Jehovah’s Witness UK Headquarters Dissolves Kingdom Hall Charities, Seizes Full Control of Property and Finances

[Isabella]

JW Survey has obtained documents affirming that the Jehovah’s Witness headquarters in the United Kingdom has orchestrated a systematic takeover bid of all Kingdom Hall properties located in England, Scotland and Wales.

In a letter dated November 8th, 2019, the London-based Kingdom Hall Trust announced that all UK congregations will dissolve their status as individual charities and become branches of the KHT.

The Kingdom Hall Trust (KHT) is a Jehovah’s Witness legal corporation established in 1939 as the London Company of Kingdom Witnesses. On June 30, 1978, it was officially registered as a charity in the UK.

In 1994, the name was changed to the Kingdom Hall Trust.

While the KHT was already engaged in the acquisition of property used by Jehovah’s Witness church members, the latest directive “proposes” that all UK Branch Congregations relinquish their individual charity status and operate under the blanket control of the Kingdom Hall Trust charity.

Five documents were leaked, including a private letter to all elders, a separate letter to be read to congregations, and an FAQ document explaining the dissolution of congregation charities. Also included are the pre-formatted meeting minutes and congregation resolutions to be filled out, resolved, and returned to the KHT.

According to the letter presented to individual congregations, the UK Charity Commission approved the merging of all UK congregations into the Kingdom Hall Trust, with the premise that all congregations in the United Kingdom agree to these changes.

The language used cleverly suggests that the merger is optional:

“Your charity is now being invited to take part in this process and merge with The Kingdom Hall Trust. Next week a resolution will be put to all baptized members of your congregation so that you can decide whether or not to go along with this proposal.” [bold ours]

It may be of interest to the Charity Commission that congregational compliance to central directives is not optional. All resolutions placed before congregation members from the Jehovah’s Witness governing entities are passed without contest.

Financial Implications

While the Kingdom Hall Trust directors state that these changes are for purposes of simplification, the leaked documents suggest that permanent control of property and finances may be the true motivation.

The November 2019 letter to congregation members says:

“However, because elders would no longer serve as trustees, your local donations would be administered by KHT as part of its general funds. This could mean that the Trustees decide to use your donations to support the Kingdom work elsewhere in our branch territory and throughout the world to meet the needs of our brothers and sisters. This is in harmony with the equalizing explained at 2 Corinthians 8:14 “… that by means of an equalizing, your surplus at the present time might offset their need, so that their surplus might also offset your deficiency, that there may be an equalizing”.” [bold ours]

While Witnesses have always been able to donate funds to the “Worldwide” work, the latest directive appears to give the Kingdom Hall Trust the ability to extract funds normally marked for local use only, and allocate them for use by Jehovah’s Witness leadership anywhere in the world.

Read more: https://jwsurvey.org/news/jehovahs-witness-uk-headquarters-dissolves-kingdom-hall-charities-seizes-full-control-of-property-and-finances

[James Thomas Rook Jr.]

 

 

 

I can see that this would be a good thing ... after all, we are a global family and should take care of each other.

I just hate to see it done by confiscation of local congregations' hard earned assets, with absolutely no financial accounting for the massive amount of monies that will, as far as we will be able to tell ... just.....disappear.

To us here at the bottom, it will all be a "military secret", and to even ask about it will be viewed as reprehensible.

This has been tried many dozens of times in secular societies all over the world, from the old Soviet Union, to Cuba, to the many communist countries all over , the most recent classic failure being Venezuela.... and the result has always been the same.

Yes.... they were successful in equalizing everything ... very soon everyone was living at the same level of poverty, and the mountains of money confiscated always seemed to mysteriously disappear.

No one will ever ask our opinions, or give an accounting for these massive money transfers, or even audit the process.

At least not that the Brotherhood at the bottom will ever be able to see.

The only thing they will be able to do ... is vote with their wallets ....

.... and their feet.

 

 

 

 

[Patiently waiting for Truth]

@James Thomas Rook Jr.   Um, I remember you writing about marking your cheque 'For Local Needs' or something like that.

So what do you think then ? 

