Jehovah’s Witnesses pack Meridian Centre
Jehovah’s Witnesses have started their annual three-day series of worldwide conventions, one of which will be in St. Catharines at the Meridian Centre from Friday to Sunday.
The event is themed with the message “don’t give up,” which encourages people to endure the stresses of every day life, in a world where people give up far too often, according to John Sozio, media contact for the St. Catharines convention.
He says around 4,500 Jehovah’s Witnesses are expected to attend over the course of the weekend, which will feature Jehovah’s Witness delegates from Britain, Ireland, Scotland, France and the United States.
The event is linked into 15 events all across the country, this weekend coinciding with Toronto’s event at the Air Canada Centre where they expect 18,000 attendees, says Sozio.
According to the press release, nearly 13 million people world-wide attended the conventions in 2016.
David Semonian, spokesperson for Jehovah’s Witnesses world headquarters in New York, says he hopes there will be an even larger audience this year.
The program for the event is split into 52 parts, presented in various formats, including brief discourses, interviews and short videos.
One part of the event will be the showing of a film called Remember the Wife of Lot. One segment of three will be shown each afternoon.
Saturday morning will also include a baptism at 11:45 a.m.
Programs are being held at “select venues” around the world and will continue throughout early 2018. Admission is free.