Did your congregation ever throw special parties exclusively for Pioneers?

by Tenacious 21 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  FedUpJW

  When they were alive my parents would host a pioneer appreciation dinner for the pioneers and their husband/wife. They would host an elder/ms appreciation dinner for them and their wives. They would host a group appreciation dinner for their kingdom hall group for the entire families. They would host most if not all the members of the congregation on an individual basis at least once each during the calendar year. My parents were two of the most generous hospitable people you could have ever had the pleasure to know. They epitomized what a Christian should have been, not just to other JW's but to complete strangers.
  

  Of course when they got old enough to no longer be financially useful to, or physically capable of being used and abused by the lazy JDubs they were promptly kicked to the curb. I have made reference to comments each of them made about JW's just shortly before their deaths.
  
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  Xanthippe

  XANTHIPPE: Unfortunately, there were a few pioneers that had an attitude of entitlement - LHG

  Yes LongHairGal there was a missionary in my congregation who came back and expected everyone to furnish her apartment and do lots of work on it, and they did!

  We on the other hand ended up in debt after leaving the cult, having had to use a credit card to survive. Part-time unskilled work didn't go very far but we didn't expect handouts and we certainly didn't get any.

  Living in central UK with a husband who was from London I think the local congregation thought we were wealthy. They seemed to think his family supported us, which was ridiculous. We had other people around for meals more than they invited us!
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  sir82

  It was pretty common in the various congregations I have attended.

  It was usually done just after, or around, the annual December / January meeting the elders are supposed to have with all pioneers. Sometimes it was at a restaurant, sometimes at someone's house, sometimes a potluck in a rented facility. Usually it was elders + wives and pioneers plus spouses, sometimes MS's & wives were invited too.

  Almost never the whole congregation though. Gotta preserve that feeling of "specialness" & entitlement.
  

  To answer the question from the OP, it was definitely a local-level thing, no instructions from the branch in doing so.
  
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  newsheep

  In our case it was two huge pool parties (tons of booze and dinner) in the summer and a huge dinner in the fall. First couple of years the dinner would be at a restaurant buffet style then after that it was in homes. Hated those dinners. At least when they were in restaurants you could finish your meal and leave. In the homes is where the elders would get the publishers to dress in black and white and be our waiters/waitresses. It was right after that the next day we said we weren't pioneering anymore. Disgusting to say the least and embarrassed to have been a part of it.
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  LongHairGal

  XANTHIPPE:

  As far as JWs thinking you were “rich” when in fact you weren’t must have been awful. That means people were jealous. When people are jealous and think you “have no problems”, they will never help you. I can personally attest to this.. I hope you landed on your feet eventually and got out of credit card debt.

  NEWSHEEP:

  So, the elders wanted publishers to act as “waiters/waitresses” in order to WAIT ON the esteemed pioneers? 🤮 I had heard something similarly nauseating about r&f doing this at somebody’s wedding even though they weren’t officially invited.

  All the more reason I’m glad I’m out of this SICK religion that tried more and more to promote creature worship... I hope these pioneers can pay their bills today. If not, they should track down the elders and the people who hosted these special gatherings and ask THEM for money!
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  blondie

  sir82
  

  sir82 8 hours ago

  It was pretty common in the various congregations I have attended.

  It was usually done just after, or around, the annual December / January meeting the elders are supposed to have with all pioneers. Sometimes it was at a restaurant, sometimes at someone's house, sometimes a potluck in a rented facility. Usually it was elders + wives and pioneers plus spouses, sometimes MS's & wives were invited too.

  Almost never the whole congregation though. Gotta preserve that feeling of "specialness" & entitlement.

  To answer the question from the OP, it was definitely a local-level thing, no instructions from the branch in doing so.

  (As I posted above, this is exactly how things were done in the last congregation I attended; I was one of the so-called special ones because my husband was an elder; it did make for bad feelings for the ones who were not special enough to be invited.)
• 

  Brighton

  As long as I can remember (40+ years) there have been special get togethers just for the pioneers. The gift giving though, seems to be a recent thing - my mom is a regular pioneer - so I hear about them and it seems to me the gifts started coming in the last 3 - 5 years.
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  Tenacious

  Thanks to all for the info and to the PM one.

  I've been nursing an injury and couldn't discuss further.

  Rats! The directive never came down from HQ. Too bad. Just one more thing we could pin on them. Although allowing them specially the gift giving encouragement should be enough to yell hypocrites. But then again it's a long list!

  The last one I attended to I was already On The Way Out ;-)

  I remember thinking to myself "this is a freaking bday party for pioneers!"

  There was one other brother I happened to mention this too and he was an older member and he also was a bit nonplussed about the whole affair. I wonder what his thoughts are of what they've become.
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  joey jojo

  Remember Rod Spinks from the Australian Royal Commission?

  He had a bus drivers licence back in the day and he used to organise groups of young ones to take on tours. You could only go if you were a pioneer, or he deemed you to be of good character.
• 

  Tenacious

  @ joey jojo

  They have always used that "special" tag to keep members working.

  Just like allowing the auxiliary pioneers remain for the full meeting with the CO along with the other pioneers whenever he visited. I remember the way they would announce it you would think they were doing us a favor.

  It all seems to stupid and flat out ridiculous now. But that's the power of a cult and how they condition the minds of members.