Search the Community

The National Secular Society has urged Britain's charity regulators to ensure the restructuring of Jehovah's Witnesses (JW) charities does not obstruct victims of child abuse from claiming compensation. The NSS has raised the issue with the Charity Commission for England and Wales and the Scottish charity regulator, OSCR, after a report on BBC Radio 4's Sunday programme this week. The programme reported that the church is selling off substantial amounts of property and land that it owns. As part of a significant restructuring of the organisation, each congregation is being asked to dissolve its charitable status and merge – along with its assets – with the Kingdom Hall Trust. The trust is a registered charity whose aims include being a "custodian trustee holding title to freehold and leasehold properties acquired as places of worship". The assets mentioned on the Sunday programme included kingdom halls, which are used for worship and meetings. An abuse survivor and lawyers who spoke to the programme expressed concern that such a restructuring could leave JW charities unable to pay potential liabilities. A number of JW churches worldwide have been subject to investigations regarding their handling of sexual abuse allegations in recent years. In Australia, JW organisations have consolidated and sold properties worth millions of pounds amid a series of legal claims and a damning report from a royal commission. NSS comment NSS chief executive Stephen Evans said: "It is clearly not in the public interest for charities to be permitted to restructure in ways that may impede victims and survivors of abuse within these communities from claiming compensation. "We therefore urge the Charity Commission to use all available powers to ensure that the restructuring of JW charities does not impede abuse victims' and survivors' ability to obtain settlements." Jehovah's Witnesses and abuse in Britain JW communities' handling of abuse allegations will come under increased scrutiny next month, when the Independent Inquiry on Child Sexual Abuse is due to conduct hearings on the issue. In 2018 scores of alleged victims accused the JWs of a culture of cover-up of child sexual abuse. Earlier this year at least 20 former JWs launched legal action over abuse which they say they suffered. In 2017 the Charity Commission severely criticised the New Moston Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses in Manchester over its handling of allegations of abuse. And in 2016 the Supreme Court ruled that the Watch Tower and Bible Tract Society of Great Britain, which oversees JW congregations, couldn't prevent the commission from conducting an inquiry over its handling of abuse allegations. This week's episode of the Sunday programme is available on the BBC website; listen from 5:20 to 21:45 for the relevant section.

