Circuit visit elders meeting (page 2)

LostGeneration

I remember my first el-duhs meeting with the CO. I was expecting to get the real shit!!

Was a letdown.

Lostandfound

A complete bore when all elders sat and were berated by someone who had no need of a job, family to support and a FULL DAY OFF on Monday, on our days off we were expected to "lead" in the ministry

CO never a help or guide, one example, in the 80s and I was PO at the time, during the meeting CO asked if we had any points to mention, I told him I was concerned that a married brother with very young children was worried about them being subjects to abuse when left with the Grandfather alone. The brother had asked me for guidance that week and initial I suggested that his children never be left in potentially dangerous situations.

I asked CO what we could do to offer help or suggestions. CO became very aggressive and shouted at me never to even talk about such things in Jehovah's organisation to leave the situation to Jehovah, went on abusing me verbally for 10 minutes or so. During rest of meeting I never spoke or raised my hand. At mtg end (it was in my house) I told CO and elders they could not stay for the usual tea/coffee cakes etc as I was too busy, so I guided them to the front door. My wife already had the tea etc ready and I told her I was not having that man (CO) enjoying hospitality at our house ever again. The following COs visits, Inever volunteered for the midday meal or accommodation again,which we usually did. No Green Handshake ever again for him. I told the young parent to go to local Social Services for help and after some investigation they applied an "never alone" order to the grandfather with minor children. CO blinded by keeping the organisations name clean, beginning of the end for me. Back then not much known about the scourge of child abuse, although some vague information in BOE letters. I never worked with the cong whenever this CO was with us and waited for him to question me as to why. On Sunday a couple of years later he asked me to work with him in the ministry. I refused, telling him I was taking my children for a visit to the seaside in the afternoon as it the only time I could dedicate to their care, and that was more important to me than F S. I quoted Phillipians 1:10 "make sure of the most important things, "and that was my family. I waited each visit thereafter to him trying to remove me as PO but was not worried, I knew the other elders dreaded thought of taking on the extra responsibility. Years later he came off CO assignment as wife unwell and they assigned as special pioneers, so now they will have had the reassignment to no money. Marvellous.

zeb

disaster preparedness.

I recall being told at meetings that Jehovah would provide and not to have extra food or whatever on hand.

dropoffyourkeylee

What is 'gender blurring' mentioned in the O p ?

notsurewheretogo

The CO has an outline that they follow but they also tackle local issues thus the CO visit meeting with the elders may be different in each cong...

blondie

gender blurring hard to know what the WTS means....wearing tight pants, looking gay, looking lesbian,

sir82

What is 'gender blurring' mentioned in the O p ?

A new directive from mother, discussed at CO meetings with elders in the first half of the 2016 "Service year" (September 2015 - February 2016).

It is an outline for CO eyes only. Elders were instructed to write notes, but not allowed to actually see the paper it was written on.

Basically, if a guy dresses with too-tight pants, or too outlandish attire, and if he repeatedly ignores counsel to dress more conservatively, elders are instructed to inform the guy that he is no longer welcome to participate in the door-to-door ministry.

Naturally, the language was intentionally vague and no specific guidelines were given, which means that out of 10,000+ congregations in the US, there will be 10,000+ interpretations of what kind of dress is "inappropriate".

Basically, it's just another chapter in the WTS's "Strain out the gnat" version of nano-management.

dropoffyourkeylee

Hmm somehow I missed the entire discussion. I guess I'm not outlandish enough to have heard about it

Saltheart Foamfollower

Like many of you I have been to lots of these meetings in the past and yes they were pretty boring mostly. Now, the co is the one with all of the power and he likes to use it. He will make a "suggestion" one visit then if it hasn't been followed up next time all hell breaks loose. He can remove elders, change their assignments, bring others in - more or less anything he wants these days. This means elders are extremely tense during the visit and particularly during the meeting with him. The extra outline part from the GB just increases the level of stress.

SF

Circuit visit elders meeting

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