When the Governing Body Member....

by Blueblades 4 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Blueblades

  Visits your hall to give the Public Talk. Does it turn your hall upside down? When Carey w. Barber a member of the Governing Body gave the Public Talk in my congregation I was the Watchtower Study Conductor.

  He went 15 minutes overtime,so the talk went from 45 min. to one hour.Before I went up to the platform to conduct the Watchtower one of the Bethel Elder's came over to me and said, "Watch your time".This was said to me in a commanding tone. He was afraid that the Governing Body member might scold him if the meeting went overtime..

  So, I did it in less than 45 mins instead of the one hour allotted.Of cause I called on the G.B. Carey W. Barber whenever he raised his hand three times because he must of had some special insight to give us.He only gave the stock answer in the paragraph, nothing special.

  As for the Bethel Elder who commanded me to watch my time I only let him answer once,was he steamed! I made sure that I reminded him that in lieu of the time we have to move on. I let the local members answer the most.

  We never did get along anyway.After 29 years in Bethel he had to leave because of family concerns.What a sour puss he was.

  The G.B. Carey W. Barber did not really turn the congregation off track because as was commanded of me I got us back on track.

  Did you ever have G.B. member give the Public Talk in your congregation,what was the results?

  Blueblades
• 

  Amazing1914

  Hi Blue,

  The best we ever had in our hall was a District Overseer. However, we did have two different Governing Body visits which were special talks.

  Nathan Knorr visited the San Francisco Bay area during the oil crisis in the early 1970s. He too was asked to give a special talk. Every Kingdom Hall in the entire Bay Area, from Santa Rosa to the north, to San Jose in the south and areas east of Oakland in the east were tied in by the phone system. Most Kingdom Halls were flooded with everyone you could imagine. In our hall, speakers were set up outside because of overflow.

  This was the famous talk where Knorr said we needed to look out for 1973 (not 1975) as a year of great tribulation and turmoil leading up to earth shaking events. Of course with the beginning of the oil crisis, long gas station lines, oil tankers parked in San Francisco Bay, President Nixon taking the US Dollar off of gold, and other events ... we were convinced that this was the beginning of the big day ... Armageddon was right around the corner!

  I doubt that today any member of the Governing Body could command such crowds. For example, in 1978, Grant Suiter, Secretary of the Watchtower Corp. visited eastern Washington, near Spokane. Of course he was requested to give a talk. A local college stadium was selected. He drew a crowd of several thousands one Saturday afternoon. It was not a special talk of any kind. No immenence of Armageddon. Rather, it was so boring, I can't recall a word he said, other than I am sure he said, Jehovah, once or twice.

  The experience you describe of Carry Barber seems par for the course in more recent years. Much appears to be focused on timing and structure, rather then having something exciting or interesting to say. Its too bad, for JWs used to be kind of fun ... now all that died by the early 1990s.

  Jim W.
• 

  William Penwell

  The closest I have come to a GB was when Grant Suiter came to dedicate our Assembly Hall. I remember him giving the dedication of the Assembly Hall talk but I don't recall him saying anything special.

  Will
• 

  TheOldHippie

  "Much appears to be focused on timing and structure"

  Amen, except you could substitute "all" for "much".
• 

  bikerchic

  Ha! I think it was Grant Suiter who was at the Tucson Convention some time in the 80's. I walked into the Hotel Lobby to see some friends who were staying there during one of the breaks. As I got on the elevator full of JW's they were all a buzz because he had just gotten off and I passed right by him. I didn't know him from Adam and didn't understand what the fuss was about. He was a prune faced old man, sheese like it wasn't like he was Elvis.

  I don't remember any GB members speaking in our one horse town, but I do remember when the DO visited, that messed up the whole week pretty much with meetings being rearranged I hated my routine being upset just to sit and hear the same 'ol same 'ol, I at least wanted some exciting news!

  Kate