Even though the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society owns billions of dollars in real estate, they still solicit money from even the poorest congregations.
Here are excerpts from the letter:
"For an number of years, an arrangement has been available to congregations to place funds on deposit with the branch office. However, a recent analysis shows that only 10 percent of congregations in the United States are taking advantage of this provision."
"...At best though, each congregation acting on its own will only achieve a limited return on its excess funds. Therefore, we are encouraging all congregations to give serious thought to participating in the funds-on-deposit arrangement with the branch office."
"There are significant advantags to participating in this arrangement. First of all, each congregation would only need to operate one checking account for its monthly financial activity. Congregations would not have worry about opening savings or other accounts and becoming involved in investment decisions. Second, by consolidating funds, the branch office is able to earn additional interest at rates above what a congregation normally earns by acting on its own. The funds earned by the branch office would then be available for use in building Kingdom Halls in lands with limited resources or for covering other necessary operating expenses. All of this is accomplished by making full use of funds that have already been contributed but now may be idle, earning little or no interest."
(details follow on how to set this up electronically, via www.jw.org)
A couple of pages of Q&A follow.
Of most interest is no. 2:
"Question 2: If we currently have a checking account for our monthly expenses and a savings account for our excess funds, do we have to close the savings account and send those funds to the branch office? What if we prefer to keep the interest for local congregation needs?"
"Answer: You are to be commended for making wise use of funds dedicated for Kingdom interests. While we leave the decsion to the local body of elders, we encourage all to look beyond local circumstances. There are congregations in other lands where greater material needs than we have here inthe United States. By applying the Scriptural principle found at 2 Corinthinas 8:8-15, we hope to achieve an equalizing for the entire brotherhood. At best, a local congregation will only be able to earn interest at the local rate. The branch office has access to higher rates of interest because of volume and pricing, and by consolidating any excess funds into the funds-on-deposit arrangement, more interest can be generated collectively to benefit the worldwide work."
So, what about "waiting on Jehovah"? Isn't that what Witnesses are taught? This is just another example of greed from a money hungry corporation. Now the organization even wants the interest money on congregation bank accounts.
2 comments:
How wise the Brothers are to make the best use of the monitary funds while money is still worth something in this old system. If you were to ask any of Jehovah's people if they want the extra funds to be pooled and then redistributed to less fortunate Halls around the world....the answer would be a resounding, YES!
We are not trying to accumulate material wealth in this system of things for individuals. We do not build huge Kingdom Halls to impress (Like the one Jeff Warren packed with thousands at $500 to $2000 a seat just to see a political debate) We do not decorate with gold statues, silk robes, diamond rings as in the Vatican. No one at Bethel is living LARGE off the funds of the Brothers. Otherwise, as I have said before...it would be exposed around the world by vindictive people like GBL.
Jehovah has blessed this Organization to accomplish the preaching work as he said he would, and that takes money. So if we are "rich" in a material way and this aids Jehovah's witnesses to publish our literature and Bibles, to build Kingdom Halls, fund the Missionaries, help the Circuit Overeers...then so be it. We are all in agreement that this work should progress until the end of this system. Ask any Witness and you will get an "Amen" to whatever the brothers deem necessary to finish Jehovah's mandate.
Where have any of the brothers benefited PERSONALLY from these funds?
It just bugs you to know Jehovah's Witnesses are as one on this....but we are. :-)
Bless the Brothers for being so resourceful. They must be guided by Jehovah's Holy Spirit.
Here's a thought...Here is a story from Barbara Anderson's "The Governing Body Grows Old", regarding how some donations end up!
"Suiter wasn't replaced and remained a GB member until his death. One-time poster here, Maximus, a former Bethelite and CO, told us how Suiter came to a city, it seems to me was Baltimore, Maryland, on WT business where Maximus was a CO. Suiter called Maximus a few days earlier and invited him to lunch. Much to his surprise, they met at one of the most expensive restaurants in the city. Maximus was not happy about this because he was CO in one of the poorest sections of the city and it seemed to him to be out of order for them to eat at that place while JWs in his territory lived in extreme poverty.
During lunch, Suiter, the overseer of the Treasury Department, pulled out of the pockets of his very expensive suit, jewelry that he asked Maximus to make an offer on. Maximus had no money. He came into the circuit work right out of Bethel and he was incredulous at Suiter’s cavalier attitude.
Maximus said he saw lots of very fine jewelry during that lunch which Suiter had just thrown in different pockets. While he displayed gold chains, diamond rings, etc., he complained how he was constantly trying to get rid of the stuff that was willed to the Society by JWs. That’s why he was there, to sell jewelry at outlets. Even the flashy rings Suitor wore on his fingers were part of the loot. This experience was one that disgusted Maximus so much that it contributed towards his leaving the organization
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