Remember when?

[Gary910]

43 minutes ago, jwhess said:

The blue "Aid to Bible Understanding" book was released twice.  The first release was just the alphabet from A through E in 1969 at that year's International assemblies.  My wife went to Atlanta and I was in Kansas City (we got engaged in Dec of that year).  The whole Aid book was released in 1971.  The large print Bible was released that same year.

Even though I was a wee lad, I remember this, and treasure these spiritual memories. I was old enough to remember this.

[Qapla]

1 hour ago, jwhess said:

The whole Aid book was released in 1971.  The large print Bible was released that same year.

 

Thanks, John - this is the release I was thinking of ... I thought they were released the same year. 

 

So, back to the things to remember:

 

In 1971 we attended the "Divine Name" District Assembly in Greensboro, NC

Quote

UNITED STATES

June 30–July 4: Cincinnati, Ohio; Jersey City, N.J. (tentative); New York, N.Y.

July 7-11: Flint, Mich.; Greensboro, N.C.; Jackson, Mich.; Jersey City, N.J. (Spanish only) (tentative); Lansing, Mich.; Lincoln, Nebr.; Mangilao, Guam; Port Huron, Mich.; Sioux Falls, S. Dak.

 

I was unable to attend all of the 1969 Convention held in Atlanta due to family issues (after all, I was still in High School and couldn't take myself to Atlanta) but my brother did attend the entire thing. My mother and I was able to make Saturday and Sunday - we slept on the floor of a motel room of a family from our area ... it was quite a full room.

 

Anyway, I regress - back to the 1971 Assembly in Greensboro. This was the first "out-of-state" whole Assembly I had ever attended. One where I would be able to volunteer at. The trip to Greensboro was uneventful but seemed very long even though it only takes about 8 hours to drive straight through. This was also the first time I worked in the Attendant Department - the brothers there didn't know me so I was not used for sound.

 

Here are some of the highlights I remember from this Assembly:

• I was assigned to the orchestra area on the main floor. I was positioned right next to the drums. They had a really full orchestra AND a choral group ... and the brother conducting was very capable of conducting both! I understand this is what he did for a living. Anyway, I had a seat right by the "kettle drums" and the "regular drums". The regular drummer had been a professional drummer before he learned the Truth. He still played some gigs with some brothers - although he had spent many years playing with various bands all over the country. He was a very good drummer. The conductor had trouble finding someone who could play the kettles the way he wanted them played. A brother in his mid-late 30's gave it a try. The conductor had wanted a particular type of drumroll that, till then, no one who he tried accomplished. This brother didn't do any better - at first. The other drummer handed him a rather large pair of "bats" and told him to "try these". The brother got it! When the conductor called for the drumroll, he started with a low rumble and progressed to a crescendo that made those of us standing close feel it down to our toes. THAT was what the conductor wanted! This brother played the kettles the entire Assembly. He told me that he hadn't played the kettles since he graduated high school and wasn't sure he still could - he played them like he did this sort of thing every day. This orchestra and the choral group was astonishing. It was one of the things that made me want to learn enough to play in the orchestra someday. (remind me to tell you about the piano tuner sometime)
• In the "cafeteria" where we ate there were those tall, stand and eat tables. As you entered the large room there were attendants guiding you to one of the serving lines where you handed in your food tickets and picked up your already filled plate and an empty paper cup. Another brother directed you to an empty space at a table. There was a series of hoses overhead that carried water or tea to drink stations. You went to one and filled you cup from the hose by releasing the forceps that had the line pinched off. The drink deliver system was very neat ( I'll try to describe another time.) And, there were brothers roaming the walkways between the tables reminding us to eat and leave so we could make room for others to have a place to eat - they told us we could talk and associate when we left the dining room.
• If you remember back to these days you probably remember the mad rush to get the releases when the session ended. Sad to say, there was pushing and shoving - as well as those who lined up while the meeting was still going on   At this facility there were only a few doors that led into the main auditorium. These door opened to the main floor AND the upper seating. As the last talk was being delivered the new releases were dropped off outside these doors to the attendants that were to hand out the releases. Yep, you guessed it, there were quite a number of people that left their seats early to line up for the books - there were large crowds at each of the book drops just outside the doors. Just as the talk ended and the chairman began to end the meeting - the attendants with the books picked up the boxes and took them inside the auditorium entryway and other attendants closed the doors - Oh, yeah, they did NOT let any of those outside the auditorium back in until the prayer was over. By that time the crush of those leaving made it nearly impossible for anyone outside to get back inside. After the first couple of days hardly anyone left their seat to line up for the releases.

