2024 Governing Body Update #2

[SUNRAY]

1 hour ago, cme said:

Yes!! Pockets, pockets, pockets.  I will not buy a skirt without pockets or a dress.  Agreed upon my lil sis.

Absolutely pockets for my pocket letters!

[Michał]

So update 3 something easy to calm down like highlights from memorial or warmup before regional conventions.

Update 4 might be about sisters having regular assignments like Mic duty, AV etc

Updates 5, 6 I’m afraid to Imagine…

—-

On another topic: without counting hours and with more emphasis on helping disfellowshipped and inactive ones are we going to break 10 milion Publisher mark for the next year report?


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[Dages]

12 minutes ago, bagwell1987 said:

Our terminology for erring ones is disfellowshipping. Excommunication is from christendom - and the sacraments or 7 sacraments are from the Catholic Church. 

1. the action of officially excluding someone from participation in the sacraments and services of the Christian Church.

   "he appealed against the papal sentence of excommunication"

In France, we use this vocabulary of "excommunication" and "excommunié" (excommunicated).

This is how we translate "disfellowshiped".

 

That's why she used it (she uses a translator too, I guess)

 

It's ok.

Edited March 15 by Dages

[MullumMiss]

6 minutes ago, Dages said:

In France, we use this vocabulary of "excommunication" and "excommunié" (excommunicated).

This is how we translate "disfellowshiped".

 

That's why she used it (she uses a translator too, I guess)

 

It's ok.

I thought that.

[Rev214]

4 hours ago, Krusso said:

With just a few minutes, the GB eliminated at least 50 % of the ammunition of the apostates. The whole talk about how we treat disfellowshipped people lost 1/2 of the  weight. Not that we should be worried about what the apostates think or say. But the non apostate unbelievers who randomly listen to their arguments is of our concern . From now on we can say nope that is not how we do it anymore. 😊

Sadly those with an unrepentant heart will STILL find something else to complain and move the goalposts over. The issue with many who have fallen into apostasy is that once they are that far gone, they NEED something to validate their wayward course and confirm their demonic biases.

 

But this is a good article to consider for anyone dealing with confusion over recent developments:

 

https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/does-god-change-his-mind/
 

 

 

Quote

 

Doesn’t the Bible say that God never changes?

 

Yes, the Bible records God as saying: “I am Jehovah; I do not change.” (Malachi 3:6) Similarly, the Bible says that God “does not vary or change like the shifting shadows.” (James 1: 17) This, however, does not contradict what the Bible says about God changing his mind. God is unchangeable in that his personality and standards of love and justice never alter. (Deuteronomy 32:4; 1 John 4:8) Still, he can give different instructions to people at different times. For instance, God gave opposite instructions to King David for fighting two consecutive battles, yet both methods succeeded. —2 Samuel 5: 18- 25.

Edited March 15 by Rev214

[Ahuvah]

Good morning from NZ to all my lovely family here.

I'm writing with an overwhelmed heart ... still processing the information. We have two disfellowshipped children (grown) one in NZ, one in England. My husband and I are considering our options of inviting them both to the memorial.  We can't do it based on pure emotion so as the latest change isn't made into a loophole for further unnecessary contact. 

 

So here I think is a good base ground for our family even with the wearing or not wearing of ties/slacks. That for us, is consideration of the principles behind the change.  A great and favorite illustration we enjoy is that of a huge tree. Limbs or boughs symbolizing rules may be trimmed or lopped off altogether,  but the trunk, being the principle from which those limbs or laws grew from remain the same.

Now with new limbs in place, the principles of modesty, love for Jehovah and the congregation remain. 

May all of us through the Helper ... Jehovah’s Holy Spirit see the big picture. What a merciful caring Father we have and may those who are disfellowshipped see how much Jehovah Jesus and their spiritual family still love them and want them back so much.

 

Warm hugs to those of you who have disfellowshipped loved ones. May they return and be part of our eternal family.

 

 

[hatcheckgirl]

And I’m finally up to date, after reading reams of pages and miles of posts on WhatsApp. I saw the update after it was released last night, and went to bed and slept the best sleep I’ve had in a long time. I knew it would be buzzing on JWTalk, and I share in the excitement.

 

But, I sorta know how the brothers feel tentatively growing their beards. It’s a big big change, and my head is still spinning! I’m going to check if I can still fit into my corporate pants I keep for job interviews. But not sure if I can be one of the first ones to wear it this afternoon for the special talk. I don’t want to feel awkward for this meeting.

[MullumMiss]

9 minutes ago, hatcheckgirl said:

But not sure if I can be one of the first ones to wear it this afternoon for the special talk. I don’t want to feel awkward for this meeting.

