1984, Surrey, BC Circuit Assembly
Attended DC's at Tacoma Dome for many years. Puyallup Assembly hall was remodeled abou 15 years ago. Woodburn assembly hall is no longer orange...lately DC's are in Portland and Salem.
Tech49
i was baptized at the 1976 "sacret secret" dc at inglewood ca there must have been 50,000 people there..
1984, Surrey, BC Circuit Assembly
Attended DC's at Tacoma Dome for many years. Puyallup Assembly hall was remodeled abou 15 years ago. Woodburn assembly hall is no longer orange...lately DC's are in Portland and Salem.
Tech49
http://www.circuitvehicles.com/home/.
.
Here is something I have never understood....... why do the CO's get to drive big luxury rigs, like Buicks (seem to be the most popular).?? Most of the time, they don't take them in Field Service, the other brothers take them in their cars (oh what a privilege!). So these big gas guzzling Buicks are just for running to and fro from the KH and the Circuit Apartment, to assemblies, etc.
Why not a Honda? Or a Toyota? Even Kia and Huyandai make some pretty decent larger sedans....I would think it would cost the brothers less in the long run, and the TOAA funds would go further?!!
I looked up the Buicks for sale in my area (Pacific NW), and saw that they were overpriced as well. Sad, really. Why is it that the average family is scrimping, saving, and using their funds to get the most out of their $$$, but WT doesnt? I know LOTS of families driving 15-20year old cars, because thats what they have! It breaks, you fix it! Old POS Toyotas, Hondas, Fords, and Chevy's are pretty common, and do just fine. How about that 10 year old Suburban or Tahoe? Works great for Field Service!
Oh, thats right, now I remember,.....its OPM..... other peoples money. The life of the Elite.........
Tech49
We recently had our Circuit Assembly, 1,000 attendance with 3 baptized, all 3 under 18 and they were "buddies". I know 2 of the 3, and niether of them cares for anything other than skateboards and bmx bikes. The other half of the circuit had an attendance of 1200, with 6 baptized, same age group and level of "maturity". It was almost laughable. Pitiful really. I too remember when it was very common to have at least 1 from each congregation, and they would be serious students at that. Not anymore.
just a few issues i had from looking at this potential new york-printed toilet paper:.
pg 4: the lie that made god nameless.
this sub-article talks about how god's name is jehovah and quotes isaiah 42:8 "i am jehovah.
Just to clarify, there are actually 3 different WT magazines printed each month (besides the single issue of AWAKE)
1. The PUBLIC copy for placement and distribution, full of pretty pictures, big margins, and lots of bullet points.
2. The STUDY copy to be used at the KH on Sunday's program.
3. The SIMPLIFIED STUDY copy of the STUDY copy, same but re-worded and with more pictures, for all you who can't understand the really big words in the regular one.
Tech49
i have been pondering this thought for a while now, perhaps you all can expound on it a bid.
the bible describes god as "jealous", having great "rage".
"burning anger".
Perhaps a more current question, voiced by Capt Kirk, might be....
"What does God need with a new lakeside compound in upstate NY.??"
this is the kind of thing that really burns me.. .
wtbts holds out an extreme double standard in regards to education.
most, if not all, of you know how they feel about obtaining an education past high school (in the u.s.).
PS.. after re-reading the comments in this and other threads, I am continually impressed at the deliberate, articulate, concise and artful display of ya'lls posts.
Cudos to you all, and thank you for being out there in cyber-space to hear our rants.
this is the kind of thing that really burns me.. .
wtbts holds out an extreme double standard in regards to education.
most, if not all, of you know how they feel about obtaining an education past high school (in the u.s.).
I thought I would bring this topic back up to the top, considering the new letter that will be read to the congregations this coming week, asking for help on the Warwick project.
It never ceases to amaze me, that if you just step back and look at things from a different perspective, the double-talk and hypocrisy becomes blatantly obvious.
Tech49
hi folks.
atlantis has very kindly let me see a copy of the aug 21, 2013 letter to all bodies of elders in the united states.. they are being instructed to re-organize the service meeting for the week commencing september 2nd (next week) to include a special recruitment talk to attract skilled volunteer workers for the new warwick hq.. an interesting feature of the letter is its comparison of the project with nehemiah's rebuilding of the walls of jerusalem.
considering the relocation of hq is financially motivated more than anything, the analogy is more than a little bewildering.. here is a scan of the opening comments of the two-page outline, to be given in the next local needs item.... .
