2024 Governing Body Update #2

[Marilyn Martyr]

On 3/18/2024 at 2:16 AM, JudyO said:

Is THAT what that break was for? I thought it was so that me and the other little ones could go outside and run off some of that energy!

Not necessarily, but a lot of brothers and sisters would use that break to smoke. Also please remember this was before we knew that smoking was wrong.  

[Tortuga]

"Does this tie go with this suit?" - said no one ever again...

[New World Explorer]

On 3/18/2024 at 11:26 AM, Sofia said:

animals are immediately nice and not ferocious anymore

Good... I can have my kitty Jaguar.... 🤣

[Luisabola]

On ministry on Friday, so literally a day before this announcement, the sister I was working with had on a beautiful knee length skirt but it was quite flowy…and it was windy. And let’s just say she had to grab it quick at some points. I soooo appreciate now having the choice of wearing trousers, especially on windy days in the ministry, so our full attention can go to our preaching work, not making sure our skirt doesn’t flow up! (And yes I know she had a choice to wear a different kind of skirt, but to be fair to her it was so sunny when she left the house and the wind just picked up out of nowhere! That’s England for you I guess, the weather is VERY changeable).

[Michał]

In Polish the expression “has a part” was translated “takes part in the program” which is understood as saying something from the stage.

On the Sunday meeting all brothers had a tie/jacket and 2 d as usterka slacks.

As a side note, in Poland as long as I remember during summer months normal attire for brothers in our congregation was a tie and short sleeved shirt without jacket even for having stage parts (maybe except public talk). That outfit was/is considered as not elegant according to secular savior-vivre standards (from what I read a man should have a suit and a tie or a tie and long sleeved shirt).


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[Dages]

9 minutes ago, Michał said:

In Polish the expression “has a part” was translated “takes part in the program” which is understood as saying something from the stage.

On the Sunday meeting all brothers had a tie/jacket and 2 d as usterka slacks.

As a side note, in Poland as long as I remember during summer months normal attire for brothers in our congregation was a tie and short sleeved shirt without jacket even for having stage parts (maybe except public talk). That outfit was/is considered as not elegant according to secular savior-vivre standards (from what I read a man should have a suit and a tie or a tie and long sleeved shirt).


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Same in French

[Paulo]

18 hours ago, McKay said:

So that's an interesting thing to remember when we're "afraid" to be the first to wear slacks. Who are you afraid of, sisters? Or you're "worried" about losing the tie? Who are you worried about, brothers? This is Jehovah's organization. Run with it, if you so choose!

 

A strong emphasis that this is my personal opinion.

I will of course adapt but not in a rush.

Not because I am "afraid" to be the first but exactly because of the same reason that there was a change in the dress code, there are always bible principles involved in our decisions.

Not everyone, for a multitude of reasons, would have time to see the update, specially considering that we (jwtalk) tend to see it before anybody else.

And because of 1 Corinthians 10:23-24, I waited for an announcement to be made for the whole congregation, so everyone had a chance to be on the same page.

I saw the update on Friday, an announcement was read Saturday and the whole congregation saw the update on Monday.

 

 

[Leslie.m]

1 hour ago, Dages said:

Same in French

Same in English - but some are having trouble parting with their suits! 🤣

[Girl81]

I'd rather worship with a kind person in a filthy sweatsuit than a mean person in a necktie or modest long dress. JMO in a nutshell.

[Andrey]

https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/watchtower-study-may-2024/What-Do-We-Know-About-Jehovahs-Future-Judgments/

[Dages]

3 minutes ago, Andrey said:

https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/watchtower-study-may-2024/What-Do-We-Know-About-Jehovahs-Future-Judgments/

 

Found the brother who had "a part" during A-day  

[Sofia]

3 hours ago, New World Explorer said:

Good... I can have my kitty Jaguar.... 🤣

Pity in Australia you can’t have Bengal cats 😪 

[New World Explorer]

37 minutes ago, Dages said:

 

Found the brother who had "a part" during A-day  

Obviously he did not see the update yet….. LOL 😂 GT must be close if this overtook him 😂

[Dages]

2 hours ago, New World Explorer said:

Obviously he did not see the update yet….. LOL 😂 GT must be close if this overtook him 😂

He had to have a tie if he had a part  

[Robinson]

On 3/18/2024 at 3:14 AM, Dages said:

That would be a way to explain Rev 20:13

And the sea gave up the dead in it

Wow! Good point!

[Lee49]

2 hours ago, Dages said:

He had to have a tie if he had a part

He could have taken the tie off after having his part since the rest of the day would be rather strenuous or maybe he didn't have a part and just chose to wear a tie anyway or he was on his way to the meeting and got cut short and decided to leave with the rest of the friends. 😂

[Qapla]

He may just like to wear ties ... the announcement did not say we can't wear a tie.

