Professing people are encouraged to attend EVERY meeting that the workers ordain-gospel meetings, special meetings, Sunday morning meetings, Wednesday night meetings and your annual home convention (4 day revival attended by hundreds of professing people).

Members (friends/professing people) who miss many meetings are treated like inferior saints!!

Workers often criticize professing people in the meetings or conventions who "don't value their privileges of fellowship meetings".

Professing people feel their reward in heaven and even their salvation depends upon getting to the meetings and applying what they heard in their daily living.

I would feel guilty growing up missing meetings feeling like I was letting God down.

I do admire how the workers will hold a gospel meeting for months just for one person interested in their meetings.

But I don't see why fear, guilt, and pressure has to be applied to a religion. And I don't think the friends and workers are the only true church. And I don't like the cliches/lingo that the friends use to act superior to other so called "worldly churches:

See this link for the lingo of the Truth Meetings:
[www.angelfire.com]

And I don't think a professing lady has to wear dresses and their uncut hair in a "bun" in order to have a chance of eternal life.

[www.factnet.org]

The ministers or workers have a high status in this truth group! They are seen as closer to God than the "friends" or professing people.

When a main speaker is speaking from the platform at convention, he is seen as a messenger from God. Friends must submit to a worker or they will be kicked out of the fellowship. And members believe you cannot go to heaven if you aren't taking part (speaking and praying in meeting).

Early workers like George Walker, Jack Carroll, James Jardine, John Hardie, Sam Jones, William Irvine, John Long, Eddie Cooney and others did go out by faith! Some of these workers almost starved to death! Many walked long distances and slept in school houses, tents, hay stacks or barns. Most of the large missions in the "truth" took place from 1903 until say 1925.

Today's workers have a network of homes that they can stay one or two nights in before moving to another professing home. I feel sorry for the workers though most of them feel God "called" them to be a homeless preacher and they believe they will get a worker "reward" when they die.

Workers claim to be preaching like Jesus sent his 12 and 70 in Matthew 10. They believe their ministry is the only right ministry on earth!

Workers spend time away from their fields (territory assigned to them by head or regional head workers) in the summer or fall just before convention (preps).

Friends donate their time and energy to getting the farm ready for convention.

Workers have a companion of the same sex that they spend one or more years preaching together.

Workers rent town buildings for gospel meetings several nights a week in order to recruit outsiders who might someday "profess".

Workers are seen as a step closer to God. Professing people will pray for them in meeting (usually referring to them as 'God's Servants'). Workers appoint meeting homes and assign the friends to attend a meeting.

It is taboo to criticize or question a worker. Brother workers usually wear a tie when visiting and preaching. Sister workers always wear dresses, their hair in a bun and stockings.

[www.angelfire.com]

Growing up, I had so much reverence for this ministry called "the workers'! What they said was absolute and I DARED question them! While friends might invite the workers to their home, workers usually decide which night to visit the friends and the friends never object in most cases. Workers have visited the friends without calling ahead! Even today, some workers will stop by and visit the friends unannounced.

They influenced issues like marriage, clothing, location of a meeting home, friendships, lack of entertainment, visits etc..

This sort of ministry sounds like the Jehovah's Witness
Organization. When I was part of it, we too were not
allowed to question. If one did, then we could be marked
for lacking faith.
I say lacking faith in what? Certainly not GOD, unless
their GOD is the leaders of this false religion.
I know who are true Christians by their sticking to
God's word and the words of God's Son.
The religion's top leaders teach the heaven's door is
closed and so only the so called 'elect 144,000 have the
right to the blood covenant.
As I begin to compare this teaching with God's word,
I could see this is a MAN MADE DOCTRINE! AND A LIE!

(Rev 3:8-9)
'I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you
an open door which no one can shut, because you
have a little power, and have kept My word, and have
not denied My name. 'Behold, I will cause those of the
synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews, and
are not, but lie-- behold, I will make them to come and
bow down at your feet, and to know that I have loved you."

(Rev 3:20-22)
'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears
My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and
will dine with him, and he with Me. 21'He who overcomes,
I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I
also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

(Rev 3:1-3)
"Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die,
for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight
of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received
and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up,
I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time
I will come to you. "

Then I realized that what we are to remember is what
Christians received from Jesus and his Apostles is what
we must hold onto. No man can either add or take
away their words until Christ comes.
(compare Rev. 2:25)
(also Matt 28:19-20)

landover

The workers in the "Truth" fellowship are clandestine. They have meetings with regional head workers but professing people and even younger workers are forbidden to attend. Many of the friends are in the dark about worker staff changes, workers entering/leaving "the work", future meeting changes, changes in ownership of conventions, special meeting or convention visits and other secrets. Workers seem to think as "God's true ministers", they can't share these heavenly secrets with the rank and file professing people let alone the evil non-members!

The truth has a ministry that is secretive, low profile and highly esteemed by the friends.

This is very interesting.
If you were one of JW's you were told
you were sinning if you missed a meeting unless you
were truly sick. Some would not miss meetings even
though they were sick, spreading their illness to
others in order to boast that they never missed one
meeting. It was as though saying they are righteous
because they put GOD first before anything.
(trying to get saved through works)
I guess not caring whether they made other's sick.
Yet, there were some who were more balanced.

There are always some who carry religion to extremes.
A sick person should be home in bed. healing from
their ailment. After all, they always have GOD and his
written word, 'THE BIBLE' in which they can read and
meditate upon.
Who is really teaching us? :-)

(Deut 4:1-2)
(Ps 25:4-5)


Landover

Friends feel like they need to get to every meeting possible or Satan might overcome them. So much fear and insecurity. They don't know if they are saved. They are trusting in their perfect way of Truth! Sad.

I am a professing woman. I cant go to every meeting. I work. I dont feel guilty. Satan isnt going to overcome me just because I cant go. Im not an insecure person either. Some of what has been said is true of meetings. But to question or criticize a worker a taboo? New one to me. They are human too. The workers I have met are open and Ive enjoyed talking to them openly. No one told my husband who was born to a professing family who to marry or I dont think he would of got me. No one treated my husband wrong for not professing either. No one tells me what to wear. Or whom I can be friends with. I have many friends who arent in truth. I have a TV. I go to movies. I read many different things and I listen to what music I want. This isnt a cult. I dont live on a compound. I dont listen to a man. I dont give my money or things away to support a group. No kool aid to drink. In many churches people do wrong to others. See it all the time in the news. In this group Im for sure they do too. Ive had words with a sister worker before. Shes human too. But I can and I do read the Bible for myself. Are all the friends going to Heaven? No. But that is for God to decide. Do I trust in the prefect way of God? Yes I do. But so does my grandfather who is a member of the Church of God.