Notes From the Annual Meeting - Oct 3, 2009

From a little bird...

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Notes from Annual Meeting (Oct 3, 2009)

It's a pleasure to share with you some of the highlights from this 125th Anniversary of the Corporation.

Bro. David Splane opens the program at the New Jersey Assembly Hall. The meeting is tied in with Brooklyn, Patterson, Wallkill, and Canada Branch.

The highlight of this year is our new song book. This is the first meeting with the new songs. Don't go home and brag that you were at the first meeting where the songs were sung, BUT, it is the truth!! A chorus of brothers and sisters were on stage to give us all a surprise with singing a few of the new songs. Three songs (#92, 69, 134) were sung during the program and the chorus would sing through them and then the audience. You couldn't tell that the audience was just learning them!!

The Friday talk at our D.C, where our song book was mentioned, said that Jehovah is interested in our worship. Seventy Levites were set aside to sing and 288 others Israelites were learners. All had to sing out of their hearts. When the opening song is sung at our meetings where are we? Do we take our seat? Do we stretch our legs or get some water during the song? We can express in song the depth of our appreciation. Branches have said that not all are singing.

The Governing Body wants to underscore the depth music should have in our worship. The Governing Body was involved in the words and changes that were made. If the Governing Body makes suggestions, we comply! If the Governing Body approved all the words, melodies etc, is it spiritual food? It is our attitude to partake where spiritual food is offered. Learn the words!!


Reports from different lands:

U.S. 7/09 new peak in pubs and again in 8/09 land mark of 1,154,275 pubs. Making a 4% increase over last year. Regular Pioneers 7.1% increase. Hours increased 2,075,895. Bible Studies 657,544 making a 9% increase over last year. Memorial Attendance 2,469,036 over 50,000 more from last year.

Canada: Governing Body approved and installed printing press. They will now print mags for Canada and U.S. They had to raise the roof for part of the press and 150 ft. Floor needed to be reinforced.

Dominican Republic: 1945 no Witnesses, now 31,115 pubs. Nice experience about a regular pioneer sister. She received a notice that there had been a robbery in her place of work. All employees needed to report to the Police Dept. The employer saw her name and said that she didn't need to go, she's one of Jehovah's Witnesses. "How proud I felt", she said "that he trusted me more than he did family member." The thief was discovered and it was the employer's sister in law!

Nigeria: Most populated African country w/14 million pop. More then 250 languages and dialects. This makes witnessing a challenge. Branch is expanding, 750 Bethelites send greetings.

Australia: No one killed during recent tsunami. 2% increase over last year. 64,801 pubs. Increase in Bible Studies has been due to the arrangement to offer them on first visit.
Experience: At the Chinese District Convention the brothers had to travel many miles to attend. The cost for travel was $300.00 per person. One lady was offered to go closer to an English Convention. She went inside her house and came out with $600.00 for her and her husband. When asked why she didn't go closer to the English convention she simply said, "I don't speak English."

Mozambique: 45,000 pubs. They no longer feel like a new born giraffe with wobbling knees. What's helped:
1) 70 Missionaries. Some mention that the bible study is in 3 sessions each week. After that the next session is at the Kingdom Hall. 2) Ministerial Training School 256 have graduated from the 2 month course.

Getting acquainted with the members of the Coorporation. They are under the supervision of 6 committees. Each committee has a member(s) of the Governing Body and helpers in them. Six brothers were interviewed: Adams, Mutchin, Sinclair, Wallen, Malenfont, and Wischuk. Together they have 365 yrs of service. The different committees were explained.

2010 Year's text is taken from 1 Cor. 13: 7, 8. Last part of verse 7 and the first part of verse 8.
"Love endures all things. Love never fails." Love is a basic human need. We owe our existence because of love. Love will exist eternally.