Is it fair? Is it FAIR.wmv

https://www.loopnet.com/locations/kingdom-hall-of-jehovah's-witnesses/listings/ This LoopNet Kingdom Hall Of Jehovah's Witnesses tenant and owner information is organized and aggregated from public records and the millions of historical and current sale and lease listings provided by members of the LoopNet commercial real estate marketplace. To see how to get complete access to all of this Kingdom Hall Of Jehovah's Witnesses listing and property information, register for free: 250 miles 500 km Terms © 2018 HERE, © 2018 Microsoft Corporation 3161 Oro Bangor Highway Oroville, CA Very well maintained church building, with 171 padded seats, carpet, sound/video system with new very large cloth screen, office, room for n... $199,000 3,354 SF Bldg 1.14 AC Religious Facility 211 Spring Hill Road Trumbull, CT 4.97 acre approved for 30,000 sqft. office complex. One 10,000 sqft building, one 20,000 sqft building. Some site work has been completed... $1,350,000 4.97 AC Office (land) 513 Rock Creek Rd Toccoa, GA Exceptionally Well Maintained. MOVE IN READY. New roof, less than a year old. New carpet and paint. 2 new AC units. Full price offer in... $199,900 2,880 SF Bldg 0.77 AC Religious Facility 23385 Patterson St Clinton Township, MI Meticulously Maintained Bldg-Beautifully Landscaped-Many Uses i.e. Office Bldg, Banquet Hall, Restaurant, Church, Funeral Home, etc. Ceramic... $387,000 4,471 SF Bldg 1.01 AC Religious Facility 23385 Patterson Clinton Township, MI Meticulously Maintained Commercial Bldg-Beautifully Landscaped Has Potential for Many Uses! Could be Office Bldg, Banquet Hall, Restaurant,... $387,000 4,471 SF Bldg 1.01 AC Office Building 23385 Patterson St Clinton Township, MI Currently being used as a place of Worship. Meticulously Maintained Bldg-Beautifully Landscaped-Many Uses i.e. Office Bldg, Dentist Office,... $259,900 4,471 SF Bldg 1.08 AC Office Building 4215 W. Carson City Rd. Greenville, MI Newer, well maintained, retail building. Which has been used as an automobile dealership. High traffic on M-57 corridor. Very pleasant surro... $249,900 5,300 SF Bldg 0.75 AC Office Building 2237 Sherwood Avenue Tarboro, NC Solid building with numerous potential uses. Currently used as a church, but could be office, fraternal or community building, funeral home,... $275,000 5,040 SF Bldg 1.10 AC Religious Facility 501 San Clemente NW Albuquerque, NM Recently (2004) remodeled 3430+/-SF Building, Fully Fenced & gated, newer cement parking lot. Refrigerated Air, open floorplan, up to date l... $425,000 3,430 SF Bldg 0.90 AC Religious Facility 312 Unser Blvd NE Rio Rancho, NM " Free standing building with lots of excess land for expansion " Signalized intersection - Great signage potential - 23,600 VPD on Un... $849,000 3,200 SF Bldg 1.20 AC Free Standing Bldg 104 Buckner Road Dover, TN Turn key church. Immediate possession. Could easily be converted to office or restaurant. Space to seat over 200. Central alarm and fire pr... $249,900 3,915 SF Bldg Religious Facility 4950 Williams Rd Benbrook, TX PRICE REDUCED $30,000 BELOW APPRAISAL!!! 2 Story Property being used for religious meetings, Main Level has an auditorium for about 150, and... $425,000 7,700 SF Bldg 1.10 AC Office Building No Photo 23788 FM 1314 porter, TX APPROX. 1.24 ACRES IN VERY, VERY BUSY TRAFFIC AREA. NEXT DOOR TO ESTABLISHED AUTO PARTS STORE. IT HAS APPROX 100 FT FM 1314 FRONTAGE AND 110... $215,000 1.24 AC Commercial/Other (land)

A bomb squad responded to a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Thurston County after finding a suspicious device Wednesday morning. Detectives responding to a fire found a suspicious item that “had the appearance of being an explosive device,” according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office. The fire itself is believed to be the work of an arsonist targeting Jehovah’s Witness buildings across the county. Detectives found smoldering logs stacked up on an outside wall of the Kingdom Hall. The logs were dowsed with water. There was minimal damage done to the building. The same Hall was shot up in May. Three others were set on fire. One Hall in Olympia was completely destroyed. http://mynorthwest.com/1073464/suspicious-device-found-in-a-kingdom-hall-in-thurston-county/

