by ukpimo 17 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Any fond memories or funny stories relating to the old Book Study arrangement?
I remember a time when a new sister turned up with very smart jacket and shirt. Yet she was wearing trousers and when questioned by everyone she said "Blimey, I think Geoff (her husband) is wearing my skirt!"
The room roared with laughter. We let her off.
Those were the only pleasant memories...
Remembering a lot of stories of things that would not happen now.
Gorby
We had the book study at our small home when I was a kid in the late 60s.
Mom loved Star Trek, so she made a ton of popcorn afterward and half the Bookstudy stayed after for popcorn, cocktails, and Star Trek. lol :)
In the early 2000s, we used to have "Goodies" night once a month in my California Congregation. We turned that into a weekly event at the Bookstudy I conducted and added Wine and cheese. It increased attendance!! lol.
Lovely memories!
Aged about 5 I loved to crawl under the book study chairs till I reached an old cranky sister everybody hated but was frightened of.
She wore big built up black shoes. I used to tie her shoes and shoelaces all together stealthily, like James Bond so she toppled over when she stood up at the end of the group.
She spat out 'Who did this!!'
Fearlessly (or foolishly) I stood up and yelled 'Me!!'...
She glared at me like the wicked witch from the Wizard Of Oz for a few seconds and then said 'Good, I like a child with a strong character!'
Bizarrely after that we sort of became life-long friends - perhaps she recognised a fellow lunatic when she saw one!
I have some fond memories of the bookstudy group.
Often,,,,I would say 3 out of 4 times a month the host would have coffee,,cakes & goodies after.
Theres some nostalgia with the bookstudy group.
In the 1970s I lived in a tiny town in the mountains below Lake Tahoe. The small congregation was newly formed and many had been baptized only 1 to 4 years. Most were young couples either with or without children. It was a fun and funny group.
My best friend had the book study at her house which 1st husband and I attended. The group was enthusiastic about the religion and I admit it was contagious. Most stayed after the book study telling jokes, playing games, or watching TV. sometimes with wine when their kids were in bed.
However, This group of ours changed in the late 1970s Many of these interesting and smart converts left JWs, including my best friend and her family. I tried to encourage her to stay but the decision was final.
I kept in touch with my friend who wisely left and, with her husband, worked hard and built a multi-million-dollar retirement. They are close with their 3 children, their 15 grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren.
She and her family earned their happy Golden Years through wisdom and hard work. We are so glad she didn't listen to me!
We used to host the book study at our house and my wife bought a pet tarantula. Was a lovely thing used to sit on my shoulder while i watched to. Well one day one of the kids asked to see it, so we brought it out, followed by much over dramatic screaming and people fleeing the house. A couple of weeks later it was announced from the platform that the book study was being moved. They never said anything to us about and we were left in the dark. Though we never got a reason why we assumed it was because of the spider. There were some awful sisters in the book study
The bookstudy yes..
Although,,I do remember many ''free conversations" after the study just about anything from A to Z. Even about the ''organization".
open,,frank conversations.
Its a no brainer why the Borg put the kibosh to the home bookstudy. Too many smart people potentially developing critical thinking skills.
And,,,,potential legal problems with having meetings in peoples houses.
