Remember when?

[dove]

5 minutes ago, Eejay said:

What about Sermon Outlines?.................and the little Question booklets for Book studies when there were no questions in the publication?

Yes, I remember especially the one for Babylon Has Fallen..God's Kingdom is Near. I kept if for many years..😊

[Miss Bea]

15 minutes ago, Eejay said:

What about Sermon Outlines?.................and the little Question booklets for Book studies when there were no questions in the publication?

I still have one of those booklets. I use it in my letter writing!

[Miss Bea]

Okay. Sunday, the sermon work. We had an introduction, body, (3 scriptures!) and a conclusion. 
A dear brother, now an elder reminds me of his first days in the service, and how he was so impressed. It’s sort of funny. But, we didn’t really have to converse with the householder. Gave our sermon, made an offer...

(Oh this is off topic. I have one, just one black bible with gold edges, still wrapped up. I got it as a brother and sister were leaving our area. If someone has a heart need for it, it is yours. )  

[dove]

4 minutes ago, Miss Bea said:

Okay. Sunday, the sermon work. We had an introduction, body, (3 scriptures!) and a conclusion. 
A dear brother, now an elder reminds me of his first days in the service, and how he was so impressed. It’s sort of funny. But, we didn’t really have to converse with the householder. Gave our sermon, made an offer...

(Oh this is off topic. I have one, just one black bible with gold edges, still wrapped up. I got it as a brother and sister were leaving our area. If someone has a heart need for it, it is yours. )  

Can you remember 4 scriptures?  😱

[Old]

50 minutes ago, Qapla said:

A little known aspect of the written review by many - even some Elders/Servants was that the review was technically an "insert" for the KM. They were given to the TMS conductor to keep until they were handed out.

 

And, since they were part of the KM, they were NOT supposed to be given to disfellowshipped ones attending the meeting.

At the ealiest the TMS was a separate meeting conducted after a 15 minute break following the service meeting. All were invited to stay for the school. Brothers only signed up for the school, though all got to take "the test". "The test" was dropped for many years, they were reinstated back in the fifties (as I remember which is becoming more difficult as time passes.) In the later 1950's I was TMS Servant I used to have to grade each paper and return them. I disliked that part of my assignment greatly. I was young and in love and often failed to get the tests reurned for a couple of weeks.  The older sisers would rag me "When to I get my test back?" At that time they were no longer called  'tests' but 'reviews.' 

[Qapla]

Jerry,

 

That memory is a little before my time

[nanceebgd46]

Yes, Brother Old.....they were called the .....The Written Review .....remember!

Thanks for reminding me.

[Old]

Starting in 1959 sisters became eligable to join the TMS. I gave the first 'sister' student assignment to my soon-to-become wife. She was none to happy about it but did well and set a good example for other sisters. She is still setting that same example 61 years later.

 

(I wish I could have allowed her to correct those written reviews. )

 

[jwhess]

1 hour ago, Old said:

At the ealiest the TMS was a separate meeting conducted after a 15 minute break following the service meeting. All were invited to stay for the school. Brothers only signed up for the school, though all got to take "the test". "The test" was dropped for many years, they were reinstated back in the fifties (as I remember which is becoming more difficult as time passes.) In the later 1950's I was TMS Servant I used to have to grade each paper and return them. I disliked that part of my assignment greatly. I was young and in love and often failed to get the tests reurned for a couple of weeks.  The older sisers would rag me "When to I get my test back?" At that time they were no longer called  'tests' but 'reviews.' 

Br. Jerry, do you remember when we called the class "roll" at the beginning of the TMS?  the conductor would go through all of the names of all of the brothers enrolled and mark them  "present or absent" in the school overseer's book.  It was reviewed by the Circuit Overseer when he came.  Everybody in my congregation would answer "Here" when their name was called (alphabetically).  My father was the only one who would say "Present".  Since I was next in the order...I would say "Present" also...❤️

[dove]

1 hour ago, Dove said:

Can you remember 4 scriptures?  😱

The most prominent memory I have of the 4 scriptures was one day I was working alone and got a young man at the door. He patiently let me get through my whole sermon using all 4, but then said he wasn't interested. 