The Pierre congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses invites the public to knock on the new door of their new Kingdom Hall out on the rise on U.S. Highways 83/14 on the northeast edge of town. The congregation just completed construction of its new, more modest church building, called a Kingdom Hall, after tearing down its larger Kingdom Hall built in 1989, said Dennis Stahlecker, an elder in the congregation. “The other building was taken down about the middle of September,” he said. When it was built 28 years ago, more than 600 volunteer Witnesses came from across the region and nation to help in the patented “barn-raising” way the denomination puts up Kingdom Halls in few days. This time, perhaps 200 volunteers from across the nation — from Oregon came in shifts to help the local congregation put up the new, tidy, double-wide pre-fabricated Kingdom Hall. Instead of the seating for 200 or more as the other one had, this one can seat about 55, Stahlecker said. “When we built the old one, we had people with families with children. Now the children are gone,” he said. The Pew Research Center that studies American religion says the JehovahÂ’s Witnesses have one of the lowest retention rates of denominations and religious groups. Now the Pierre congregation has about 40 “publishers,” as they call baptized members, Stahlecker said. In spring of 2016 at their annual memorial service of JesusÂ’ Last Supper and death, about 70 attended, including many visitors from a distance. The members of the Pierre congregation put the old building up for sale for more than six months and had a few interested possible buyers, including someone looking at using it as a daycare, Stahlecker said. But the listed price of about $230,000 wasnÂ’t met by anyone, so the congregation took down the building. “We believe that somebody, a higher power, kind of oversees these things,” he said. “When it didnÂ’t sell, we kind of figured it wasnÂ’t meant to sell.” The congregation owns a nice piece of property on the north side of the highway and finding another place to meet, if the older building had sold, would have been more expensive, perhaps, Stahlecker said. JehovahÂ’s Witnesses are known for visiting homes to share their faith, especially their view that the world is near a sudden end with God promising a new heaven and near earth. The denomination traces its roots to 1870s America and has been known for setting dates for the return of Jesus Christ. The group began using the name JehovahÂ’s Witnesses in the early 1930s. For more than a century it owned prime real estate next to the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City from where it ran its Watchtower Society publishing. But in recent years it has sold most of that property and moved its headquarters to Warwick in upstate New York. The JehovahÂ’s Witnesses have been called an extreme example of Protestantism, in that relying only on their own reading of the Bible, the group has rejected many traditions of historica Christianity: most significantly, the idea of the Trinity. The group also does not observe most Christian holidays, including Christmas, seeing them as man-made practices not found in the Bible. JehovahÂ’s WItnesses also donÂ’t serve in the military or pledge allegiance to the U.S. flag, seeing it as a compromising of their duty to God. JehovahÂ’s Witnesses donÂ’t have a typical paid clergy or pastor, but volunteer elders who lead the services and BIble studies. Circuit ministers travel a region, staying in each location for a few days. There are Kingdom Halls in Mobridge, Aberdeen, Sioux Falls, Huron, Watertown and about a dozen other sites, with about 330 total members in the state. The new, more economical and smaller building “should be easy for us to take care of, in terms of maintenance and keeping it warm,” Stahlecker said. “ItÂ’s mainly to serve as a classroom. We study the BIble here, itÂ’s like a schoolhouse for us.” Regular Bible study meetings are held at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays and public talks are given at 10 a.m. on Sundays. “We invite people to come,” he said. “We have, too, JW.org (online) where people can get on there if they have any questions about JehovahÂ’s Witnesses.” For more information, call 224-5501 Â

Galway Bay fm newsroom – Tuam’s Jehovah’s Witnesses congregation is hoping to refurbish its premises at the Weir Road in the town. The development at Killaloonty would involve the renovation of the existing building, and a change of use of the adjoining caretakers apartment. The change of use would facilitate a relocation of the front entrance, new toilet facilities, an enlarged auditorium and a new multipurpose room. The project would also see the provision of accessible toilets and car parking bays, additional general parking and a new pedestrian entrance. County planners are due to make a decision next month.

August 1, 2017 TO ALL BODIES OF ELDERS Re: Using and Maintaining Kingdom Halls US UK

Kingdom Hall to open to the Annan public Rod Edgar , Saturday 21st January 2017 A RELIGIOUS venue in Annan is set to show off the results of a major refurbishment this weekend. Jehovah’s Witnesses are throwing open the doors of The Kingdom Hall in Downies Wynd tomorrow, allowing the public to see the changes carried out during nine to ten weeks of work. Clive Davies says there is a lot of gratitude for the help provided by local businesses and the council, and he said: “It’s because we appreciate the community’s support; it did cause a bit of disruption with all the work going on.” The Jehovah’s Witnesses moved to their current home in 2003, vacating the building in Greencroft Wynd which went on to become Sparklers Nursery. Anticipating there will be interest from the public to see what has become of the Downies Wynd building, Mr Davies said: “Some people might remember it when it was the Co-op Funeral Parlour.” Extensive work has been carried out at The Kingdom Hall entirely by volunteers who travelled the length and breadth of the country. Mr Davies said: “There were up to 30 people a day in there, depending on what the jobs were. “It was basically taken back to the four walls.” The development includes a state-of-the-art auditorium with platform linked through soundproof glass to an adjoining smaller meeting room. There is also another meeting room, new toilets and the foyer area has been redesigned to welcome visitors. Other work included the installation of a new disabled-friendly ramp at the front, plus stainless steel railing. And a new audio-visual system was installed, as Mr Davies said: “Now, on rare occasions, a discourse can be given in London which can be streamed over the Internet to us. “At one time if there was a special event we’d go to bigger centres, with thousands there, but now everybody goes to The Kingdom Hall and they log on.” The open day runs this Saturday from 1-5 pm, with refreshments and no collections. Kingdom Hall to open to the Annan public http://www.dng24.co.uk/kingdom-hall-to-open-to-the-annan-public/

