Bethel experiences

[Jay]

I've wanted to go to Bethel since a very young age. Now that I'm growing up, I can soon join after the pandemic. Could you share your first hand and non firsthand Bethel experiences. I find this fun hope that you'll too.

[Nelly Kim]

 My first thoughts was that all Bethelites were saints ( smiling)... I mean, they have to be, they are in the house of God... But imagine my shock when a Bethelite wink at me, I was shocked ( laughing) turns out they are humans like us... They are imperfect humans working hard to please Jehovah like us... When I realized that, I stopped expecting too much. ( i'm young and idealistic( but i'm much improved) ( smiling) So keep in mind, bethelites are imperfect, they'll step on your toes often, they play horse play sometimes ( rough play) and may tease you... But it's all because they want a little fun time once in a while.. Work is also hectic, most times you'll miss meetings and field service to meet a deadline... But never forget, its part of sacred service... Bethel service is quite addictive too ( in a good way ) you'll love it very much.. You must fight hard to be humble, because you'll be treated like a celebrity by your brothers and sisters everywhere you go... But remember, we are all good for nothing slaves, whatever we do, is what we are supposed to do. Zone and Governing body members visit too...  It's quite overwhelming hanging out with Christ brothers ( remember to act calm) ( smiling)  and talks from them are a highlight... Also, Feel free to explore your talents in the aptitude tests that's quite scary at first... But don't worry about it, just do your best... I'll take a bow here and let others share too ( smiling)

[Joey]

It’s not first hand but I’ve visited the Branch in the US a few times.

I love the Branch. The friends are always wonderful but the building and grounds are so clean and beautiful to. The last time I was at Warwick and Wallkill we got to eat lunch there. They had grilled tilapia fish with mango salsa and sweet potato pie. That was awesome! We had a very happy group at our table of older Bethelites and that was wonderful getting to know them.

The brothers who gave our tours were so happy and fun to be with . It was all a delight. My favorite part was seeing all the different Bibles . I loved that so much. The very old ones were thrilling for me to see because I thought of all they had survived. 
 

 

 

[Marigold]

We enjoyed the privilege of having Bethelite brothers and sisters as members of our congregation for many years. They are far from perfect, but their focus on spiritual things made an impression on me when I was first learning the truth. It was an hour and a half drive from NY to our KH in CT, but that didn't deter them from being the first ones there to greet you and some of the last ones to leave every week. I can remember one young Bethel brother who's car had no heat in the middle of winter. It didn't matter, or stop them from attending meetings, they just kept blankets with them in the car. Their fine conduct in always attending meetings no matter the obstacle helped me learn the importance of always being at Jehovah's table no matter what difficulties I faced.

[Lance]

I had the privilege to serve in Bethel for over 7 years.. If you want to know what the brothers and sisters in Bethel are like .... look at your own congregation and ask could you work everyday with your fellow congregants. 
Life long friendships are forged by the hard work and learning to live closely with people from all sorts of backgrounds. You learn to not take yourself too seriously, otherwise you will not survive.

If you are weak spiritually Bethel is not the place for you.Most work at Bethel is not spiritually based ... but your attitude has to be. I learned a tremendous amount that has stayed with me to this day... We are all part of the family of Jehovah no matter what we do or where we are. We have one father and we are all brothers and sisters.

[Jay]

@Lance could you please share some of the most fun experiences or the ones which taught you the most?

[Doug]

On 12/18/2020 at 10:14 AM, Nelly Michael said:

 So keep in mind, bethelites are imperfect, they'll step on your toes often,

Work is also hectic, most times you'll miss meetings and field service to meet a deadline... But never forget, its part of sacred service...

You must fight hard to be humble, because you'll be treated like a celebrity by your brothers and sisters everywhere you go... 

Yes , yes  and . . .yes.

 

I served at Watchtower Farm (Wallkill) in the '70s.  I was assigned to Field Crops which included picking strawberries. We did miss meetings because those strawberries weren't going to wait before they spoiled.

 

In the local congregations where Bethelites were assigned they treated you special and if you were a single brother you had a target on your back with the single sisters

 

As for stepping on toes - My roommate in the "A" building sometimes made oatmeal cookies with walnuts, raisins and chocolate chips.

They were SO GOOD !!!   I got a little carried away and ate more than I should have. My roomie was not happy with me. His name was Tim Sprinkle, in case anyone here knows of him. 

[Lance]

I served from 1976-1983 in Canada branch..

In 1976 the family was small  so we got to know everyone very well. 
What was amazing was all the older ones who served Jehovah in the early years of the organization. We had Fred Franz visit often since his old buddies were part of the Family.

Family day was so much fun .. we had entertainment.. music.. self deprecating sketch’s .. and a special meal ... so everyone let down their hair..

