I actually received that rarity of rarities the other day, a handwritten letter in the snail mail written specifically to me. At first I suspected it was another bulk mail scam, but I can recognize their faux-handwriting type font, and the letter had a real stamp on it, first class, not bulk.

It was from a total stranger but living in my local neighborhood (strangely, he wrote only a p.o. box number, not his street address) ... It reads something like this:

"My wife and I live in the neighborhood though we are not able to speak in person because of the COVID-19 virus. We care about well being of our neighbors and out of respect and the safety for everyone, we are staying at home while continuing to share bible answers to important questions like, Why does God allow suffering? What is God's purpose for the earth?"

It goes on a little longer and "invites" me to the JW org website and mentions an online bible study course. The envelope also included a little JW flier.

Curious marketing strategy. I get the warm appeal factor, I certainly felt personally touched by this person as much as if he had been standing at my front door, but also strangely cold at the same time. I strongly suspect all JWs have been instructed on exactly how to compose and send these letters in lieu of making personal contact due to the quarantine.

I don't know if it's smart marketing or not, as the end result is still the same old stuff.

I mean (as an addendum) that I don't feel particularly motivated to hand-write him back, but he included what looks like a personal email address (it's at cox.net, not jw.org) although I'm not totally convinced he's interested in dialogue of which there's more than enough of on the internet already about every jot and tittle of their church's doctrine and leadership.

No...not yet.

Yup! I got one. I was thinking of sending it back with a little hand-written note saying if they can tell me why the mythology of the Judeo-Christian religions should be more respected than the mythology of any other religion, I would be willing to listen.

Tracking by snail mail.

I got things like that when I lived in AL from Baptist type churches in my neighborhood routinely.

I suppose the social distancing is causing the JWs (and probably others) to figure out substitute ways to get our attention.

I live in a private community that does not allow door-to-door solicitation. I get a letter from a JW woman approximately once every two years. She lives about a 15 minute drive south of me. The last time I got it, I recognized the return address. I didn't open it, but instead wrote, "Declined -- return to sender" and put it back in my mailbox. I refuse to give that nonsense the time of day.

Mine pissed me off a bit--about 5 months after my dad died, I got a letter that was hand addressed, and at first I thought it was from one of my dad's old buddies who had just gotten the news; however, folded inside was a JW pamphlet so I knew, despite the "So sorry to hear about your father..." note it was a JW troll doing his duty.

I thought we were supposed to have social distancing. I think if I ever got a letter from a JW I would stand 6 feet away from it.

That is just creepy and intrusive. Just like showing up at the door. I know how to find their church. If I had any interest I would have shown it.

Never. The JayDubz don't visit here much. Two three times in twenty years. Always printed material. I chatted with them once while gardening and told them I'd read theirs if they read mine. I gave then a Book of Mormon and they left.

A few years ago 2 Women showed up at my door. They had slightly changed their schtick, so I didn’t recognize them as JWs for the first few back and forth exchanges, but at which point I slowly closed the door while one was talking. A few days later I received a “personal” letter predicated on the lie that I had “expressed interest!”

What was really creepy was that it was addressed to me by name! They had apparently gone to the trouble of figuring out who owned the house, and assumed it was me (i.e. not a family member or tenant, etc). It also had the same lack of a real return address (they know where you live, but not vice verse).

My understanding is that JWs do not tract their own neighbors. When they imply that they live in your neighborhood, they don’t mean right around the corner. They know it’s good to seem neighborly, but the mothership knows that cultists don’t make good neighbors, so it’s verboten.