I left and was halfway down the street when I heard him calling and looked around to see him  on the sidewalk asking if I would come back and talk some more with him. But being soo long ago maybe 50 years or more, I don't remember anything coming out of it, but it did make an imprint of the 4 scriptures to me..and it made me feel good that I was able to talk about the Bible and Jehovah even if it fell on deaf ears, although I'm sure Jehovah and the angels were listening..😊

Those were the good old days when people would open their doors and stand and listen to us for awhile..☺️

Edited July 15, 2020 by Dove

[Old]

1 minute ago, jwhess said:

Br. Jerry, do you remember when we called the class "roll" at the beginning of the TMS?  the conductor would go through all of the names of all of the brothers enrolled and mark them  "present or absent" in the school overseer's book.  It was reviewed by the Circuit Overseer when he came.  Everybody in my congregation would answer "Here" when their name was called (alphabetically).  My father was the only one who would say "Present".  Since I was next in the order...I would say "Present" also...❤️

Ys, I had forgotten about roll call.

I personly did not join the TMS until we started to study the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures. 

[Old]

5 minutes ago, Dove said:

The most prominent memory I have of the 4 scriptures was one day I was working alone and got a young man at the door. He patiently let me get through my whole sermon using all 4, but then said he wasn't interested. 

I left and was halfway down the street when I heard him calling and looked around to see him  on the sidewalk asking if I would come back and talk some more with him. But being soo long ago maybe 50 years or more, I don't remember anything coming out of it, but it did make an imprint of the 4 scriptures to me..and it made me feel good that I was able to talk about the Bible and Jehovah even if it fell on deaf ears, although I'm sure Jehovah and the angels were listening..😊

Those were the good old days when people would open their doors and stand and listen to us for awhile..☺️

In those days, 1954 in my case, we worked alone at the door unless it was a dangerous territory. I assume you were alone? I had to pray before I knocked on any door. I think sometimes I prayed that no one would answer the door. 

[Qapla]

I remember when we had the "three scripture 8 minute" presentations - and we were admonished not to put our foot in the door to keep them from closing it.

[Sheep]

22 hours ago, Miss Bea said:

Um, remember the 15 minute break, between the Public talk, and the WT study? 
Cigarette break for some. I kid you not!  

15 hours ago, Qapla said:

We had several in the Congregation that went out for a smoke during the break.

It seems it was a gradual process to the time when smoking was "outlawed" among Jehovah's Witnesses. Prior to 1970, smoking was strongly discouraged, but not forbidden. An overseer could not smoke, but a publisher could. Then later the comments on it became more strongly worded, and giving up smoking was strongly recommended. Then a much more clear understanding of the issue came to be seen in 1973, and was touched on in two articles in the March 15 issue of the Watchtower. Finally, in the June 1, 1973, Watchtower was the culminatiing article that announced that someone in the congregation who continued to smoke could be disfellowshipped (¶ 24).

 

21 hours ago, Dove said:

I believe it was six months..

Yes. They were given six months to quit, a very reasonable time period if they took the truth seriously. During the following three years, more than 2,000 had to be removed from the congregations. Of course, some people in the world were indignant about that, taking sides with the disfellowshipped ones. But the Governing Body fearlessly took a stand to keep the congregations clean.

 

I'm not sure why I wrote the above. It was just a personal exercise, I guess, doing some research on it. But I found what I wanted to know.

[dove]

8 minutes ago, Old said:

In those days, 1954 in my case, we worked alone at the door unless it was a dangerous territory. I assume you were alone? I had to pray before I knocked on any door. I think sometimes I prayed that no one would answer the door. 

Yes I was. There weren't that many of us to go around at that time. 😊

When I came in the Truth there were only 900 worldwide.

Yes, lots of prayers..I used to pray, well not pray, but hope, that we would never reach the territory..😃

[Old]

9 minutes ago, Dove said:

Yes I was. There weren't that many of us to go around at that time. 😊

When I came in the Truth there were only 900 worldwide.

Yes, lots of prayers..I used to pray, well not pray, but hope, that we would never reach the territory..😃

We are close to the same age, I too often felt that way. When we worked in Sister Bea's area it would take two hours just to get to there. Considering the terrible mountain highways I think God had to be answering the prayers of those that asked for safe delivarnce. My Dad was a very bad driver. 

[dove]

3 minutes ago, Sheep said:

It seems it was a gradual process to the time when smoking was "outlawed" among Jehovah's Witnesses. Prior to 1970, smoking was strongly discouraged, but not forbidden. An overseer could not smoke, but a publisher could. Then later the comments on it became more strongly worded, and giving up smoking was strongly recommended. Then a much more clear understanding of the issue came to be seen in 1973, and was touched on in two articles in the March 15 issue of the Watchtower. Finally, in the June 1, 1973, Watchtower was the culminatiing article that announced that someone in the congregation who continued to smoke could be disfellowshipped (¶ 24).

 

Yes. They were given six months to quit, a very reasonable time period if they took the truth seriously. During the following three years, more than 2,000 had to be removed from the congregations. Of course, some people in the world were indignant about that, taking sides with the disfellowshipped ones. But the Governing Body fearlessly took a stand to keep the congregations clean.

