Hi Ozzie,
I hope all it well with you. Well, this is a really good poll, because you have hit on a serious item for Elders. I can give reasons for every one of them. All of my answers are serious, even though some levity is used.
1. To keep all the rules books. Yes, the Pay Attention Book for expected and unexpected Elder meetings and JC meetings.
2. To make themselves look important. Without question. We had to have the big piano-hinged type to hold everything, but it also was the JW form of the Catholic Roman Collar. It identified us as Elders. Our Clergy icon.
3. They married them! (naughty, naughty Ozzie!!) No so naughty ... I have little doubt that some Elders kept no-no literature in them.
4. To trip the microphone attendants. And the cute sisters.
5. To keep their "theocratic" library in. Where else?
6. To keep all the Society letters to BOE. Only the current ones to be read. The rest were with me as Congregation Secretary ... in my big metal file cabinette.
7. To keep the Society letters to answer the publishers who ask "What do we believe now?" Yep, especially when we knew there were issues coming up. Such as whether to help a poor brother get on his feet. A BOE letter would always be handy to show that its not our job to care for these.
8. To keep the bound volumes for the meeting after the meeting (in the back room). Yep, and this is why 3-M corporation loved us for buying all those yellow sticky pads to mark our place in the Bound Volumes.
9. To impress the C.O. Most important. An Elder with a big bag full of all his Elder stuff helped the CO know that we were serious, mature, and activ Elders, worthy of being taken serious, and used for even greater privileges.
10. To impress the "publishers". Absolutely, including the cute single pioneer sisters. We also wanted the Publishers to know who the bosses were.
11. They need more books than the "publishers". What else could it be. Beside our Large Print Bible, we had to have a set of Insight volumes, the Pay Attention book, A JC file or two, several big note pads, a Reasoning Book, and All Scripture book, an Organization book, and School Guidebook, a section for letters, notes, and congegation legal stuff, plus a lunch when at Kingdom Ministry School for Elders.
12. Lunch. Made special by the little woman.
13. Other (please detail) Then, there was the one last thing, but no Elder or even ex-Elder, or ex-JW-ex-Elder will ever talk about. We are under oath for life.
Jim W.
