OK, I just woke up, so for others who might take a while (and for posters who were not ever JW's) SAD = Special Assembly Day. A one day meeting of a circuit (usually made up of 10-15 congregations) which regularly features a visiting Bethel speaker or two for the keynote address and closing remarks.
I was amazed (again!) at the BRCI conference when I had the
"envelope" system mentioned previously on this board confirmed by a Canadian ex-Bethelite. I had never considered that these full-time workers who had their travel expenses covered by our voluntary donations, and who lived at the various Bethels which were also supported by our voluntary donations (and slave labor), would be getting money passed to them on the side!
Perhaps the governments of various nations that treat the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses as a tax-exempt charitable organization, and who think that members of the Religious Order of Jehovah's Witnesses truly live by their vow of poverty, should think about infiltrating the organization:
Bringing a video camera along to the convention to record the
"passing of the envelopes" (undeclared income?) and having the Bethel car bugged to hear the exclamations of "$50.00 from Brother X, $200 from Brother & Sister Y!" made on the way home to Bethel as the envelopes are eagerly torn open... AND identifying the givers so that the paper trail can be traced back through the various bank accounts of the generous brothers! ?
And here I was busily donating my husband's old suits and my old dresses that no longer fit us, so that these poor beggars could be properly clothed!
Naively stupid! (Or as Norm put it -- dim idiot! LOL)
outnfree
Ever stop to think, and forget to start again? <<-- kinda describes the whole dub experience, doesn't it?