 

I'm not sure why I wrote the above. It was just a personal exercise, I guess, doing some research on it. But I found what I wanted to know.

When I was just studying, I asked the sister who studied with me if Jehovah's Witnesses smoked, as I had the habit. This was even before it was made a rule. And I kind of already knew what the answer was because I never personally saw anyone smoking.

She was elderly and one of the anointed, and I always remember her answer when she said, 'if God had wanted us to smoke, He would have created us with a chimney coming out of the top of our head.' 😃

I finally managed it but I couldn't or wouldn't have done it for any other reason.

And I'm so thankful to Jehovah now for his high standards and wisdom because if I had continued I probably wouldn't be here now and wouldn't have known either all that I had given up..

The first convention I went to while still a 'recovering addict', was at Yankee Stadium. I remember looking around at all the thousands upon thousands of people there and thinking..'and none of them smoke'..😁

It was very encouraging..

[daydream]

10 hours ago, nanceebgd46 said:

 

I remember those.......good old days......it's hard to fathom those one hour talks on Sunday.

but we sure had them....seemed normal at the time!   

In the early 1970's when I first came into the truth, the kingdom hall was in the rented house of the missionary couple from New Zealand. The meetings were held in the small living room and not air conditioned. So this young Indian brother was giving the 1 hour talk and halfway through the talk, he suddenly fainted. We were so shocked but after a short interval, the speaker did  continue his talk? Can't remember clearly. 

I do remember clearly the big jackfruit tree at the back of the hall and it yielded such sweet fruits. It was so troublesome to remove the sticky fruit, we had to oiled our hands first. 

[AH173]

24 minutes ago, Dove said:

When I came in the Truth there were only 900 worldwide.

Can I get some clarification of the '900 worldwide' amount?

[Phyllis]

I was 14 and went to first assembly, never been to a meeting.  Mum was invited by  CO doing door to door, but couldn’t go so I though this might be fun !! Days when Sat morning you went witnessing, asked  by some young ones and CO if would like to come.   After 3 doors went and sat in the car and another young one came and asked ,” what do you think of this “? and I said it’s not for me and he said the same . 18 months later baptised after being thrown out of home by horrible father. Mum baptised  a couple of years later despite awful opposition, 7 children , no car.  Faithful till death at 92. and I’m still witnessing  at 80 even  if it is by phone and letters .   Plus the brother became an elder and died faithful  in his 70s.

 

Love the picture of Satan standing behind Jesus saying “ see I closed down every Kingdom Hall” and Jesus replies, “ but Jehovah opened one in every home”  🥰😷

[Mykyl]

3 hours ago, Miss Bea said:

Okay. Sunday, the sermon work. We had an introduction, body, (3 scriptures!) and a conclusion. 
A dear brother, now an elder reminds me of his first days in the service, and how he was so impressed. It’s sort of funny. But, we didn’t really have to converse with the householder. Gave our sermon, made an offer...

(Oh this is off topic. I have one, just one black bible with gold edges, still wrapped up. I got it as a brother and sister were leaving our area. If someone has a heart need for it, it is yours. )  

Is it a special one. I ask as I got one that has the same feel etc as the new silver one. A few folks think it was a test one. I still have it. Nobody That saw it had a plain cloth inner cover like this one. Maybe they changed to that and we never noticed. 😉

Edited July 15, 2020 by Mykyl

[dove]

I have one with gold edges and front and back inner covers have the maps..

[Mykyl]

7 minutes ago, Dove said:

I have one with gold edges and front and back inner covers have the maps..

Yep. All the others I have seen have maps. Just not this one. It was given to me by my dad when I came back to the truth in early 2012. You couldn't order a bible at the time and nobody knew why. Its the same material as the new one, just in black with gold edging.

Edited July 15, 2020 by Mykyl

[dove]

1 hour ago, Qapla said:

I remember when we had the "three scripture 8 minute" presentations - and we were admonished not to put our foot in the door to keep them from closing it.

we had a brother that actually did that all the time..it was at a time when we were encouraged not to let ourselves be brushed off too easily as it might be the last chance the HH got a witness and it meant their life, so he took this to heart and was very zealous..😊

But it was kind of difficult following him up on these same calls the next time around..

[jwhess]

They came in Maroon as well as black.  I have one of each still in the original plastic wrap from the Society.  We used to have to pay for the literature at the counter when you picked it up at the hall.  These "deluxe" versions of the Bible cost a lot more that the regular (plain hardcover) Bibles which were $1.00 each.