Perceptions of an Outsider

I had a milestone of sorts this weekend, and it was something I had never foreseen myself ever doing in my lifetime: I went inside the local Kingdom Hall on Saturday. For you people that don't know (and it wasn't long ago I was among you), a Kingdom Hall is the meeting place for Jehovah's Witnesses. Okay, their church if you will.

So what would cause me to suddenly do such a thing? No, I didn't have a sudden leap of faith or anything as dramatic as that. I did it for my wife. I wasn't coerced in any way--I did it because I'm a husband, and a husband should accompany his wife when she wants to pay her respects to the dearly departed.  Okay, I also went so everyone could "pre-meet" me.

Recently, a Brother (should that be capitalized?) in their congregation passed away. He was thought very highly of and had quite a legacy. He was one of those people (and almost everybody knows one) that has been around forever and you just don't ever expect to die. As we all know, they eventually do. Brother Russ Poggensee (long O sound) finally moved on at the age of 90. Sue and all her local friends thought highly of him, and there was no question that she was going to the memorial service at the Kingdom Hall.

When she first asked me if I would go, I admit: I hesitated. There were two reasons really, but the one that popped into my head first was just my usual reluctance to deal with religious matters. I've talked about it before at length, and I don't know why it is, but I just don't feel comfortable around such things. The second reason for my hesitation was wardrobe--I'm a t-shirt and jeans guy.

I didn't think too long about not going. The fact that my wife asked me if I would go meant that she really wanted me to be there for her. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to go. Suzie has been disfellowshipped (that word keeps coming up as misspelled) since our relationship began. Due to that fact, none of her Witness friends have been able to associate with her, nor she them. They even missed our wedding. The bottom line: None of them knew me. I felt that this would be a good time for her to be able to play "show and tell" with me. I would get to see them, and they would get to see me. Oh, and that other reason for my hesitation: While I own no suit, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had some nice things that I had bought and forgot I owned. Brand new stuff that fit perfectly. I thought I looked okay for the blue-collar guy that I am.

My perception of the event? Well, it wasn't really a lot to go on at only an hour long, but it was a nice experience. Very friendly people (and snappy dressers!) and a nice atmosphere. One of the elders didn't hesitate for a moment to come over and introduce himself to me after we got there. The guys that talked about Brother Poggensee were very easy to listen to. There was a nice bit of singing from an all guy chorus that kind of impressed me. The back of the Kingdom Hall has two glass-walled extra rooms for various use, and this event used them for crowd expansion. Because of being disfellowshipped, Sue always respectfully comes in and goes out without interaction, and I think she said she sits back there often. After we got there and I stood there looking through the glass at the people in the main part of the Hall, I told Sue and Rachyl, "It's like we're at the zoo, but are we the attraction or are they?" I'm sure a lot of folks there were probably going, "Ah, so that's her new husband!", but if they were, they did it unnoticed.

As per almost a requirement for a memorial service, it was raining.  While rain always adds to the dreariness and somber nature of such an event, I didn't feel that this time.  It was a warm group.