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We have the Circuit Overseer this week. We asked him to review the update with us. He said there was no newer information than what came in the update. However, he is one of the responsible brothers for a Regional Convention and they had questions. So they called the US Branch and talked to the Convention/Assembly department. They asked if any of the Convention Attendants had to wear jackets or ties. The answer was a simple NO. Then they asked if those working on the platform/stage, like microphone adjusters needed to have jackets or ties. The answer was a qualified NO. An exception might be made by the Circuit Overseer or Convention Overseer on a personal basis. They are in charge of the convention platform. He said that locally, we all should know that the update said that you needed to wear the jacket & tie if you had a part on the program. He asked us if we knew what having a part was. It hasn't changed in many years. Those with micellaneous duties on stage weren't participants in the program. They were just fulfilling duties to make the program functional. They would not be required to wear jacket or ties. If sisters handled microphones, they could wear slacks or trousers. Brothers who are attendants don't need jackets or ties. He strongly cautioned us to avoid starting a process where we make "rules". Follow the direction not our preferences or past views. He himself (our CO) wore a suit and tie the whole week even in service. He said it was his preference and he liked it. He has a beard and his wife wore pants part of the time.

If I get a chance tomorrow I will try to ask. But the opinion I got was that he would not be giving us a list of all of the duties with a set of "rules" with which attire each the matching publisher should wear. If I had to categorize the CO, I would say he was a minimalist. He seems to view the idea that beards, no tie, no jacket and sisters with pants is the standard (normal). The update was to give specific instructions as to exceptions. If it wasn't mentioned by name in the update, he is not adding any rules. He was quite specific in our meeting with the elders as to getting used to change. Learn to give up our previous ideas or preferences. Learn to 'love people'. He spent considerable time on the changes toward serious wrong-doers. Look at them as Jehovah and Jesus do. The same way he attached this love toward those in the congregation. Don't make life hard for our brothers. Cut them some slack, so to speak.

I am not surprised by the differences of opionion. But what amazes me is the fact that so many commented. In the less than 5 months we have had the beard adjustment, there have been 56 pages of comment. In the 5 WEEKS of dress change we are up to 43 pages of comment already. So the beards have been out for 4 times longer but have only generated a dozen more pages. And it used to be the most controversial topic we had. Maybe it is because the sisters are impacted more and have something to say, I don't know. But like the beards, clothing style changes will fade away with time. I have quit noticing which brothers wear a beard in less than six months. I imagine that I will quit noticing which of our publishers wear ties or skirts by fall. Then, maybe this thread will fade away...💗

All you had to do was ask, I would have sent you a selfie...

When you hear others say there should be GB representing differing ethnicities and colors etc.... they are mirroring what the world has constantly been saying about worldly organizations and political offices. Because that is how they view people....it’s the; "My people", "your people" mentality. That kind of thinking is understandable in the world.....but it has no place here. When you see someone of your own color in the GB does it makes you feel good? Viewing things from that perspective seems bias in itself. It starts with the premise that we’re divided, and each one (ethnicity) needs representation to be fair. Would their color make them more trustworthy on the GB ? Or will they care more about you than someone of a different color? This “woke” ideology is spreading and it ain’t pretty.

Thanks

Jehovah is including everybody and I believe there is full representation of variety when it comes to anointed ones. Think of it ... sisters cannot serve as elders or on GB right now, and yet some of our dear sisters will be powerful immortals there in heaven to whom even angels will not be equal. Those sisters in the future role as "priests and kings" will be teaching all of us and helping "us" to reach perfection. Jehovah is the best equalizer.

Agreed. Implementing change take time for all to make the needed change. Some will continue dressing the way they always have. Others have changed immediately. We are a progressive organization to say the least. Will there be adjustments to the new guidelines we have been given? Possibly. These are such small changes of grooming and dress when we think about them. To me the biggest challenge was the use of electronics. I was determined not to use a tablet, to be a "real" Bible guy, "real" books & magazines. The change took time. But as I get older, my brain and body not working the same as they used to, I value the use of tablets, computers or phones. JW broadcasting is like having a CA, SA & RC each month. I think of the brothers and sisters who have left deeply entrenched beliefs behind to accept worship of Jehovah. That to me takes courage. If I have a beard or not, if I wear a suit does not require courage. Standing up for Jehovah, leaving behind traditions and becoming acceptable to Jehovah takes courage and faith. Those who make those changes build my faith, not what they look like on the outside, but who they are today and what it took to get there. That's real change, courage and show outwardly to all faith. My wife and I talk about faith all the time, faithful to each other and Jehovah. Being faithful, not how I am groomed or wear is how we want others to see us.

