Jehovah’s Witnesses bolster faith over weekends in W-S
Audience members sing hymns during the first part of the Jehovah’s Witness four-part convention last weekend. (Photo by Timothy Ramsey)
Over four successive weekends, 35,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses are expected to descend upon the city of Winston-Salem. The Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum will host the annual Jehovah’s Witnesses convention, which began on June 17.
The theme for this year’s program is “Remain Loyal to Jehovah!”
The public is invited to attend and admission to the convention is free to the public.
“This weekend, we will be discussing loyalty. When you think about that quality in the world today, sometimes it’s lacking,” said Rob Kennerley, regional media contact for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “But here we are being educated in how we can be loyal to God and also in our families. That’s a quality that helps build relationships and helps in everyday life.”
The convention program is designed to promote loyal love with the family and in the community, officials say. The convention claims first-time visitors will be impressed to see young and old individuals of very diverse, social, economic and cultural backgrounds listening attentively to the Bible instruction. They say many who attended an event last year found it to be an extremely positive, life-changing experience.
Jehovah’s Witness Robert Green of Thomasville said, “Our convention is a spiritual brotherhood, and it brings all the brothers and sisters together. You really get to enjoy the Bible courses they provide and how it brings out how Jehovah connects people together. All the things the Bible teaches you is a blessing from Jehovah, and it helps you in your everyday life, so that you can love others as you love yourself.”
The convention has been held in Winston-Salem since the mid-90s. Kennerley stated the convention continues to come back to Winston-Salem because the people of the city have been very open and welcoming to them.
The first two weekends of the convention will be in English. They expect over 9,000 people during each of those weekends. The following two weekends will be spoken in Spanish because of the growing Latino population in the faith. Kennerley also said there are conventions such as these all across the country and the world as they try and attract people from all walks of life.
“The purpose is to bring together the brothers and sisters,” said an attendee who wished to be referred to as “David.” “No matter what someone’s race, creed, or color everyone here is united. The convention really shows our way of life and how we can be loyal to Jehovah God.”
