something about going door to door gave me anxiety attacks.
Maybe the fact that I used to get stage fright in front of crowds was
the reason.

Riz, you mentioned how it would be knocking on a door and having your classmates
living there.
Well I knocked on a door once and it wasn't one of my old classmates, it was someone I
grew up with and hung around and partied with. (Sorry. I didn't grow up in the "Truth".)
I haven't seen this person for a while. And of course he didn't know I had become a J.W.
So talk about swollowing your tounge.

neyank

Tina

Hi Loves and all!
I never liked it. I always felt extremely uncomfortable. Like Java says it's forced and unatural........I would have felt better if I had something REAL to offer them,,,like a vacuum cleaner or something...regards,Tina
Ps Doubting,Hi and welcome!! I love your experiences lol-sounds like my kinda people lol.Cheers,T

Did you/Do you actually LIKE Field Service?

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