Ecuador

Visiting a kingdom hall

Colonche, Ecuador

His name is Mafumu meaning 'king' he loves to clean jehovahs house..

Officials from Renton and King County are investigating a series of three fires that occurred within 40 minutes of each during Thursday’s early morning hours, including a fire at a construction trailer near a Jehovah’s Witness Hall that officials are investigating as an arson. Investigators do not believe the fires are related. According to Lead Fire Inspector Phil Cane, the first call came in at 2:57 a.m. Firefighters were dispatched to Heritage Glen Condominium complex in the 14130 block of Southeast 171st Street for a report of a dumpster fire. Cane said the fire was not close to a structure and not particularly dangerous. Because the fire, which is considered suspicious, is outside the city boundary, the King County Sheriff’s Office is investigating. Firefighters were able to contain and put out that fire relatively quickly, which is good because at 3:23 a.m. a second call came in, this one about a brush fire in a homeless camp off Talbot Road. Firefighters dispatched the “brush Rig” from Station 17 in Fairwood, which contains smaller hose lines and other brush fire tools. That fire was contained to a 10-foot-by-10-foot area and fire inspectors believe it was accidental. At 3:27 a.m. the call for a third fire came in, this one at the Jehovah’s Witness Hall in the 16000 block of 116th Avenue Southeast, where witnesses reported hearing explosions. Firefighers responded to find a fire at a consturction trailer on the site located next to the building. Cane said the fire used construction and landscape debris as fuel and investogators belive the explosions were caused by aerosol cans exploding and were simply a result of the fire, not the cause. Cane said the fire caused “very minor damage” to the hall. “It could have been much worse,” he said. Investigators believe the fire at the hall was intentionally set and are investigating it as an arson. Cane said homeowners and business owners should be aware of debris outside and around their buildings that could become “targets of opportunity” to those “predisposed to light fires.” He also encouraged anyone with information on any of the blazes to call 911 or the arson hotline at 800-55-ARSON (27766). http://www.rentonreporter.com/news/389927951.html

Tanzania - Bukombe Kingdom Hall - beautiful sisters with beautiful dresses!

Phil Ackland of the Summerland Jehovah’s Witnesses takes a seat in the newly constructed Kingdom Hall on Biagioni Avenue. An open house for the facility was held on Friday and Saturday. Source: http://www.summerlandreview.com/community/381571091.html

Doesn’t having brothers and sisters being used as security to “protect” Kingdom Halls show a form of idolatry over a building / corporation? Isn’t a human life worth so much more than a building? And what exactly would one of Jehovah’s Witnesses do if confronted by determined robbers?

