Jehovah’s Witnesses to gather in Tri-Cities
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 4 months 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.”
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