Bro. Herd had the theme ---- Are You Running on Empty? We need a full tank---knowledge. Gas up regularly!! This is possible if we have a 1)regular personal study 2) Family Worship Night 3)Quiet Undisturbed Meditation

Bro. Barr (96 yrs) The Righteous Ones will Shine as Brightly as the Sun
Based on Matt 13. Sower of the wheat and the weeds. Sower is Jesus, the son of man, started to sow in 33 C.E. with the holy spirit being poured out. The sowing DOES NOT mean the preaching and teaching work to bring in the new sons. These ARE sons NOT will become sons!! This process of gathering sons will end. It has its limits. Main point we got was what Bro. Barr repeated twice, "Jesus Christ meant lives of the anointed who were on hand in 1914 would overlap with those whose lives of the anointed see the start of the Great Tribulation."We see the urgency of Jesus' words. The generation will have a definite end, can't be excessive long. Many of the anointed both older ones and younger ones have died BUT not all will die before the Great Tribulation.

Stay tuned for more information that will come out on this subject!!!

Bro. Morris talked about the Elder's school. It has been approved to use the Bossart Hotel starting 12/09. Four Circuit Overseer's are being trained at Patterson to instruct these schools. Another 4 CO'S will arrive at Patterson for 2 months of training and they will replace the original 4 brothers. These bros will return to the field to teach these elder schools in Assembly Halls in local areas. Starting in 2011 the Teaching Committee says that the Branches will hold their own schools!!! YEAH!!! These schools DO NOT replace the Kingdom Ministry School. It is to promote spirituality in the Congs, to revitalize zeal of the elders and to motivate them.


Altogether in 5 locations the attendance was: 13,235!!!

Bro. Barr repeated twice, "Jesus Christ meant lives of the anointed who were on hand in 1914 would overlap with those whose lives of the anointed see the start of the Great Tribulation."

So is this yet another spin on an old problem-doctrine?

Holy crap!

They just bought themselves another fifty years+ or so!

-LWT

So, if someone born in 1914 lives to a hundred, he/she will die in 2014. If someone is born in 2014 and lives to a hundred as well, the Great Trib could come in 2114!!!

That's 105 years away!! Holy f***!

The BS is reaching fresh new heights....

...lives of the anointed who were on hand in 1914 would overlap with those whose lives see the start of the Great Tribulation.

So the generation of 1914 is going to die off.  Yet the people who were alive as the 1914 crowd died off...they're the ones to see the Great Tribulation start.

They've created a way out for ditching the 1914 crowd but all they've done is delay the inevitable...admitting that the date is meaningless.  They're still tied into the date by linking the newly annointed in with the annointed of 1914.

They really are grasping at straws.  The 1914 and generation teaching has them really fucked and they have no good way out of it.

Too bad, everyday dubs can't see through the smoke and mirrors.

Not everyone is singing the songs?  This is one of the concerns?  It's ridiculous. Not the single parents struggling to make ends meet, the family without health insurance who works at a janitorial company or local shopping mall.

And also, if you can't stretch out during the song, when can you?  During the talk, or prayer?  Whatever.  Glad I'm gone.

Another thought...

There used to be two classes of JWs.  It used to be the annointed and the great crowd. 

Now you've got two classes of annointed and the great crowd.

One class of annointed is the pre-1935, generation of 1914 and the other class is the post 95 generation of annointed, the newly annointed, the ones who see the Great Tribulation.  How in the name of all that's God's holey underwear are they going to scripturally make this work?

And also, if you can't stretch out during the song, when can you?  During the talk, or prayer?  Whatever.  Glad I'm gone.

They should sell a urinary catheter and bag to use during the District Convention.

Bro. Barr repeated twice, "Jesus Christ meant lives of the anointed who were on hand in 1914 would overlap with those whose lives of the anointed see the start of the Great Tribulation."

Now that's really weird - like a kind of hybid of all the previous "generation" teachings.

So it seems like he's saying, some persons who were anointed in 1914 would personally know other people who became anointed later, and that 2nd group of anointed ones would still be around when the GT starts.