A cash crunch is forcing the Jehovah's Witnesses Church in Jamaica to join its colleagues around the world in offloading some of its real estate as part of cost-saving measures. The church is selling some of its larger temples and other buildings, as it tries to operate from smaller, less expensive, and easier to maintain facilities. One large temple, located on Cowper Drive, close to Washington Boulevard in St Andrew, is among the properties on sale, and sources say the religious group is asking $45 million for the property. Four other auditoriums, on Elletson Road and Giltress Street in east Kingston, one in Waterhouse, and one in August Town, St Andrew, are also up for sale. A local Witness, who asked not to be named as he is not an official spokesperson for the religious group, told The Sunday Gleaner that some local properties have already been sold while others are on offer to the highest bidder. HIGH OVERHEADS According to the Witness, high overheads forced the religious body to take the action. "Maintenance and electricity costs are killers. And the improvements in technology have made it easier for communication between individuals, and so staffing for the temples became redundant," said the Witness. When our news team contacted the headquarters of the Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States, a representative said he was not an official spokesperson for the religious group and could not speak on the record. "All the answers you are seeking can be found on our website. With respect to Jamaica, go to the website and use the search facility, enter yearbook, branch consolidation and you should get an answer," said the representative. But no information specific to the sale of the properties in Jamaica was found. The religious group had previously announced that as of September 2012, the oversight of more than 20 of its branch offices would be closed and transferred to larger branches. "In recent years, improvements in communications and printing technology have reduced the need for personnel in some branches. With fewer people working at larger branches, room became available that could be used for housing some who were working in smaller branches in other countries," said the Witness who spoke with our news team. According to the organisation's website, "Because of the mergers, qualified ministers who had been serving in small branches can now concentrate on preaching the good news." The group, whose members are well known for their door-to-door preaching and distribution of the Watchtower and Awake magazines, has also seen a scaling down of this activity, particularly in the Corporate Area, in recent times. Younger Witnesses are "studying and securing jobs for themselves and their families, so the large numbers are not there anymore. But we still have Witnesses," said one local member of the church. At the last check, in 2011, Jamaica recorded 50,849 Jehovah's Witnesses, up from 44,203 10 years earlier. Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20160410/jehovahs-witnesses-properties-sale-rising-costs-force-religious-group-go-small

BAY CITY, MI — A 23-year-old man is facing criminal charges that he broke into and vandalized a Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall, claiming he was following the orders of the voices in his head. About 3:17 p.m. on Sunday, March 20, Bay County sheriff's deputies responded to a call about family trouble at a home in the 5300 block of Kasemeyer Road in Monitor Township. The caller said his son, Christopher D. Brown, had torn up the family's backyard and then started walking south along the road. The father added his son's hands were bleeding, court records show. While deputies were on the way, a second person called Bay County Central Dispatch to advise that Brown was in the parking lot of the Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall at 5435 Kasemeyer Road in Monitor Township. Deputies arrived to find a set of double doors on the building's west side had been opened, with glass broken out of them, court records show. Deputies followed a trail of blood inside and found Brown sitting on the floor of the men's restroom, blood on his hands, arms, and face, with his mother beside him, court records show. Brown told deputies he didn't recall what had happened, but that he had blacked out and had heard voices telling him to do it. He added he thinks he has schizophrenia, though he's been diagnosed only with bi-polar disorder, court records show. Brown told deputies police he is not on prescribed medication, but has a long history of narcotic drug abuse, though he hadn't used that day or for some time prior. Brown's father told deputies his son hadn't acted this way before. He said he awoke to his son listening to a motivational speaker and noticed his yard was torn up, court records show. Brown was transported by ambulance to McLaren Bay Region hospital. Deputies spoke to him again there and Brown reiterated that "he was listening to the voices in his head and followed their direction without fear," according to court records. Brown told deputies he broke his dad's grill, then broke into the Kingdom Hall with a rock. He smeared blood all over himself in the restroom and sat down, deputies said. He said he snapped out of it upon hearing his parents' voices, court records show. Brown told the deputies he was sorry and that he wanted to see God as a reason for why he entered the building, court records show. Bay County Probate Judge John C. Keuvelaar on Monday, March 21, arraigned Brown on single counts of malicious destruction of a building between $1,000 and $20,000 and breaking and entering-illegal entry. The former is a five-year felony while the latter is a 90-day misdemeanor. Keuvelaar released Brown on a personal recognizance bond and suggested he be evaluated for mental health issues. Brown is to appear for a preliminary examination before District Judge Mark E. Janer at 3 p.m. on Thursday, April 7. Source: http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2016/03/police_say_bay_county_man_brok.html