WOW, I had never seen that one. What a great documentary from way back. And still applicable, even more so now, and in so many more ways.
Tech49
JoinedPosts by Tech49
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12
Witnesses of Jehovah film from about 1986
by violias inhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve3zp9fiyiq.
film witnesses of jehovah .
note 37:35 .
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CO Visit this week
by Tech49 inso this week is our co visit, the first with the new arrangement where the second mid-week meeting has been deleted.
so only 1 "service talk" by the co.. this time, i decided to listen with a different focus.
listen like it was a sales meeting (i have been to many, and hated them all).. ok, so we go thru the obligatory theocratic ministry school, blah blah blah, so wonderful.
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Tech49
So this week is our CO visit, the first with the new arrangement where the second mid-week meeting has been deleted. So only 1 "service talk" by the CO.
This time, I decided to listen with a different focus. Listen like it was a sales meeting (I have been to many, and hated them all).
Ok, so we go thru the obligatory Theocratic Ministry School, blah blah blah, so wonderful. Then comes the Service Meeting where we get raked for not giving enough money (see my other post).
Then, finally, the long awaited SPECIAL TIME with the CO. Boring as hell. Ms Harper almost fell asleep. It was all about how wonderful the Organization is, from way back as far as the late 1800's, we are so blessed, the light keeps getting brighter, arent all these changes so amazing.... on and on and on. NOTHING that was pertinent or encouraging for our local congregation. ZERO personalization. ZERO upbuilding, or uplifting chatter. Then a 10 minute rant about how the congregation, in addition to meeting our "financial OBLIGATIONS" to mother, we need to increase the amount of HOURS in the ministry. Why, if everyone just spent an extra few minutes on Sunday after the meeting, we would be able to send in an extra 200+ hours every month! "Now brothers, does that seem so hard? I didnt think so. "
So thus far, another SALES MEETING, all about getting our quotas up, giving more cash to the company, and uber guilt-tripping. Absolutely ZERO refreshment or personal attention. After the meeting, the CO was so busy handshakin and bs'n with the "elders" at the front of the hall, he never even spent any time with the "rank and file". Sorry suckers, you arent worth it.
When we got home, Mrs Harper, for the first time ever, said this "this has got to be the most boring, ridiculous CO visit ever. Why in the world would they cut out the second meeting? Forget it, lets not waste our time going out in "service" just to show our faces. Why bother? Lets go do something fun."
So, for the first time in over 20 years, no midweek service for anyone in our household during the CO visit, and no plans for Saturday either, we are staying put and drinking coffee in our PJ's.
Puh Leez..... poor me another shot of Bourbon.
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New "donation" arrangement begins to FAIL
by Tech49 inso here we are, almost a year into the "new" congregation donation arrangement.
and its beginning, as was predicted, to fail miserably, and to have direct negative consequences on the poor sheep.. let me give you a little experience, directly from our congregation of about 80 publishers.
back in may, after reading the letter about the "new" arrangement, the elder body decided to "donate" the extra funds on hand to wt, as directed.
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Tech49
So here we are, almost a year into the "NEW" congregation donation arrangement. And its beginning, as was predicted, to fail miserably, and to have direct negative consequences on the poor sheep.
Let me give you a little experience, directly from our congregation of about 80 publishers. Back in May, after reading the letter about the "NEW" arrangement, The elder body decided to "donate" the extra funds on hand to WT, as directed. The bank account went from about $10,000 down to about $5,000, literally overnight. Then, a poll was taken as to what amount the congregation would be willing to agree to send monthly, forever and ever! That pledged amount was about $800.00. (Mind you, our little KH has been paid for for many years!, so no loan to forgive!)
Great, a blessing from Jehovah!! Fast forward to this week. CO VISIT, and Tuesday night just happens to have LOCAL NEEDS on the menu. Guess what the part is about??!!!
The brother giving the part did a terrible job of trying to convince us that we NEVER tithe, and NEVER beg for money, like those disgusting hypocritical pharisees. But you brothers DID obligate yourselves to make this DONATION every month! And then the guilt tripping begins! "You know, there are many ways we can show our appreciation for Gods Organization and all it does for us. Including our monetary donations. Of course, we would never want to make a promise and not follow thru, especially in regards to Jehovahs sole channel on the earth today!" BLAH! O....M....G....