Almost all the ones I served with are still doing very well in the truth .. many are still serving in other branches around the world and it is sort of cool to see certain ones on the broadcast and you think .. I used to work with him and give him a hard time🙈...

My first major assignment was to start a farm that was donated to the branch.. so that was a huge learning curve... my overseer gave me a lot of leeway... he taught me on how to balance spiritual activities with the work that was essential for the branch..his door was always open to discuss things ... we didn’t always agree  but learned how to see things from a greater perspective... the big picture and how my work fit into that...

That has stuck with me ... don’t get stuck on the minor details ...can you see the big picture ...because if you can’t see the big picture,the little bits don’t make sense

 

 

 

Edited December 19, 2020 by Lance

[M.J.]

On 12/18/2020 at 1:14 PM, Nelly Michael said:

Feel free to explore your talents in the aptitude tests that's quite scary at first

Bethel has an aptitude test? I've never heard of this. Do you take as part of the application process? Or after you've been accepted?

[Sheep]

3 hours ago, Lance said:

I served from 1976-1983 in Canada branch . . .

Oh, WOW! You must have been working there when it was still on Bridgeland Avenue in Toronto! I was only studying in those days, but I think I took the tour there once too.

[Sheep]

On 12/18/2020 at 11:38 AM, BrotherJay said:

I've wanted to go to Bethel since a very young age. Now that I'm growing up, I can soon join after the pandemic. Could you share your first hand and non firsthand Bethel experiences. I find this fun hope that you'll too.

When I went for the Bethel tour (in the Canada branch in Georgetown, Ontario) with a car group from Montreal a few years ago, we visited a congregation near our hotel on Sunday. By coincidence that congregation happened to have three Bethelites assigned there. One of them conducted the Watchtower study. We told them we were coming to Bethel for the tour the next morning, and they invited us for lunch! What a privilege it was to have lunch with all the Bethelites after our breathtaking tour! They're all such a loving bunch, despite the fact they work so hard.

 

No, I'm not saying that if you happen to meet someone from Bethel before the tour that you'll get invited to lunch. But you will really find the tour breathtaking! It's not because of anything really spectacular in the things they do at Bethel, but to see the unity of all the Bethelites working together harmoniously. Those who serve as tour guides are well-trained, not only to show you around, but to be courteous and thoughtful. We had a couple of elderly ones in our group, and so the tour guide was patient and slowed down some parts of the tour so they could take a break and sit down for a bit. They are well-informed too, and will take the time to answer questions about things that aren't specifically part of the tour.

 

By the way, if you happen to see a couple of pages of a new magazine that were thrown in the garbage by the workers (because they didn't match up to the standards), don't be tempted to try and sneak them into your jacket! It might look like an interesting scoop to see a brand new, never-before-seen, magazine. But the tour guide will ask you to put it back. No sneak previews! Don't ask questions, don't argue, just put it back.

 

One thing I learned several years ago when I visited the Brooklyn Bethel in the US... since I noticed how all the Bethelites were always smiling while they worked. I didn't think they were putting on an act just for the sake of those taking the tour either. It was too genuine to be just an act. And they weren't just thrilled because of a new tour group coming through; they see those all the time there. There's a reason for all those smiles. When anyone starts to work at Bethel, they take a course on how to work and live there! This would make sense, considering that Bethelites come from all kinds of different backgrounds, different cultures, different nationalities, etc. There are plenty of ways they could find themselves upset with each other, and plenty of things they could do that would rub each other the wrong way and ruin each other's joy. And so that's what the course is for: To teach them how to get along! I thought that was very considerate of the brothers to put together a "school" just to teach them how to live together. It's certainly not like a worldly company that just hires you and you're thrown into a new environment you haven't had time to get used to. I found it really impressive when you see the results of that teaching!

 

You're going to enjoy it! Seize the moment!

 

Edited December 20, 2020 by Sheep

[Sister Twister]

I have always wanted to visit NY Bethel , have been to London many times and Chelmsford and love the feeling , I had booked with some friends to go to NY last May but unfortunately due to Covid this was cancelled , I don’t know when this can happen now So  I have booked 2 Zoom tours one for NY city and one for the 10 Plagues ! So not I’m resolved to travel from home 

[Nelly Kim]

20 hours ago, M.J. said:

Bethel has an aptitude test? I've never heard of this. Do you take as part of the application process? Or after you've been accepted?

Yes... It's after you've been invited.. It's to help them see other area's where you do really well, so that in future, when need be, you'll be called on... Most even find hidden talents during the tests... 

[M.J.]

5 hours ago, Nelly Michael said:

Yes... It's after you've been invited.. It's to help them see other area's where you do really well, so that in future, when need be, you'll be called on... Most even find hidden talents during the tests... 

Is this test created by Bethel?

Or are they using something from another source?

Anyone can comment on these aptitude tests?