Has the Society ever considered night witnessing?

by Holey_Cheeses*King_of_the juice. 23 Replies latest jw friends

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  Holey_Cheeses*King_of_the juice.

  It could have merit.

  Consider - We have night tennis, night golf and a host of other nighttime activities that have proven successful. So why couldn't the org arrange for a nightshift of witlessing? Those people that are recorded as NAHs during the day, would surely be at home in the evening, and, the later the brothers called, the better chance they would have of finding someone at home.

  I'm sure there would be many honest hearted individuals who would welcome being woken at 3 a.m. for a solid discussion of fable principles at their front door. Could be more opportunities to be invited in - maybe the householder could retire back to bed and a good bedside chat could develop. How up close and personal that experience could be.

  Waiting for people leaving the theatre or cinemas at midnight is another example of potential field activity, along with waiting for employees finishing their own nightshift at 6 a.m. Time enough then for those dedicated brothers to freshen up after brekkie at Maccas and to be ready for the field group at 9 a.m. Think of the experiences that could be related before the text being discussed.

  cheeses - who is lamenting the fact that there wasn't night field work in his time.
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  notperfectyet

  Holy mother of cheese !

  What is this we in "We"?

  Anywho,

  Night witnessing might just catch on, we have bus stop witnessing at 6 AM, evening witnessing to disrupt dinner, the very, very night light shift might just work! It works for Conan O'Brien.
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  JH

  Night witnessing could be dangerous for sisters.

  If they would do that, I guess the attendance would dip in the morning field service.

  *thinking hard* I think I already done that night witnesssing, when I started in the truth while I was taking a couple of beers in a bar. I think I talked about witness stuff to a few drunk friends there...

  What newbies will do when they join the troof...
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  Mulan

  In our area, evening witnessing is a major thing. Every Wed. night, 6:30, as long as I can remember.

  Not a new concept.
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  blondie

  I used to make planned return visits and conduct Bible studies with people who worked from 2 pm to 10 pm. I got there at midnight and sometimes did not get home until 3 a.m. But most JWs I knew would not make the time.

  I can remember going out in the evening during daylight savings time until about 8 p.m. Much later than that and people either a) come to the door in their robes or b) are afraid to answer the door because of crime.

  I can remember calling on all night gas stations and stop and robs after 8:30 p.m.

  Gotta get that time in when you are a pioneer.

  Blondie
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  Holey_Cheeses*King_of_the juice.

  blondie,

  Good thing that you never felt you were under pressure 'to get those hours in'.

  cheeses - who is amazed that such behaviour did occur nocturnally.
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  shamus

  We did it all the time....
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  herk

  In the early 1970s, entire congregations were encouraged to engage in the auxiliary pioneer work during April. Each person who volunteered had to get in 60 hours of field service for the month. (Maybe it was 75 hours - I don't remember.) Some of us Bethelites tried to set a good example, and we became auxiliaries during April and sometimes one other time during the year, meaning we went without a real vacation. It was extreme foolishness, and it was brutal. To get in our time meant being "out in service" as much as we could during evenings and from Saturday noon until Sunday night except for the public talk and WT study. We often skipped supper because we had scheduled our time to get in an hour or more before the book study and before the ministry school. Near the end of the month, because we were usually behind schedule, we spent several nights until about 2 or 3 a.m. doing "street work" on subway platforms at Times Square and other busy stations, and we called at all-night gas stations and other stores that were open. Such fanaticism was even encouraged by the Society in letters to the congregations that told of our experiences, and we did have some good ones.
  

  But it definitely was foolishness. Our work suffered during the day at Bethel, and during the following month, with the pressure off, we felt tired all the time. And it was a time when there was crankiness with one's roommate and others due to increased tiredness and weariness.
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  RunningMan

  It has been done. I have heard experiences at assemblies from brothers who would visit convenience stores and gas bars in the middle of the night. It actually worked pretty well. The clerks were lonely and eager to talk to someone. Even a Witness looks like pretty good company at 3:00 am.
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  cruzanheart

  My dear departed grandmother, who spoke only Greek, would frequently do night witnessing. She lived in Englewood, New Jersey, not in a very nice neighborhood, and at the time I think my mom and I were living with her (my dad was in the Navy and on sea duty at the time). Mom said that every evening after supper, if there wasn't a meeting that night, Nana would get up, put on her coat, get her bookbag and pick up every stray piece of literature in the house (Mom and Uncle Paul learned to hide their personal copies). Then she'd walk out the door and go visit the bars. She'd go in, pick a drunk, put one arm around him, slap the mag or book on the bar and say "God. Good, good." Mom said she'd come home with an empty bookbag and her pockets bulging with money!

  Nina