I’m going to look for a pants suit for the memorial.  I ditched my corporate clothes when we moved from the city to Byron Bay 20+ years ago.

[Tortuga]

A sister in our congregation made her feelings known some time ago. She told her younger sister to never call her early in morning unless Armageddon had started, or sisters could wear pants to the meeting. He sister called her early this morning.. 

[Brandon]

1 hour ago, MullumMiss said:

if that is the standard… in that land

Oh boy. Like the 2016 beard “update” all over again (?)

Edited March 15 by Brandon

[hatcheckgirl]

36 minutes ago, hatcheckgirl said:

check if I can still fit into my corporate pants

This is the scary part too 😂😂

 

But before I go splurging, I’d like to try on the old dress pants.

 

Edit: Ladies, shirt tucked in or blousy and out? 🤔

Edited March 15 by hatcheckgirl

[Dhanyel]

[Ahuvah]

1 minute ago, hatcheckgirl said:

This is the scary part too 😂😂

 

But before I go splurging, I’d like to try on the old dress pants.

 

Edit: Ladies, shirt tucked in or blousy and out? 🤔

Not tucked for me IF I wear them. 

[Sofia]

There are two women that I love so much the way they dress: madam Zelenska and Ursula Von Der Leyen.

they look better in slacks then their counterparts in dresses

[Dhanyel]

I remember that at the peak of the pandemic, we received guidance here in Brazil to deliver some letters, with brothers wearing shorts and sisters wearing pants, and it worked, the brothers' letters were delivered to the houses and it worked, everything is training for what is to come, I think in this way.

[Dolce vita]

1 hour ago, Stormswift said:

Bonjour de Nouvelle-Zélande à toute ma charmante famille ici.

J'écris avec un cœur débordé... je suis toujours en train de traiter l'information. Nous avons deux enfants exclus (adultes), un en Nouvelle-Zélande et un en Angleterre. Mon mari et moi envisageons la possibilité de les inviter tous les deux au mémorial. Nous ne pouvons pas le faire sur la base de pures émotions, afin que les derniers changements ne soient pas transformés en une échappatoire pour de nouveaux contacts inutiles. 

 

Donc, ici, je pense que c'est une bonne base pour notre famille, même avec le port ou non de cravates/pantalons. Pour nous, il s’agit de considérer les principes qui sous-tendent le changement. Une illustration formidable et préférée que nous apprécions est celle d’un arbre immense. Les membres ou les branches symbolisant les règles peuvent être coupés ou complètement coupés, mais le tronc, qui est le principe à partir duquel ces membres ou ces lois sont nés, reste le même.

Désormais, avec de nouveaux membres en place, les principes de modestie, d’amour pour Jéhovah et pour la congrégation demeurent. 

Puissions-nous tous, par l'intermédiaire du Consolateur... le Saint-Esprit de Jéhovah, voir la situation dans son ensemble. Quel Père miséricordieux et attentionné nous avons et que ceux qui sont exclus voient à quel point Jéhovah Jésus et leur famille spirituelle les aiment toujours et veulent tellement qu'ils reviennent.

 

Mes câlins chaleureux à ceux d’entre vous qui ont exclu des êtres chers. Puissent-ils revenir et faire partie de notre famille éternelle.

 

 

😘😘

[hatcheckgirl]

Three quarter pants or long pants only? It’s getting scarier to decide….🤔🤪

[Ahuvah]

As long as it's modest and not casual.

 

My question I'm going to ask ... Sisters doing sound desk ... I understand meeting parts and mics. But us secreted up the back?? Hehe. I think I know the answer. Skirt for me tomorrow  I think.

 

Another wee point if you are likely or prepared to volunteer a spare tie or skirt in the car might be a good idea.

Edited March 16 by Stormswift

[steeringwheel]

All Good News for so many reasons! I can vividly recall the day back about 1960 that my dad came home and saw my mother wearing Culottes or Pedal-pushers outside. He was in his mid 60's by then and didn't like it. My mother had good reasoning with him about it. She said when she had to bend over and work outside or around other people; that this was more decent and respectable than bending over in dresses. End of their discussion about it.

[DancesWithWife]

I think it was a mistake to tell my wife we are going to save money on shaving products for her legs. Just trying to be helpful and apply the new direction in a way she would appreciate it. 

[Fiona]

Ok. This is what I have decided on. Sort of skirt/pants.

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[Beggar for the Spirit]

There was a post where someone asked the question, 
“Elders at a judicial meeting have to recognize/assess whether someone is repentant. Repentance determines whether someone can remain in the congregation. But is a 2-3 hour meeting enough time for straying sheep to repent, "produce fruits that befit repentance?”

 

Hopefully the following thoughts will add some clarification and help to answer this as well as to show another “angle” regarding elders involved with a judicial hearing. 