Ethnicity or color has nothing to do with choosing a member of the GB. They either qualify or do not qualify. Skin color should not even be mentioned as a qualification. That’s the world influence to judge everything by color and ethinicy....trying to make everything even Steven. That’s not how it works. It’s the inner person not the outside that counts. Satan in an effort to divide us fills our heads full of distorted views. Many jump right on the bandwagon. This another “woke” influence....all under the guise of fair and equal. Another one of Satan’s crafty machinations, trying to influence our organization. If an ethic group is not represented on the GB, it means no one in that group has qualified. Talk to Jehovah about that. Unless you think the GB is bias against certain ethic groups. It's one or the other. I think it’s the first reason. No one qualified.

It's clear the GB likes to include brothers from a diversity of backgrounds. We see that from the helpers, they are from many different countries and ethnicities and languages. However, when you look for anointed brothers who have served faithfully for many decades, who speak English fluently and can live in the US, probably the pool to choose from is much more reduced. There are only around 20,000 partakers in the whole world, how many of those meet the requirements above? And those are just some basic requirements, surely the GB has a lot more.

In my opinion, this answer by Pjdriver is spot on. Try to read it not as a correction or a reprimand, but as a sensible reflection on the topic. Also, Carlos's point was very good. Take the total number of partakers: around 20,000; substract those who partake for mental health reasons and who might not even be annointed (I know some cases, but of course we can't know whether they are annointed in spite of having mental issues, this is just a speculative exercise to make a point); substract the number of females; then substract the number of brothers who, perhaps due to health reasons, are not in a position to live in the HQ; then substract those who do not speak English fluently; then substract those who are not elders; then substract those who do not have a lot of experience in positions of responsibility in the organization (travelling overseers, Bethelites, etc.), and then the options are probably really limited. Now rejecting a very qualified brother to choose another one less qualified because of his skin colour would be not only impractical, but a form of partiality. After all, the GB is there to do a job, not to represent my race.

Just to add another "data point", I just came from our circuit assembly with the circuit overseer. I was made the cleaning captain and I showed up at the circuit assembly without a tie. I got worried because it looked like I was the only one without a tie. Our elder who was over the entire cleaning department call me over. I thought he was going to ask me to put a tie on. No, he asked me if I wouldn't mind helping out in the back with the baptismal candidates. Afterward, I passed by the circuit overseer as I was going to get the vacuum cleaners for our cleaning assignment and he commended me for all of our hard work and told me I was looking good. So at least here in the Seattle metropolitan area brothers are not expected to wear a tie even when they have leadership positions in certain departments. There were several other attendants that weren't wearing ties.

Thank you for confirming what I wrote over a month ago.... it is interesting to hear your CO's comments.

Also @Dhanyel We must remember that when we talk about the UN getting "teeth" we are quoting a paragraph from the Revelation book, not from scripture. https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1101988035?q=teeth+united+nations&p=par#:~:text=Yes%2C the The world has changed dramatically since the Revelation book was written. The statements made in the book fit very well with our understanding of the world back then. When we think of something getting teeth we think of traditional warfare, with aggressive power, which was how things were generally accomplished back then - with old school military force. Today things are accomplished in a different way by authorities generally. New methods of warfare are being used. We are apparently on 5th generation warfare now. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generations_of_warfare#:~:text=In military history%2C the term,4GW" or "5GW". From the article: Fifth-generation warfare is conducted primarily through non-kinetic military action, such as social engineering, misinformation, and cyberattacks, along with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and fully autonomous systems. Fifth generation warfare has been described by Daniel Abbot as a war of "information and perception". What do you think? Does the UN already have 5th generation warfare teeth? Have we seen the UN use these teeth of late? Could the UN deploy these teeth against BTG?