 

Additionally, some of the sisters in the pic are wearing dresses while others are in pants

 

Edited March 19 by Qapla

[Dages]

It was a joke...  

[Esined]

12 hours ago, hatcheckgirl said:

Our standards where I live have reflected what the business world wear. Corporate uniforms were the norm, even for government departments. And they have become less formal too over the last 20 years of being in a government corporate workplace.

 

So I see why our brothers, who are indeed discreet and wise, are allowing us to wear dignified clothing as reflected in the conservative business world. It’s not a lowering of standards. We are still being viewed as very appropriate for the important work we do. 
 

And I too like how we have matured as an organisation that teaches us what Jehovah requires, and trusts the sheep to be modest and discerning too. Our motive is to please Jehovah, not man.

 

And yet, today I wore my dress pants for cart work. And I was scared and apprehensive. Why? It’s hard to change our mindset. But boy, I was really appreciating the extra warmth in the cold, blustery weather (the cart would have taken off if it wasn’t tethered), it was so windy. And I said a grateful prayer to Jehovah for the changes 🌺.

 

Very cute and practical, sis! I like your scarf.

The wind factor makes skirts tricky sometimes. As my mom said, “I bet Jesus never said, ‘I can’t go out in service because I don’t have the blue schmatte (Yiddish for loose, hanging piece of clothing) with me’”

[Abigail]

10 hours ago, Luisabola said:

 That’s England for you I guess, the weather is VERY changeable).

 

It sure is!! That's happened to me on the carts ... and the skirt was not particularly flowy.

[Mike047]

Abigail, you make a good point. Many sisters in the UK are going to be really pleased to wear trousers, given our inclement weather. 

[coolbrz731]

I just got an email from our Special Metropolitan Public Witnessing (SMPW) group.  It was such a loving letter about our dress and grooming during Metropolitan Witnessing.  I just wanted to share a few highlights from the letter:

Quote

First and foremost, we want to emphasize that we are committed to following the direction provided by the governing body, which Jehovah uses to guide his earthly family. This direction ensures that our actions are in harmony with Jehovah's will.

As of the latest update, the requirement for participating in SMPWP activities still includes maintaining a "professional appearance." However, we understand that professionalism can manifest in various forms, including personal choices such as whether to wear a beard or not, opting not to wear a suit jacket and tie, or even sisters wearing pants.

Can one maintain a professional appearance while making these personal decisions? Absolutely. While it's true that personal grooming choices like beards may require time to meet the standards of "appropriate, modest, and reflecting soundness of mind," it is entirely possible to maintain a professional appearance during this transitional phase.

We want to avoid any division or controversy while maintaining the high standards expected of us in this extraordinary privilege of the SMPW. Let's remember our original training, where we learned that people judge our organization in God within fractions of a second based on our appearance and demeanor.

 

[Qapla]

Thanks, Chris.

 

That is very upbuilding and positive ... really helps us to understand how we should view any changes we receive from the GB

 

 

[Ahuvah]

Can I just deal with the word 'casual' for a minute here. Casual can mean different things to different people. 

Ie: for someone like myself who has been brought up in the truth even dressy trousers for sisters seem casual in my eyes. But with this tweak I have to put casual into a new box and realize that when the brothers say not to be casual, this would mean for us to be careful not to let the world's view of casual creep in. It's going to take a bit for some to tweak their view. 

 

Someone also said earlier in this thread we have to follow the chariot. We do. But continuing to wear skirts and ties (not together) is still following the chariot too. 

 

With more options on the table for us all, we can adapt quickly to changing circumstances and world events around us without having to go to an elder and ask if that or this is OK, we know ahead of time now, Jehovah’s thoughts on the matter. He's dignifying us prior to any major event.

 

Thank you Jehovah we all love you very much. 

 

[cme]

Mandi, you are right, casual can mean different things to different people.  I use to work for a law firm and I wore skirts with blazers (jacket) or trousers with matching Jacket. 

 

Very professional looking.   So do the same.  Be professional looking for Jehovah.  If the society says not "casual" its because of what you precisely said.  Casual means different things to different people.  We had a brother come in with a Hawiian shirt to the hall.  Very casual, huh?  Friends run with the word "casual".   Elders took him aside and spoke with him.

 

I think that women/sisters that dress in trousers with matching jacket or maybe not a matching jacket maybe a long sweater like jacket, different color to kinda jazz it up looks nice.

 

Slacks are good if they are not to snugged.  We don't need to show off our figure.

 

In retrospect, be classy, feminine have fun with your new wardrobe.