Welcome to the forum MIke!
I’m a current elder ex bethel in London
by Mikejw 27 Replies latest jw friends
-
-
Mikejw
Just wondering, do you know some people in Surrey England? Maybe we know the same people!
-
if they were in Bethel or BRD?
BRD branch relocation project from mill hill to Chelmsford
-
Mikejw
Our new chum has been on BRD and BOE.
😜
Is that how they express it these days?
Cheers,
Ozzie 🍷
-
BOE- Body of Elders
-
ozziepost
BOE- Body of Elders
Yeah, we know, we know.
-
Phizzy
What is BRD ? short for bird ?
-
ozziepost
Phizzy
It’s all part of the “in” expressions.
it validates the credentials…….yeah, right.
Cheers,
Ozzie🍷
-
slimboyfat
This is not what I see at all. Rather than fading, many JWs have returned to the meetings during the pandemic and some who sat on the fence for years have got baptised. Currently the numbers are higher than they were at the start of the pandemic, despite a number of deaths.
I do think enthusiasm for writing letters has waned as the months have gone on, and people probably do spend more time chatting on Zoom than writing letters. Even so, a tremendous amount of latter writing has gone on, noted by other religious groups. (I attended a Unitarian service that was strangely based on JW letter writing)
Locally JWs were excited to get back on the carts, although I doubt they will be as happy about returning to door to door preaching.
I suspect they will lose some people if they push too hard for everyone to return to the Kingdom Hall instead of staying on Zoom. Some will respond to the pressure but others will just quit attending the meetings altogether.
I’ve been loosely associating and attending various kinds of religious meetings during the pandemic including: Unitarian, Christadelphian, Mormon, Presbyterian, Iglesia ni Cristo, and Quaker meetings. Most of these groups have seen a drop in participation, particularly Mormons, Unitarians, and mainline churches. Quakers have done a bit better. JWs have done better than any other group in keeping members engaged during the pandemic. They are struggling to get people to go back to the KH but not to the extent of other churches where this seems to be an even bigger problem.
-
BluesBrother
Nice to hear from you Mike, I am not a million miles away but not real close…
It is hard to judge the zeal and enthusiasm of the flock these days . The fear of covid still affects those that I know. They are not yet back at the KHall. It will be interesting if the Society has them restricting zoom passwords to those whom they judge as deserving?
BTW , I faded a long time ago…
-
ozziepost
Just out of interest is there anyone else here who was in London bethel early 2000s or who spent any time on BRD the last few years?
Mike,
we are a welcoming gathering but respect people’s privacy, bearing in mind the controlling association we are/or were associated with.
If you have real, substantive knowledge that your position afforded you that may be helpful, but we caution against ‘fishing expeditions’.
Cheers,
Ozzie 🍷
-
Nostromo
Hi Mike
Were you still there in Bethel around 2009 when some elders were disfellowshiped for "apostasy"? I remember there were maybe 4 of them and the issues were similar than in 1980 in Brooklyn, that everyone should partake etc.