I'm not offended. I'm ecstatic that more interracial couples are depicted in our photos and videos, tbh - it was a very long time coming. It's nice to see one's background represented. ❤️ It *would* be nice to see more ethnicities represented amongst the GB and their helpers (I LOVE when I hear a different accent) - again more as a passing thought, since different backgrounds can offer different perspectives even with the same faith, don't they? But also again, I have absolute faith that everything is well in hand.

This isn't a picture of the brother, I just asked an AI to show me a fat old guy with unbuttoned shirt Close enough

The Bible says that "God is not partial," that "people of all sorts" will come to the hearer of prayer. Our work takes place in over 200 lands and in over 1000 languages! And this is only possible because in Jehovah's organization we have sooooo many people of very different backgrounds working together in spite of their differences, thanks to his holy spirit. My whole life I've seen all of our publications intentionally depicting Jehovah's people in all of the beautiful ethnic and cultural variety that he created us with the capacity to have, decades before anyone would even think to call that "woke" or political. Ever since childhood, I have that last illustration from My Book of Bible Stories burned into my brain! So...it's not a worldly or political thing to expect that the Governing Body might reflect all of this, and to feel a little puzzled because it doesn't. A Bible study asked me this a long time ago - if God is not partial, why did all of the GB seem to come only from a European/Anglo background? This was not out of a sense of worldly pride in her own race/culture but rather, feeling anxious and uncomfortable because racism, prejudice, and partiality are horrible parts of Satan's wicked system. See this Awake! article: "Why is Race Such an Issue?" https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/101993602 Having the organization started in and based in the U.S. has given us a LOT of advantages in being able to reach millions of people and spread the message worldwide. I have meditated on this and wondered whether Jehovah, knowing that 1) his people would be hated like Jesus was and face opposition to our work 2) his people would have to be able to work a LOT with governments to do any kind of organized, legally recognized activity has ALSO guided his organization to be able to accomplish our work 1) during the rise of the Anglo-American world power 2) in a country where racism and ideas of white superiority have been so strongly embedded in government, not to mention Christendom. So maybe the composition of the Governing Body, like the location of our headquarters, has allowed our organization to accomplish certain things over the years that might not have been possible otherwise -- not because Jehovah is partial, but because he has the broad view and knows how to realize his purpose.

We had our visit a few weeks back. During our Elders and MS meeting with the CO, none of us were wearing a tie. The CO came in the hall wearing his tie, looked at us and pulled off his tie and smiled at us with a guilty face.

The only diversity I care about is the diversity of thought . The rest is just superficial. Even that, there should be boundaries.

I'm shocked there isn't more diversity in the GB. There aren't any Asians, Islanders, Latinos, Australians, New Zealanders, Welsh, Alaskans, Greek, Jew, Brazilian, Venezuelan, French, Irish, Native American Indian, Indian.... Should I go on? If someone is offended that there isn't a GB member from their ethnic background, then why aren't they offended that all ethnicities aren't represented?

…. & Security 3 Read 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3. Paul mentions “Jehovah’s day.” As used in this context, this refers to the time period that begins with the attack on “Babylon the Great,” the world empire of false religion, and ends with Armageddon. (Rev. 16:14, 16; 17:5) Just before that “day” begins, the nations will be proclaiming “Peace and security!” (Some translations say: “Peace and safety.”) World leaders sometimes use similar expressions when they talk about stabilizing relationships between nations. However, the announcement of “peace and security” that the Bible describes will be different. Why? When this happens, people may think that world leaders have succeeded in making the world a safer, more secure place. But in reality, “sudden destruction” will follow as the “great tribulation” unfolds.—Matt. 24:21. How many Bible prophecies remain to be fulfilled before God destroys this present system? Very few! One of the last is at 1 Thessalonians 5:3, which states: “While they are talking of peace and security, all at once calamity is upon them.” (The New English Bible) This shows that the end of this system will begin “while they are talking.” Unforeseen by the world, destruction will strike when least expected, when the attention of humans is on their hoped-for peace and security. let’s keep on the watch

