Reepicheep Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> I'm interested in the experiences you shared,
> kbyrne. I think that most or all of the members of
> TLWF have either received back room ministry or
> been the subject of discussion between ministries
> meeting privately at some point. It's kind of
> creepy looking back.
>
> Which leads me to corboy's question about lateral
> growth. I think most people that spent any amount
> of time in the fellowship believed that they were
> growing by listening to the sermons and reading
> the literature. For men, they might be set aside
> or set in as elders or deacons. Women didn't seem
> to expect to have an official designation.
> Sometimes elders' or pastors' wives were included
> in various meetings or oversight, especially in
> recent years. But nobody ever outgrew the need to
> ask for confirmation. No member in good standing
> could choose a mate or change jobs or move to a
> different location without first seeking "the word
> of the Lord". This would usually be done by the
> person writing a letter to whoever was their
> shepherd. The ministries got back to them when
> they got back to them.
I remember when my neighbor moved into a communal apt next to the one I lived in. He told me he was scheduled to get a check out from JRS to work at the lw bldg and he was nervous about what if JRS revealed something embarrassing about him. I jokingly told him to fall to the floor and pretend you were slain in the spirit. Well, during his check out JRS asked him if he was a homosexual. My neighbor said yes and JRS asked him if he wanted JRS to do his voodoo on him. Okay voodoo probably wasn't the word JRS used but you know what I mean. Any way my new neighbor seemed satisfied with the ministry he received from JRS. After reading kbyrne's post about how all the personal ministry was typed up, shared, and probably archived for years, I wondered how or if it impacted members' lives years later when G&M conducted their purges.
Reepicheep said, "Nobody ever outgrew the need to ask for confirmation." Yes, very creepy indeed.
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> I'm interested in the experiences you shared,
> kbyrne. I think that most or all of the members of
> TLWF have either received back room ministry or
> been the subject of discussion between ministries
> meeting privately at some point. It's kind of
> creepy looking back.
>
> Which leads me to corboy's question about lateral
> growth. I think most people that spent any amount
> of time in the fellowship believed that they were
> growing by listening to the sermons and reading
> the literature. For men, they might be set aside
> or set in as elders or deacons. Women didn't seem
> to expect to have an official designation.
> Sometimes elders' or pastors' wives were included
> in various meetings or oversight, especially in
> recent years. But nobody ever outgrew the need to
> ask for confirmation. No member in good standing
> could choose a mate or change jobs or move to a
> different location without first seeking "the word
> of the Lord". This would usually be done by the
> person writing a letter to whoever was their
> shepherd. The ministries got back to them when
> they got back to them.
I remember when my neighbor moved into a communal apt next to the one I lived in. He told me he was scheduled to get a check out from JRS to work at the lw bldg and he was nervous about what if JRS revealed something embarrassing about him. I jokingly told him to fall to the floor and pretend you were slain in the spirit. Well, during his check out JRS asked him if he was a homosexual. My neighbor said yes and JRS asked him if he wanted JRS to do his voodoo on him. Okay voodoo probably wasn't the word JRS used but you know what I mean. Any way my new neighbor seemed satisfied with the ministry he received from JRS. After reading kbyrne's post about how all the personal ministry was typed up, shared, and probably archived for years, I wondered how or if it impacted members' lives years later when G&M conducted their purges.
Reepicheep said, "Nobody ever outgrew the need to ask for confirmation." Yes, very creepy indeed.