Jehovah’s Witnesses to gather in Tri-Cities
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 10 months, 3 weeks AGO
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | July 30, 2024 1:45 AM
KENNEWICK — The 2024 convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses will be held at Toyota Center in Kennewick the weekends of Aug. 23-25 and Aug. 30-Sept. 1, according to an announcement from Jehovah’s Witnesses.
This year, the focus is “Declare the Good News,” said Jehovah’s Witnesses spokesman Nate Gibbs. About 3,300 people members of Jehovah’s Witness congregations are expected to attend each weekend, Gibbs said.
The program for the convention is the same on both weekends, Gibbs said.
The convention will present Bible-based videos, discourses and interviews on topics such as "Why Do We Need Good News?" "Use the Good News to Defeat Bad News" and “Why We Don't Fear Bad News," according to the announcement. There will also be baptisms and a two-part video drama entitled “The Good News According to Jesus.”
There are Jehovah’s Witness congregations in Moses Lake, Ephrata, Othello and Ritzville, Gibbs said. The general public is also invited, he said.
“We're going to be starting a door-to-door campaign in the areas of Ephrata, Moses Lake and Othello about three weeks ahead of time,” Gibbs said. “(It) will be a campaign to invite the public with a printed invitation.”
More than 6,000 annual Jehovah’s Witnesses conventions are held worldwide, according to the announcement, and last year almost 13 million people attended.
“We are excited to work once again with city officials in the Tri-Cities to host our conventions,” Gibb wrote inn the announcement. “These conventions are a highlight of the year for thousands of people who want to experience some positivity in their lives, and we are happy to enjoy the program once again in this welcoming and hospitable city.”
MORE STORIES
Horticultural convention provides early look at new variety
basinbusinessjournal | Updated 1 year, 5 months ago
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Open Doors students overcome obstacles to graduate Thursday
MOSES LAKE — It was a short walk across the room, but for the 34 students who graduated from Open Doors Thursday it was the end of a long journey. “I had the motivation I needed to finish school, but not the tools,” said student speaker Mona Martin. “That's when I was directed to Open Doors. Thanks to the support and resources I received there, I was able to make up four years of math and English and pass my GED test with a qualifying score.” Open Doors is a reengagement program established in 2010 to enable students 16-21 years of age, who have left school before graduating, to finish out their high school education. Some students go there to earn their GED, others to earn a high school diploma and some, like Martin, had already earned the GED but wanted to go the extra mile.
The Side Project to play in Moses Lake – for real, this time
MOSES LAKE — When The Side Project takes the stage June 20, the city of Moses Lake’s Summer Concert Series will pick up where it left off, sort of. “They were supposed to be our last concert last summer,” said Jenni Shelton, creative programs coordinator for the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center. “It was the night of a really bad storm, and we had to cancel for the weather. It was one of the nights they even evacuated to the Gorge (Amphitheatre).” The Side Project consists of wife-and-husband Suzie and Ben Bradford, according to its website. The duo, originally from Spokane, have recorded six albums and have performed up and down the west coast for 20 years, according to the announcement. Their music has been broadcast in Starbucks and featured on television shows “Dancing with the Stars” and “So You Think You Can Dance,” as well as scoring a positive review in Music Connection Magazine.
Moses Lake Library story time serves special needs adults
MOSES LAKE — It’s 10:30 on a Thursday morning, and Moses Lake Children’s Librarian Zach Walker is reading a picture book to brothers David and Ray Cavazos, two non-verbal men with special needs. “The boys love it,” said the brothers’ caregiver Mary Lybbert. “They ask every week when they can come to the library.”