Sounds like he is describing 2 generations, rather than one - (1) the "generation of people who happened to be anointed in the year 1914", and (2) the generation of other anointed ones who know (knew) them.

Didn't Fred Franz get baptized in 1913? That would have made him anointed in 1914. He was likely the last , or at least one of the last, of that group to survive. So to meet this definition, someone in that "2nd generation" of anointeds would have to have been anointed prior to his death in 1992.

That was nearly 20 years ago - so guys in that "later generation" of anointedswould likely be in their 60's or 70s or 80s now.

If you think about it, it's kind of genius - JWs will lap this up like a hungry kitten being served a plate of warm milk. They'll do the same sort of calculations & inferences I just made above and run with it. It will get people all psyched up and convinced that the GT really is "imminent".

And all of that without pointing to a specific date - there's nothing there that can embarrass them later.

Branches have said that not everyone is singing

This is indeed joyous news...

The first thing I did when I first started fading was stop singing.  How can you sing the words to these stupid songs when you're just trying to stomach standing there without puking?

Hopefully this means that the number of faders and 'undercover' apostates are growing.

How in the name of all that's God's holey underwear are they going to scripturally make this work?

Expect a WT article in the next 6 months explaining it. I can see the glazed eyes and canned answers now...

Well actually, no I can't, because I won't fucking be there!!! HAHAHA SUCKERS...

I love the way Jehovah  procrastinates.

our annointed friend who recently died she was 81(or 86) think 81 though...

Bro. Barr repeated twice, "Jesus Christ meant lives of the anointed who were on hand in 1914 would overlap with those whose lives of the anointed see the start of the Great Tribulation."

Assuming this is correct, I agree with sir82 that this looks more like two generations.  Any idea what sort of scriptural basis they have for this two generation idea?

If you think about it, it's kind of genius - JWs will lap this up like a hungry kitten being served a plate of warm milk. They'll do the same sort of calculations & inferences I just made above and run with it. It will get people all psyched up and convinced that the GT really is "imminent".

Yes, the dubs will take it hook, line and sinker.  I don't how genius it is though.  It's just another delay, they didn't solve anything.  I guess the genius is that they've put it out far enough that they won't have to worry about it in their lifetime.  Let some poor annointed sucker in 2080 worry about it.

And all of that without pointing to a specific date - there's nothing there that can embarrass them later.

No, no specific date...but it does tie one generation back to the other which has time limits.  If this comes out in print, it will come back to haunt them in a couple of decades.  When the other annointed start dying off, someone's going to point out that they were wrong yet again.

I can't see why they just can't bite the bullet now, divorce themselves from all things 1914 and 'generation', take their losses and re-market and rebuild after the fallout is over.  All they ever do is delay it.  Maybe they really do believe the shit they're shoveling.

I can't see why they just can't bite the bullet now, divorce themselves from all things 1914 and 'generation', take their losses and re-market and rebuild after the fallout is over.  All they ever do is delay it.  Maybe they really do believe the shit their shoveling.

They don't care they won't be around

If this comes out in print, it will come back to haunt them in a couple of decades.  When the other annointed start dying off, someone's going to point out that they were wrong yet again.

The cynical part of me says, "Hey, the guys who dreamed this up will be dead & gone before that becomes an issue. They're just thinking that the  next GB will have to figure that out - just like the current GB had to figure out how to wiggle out of Fred Franz's original 'generation of 1914' teaching." Meanwhile, they get to lead the rock star lifestyle they've become acustomd to.

Scriptural basis, you say?

Scriptural basis, you say?

yeah, that never stopped them in the past.

                                                               Branches have said that not all are singing.

                 Bro. Herd had the theme ---- Are You Running on Empty? We need a full tank---knowledge. Gas up regularly!! 

              This is possible if we have a 1)regular personal study 2) Family Worship Night 3)Quiet Undisturbed Meditation 

                                                             If the Governing Body makes suggestions, we comply!

                                                     Altogether in 5 locations the attendance was: 13,235!!!

                                                                                          .............................OUTLAW