How do you know if they are "unhappy about it " are they openly voicing their opinion or giving sneering looks, I haven't seen that in our congregation, there are either nice comments on how the differen't beards look or how nice the sisters slacks look on those that look nice ( some I feel are wearing too tight fitting slacks, young brothers included ) as far as no ties, only a very few have chose not to wear a tie or jacket when not having a part, 2 elders approached me and commented on how my nice my beard and no tie look was. I am meticulous at keeping my short beard trimmed with little to no fly away hairs sticking out, in fact while sitting behind some brothers with beards I can't help but noticing their fly away hairs sticking out and want to bring my scissors to the meeting and snip them ( of course while they're not looking 😂 ) 🧔🏻‍♂️

Pranking a brother on my Ring doorbell that came over to sit in with an elder conducting a study with my older son, I don't know him and he's never met me. 🤣 https://ring.com/share/7f0edc36-abbb-45cf-afa7-5e20f14c32fc

I'm not sure if this should go here (so sorry if I got it wrong). I have been messing with AI and have created a song based on a recent WT article “I Will Never Abandon You”! Everything has been created with AI, including the lyrics, music, and vocals. I am fascinated by what can be achieved with this tech. We are still in the early days so AI is only going to get better. That leads us to a warning we need to keep in mind. How is Satan going to use this technology to attack True Worship? As we get closer to the end of this system we need to make sure of all things, and to strengthen our faith in Jehovah and his ability to protect pure worship. That's why I chose “I Will Never Abandon You”! as the basis of this experiment. AI is just a tool that can be used for good or bad. I hope this song is encouraging. If I have don't it right, it will be attached to this post. And a final reminder: This is 100% AI and is not an official song. Lyrics [Verse 1] In times of old, through shadows cast, The faithful walked, the die was cast. Leaders came and then they’d fade, Yet now we stand where grace is laid. [Chorus] For we are cradled by the divine, In arms of everlasting love, As chosen ones ascend on high, We’re gently held from far above. [Verse 2] Now in these days of grand restore, With holy vision set before. Christ’s light our guide, so clear, so bright, Jehovah guards us through the night. [Chorus] For we are cradled by the divine, In arms of everlasting love, As chosen ones ascend on high, We’re gently held from far above. [Bridge] Through storms we stand, our faith won't sway, His prophecies light up our way. In worship pure, we rise, we thrive, By His decree, we’re kept alive. [Chorus] For we are cradled by the divine, In arms of everlasting love, As chosen ones ascend on high, We’re gently held from far above. [Outro] Unshaken hearts, under His eyes, Held safe where His sanctuary lies. Through darkest nights, His light our guide, In His embrace, we will abide. Cradled by the Divine.mp3

I see some "Local Needs" parts coming up soon...💗

A sister with a part on the School this past Thursday wore slacks onstage.

Yes, we don’t know how long Adam was alone, but we can do a reasonable guess. The Bible describes a full grown mature man as 30 years old, even if Adam is alone for 10-20 years to name all the animals, that’s a total of 40 to 50 years before Eve was created. if you calculate 40 to 50 years from 1975, we come to 2015-2025. YES, FOLKS, WE ARE EXTREMELY CLOSE!!!

Recently, we had a elder meeting with all the elders using the hall (we have 4 congs in it). It was ok not have a tie but still, a brother had an unbuttoned shirt... but it was not 1, but 2 buttons It was hilariously awful here is an AI version of the result

An elder did the reading for our study last night on stage, didn't wear a tie ! A dress shirt unbuttoned at the top and a jacket. 🚫 👔

Excerpt from Morning Worship talk by Gary Breaux: Protect Yourself From Misinformation (Dan. 11:27) RPReplay_Final1713978320.mov

My understanding was that you like the variety of personalities on the GB and personalities are enhanced by the person's background. So, a variety of ethnicity and cultures would give us a variety of personalities and experience. I agree 100%. I don't think the comments made here, mine included, were directed to you or anyone else. They were generic comments about being careful to not adapt a worldly pride about our own race or ethnicity and feel that our race is not fully or appropriately represented on the GB.

I've said it before on this forum and ill say it again now.....We should only say things to each other that we would say in person if we were all sitting around talking in the kingdom Hall. We wouldn't be rude and we def wouldn't call each other names so lets never do it on this forum. That is something we ALL have to remind ourselves.

