New Zealand bethel is to be closed down.

My Mother has the C.O staying and told her the New Zealand bethel is about to be closed and the land and buildings sold.

Karter.

Hi Karter, well thats progress for you.  They are obviously trying to bank the $$ before the financial crisis gets worse.  NZ will now have to bow to the Sydney Australia bethel!! lol    

which other bethels have been closed down recently?  I only know of Ireland and now NZ.

wow - this religion is circling the drains...

so obviously being run by the accountants and lawyers

Amazing news, most groups with those kinds of land holdings would see other uses and make $bucks$. One local Episcopalian church opened a school K-12 and charges $30,000.00 per student, they have 1,300 students, $39,000,000.00 annualy.

Ha . . . I remember visiting while it was under construction. Maybe Brian Tamaki  is interested . . . his cult's on the way up.

That place would be perfect for Brian Tamaki....He could get all his minions slaving after him day and night...but then...I think they already do.

He has the same beleifs about the role of women...they'll love that place...the kitchen...the laundry...what more could a woman want?

But what about the muffins?...they do make good muffins....chocolate......mmmmm....where else would I go?......LOL LOL LOL

When I visited there, there didn't seem to be much, if anything for people to do. They were talking about the distribution being done directly from Australia. I remember thinking when they said that....'what will you lot do then?  Since it really did just look like a glorified distribution centre to me' The place was already looking like a ghost town. I suppose the cost of overheads for mowing lawns and making muffins was just too high to justify for the small amount of people actually doing anything productive....but they were good muffins...did I mention that?

Good muffins, eh? Chocolate? Apple cinnamon? Choc chip? ......

chocolate WITH chocolate chips.....no sparing the chocolate there...I'm sure it was just for MY visit...LOL

ooooh....

When I visited the Greek bethel they had fresh bread rolls with feta cheese in them - yummo!

You mean you get fed when you visit a Bethel?

Maybe I left too soon....

I was on a tour group when I visited the one in Greece. And yes, we were fed lunch.

 this religion is circling the drains...

Reminds me of the "Ten green bottles" song.

                                                          

Yeah...you should have hung around Chariklo...you don't know what you missed

Well it's definately a change from the days of skyrocketing real estate values and buying sprees. It's a bit of circling the wagons, but I don't think they are spiriling out of control. Just a business finally showing it's true colors

Another Bethel being sold ummm  ????

Makes one wonder if the WTS. is trying consolidate its assets and perhaps eventually reform into another religious organization.

When you think about it,  its really not that hard for a religion to do, as long as there's a majority vote by the standing directors .

You've got to realistically admit that many of their doctrines are old and becoming redundant as supporting vehicles to lure people and maintain

them as members.  One could also realise that its the WTS. own publications that they've produced over the years that ruins their own

perceived viability.  With the inter-net here now many of those publications are viewable toward the public , something they didn't have to worry

about in the past.  

The society is definitely downsizing its worldwide institutional network and they intend to disband their bethels in the three French overseas départements of Martinique, Guadeloupe an French Guyana.

http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/199804/1/Are-they-really-closing-down-branches-in-Martinique-Guadeloupe-and-French-Guyana

The sad part of every Bethel closing is the laying off of the old-timers who don't know of any other life.  For them it's a handshake, and maybe a one-way bus ticket as severance for years of loyal work. 

I figured it was due to the many earthquakes in New Zealand. LOL.

Skeeter