Jehovahs Witnesses Convention VNR - Minneapolis

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United in Faith Worldwide!
Jehovah’s Witnesses Hold Global Virtual Event in 240 Lands, 500+ Languages
Breaking a century-old tradition, the largest convention organization in the world has moved its annual in-person event to a virtual format for the second time in as many years, canceling nearly 6,000 conventions in 240 lands.

In 2020, the pandemic unexpectedly interrupted that tradition moving the international religious organization to cancel in-person conventions throughout the world and launch a global virtual event. This was a first for Jehovah’s Witnesses, who have held public conventions in stadiums, arenas, convention centers, and theaters around the world since 1897.

Since 1991, a feature of summertime in Rochester, Minnesota, has been thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses streaming into the city, filling area hotels and restaurants as they held their conventions at the Mayo Civic Center.

Clayton Johnson of St. Cloud, Minnesota, regularly worked with hotels throughout Rochester to secure adequate and comfortable rooming for the attendees. Over the years, many positive relationships have developed between Jehovah’s Witnesses and the city. “We love working with people, love working with the communities, and love working with the hotels—everything about it,” he said.

“Powerful by Faith!” is the theme of the 2021 global event, which will be delivered in more than 500 languages to households throughout the globe over six weekends during July and August 2021, uniting some 15-20 million people in 240 countries. Since the convention is typically held from Friday through Sunday, the program will be available in six installments corresponding to morning and afternoon sessions. “Friday” morning’s session will be available for streaming or download beginning June 28, 2021.

The planning and translation of a program of this magnitude takes months of effort. With the uncertainty of whether it would be safe to bring thousands of people together in cities around the world, the organization opted for a virtual platform for the second consecutive year. However, the move has not curbed the enthusiasm for the annual event. Congregations around the world are inviting the public to join them in this historic occasion.

“Faith has helped our global brotherhood to continue to thrive even during a pandemic,” said Robert Hendriks, U.S. spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “Our faith will continue to unite us in worship—even virtually—as millions gather in private homes around the world to enjoy a powerful and inspiring spiritual program.”

As he did last year, Johnson will be enjoying the upcoming convention from home, and he acknowledged that there are advantages to attending virtually. “It’s uninterrupted,” he explained. “Or, if you need to, you can pause the program and even return to watch it again if there is something in particular you felt benefited you.”

The Leske family, from Minneapolis, agreed. They, too, typically made the yearly journey to Rochester for summer conventions. While there are aspects of the in-person events that they miss, such as singing songs of worship with thousands of others and visiting friends during intermissions, the Leskes have found they get even more out of the virtual program sessions.

“You have no distractions,” said Chris Leske. “You are able to focus just on the material being presented in the comfort of your own home. It really helps you to take in the information and apply it better.” His son, Devin, 19, cited some benefits of viewing the sessions in shorter, half-day increments: “When we had the full day, you would be able to remember certain spots or take lecture notes, but there would be things that you would miss. It’s easier when it’s in shorter segments—you can absorb the information a lot better.”

All are invited to attend the event by going to jw.org on the web or JW Broadcasting on the free JW Library app available for iOS or Android, or on streaming platforms like ROKU TV, Apple TV, and others. The program is free and accessible to all. The schedule for download and global streaming is listed below.

For more information, please contact Jehovah’s Witnesses United States at (718) 560-5600 or [email protected].

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