South East England - love of the greater number cooling off (page 2)

ignored_one

...As a protection against backstabbers?

And frostbite.

Ignored One.

Englishman, I note that you are from Somerset. I once heard a friend tell me he used to live near Taunton and had heard that the Mid Summer Norton congregation (did I spell that right?) was disbanded a while ago, lack of love and cohesion. I don't know what became of it.

I have visited a few halls on the South East coast, most are unwelcoming and unfriendly. A few stand out though. Brighton has a fairly diverse set of congregations I think. I reckon they're about 8 in all in that area.

One elder who recently gave a local needs talk on bad association and the dangers of the Intenret, said that he was shocked about hearing that some of the Brighton elders had written a note to their wives saying they were leaving them for someone they met on the Internet. They just upped and diappeared. These were some of the speakers who had parts at the Brighton Centre.

Ahh, the Brighton Center. The only venue I know where you can actually buy food, although this is from independent caterers who operate there. I used to go for long walks on Brighton Seafront during the intermission.

truthseeker

Uhmm, what's with Canterbury? Doesn't sound like it has a good reputation

ignored_one

One elder who recently gave a local needs talk on bad association and the dangers of the Intenret, said that he was shocked about hearing that some of the Brighton elders had written a note to their wives saying they were leaving them for someone they met on the Internet. They just upped and diappeared. These were some of the speakers who had parts at the Brighton Centre.

A heard a similar thing happened in the Rye cong on the SE coast. An elder sent to help the cong ended up running off with another member's wife.

Ignored One.

Englishman

truthseeker,

I'd heard that about Midsomer Norton. Philo, who used to post here from Southampton, told me that the Bishop's Waltham cong was disbanded for the same reasons.

Englishman.

truthseeker

Interesting post Ignored One. We had a popular elder visit our hall a few years ago, was the PO of one of the Worthing congregations; always gave good talks, specially about the family etc.

He rang off with another sister who was younger than he was and got disfellowshipped. Whole family was in turmoil. He has since married her and moved near Pulborough where he got reinstated.

Never again do I look up at these men and think they're so spiritual. Anyone can fall, and there are wolves in sheeps clothing.

In fact, I found some of the best reasons for stayin at the bottom were simply from looking at the men at the top.

ignored_one

Uhmm, what's with Canterbury? Doesn't sound like it has a good reputation

Well I know a few people from there. Even after being there years they still felt like they wasn't accepted due to not being born into the congregation.

Ignored One.

truthseeker

Ignored One, I know what you mean. A lot of the single mothers who came in he truth felt abandoned by the cong. I was raised in the truth but my face just didn't fit in the Kingdom Hall. I didn't have many friends.

Most of the friends in the hall went to other congregations for social gatherings.

A sad fact of my cong was that even when they did do something as a congregation, the friends would just not mix. It was like oil and water. We used to play volleyball, rounders on bank holidays. There were a lot of young people then. Half of them didn't want to join in, the other half did but wouldn't speak to anyone who wasn't in the 'in' crowd.

Our cong never made the time to really get to know each other. A lot of the friends moved to other halls as they couldn't take it any longer.

A really long time ago, when we were all kids, we used to have childrens parties. the older ones would rent out a village hall and we would have long tables covered with food, we would play games and dance. When we all got in our teens that all ended, naturally, but then there was nothing to replace it.

truthseeker

Hi Englishman, I don't know Philo, but know of a few people in Southampton. The Wards for example, they have family in Portsmouth I think.

I also heard that in Southampton, a lot of the residents had put up no soliciting signs to stop the Witnesses from calling on them.

There was always a lot of trouble in the congregations in that area.

One time, some of the friends went ice skating in Havant I think, and all kinds of things happened. Nine people got disfellowshipped I heard, and their names were read off one after another. Caused quite a stir. Hence the lack of ice skating.

I used to go to Haisbridge Assembly hall, remember the CO/DO speaking against those who frequent pubs and how 'Jehovahs people' should not be going to worldly places of entertainement. I distinctly remember him saying that 'if they don't want to know Jehovah then we don't want them brothers and sisters do we!' At that a thunderous applause was heard...

Speaking of Haisbridge (and I bet I got the spelling wrong here), we hardly ever got to sit out on the grass, even on nice days.

kgfreeperson

It sounds almost as if one of the effects of all the WTS's fear-mongering is that JWs are getting more and more afraid of associating with anyone--even each other--as they might end up talking to someone who they should be shunned, or they might form a bond with someone they might have to give up. This is both very sad and very strange.

South East England - love of the greater number cooling off

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