" Five documents were leaked, including a private letter to all elders, a separate letter to be read to congregations, ............ "

So sly but why ? What do they need to hide ? And some say this religion is 'the truth'  

" The language used cleverly suggests that the merger is optional: "

" It may be of interest to the Charity Commission that congregational compliance to central directives is not optional. All resolutions placed before congregation members from the Jehovah’s Witness governing entities are passed without contest. "

" ...the latest directive appears to give the Kingdom Hall Trust the ability to extract funds normally marked for local use only, and allocate them for use by Jehovah’s Witness leadership anywhere in the world." 

The next move is to to take all the money and whatever land documents, and take it all to the USA HQ.  UK JWs will own nothing. Well I've said it before, the GB are a dictatorship. 

 

 

 

[Shiwiii]

On 2/3/2020 at 9:16 PM, James Thomas Rook Jr. said:

we are a global family and should take care of each other.

agreed that is how it should work, right? So why then is it not this way? 

On 2/3/2020 at 9:16 PM, James Thomas Rook Jr. said:

I just hate to see it done by confiscation of local congregations' hard earned assets, with absolutely no financial accounting for the massive amount of monies that will, as far as we will be able to tell ... just.....disappear.

 

On 2/3/2020 at 9:16 PM, James Thomas Rook Jr. said:

and the result has always been the same.

Classic definition of insanity.......just saying. 

 

On 2/3/2020 at 9:16 PM, James Thomas Rook Jr. said:

No one will ever ask our opinions, or give an accounting for these massive money transfers, or even audit the process.

 

These statements of yours have a taste of disdain, but yet in the same breath almost an acceptance as that's just how it is. 

If that is just how it is, who is going to " ... is vote with their wallets ........ and their feet." ?

[James Thomas Rook Jr.]

I for one, have cut my contributions back to about 1/3 of what I normally intend to contribute.

My wife and her mother left the Catholic Church forever because the priests could not stay zippered ... and I am sure many here on this forum, such as yourself, have already voted with their feet.

[Patiently waiting for Truth]

Um, So if congregants here in the UK stop their contributions to the JW Org then the money taken will have to be returned. 

Quote : "This is in harmony with the equalizing explained at 2 Corinthians 8:14 “… that by means of an equalizing, your surplus at the present time might offset their need, so that their surplus might also offset your deficiency, that there may be an equalizing”.” "

 

[James Thomas Rook Jr.]

Who takes the money, and to whom is the money returned?

[Patiently waiting for Truth]

However, because elders would no longer serve as trustees, your local donations would be administered by KHT as part of its general funds. This could mean that the Trustees decide to use your donations to support the Kingdom work elsewhere in our branch territory and throughout the world to meet the needs of our brothers and sisters. 

[James Thomas Rook Jr.]

I think this is a fine, noble and acceptable practice .....

ONLY if there is a full, detailed accounting to the rank-and-file Brothers and Sisters who are paying the bills.

I am talking something like a CPA audited EXCEL spreadsheet, certified by an independent auditing agency.

This is the only way we can be assured that monies are not just disappearing down some personal rat-hole.

[Patiently waiting for Truth]

18 hours ago, James Thomas Rook Jr. said:

I think this is a fine, noble and acceptable practice .....

ONLY if there is a full, detailed accounting to the rank-and-file Brothers and Sisters who are paying the bills.

I am talking something like a CPA audited EXCEL spreadsheet, certified by an independent auditing agency.

This is the only way we can be assured that monies are not just disappearing down some personal rat-hole.

 

@James Thomas Rook Jr. let's speak honestly here. Does anyone, 'boots on the ground' congregants, know any truth about what goes on in the upper regions of the Watchtower Soc' / JW Org / GB and their lawyers ?  Especially here in the UK being so far away from the main HQ. 

There are rumours about them being involved in all sorts of businesses. I was a little surprised to find the IBSA London Properties, and still do not know truth about the 'original IBSA verses the JW IBSA etc ???

I do realise that of late i have been looking for faults in JW Org. But in honesty it does not take much effort to find the faults because there are so many.. 

Quote : I for one, have cut my contributions back to about 1/3 of what I normally intend to contribute.

You must have your reasons for doing so. 

[James Thomas Rook Jr.]

DUH