"You know brothers, we have been short every month for quite some time now, in fact our "expenses" exceed our donations by about $500 every month. At this rate, YOU will use up YOUR emergency funds in about 6 months or less. If we really appreciate all this (he waves his hand around, including pointing at the new video system), we will live up to our OBLIGATION (he says sternly)."
So here is a congregation that is strapped to begin with (most of the members are older), and you just know that with the CO in town, he's going over the books and realizing that they cant live up to their original "obligation" based on the pledges they took in. So rather than just readjust the amount they are sending in, for now, they are beating the poor slaves to hand over more money!!
SICK, SICK, SICK! I look around and see so many are just sick and tired, its like a bad dream at a used car lot.
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Midweek Meetings no longer Necessary
by Tech49 ini am sure we have all seen the recent letter to the boe concerning the change that will take place to the meeting arrangement during the week of the co visit.
to recap the basics: the meeting that usually contains the cong bible study (book study) and a co talk will be discontinued, publishers are encouraged to use their family worship night that week to cover book study material.. so here is a point that i think has been missed, or not even considered:.
if that particular meeting is hereby deleted from the schedule, the co and his wife will never ever have to participate in or go to another "book study", or "bible study" night again.
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Tech49
I wanted to bring this topic back up to the top. We have our CO visit this week, and am reminded of the "schedule changes" that include dropping the continuing studies in the same boring book for the week, that we have all studied before!!. Thank goodness! OMG! The bible study is SOOO BORING! Listening to some inept brother ask the same dumb question over and over and try to stretch out 5 paragraphs into a 30 minute "study" is just painful.
And per my original post, apparently NOT NECESSARY for anyone!
Jack Harper, Tech49
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Arrangement to Accelerate Building Kingdom Halls
by Socrateswannabe ini can't believe i'm the first one to admit going to this meeting.
it was a 3 hour video stream from patterson.
the first bit was used to set up the need.
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Tech49
sir82, I want to respectfully disagree, at least in part, and here's why.
WT does in fact have flipping them in mind, but like you said, at least not right away. As good real estate investors, they would be foolish not to take advantage of the obvious. The commercial real estate market is far more stable than the residential market, so when you have structures built to commercial standards (ie. storefront medical office style), it will be far easier and more cost effective to flip later on. With the economy on the rebound, commercial values will go up at a much higher rate than residential.
Agreed, the hypocrisy is overly blatant! And that's the reason they dont want anyone "questioning" the elders, or "picking apart" their "plan" for the new LDC arrangement. Just shut up and get in line!
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Arrangement to Accelerate Building Kingdom Halls
by Socrateswannabe ini can't believe i'm the first one to admit going to this meeting.
it was a 3 hour video stream from patterson.
the first bit was used to set up the need.
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Tech49
I want to chime in on this. Commercial construction is part of what I do. Typically, in most areas of the country, here in the USA, a commercial building is NOT cheaper to build. Obviously, costs vary depending on the geographic area. But here is a quick example: (stay with me for a minute)
Your average 3 bedroom home in an average income city may cost approx $100.00 per square foot to build. Materials and labor. In the same market, a small commercial building of the same size will cost approx $130.00 per square foot. Materials and labor.
Take away free labor, and your costs will have essentially the same percentage of difference, about 30%. However, here is a big difference. The quality and type of construction on the commercial project (esentially a small storefront) dictates and entirely different skillset. The types of buildings they are wanting to build are not a-typical of your average residential builder (ie. JW Volunteers). Now, a whole new type of volunteer is needed (hence the new letter outlining the "new" applications needed). Sorry mom, dad, and kids, we dont need you anymore. We need "commercial contractor" types. More and more outsourcing will be required to meet the parameters of the designs.
All of this begs another question... how will these buildings fit in with surroundings? Look at your local KH.... it is probably built in a residential area, and probably built to mimic the local "look" of a residence, and not stand out and look gaudy. ( I recall one area we lived, the locals would only allow a new KH to be built if it matched the general "feel" of the surrounding areas... in the end, it looks like a barn! Big fake barn doors and all! A very nice barn, mind you, and you would never know it was a KH if you didnt see the small sign off to the side). Some have even been resold at some point and turned into homes, or small business offices that blend in well with the community.