 

Repentance BEFORE the hearing:

A brother or sister may have already started showing evidence and “works of repentance” before meeting with the judicial committee. Then when the elders in the hearing see how this person who committed a serious sin/sins has been showing evidence of being genuinely repentant, then judging becomes so much easier for imperfect elders. But the main point here to realize is that a judicial hearing is not needed for someone to develop a repentant attitude. In fact, a number of brothers/sisters who committed a serious sin felt so terrible and regretted their actions, that they had a change of mind and started repenting BEFORE they came to the hearing, So we can see that it is a misunderstanding to have the idea that 2-3hrs is not enough time for a person to repent. So then what might be the meaning behind the new adjustment?

 

Repentance DURING the hearing:

Since judges are imperfect men, there have been occasions where some elders during a judicial hearing would feel so bad that this brother/sister was not repenting, but thinking or hoping that the brother/sister would somehow repent, that some elders would ask to have additional meetings/hearings even though there was little to no evidence of this person being repentant.  

 

I remember one judicial case very vividly, a sister who all of us elders knew well since she had grown up in that congregation, was listening to everything we said, reading all the scriptures with us, answering questions, so she seemed very obedient and agreeable.

YET in a nice calm way, she basically told us that she refused to change her ways!  She had become firm in her desire to continue on in her course. When I realized this after several hours, tears started flowing down from my face involuntarily, I couldn’t stop them!

In my mind I thought, “Of course we will help this younger sister in her 20s to repent!”.  So I guess when I realized that we were not changing her mind and that we would have no choice but to disfellowship her, I had to grab a paper towel to wipe my entire face and kind of hide it!  When I did this the other 2 older elders saw me and realized what was happening with me and so did the sister! (Even though I thought I was hiding well what was happening) 😢 

 

 So in the past when some elders started trying to have more meetings to almost force repentance, the GB asked the elders to try and keep the judicial hearing to just 1, and not more, and they emphasized in many schools that elders cannot force repentance on someone.

 

In the wonderful scripture that Bro. Sanderson menitoned how the GB had been analyzing it (Revelation 2:21) where Jesus said, "I gave her time to repent", if we read further, guess what?

 

That woman, although shown much mercy by Jesus/Jehovah giving her more “time to repent”, she did not repent! So we can see that in most cases, further meetings with an unrepentant one are not needed. But in some cases, there will be confused ones, or ones who want to repent but need much help in doing so, and therefore these one can really benefit from an additional meeting where the elders follow Jehovah’s beautiful example of “leading” ones to repentance. 💕 

 

So I thought some or many here would appreciate hearing about the other side of being a “human judge”, showing another side of elders/judges! Showing the human side, the emotional side, that yearns for their brother or sister to repent and they will almost do anything, even spending many hours on 2 or more different hearings of many hours each, just trying their best to convince and almost force a person to repent!

 

So this new adjustment seems to be telling elders,

“The GB wants you elders to be as merciful and as compassionate as you can be within Jehovah’s ways & principles, so while Jehovah and us are not encouraging trying to force someone to be repentant by having multiple judicial hearings, we are however encouraging that if a brother/sister needs additional help or is asking for some help/time as they want to repent, and the elders see this, then meeting with such a person, giving them an additional opportunity may help certain ones to finally understand fully why they sinned and how they can repent. So not forcing, but just “leading” them to repentance like Jehovah does!” 💗 

 

Edited March 16 by Beggar for the Spirit

[MullumMiss]

2 hours ago, Brandon said:

Oh boy. Like the 2016 beard “update” all over again (?)

Yep.  Out FS whatsapp group feel “in our land” is us.

[LeolaRootStew]

5 hours ago, Dark King said:

My favorite part is about the disfellowshiping and having to go to the disfellowship person after a few months a few months could be two three or four months I really think most people should be only disFellowship for 6 months or less like in the book of Corinthians. Elders who work hard in Shepherd the person should be able to help a person become repentant in 6 months or less most people should be falling to this category.

 

To me if a person is as disFellowship one day but repent the next day he should be able to back into the congregation but this is just my opinion. It definitely should have never taken years.

 

I have a close friend of mine who was  disFellowship for over 30 years and he could not even remember what he would disFellowship for and they had to reinstate him without even knowing what he was this disFellowship for.

 

I really love this new understanding and really hope we can really take care of these ones whom Jehovah cares about so much. We have to show the same love that Jehovah shows for all his sheep.

 

In the last 2 years I've seen two people be disfellowshipped and come back around 6 months later. I was surprised by how quick it was (but very glad).

[LeolaRootStew]

4 hours ago, Dages said:

Shopping temptation

 

 

shhh. I'm making myself approachable in the ministry.