 

OK - I'll give my remembrances a rest for a while - let's hear more of yours.

 

 

Edited July 22, 2020 by Qapla

[➕👇 ꓤꓱꓷꓠꓵ🎵Tone]

I remember the Jeremiah Drama, 1966 in Cairns, Qld Australia. First full dress drama. As a younger lad, I especially enjoyed the smashing of the clay pots.

Then 3 years later I was one of over 150,000 at Nuremberg International. The prodigal son drama was on one of the nights, as it was dark and big spotlights were used.

Old (Downunder) Tone

[➕👇 ꓤꓱꓷꓠꓵ🎵Tone]

Some pics I found...

This was where Hitler said he would eradicate the 'Bibel Forscher' (Bible Students). 

We used his area as the main stadium, and his private runway as our carpark. 

Old (Downunder) Tone
 

Edited July 22, 2020 by Maʹher-shalʹal-hash-baz
Add pic

[coony77]

Do you remember when we had a "written repetition" in the TMS every 3 months? 

 

[coony77]

 

...and I still have my first NWT (only Christian Greek Scriptures) we got in 1993

Before its publication we had a (terrible) other translation (with an old-fashioned language and only one verse with the name Jehovah).

How happy we were when we received this green treasure (and later the whole Bible)!

[Old]

When we had a local Company instead of a Congregation.

[jwhess]

2 hours ago, Old said:

When we had a local Company instead of a Congregation.

When I started in God's Organization it was the same way.  Note this citation:

 

*** w53 4/1 pp. 218-219 “Do Not Loiter at Your Business” ***
ORGANIZATIONAL SERVANTS
15 In the early Christian society we read that Christ “gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as missionaries, some as shepherds and teachers, with a view to the training of the holy ones for ministerial work, for the building up of the body of the Christ”. (Eph. 4:11, 12, NW) So, too, in this latter period of time the burden of the work is divided up and shouldered by various organizational servants. The global field is divided into branches, the branches are subdivided into districts, the districts are composed of circuits, and the circuits are made up of companies or congregations each having one or more service centers. All together, there are nearly 14,000 organized congregational companies throughout the earth.
 

[Shawnster]

30 minutes ago, jwhess said:

When I started in God's Organization it was the same way.  Note this citation:

 

 All together, there are nearly 14,000 organized congregational companies throughout the earth.
 

And today I imagine there are nearly 14,000 organized congregations in a single country.  My how the little one has grown.

Edited July 22, 2020 by Shawnster

[jwhess]

A while back, someone mentioned tht we report our service time monthly now, but did we remember when it was weekly?

 

Does anyone remember when it was a DAILY report?

 

Here is a copy of a report by Sr. Grace DeCecca who was a Bethel member and the wife of Giovanni DeCecca who went to prison in WWI with Br. Rutherford in Atlantal.

 

*** w60 10/1 pp. 601-605 Pursuing My Purpose in Life ***

Pursuing My Purpose in Life

As told by Giovanni DeCecca

One sister in the truth, Grace Harris, impressed with the zeal and energy that I gladly put into the Drama talks, fell in love with the speaker. We were married by Brother Russell in 1916. Grace has been a real helpmate to me for over forty years and still is. For all this I am very grateful to Jehovah.

 

*** jv chap. 18 p. 298 “Seeking First the Kingdom” ***

[Box/Pictures on page 298]

A Few With Long Records of Bethel Service

Fleshly sisters (Kathryn Bogard and Grace DeCecca) who devoted a combined total of 136 years to Bethel service—United States

[Pjdriver]

I remember my first assignment at an assembly. Make mashed potatoes for about a thousand people. I was a teenager....I couldn’t make mashed potatoes for one person. (And yes, now I can). Fortunately they gave me a helper who was a cook.

 

Many workers probably missed half the program in those days.

[jwhess]

3 hours ago, Pjdriver said:

I remember my first assignment at an assembly. Make mashed potatoes for about a thousand people. I was a teenager....I couldn’t make mashed potatoes for one person. (And yes, now I can). Fortunately they gave me a helper who was a cook.

 

Many workers probably missed half the program in those days.

Your potato story made me go back and look at the photo.  I just realized they used "wooden" barrels this time.  Could you imagine the work to clean and sanitize a wooden barrel?

 

[Peak Pelka]

On 7/15/2020 at 6:37 AM, Mephibosheth said:

Do you remember getting a "W" on your school counsel slip and it stood for "Weak:? It was later changed to "Work On This".