Ok, so now we have an all glass and stone/concrete/stucco building. How in the world is that going to blend in in a neighborhood without looking like a fish out of water?. Answer: it wont. Your KH that works just fine, and blends in just fine, and appears "homey" and "warm" will be sold.Sorry for your loss, now lets move on. Your amazing fabulous modern new KH will need to be relocated to a new piece of property that is zoned for either 1. small commercial, or 2. mixed use. No more residential areas. The new property costs more per sq ft than a residential area. It just does, thats the way things work.
I know, I know.... its supposed to be 20% cheaper, right!!!??
Well, of course it is....if you look at it this way:
When it comes time to RESELL the pretty little thing, it will bring more PROFIT than the old Hardi-sided, shingle-roofed, KH in the middle of the subdivision.
Evidently, more end PROFIT, translates into LESS COST, on paper. Therefore, no matter what you hear, there is more to the story. Apparently, Jah likes to play with numbers to make more money!
Anyone feel like you were just at the used car dealership ???
Jack Harper, (Tech49)
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21 Years as an Elder, 5 as an MS, I will never be that guy again.
by James Jack ini was deleted as the cobe after i let my adult child move back home and he admitted that he fornicated under my roof while my wife and i where away on a rbc project.
of course the elder mode in me kicked him out of the house.. the elders moved quickly to remove me because i was too involved in "theocractic activities", i had neglected my adult son.. i accepted this primarily because i didn't want to serve with a boe that did not want me.
i was devastated however because it was the only life i knew.
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Tech49
James Jack(son), good to see you made the transition to the new board...I was wondering if you would be back. How goes the battle?
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JW.org email and contact numbers
by Juan Viejo2 inok - here is your task for the day:.
go to jw.org and find their information email address.
then find their weekend support desk phone number.. there is a link at the bottom of many pages that says [ ] email link.
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Tech49
Nope, there is no email contact link. There is absolutely zero way to send an email to WT, the Contact link on the website would have you beleive that you are clicking on an email address link, but it goes nowhere. You are taken back to the page showing a postal mailing address and a weekday phone number to the main reception.
Pretty lame, in an era of email and electronic communication. Also, just a bit deceptive, as they hide behind a figurative wall of anonymity. Reminds me of a man behind a cdrtain curtain.......
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Who Benefits from the Multi-Billion Dollar Real Estate Empire that is WT?
by TTATTelder inthis thread is to formally address this subject.
this is for forum members and especially for lurkers (current witnesses reading this in secret).
please feel free to post any additional points.. there are a lot of changes happening in wt land.
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Tech49
Yes, it may vary, depending upon the country. The head 7 leaders of WTBS are in the USA, and so SHOULD be accountable to its State and Federal laws...........And so wouldn't that be against the law, ie ILLEGAL ?? I know that wait staff at restaurants are legally required to report tip income, much of it being cash. Not reporting it, and/or under-reporting can be basis for IRS troubles, ie. tax evasion. So these guys can get away with it, just cause they're Gods mouthpiece?
Answer: of course they do, as Ceasar's laws only apply when convenient. They ARE in fact a paid clergy, they just dont admit it... in fact they openly LIE and tell the rank and file that only Christendom has such.
Blatant lies and misdirection.
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Who Benefits from the Multi-Billion Dollar Real Estate Empire that is WT?
by TTATTelder inthis thread is to formally address this subject.
this is for forum members and especially for lurkers (current witnesses reading this in secret).
please feel free to post any additional points.. there are a lot of changes happening in wt land.
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Tech49
So I have a question, something along a similar vein to the original post. I dont mean to detract from the original question.
Specifically relating to the GB and other higher-ups.... do they pay taxes? Doesn't their free housing, food, plane tickets, laundry, medical care, hotels etc etc etc count as taxable income? The true real-world value can be easily calculated, so is it?
The "brothers" claim that their "clergy" is not paid, but the reality is much different!!
I know that if my business receives "perks", or even reimbursements, I have to pay taxes on them, as a MISC INCOME.