And what they conveniently forget to mention, out of design, is that they aren't willing to help out with the expenses involved in undertaking the "grand opportunity" to help them out.
I am a business owner, and have a highly sought after skill for new construction projects like this. WT is repeatedly calling my office, trying to get me and 1 of my main guys to come out. In order for me to "help out", I would have to purchase plane tickets from the West Coast at approx $1100 each, and take 1 to 2 weeks off work, out of my office and out of the field. I wont go into the details on how much that is worth, but lets just say its ALOT!
So my "contribution" to the project in Warwick would be several thousands directly out of pocket. In this economy, that's a pretty hard thing to ask of those who are just now beginning to rise up onto their feet again.
Maybe if they chipped in for plane tickets, or something (God knows they have the cash), it might make things more feasible.... even the average Joe Publisher with useable skills can hardly cough up that much cash and time off of their regular paying jobs... Hell, I can't even count service time for my 2 week "vacation" in upstate NY (if you are a Reg Pio you can!).
Its all about DONATE DONATE DONATE GIVE GIVE GIVE. But in the end, all you do is PAY PAY PAY PAY. Stay in their cheap "apartment" dorm rooms, drink cheap coffee, work 12 hr days, and then have to hurry up and get your a$$ home to keep the "worldly" business running before the bills stack up too high and things go sideways. Oh what a "privilege" and a "blessing"!!
No thanks.
Tech49
simply for the money..
I know of a couple, must be in their late 50's, early 60's... their 2 kids left the "truth" shortly after moving out on their own. I don't know the exact story, but the short version is this..... this couple, he was an elder for MANY years, up until just recently, have shunned their kids for over 30 years, and now have been shunning their grandkids for over 10.
They don't even know their grandkids. Its pathetic, and just sick. I asked him about his kids and grandkids one time, and he just said "I dont talk about them, they arent in the "truth"."
I honestly dont know how someone could do that, it goes against every grain of humanity that is build into us as warm-blooded beings. Is anyone's children so downright evil that they ignore them and pretend they are invisible for 30 YEARS!!! What did the grandkids do to deserve that kind of treatment?
Recently, I learned that he stepped down as an elder, both of them are basically so mentally screwed up that they can barely function. Ya think !!?
Stupid idiots, think of all the years lost. Wouldnt want to bring reproach upon the Org, now would we?? How about the pain and suffering their "loyalty" has shoved down their familiy's throats. Didnt do any good did it? Oh, and I am sure that this has been such a "good witness" to their kids and grandkids, and all the people they EVER talk to, I am sure they will just RUN to the nearest KH to join these robots. Can you imagine what they say to other people about their parents.. their kids' grandparents??
Mom and Dad will soon die old, miserable, lonely, heartbroken, and mentally Fubarred.
How'd that work out for ya...??
My answer, to the original question, and the answer of the lovely Ms Harper..... No, not in a million years, or for as many millions of dollars you could pile in front of us. Our relationship with our kids is not one to be toyed with and not a bond that will be broken, no matter what mistakes or paths ANY of us take. We have, and will continue to take verbal, mental, and emotional blows for our children. We may even end up "banished." Push come to shove, they are all we have. No organization or edict will change that. Anyone who tells you different, or acts different, is sick in the head.
Jack Harper, Tech49
here we are, the family and i, moving along in our slow journey to freedom.
although they are unaware, for the most part, our ship is slowly veering off course.
not enough to cause attention, not enough to trigger alarm bells, but just enough.. since the summer dc, i have watched carefully, as the new releases remain on the coffee table, in plain sight, not touched, more of a decoration that anything.
On another side note, I have been watching our meeting attendance, on a congregation level. According to the figures they take and post on the information board, we are typically at 55-70%. Listening to the group sing songs before, during, and after meeting...... the enthusiasm is not there. Its just gone.
Standing at the literature counter yesterday, several came up and were looking for bibles to place... any bible, any size, any color ???? Nothing. The brothers had called all the congregations in the state, and NONE of them had any bibles to place. WTF??? How is that possible?? The worst part is, the brothers have no anwer to give to the folks looking to get some???!! I thought we were here to promote the HOLY SCRIPTURES ??? Plenty of Bible Teach books, and coloring book WT and AWAKE leaflets on hand, but no Bibles to go with them?? And nice pretty rolly carts on full display at the literature counter.... no bibles in it though......In all my years, I have NEVER seen the entire COUNTRY run out of bibles.
No bibles, anywhere?? Really? REALLY??!