I think I joined when it was "Work on this "

 

It was quite some training. Imagine all the effort put in the preps and only to be told "W"

[Peak Pelka]

I remember having to conduct Book Study for brothers only on Sunday afternoons  because all the brothers in the group were doing night shifts at their secular employments and as such they could not manage a during the week BS.

That group was one of the 4 groups I was assigned to conduct due to the need in my Congregation then. The other 3 groups I attended on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday while as the TMS and Service meetings were held on Tuesday. 

Every week was a special week for us.

And the only two elders we had.

I still was a MS then

[Qapla]

I remember in the early 1980's when we formed a new Congregation. I was serving as the TMS overseer AND the Sec plus I conducted a Book Study Group ... and I was working full time with an hour an a half drive each way - plus I had small children at home.

 

To say I was busy is an understatement

Edited July 26, 2020 by Qapla

[jwhess]

2 hours ago, Peak Pelka said:

I think I joined when it was "Work on this "

 

It was quite some training. Imagine all the effort put in the preps and only to be told "W"

I did not do an exhaustive search for the older Speech Counsel slip.  The oldest I have on a casual search was 1971 and it had "Work On This".  I have a photo of one dated 1968 with the same heading.  So i will have to guess that the "Weak" counsel was before 1968.  I will keep my eye out for it.

[Qapla]

I do not remember when it was changed but I remember that it was "weak" and was changed to "work" - seems it was felt this would be less disparaging to those who needed to work on a point rather than tell then they were weak.

[jwhess]

Anyone remember the magazine subscription work?  They were a $1 per year for 24 issues each.  They were delivered to your home in a plain brown wrapper with the magazine folded into thirds.

 

 

 

Edited July 26, 2020 by jwhess
address on paper

[jwhess]

5 minutes ago, Qapla said:

I do not remember when it was changed but I remember that it was "weak" and was changed to "work" - seems it was felt this would be less disparaging to those who needed to work on a point rather than tell then they were weak.

I just found my mother-in-laws copy from 1967 and it was "Work" not weak then so it was earlier than I remembered.  Still haven't found my slip from 1954...

[➕👇 ꓤꓱꓷꓠꓵ🎵Tone]

Anyone remember the magazine subscription work?  They were a $1 per year for 24 issues each.  They were delivered to your home in a plain brown wrapper with the magazine folded into thirds.

Originally in Australia they were delivered by the Postman. Then around the late 90's (I think) , they were sent to the congregations along with the monthly literature supply. They were still in Brown Wrappers, but were to be delivered by the pios/pubs (saving postage costs).

 

Old (Downunder) Tone

 

 

 

[Tortuga]

31 minutes ago, jwhess said:

I just found my mother-in-laws copy from 1967 and it was "Work" not weak then so it was earlier than I remembered.  Still haven't found my slip from 1954...

Look at the instructions at the bottom of the slip.

 

[➕👇 ꓤꓱꓷꓠꓵ🎵Tone]

And if you got a W, you could not jump to G. You had to get an 'I' first. Then you could go to G, as long as you didn't slip back to W - which meant that you had to start again.

By the time I was assigned to be the TMS Overseer, the W was 'Work on This'.

 

Old (Downunder) Tone

 

 

 

 

[TrueTomHarley]

1 hour ago, jwhess said:

Anyone remember the magazine subscription work?  They were a $1 per year for 24 issues each.  They were delivered to your home in a plain brown wrapper with the magazine folded into thirds.

 

 

 

There is an apocryphal story of a pioneer brother who was confronted with a hostile householder. “If you want to talk to someone, you can talk to my dog,” the man curtly said. Whereupon the brother dropped to a knee and did just that! After a moment, he straightened up, look the householder in the eye, and said, “Your dog wants a double sub.”

 

I related this story as an introduction to a service meeting part about offering subs. Young Stevie, who nobody thought was paying the slightest bit of attention, said to his grandma, “What’s Brother Harley talking about? Dogs can’t talk!”

[Tortuga]

1 hour ago, jwhess said:

Anyone remember the magazine subscription work?  They were a $1 per year for 24 issues each.  They were delivered to your home in a plain brown wrapper with the magazine folded into thirds.

Some friends would pay for a first class delivery and get the magazines earlier than everyone else. Some things never change! 😁

 

When my father sold the house we lived in back then he had to go back and pick up the mail. The new owner snickered when he handed my father a magazine in a plain brown wrapper, he apparently thought it was something else..😳

[Emily Mucklow]

I can remember when we had meetings in a kingdom hall. What memories......