Vast majority of anointed ones come from Jewish backgrounds and Middle East backgrounds (thinking of first century) Then in our times some other regions were included. So it looks to me that ethnicity does not matter to Jehovah, but as long as person has humility and other important qualities they qualify for the role. Jehovah is called “Grand Instructor” so I am sure the anointed receive additional training and guidance in haven in relation to their duties as priests and kings. Ethnically does not matter, and including someone for the sake of ethnic representation is not the way things work with Jehovah. When they are in haven ethnicity will be lost, and then they become immortal powerful beings. But their personalities and spiritual qualities will be part of them even in haven. So the focus is on spiritual qualities when Jehovah makes the choice.

My situation, after selling all the ties. 🤣

"As first lady, Obama served as a role model for women and worked as an advocate for poverty awareness, education, nutrition, physical activity, and healthy eating." There may be a reason it is on her refrigerator that has nothing to do with politics, color or gender.

The more life changes the more it stays the same. Satan's tactics stay the same because foolish people keep falling for it. I don't anticipate anything different than what history has shown us. That is until we see Jehovah’s spectacular show, now that'll be completely new 😲 🧡 I'm so weary I'm ready for it. You bet I'll "stand back and see the salvation of Jehovah", at that point my personal war will be over and the boss takes over, yup, I'm very ready.

Something is going on in Taiwan. They've had five 5.0+ quakes in just the last two hours. And all of them hit on land at a very shallow depth.

The elder in charge of the meeting should know who the brothers and sisters who have parts on the meeting are. If they are not appropriately dressed, the elder woud speak to them before they are on the platform, and if needed, make alternative arrangements for the assignment - I believe that has always been the case.

I don’t think so … tie in jacket seems to be required for more formal parts delivered to congregation during our meetings. Organising ministry is important but it does not fall under same category like Treasures, or Watchtower parts.

I made one of our elders chuckle. We had our elders and ministerial servants meeting with the circuit overseer. I didn't quite know how to dress, so I wore a tie just in case. I saw 2 elders and 3 MS coming out of their cars with no tie. One elder looked at me as I was ripping my tie off and chuckled. Only two brothers wore a tie to that meeting. One was the CO.

I remember a talk by Bro. Jackson a few years ago. He mentioned about the time when there was an election in Austrailia and compared the 2 candidates. One was for a military draft and the other was against it. He thought to himself, how good it would be for the candidate who was against the draft to win. That would certainly make it easy for the brothers there. But he had to catch himself because that wasn't showing political neutrality. He said he needed to readjust his thinking and not want a particular candidate to win. That was a good example for us to follow. We can easily get drawn into political issues that seem worthwhile. But we must always maintain our neutrality even if it means we will live under less than desirable circumstances.

God doesn't care about these "diversity" issue. No Jews nor Greek.

Please pray for our brothers and sister in Japan I got some info from a reliable source that the government is going after them and have started a smear campaign also want to takeaway the tax exempt status.. I have the report it’s several pages

We had a visit from the CO not long ago. During the preaching meetings, while listening to the brother, I said to myself that perhaps the best thing was to not talk about it anymore. Why ? The CO, hairless, made a comment about the only two brothers in the congregation who were bearded, an elder and a young one. He pointed out to the youngest that he had the beard of Jesus Christ, the poor brother was embarrassed, and no one really understood what the Overseer meant, and when he saw the elder he exclaimed : “Come , U., allow me to touch it, this beard looks very dense.” The brother felt very uncomfortable. I then thought that the best thing was to no longer talk about it as something new. It would be better not to think about it in the end, unless you find a lovely sister with her slacks and a charming brother with his pretty, well-trimmed beard. You shouldn't look like Rasputin, should you ?

Oh wait, was that yesterday? Dang, I missed it...

I would be sad if a new GB member was announced to satisfy worldly quotas... Awful.

That is *not* where I'm coming from. At all. Your assumptions, however, are not pretty. 😒 I'll say no more about it.

but, 2 buttons is the style ! I wouldn't dare unbutton #2 though ( my chest hairs would show ! 😎🤏😳

Put it this way ... in the 4th post in this thread two pictures were posted. Those two individuals have been and continue to be "hot topics" and very polarizing to the US - even some JW's have feeling about one or both of them. When asked what I think of them, I express that neither one of them is better nor worse than the other, they are just different. As to who wins the coming election ... makes no difference to me since I have no way of knowing who Jehovah may use to usher in the GT.