Sylive, who lives in the Mansion, is a devout Jehovah’s Witness, she studies the Bible and books on scripture all week. Every Tuesday, someone from the local Kingdom Hall comes to get her and she goes to their service in a simple brick structure in the middle of a vast cornfield a few miles out-of-town.
Ah, I thought these are the Watchtower People, the Christians who don’t celebrate Christmas, who believe Jesus is Michael the archangel, the highest created being.
They are dedicated proselytizers. They were gracious and welcoming to me, and they are wonderful and generous to Sylvia, who sits on a row by herself and follows the service on an Ipad, like everyone else.
She also has her dog-eared Holy Bible in hand. The Elders make sure to call on her, and she is always ready with a question or observation. I know how hard she works at this.
This afternoon, I was at the Mansion to hand out realistic babies and stuffed dogs and cats, and I was telling her about Karaoke. She won’t play bingo or engage in frivolous activities like singing popular music.
But she did invite me to come to the Jehovah’s Witness service and listen to her sing. I was happy to go and felt much at ease there, Sylvia and I sang some hymns together and read from the Bible.
I was glad to go to the Kingdom Hall, which I’ve driven by a million times. This is not a world I often see from the inside. I was struck by the new technology – the video screens and the Ipads, the service was thoughtful, somber and quiet. Sylvie follow it closely, using a stylus and an Ipad with hyperlinks to the Bible.
The service was inter-active, ushers with microphones went around handing the mike to the worshippers, almost all of whom got to ask a question or speak.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses have strong faith, they are often rejected and turned away as they pass out the Watch Tower at people’s homes. I’ve politely turned them away many times. They never seem to mind.
When Sylvie sang, she read the lyrics on a big screen, much like Karaoke, I whispered to her. She gave me a stare. Sylvie prepares for this service all week, she is very bright and a serious student, she is always reading from the Bible and studying religious pamphlets and tracts.
She followed the service eagerly and participated in several of the discussions. I was impressed that the congregation treated her as an equal, no fuss of favoritism, she was just one of the worshipers.
I enjoyed seeing this focus of Sylvie’s life, this outlet for her intelligence and need to do good. She does the congregation proud, she studies its beliefs and practices its traditions. It’s odd how comfortable I am with Christianity, even the unorthodox Christians like the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
I was quite honored to be invited, and grateful to be there. I would like to go again. They were all happy to have me photograph Sylvie, but I did try to be discreet and only take a photo or two.
Sylvie loves getting letters. If you wish, you can write to Sylvie, The Mansion 11 S.Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.
Dear Jon. I’m a long-time follower of your writings, and I’m so grateful that you accepted the invitation and then wrote such a respectful post about your visit because we are significantly misunderstood (mostly because of hearsay). I’ve wondered how you would respond to interacting with Jehovah’s Witnesses…and now I know! We are international in scope and have lively congregations in every part of the world, even tiny lands that most people don’t know exist. We are as a group good people trying to do good to the best of our ability, with the guidance of bible standards, so that we may bring honor to our creator and his name and live the best life possible. I hope you take the opportunity to visit the Kingdom Hall again….we welcome all respectful visitors from all cultures, even if they don’t agree with our beliefs. Best regards!
Thanks much for this kind message, I am grateful for your kindness to Sylvie, your place of worship is very important to her, and I appreciate your warm welcome to me. I wish you well in your faith, and thanks for writing me. I saw nothing last night to make me uncomfortable in any way.
Whoops! Misunderstood thinking Sylvie was the visitor at the Kingdom Hall but the comment is still valid.
Adrienne, this is not the place for your troubles with a religious organization, it is not an issue for Sylvie or for me on this blog. I respect the people I saw last night, and am grateful for their kindness to Sylvie and to me.