Unwritten rules at the Kingdom Hall, what were yours ??? (page 2)

Nikita

Gifts of homemade preserves must be delivered to the recipient out in the dark parking lot after the meeting.

If you had to exchange money, for say merchandise from an Avon sale, it had to be done in the parking lot also.

Angharad

. The PO interrupted his talk and had them rearrange their seating.

Thats awful !

I once wore pants to the hall, I was very very pregnant and I wanted to be comfortable, an elder made a point of coming up to me and just saying ' Oh your wearing trousers' and then walking off I also used to wear skirts just above the knee and got lots of dirty looks from some of the sisters (I loved being a rebal!)

Swan

Gifts of homemade preserves must be delivered to the recipient out in the dark parking lot after the meeting.

If you had to exchange money, for say merchandise from an Avon sale, it had to be done in the parking lot also.

These preserves where usually for the elderly brothers and sisters who didn't have much on a fixed income. We often gave them food in the summer to help see them through the winter months. This could only be done in the parking lot however.

Bribes out in the field service where okay though. I remember going with the PO on one Return Visit and the man clearly wasn't interested. The next thing I knew he pulled out a checkbook and wrote out a check then and there and handed it to the PO. The we left. The PO explained that he went there regularly for a contribution and that the man was rich and needed a write-off on his taxes. Maybe if those young people had slipped the PO a bribe, they wouldn't have had to be embarrassed in front of the whole congregation by having to change seats.

Tammy

Gadget

Young people must not sit together. I remember 4 visiting young people came into the hall one Sunday and sat together. The PO interrupted his talk and had them rearrange their seating.

I would've went and found another seat in the pub next door!

Gadget

Edited to add:

One of my friends actually done this at the '95 convention. I had to virtually carry her back to the coach because of how much she had drunk!

Wolfgirl

No exchanges of gifts, thank you cards, invitations, etc., in the Kingdom Hall OR the parking lot. You had to find some other way of doing it. Weren't allowed to do it at the bookstudy either.

Brothers weren't allowed to wear coloured dress shirts, especially not for talks. If they wore anything other than pastel coloured dress shirts, they were considered unspiritual.

We were ~~ordered~~ encouraged not to sit in the same seat every meeting. We were told this would help us to get to know others in the congregation, since we wouldn't be sitting by the same person all the time. How you're supposed to get to know someone during the meeting when you're not allowed to talk during the meeting is beyond me.

We too had to fold the time slip in half. But not more than in half. That was a no-no.

Funny this one, in view of what I've seen so many people write about how the elders provide copied articles as "encouragement:" We weren't allowed to print out the Scriptures all on one page (some of the computer literate people in the congregation were doing that); you must follow in your Bible.

Oh, there's more....

Garnet

I was not allowed to sit next to my husband (when we were dating) both of his parents had to sit in between us..BUT sister pioneer and her now husband were all over each other during the meeting, and I mean some "heavy petting" going on. My hubby was also counciled about having a "worldy girlfriend", who was me at the time...he told them...well she's studying, so does that make her evil...they actually told him yes and I would probably "pull him away" from the religion...ya okay, whatever. He never wanted to go in the first place

The men HAD to wear suit coats out in service, even when it was 100 degrees outside...felt bad for the men in dark suits. If you didnt wear a suit coat, then you had no privledges.

I had a dress on and it went not even an inch past my knees (even sitting down it was maybe 2 inches above my knee), the elders wife brought me to their house and made me wear her clothes...the thing is, they counciled me in front of the whole car group of "appropriate attire"...they could have least done it in private. This is the same elder who decided 2 weeks before our wedding that "he didnt think that it would be appropriate to marry us in the hall. My husband was nearly killed by a drunk driver and couldnt make meetings because he was bed ridden, they felt that our attendance was slipping ...then he decided that he didnt feel right marrying us...we werent "strong enough". after balling my eyes out for 45 mintues while they tried to convince us to cancel the wedding, I laughed and then went the JP and she was MORE than glad to marry us.

Garnet

bittersweet

cheeses, in our hall, all brothers giving talks had to wear a suit jacket.

We also weren't supposed to sit in the back row, it was supposed to be saved for late comers. Once an elder tried to kick me and my kids out of the back row. I told him that I shouldn't be punished for getting to the meetings on time, and that I was NOT going to move. He wasn't too happy about that.

sxybrwneyes

The unwritten rule in our hall and I think all halls were skirts had to be knee length or longer. I guess I was a rebel because I always wore skirts that were an inch or two above my knees and although I never got talked to about it I got alot or sideways glances from the elders and pioneers sisters. Actually one of the elders wives always wore her skirts above her knees too. From some of the stories I am hearing I guess my congregation, in northern California, wasn't as conservative as some of the other ones.

undercover

- don't back you car in, someone would go out and check this nightly, ???

WTF??? I always backed in, so that after the meeting I could pull straight out and not worry about running over all the kids playing in the parking lot.

A lot of the other rules seem to carry nationwide(at least in the US).

Last two rows for people with small children(But wait, aren't we not supposed to have kids?).

Sideburns/facial hair outlawed.

Too short skirts/too tight dresses/too low cut blouses always a big no-no.

Too wild or colorful of ties outlawed. Keep your jacket on the entire meeting, even when not being used that day.

One congregation I was in, the elders had a fit over the brothers wearing too short of overcoats in the rain/winter. They felt that we should all wear 3/4 or full length trench coat style coats/jackets.

closer2fine

You couldn't have a gathering unless all in good standing were invited.

Note: You couldn't have a congregation get-together unless it was approved by the elders.

Note: The elders wouldn't approve said get-together without word from the Society.

Note: Said gathering obviously didn't happen.

closer

Unwritten rules at the Kingdom Hall, what were yours ???

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