Jehovah’s Witnesses return to in-person worship
Mike and Martha Flores clearly recall the last time they gathered for worship. It was March 8, 2020, and their Jehovah’s Witnesses Kingdom Hall was full.
Conversations touched on COVID-19, which was spreading in China at the time and starting to reach beyond.
“At the end of the day, we were elbowing each other. No hugs,” Martha said.
“It’s one of those days, you’ll never forget,” Mike said.
The Spring Branch couple did not know it would be their last in-person worship for two years.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ governing body quickly shut down all Kingdom Halls around the world, as well as public preaching. Even the denomination’s signature door-to-door ministry went on hold.
“We had to put our principles ahead of our preferences,” said U.S. spokesman Robert Hendriks.
There are more than 119,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses congregations across the globe with more than 8.6 million members, according to its website.
Hendriks said protecting the sanctity of life is a guiding principle for Jehovah’s Witnesses, as well as “love your neighbor as yourself. Living those principles meant that we had to make tough decisions,” he said.
That meant making worship virtual. Even the annual global conventions were held on Zoom.
Instead of knocking on doors, members wrote letters, made phone calls and held Zoom Bible studies.
“We’re in our 70s, and we’re not computer savvy,” Martha Flores said.
The couple asked their granddaughter to teach them Zoom. “Now we’re experts,” Flores said.
“You’re never too old to learn something new,” her husband Mike added.
And while he was grateful to have a way to continue meeting online, and to continue reaching others, there was always something missing.
“We had been longing to see our brothers and sisters,” Martha said.
Then, earlier this month, Mike got a notice on his JW Library app. In-person meetings were set to resume April 1.
“I’m very happy,” Mike said. “We can see you in person, hug you and be thankful together. It makes a difference.”
He plans to wear a mask and remain cautious.
Kingdom Halls, where members congregate, have added sanitizing stations and taken other measures to protect worshippers, such as adding touchless paper towel dispensers and water fountains.
“This happened at just the right time,” Mike said. “We’ve been away from people going on two years. Being able to meet again, it will strengthen our feelings toward one another. It will unite us more.”
A rush of emotions
Bola Owoeye also received word via the app that Kingdom Halls would reopen. He knows exactly when he learned — March 9 at 12:18 p.m.
As he opened the app, a friend texted him with the same news. “You wonder, ‘Is it true? Is he kidding me?’ ” Owoeye said.
He texted his wife Yemi right away.
“I was at work when I saw his message,” she said. “I was so excited. I started jumping up and down.”
Owoeye also sent a text to his children Jola, 14, and Kanyinsola, 15, at school.
“It was a rush of emotions,” Jola said. “We get to go back. And then I thought, ‘How is it going to work?’ ”
Kanyinsola was thrilled at the idea of seeing friends again. “I need new clothes and shoes,” she said with a laugh. “It’s going to be great.”
The Owoeye family of Fort Bend County was ready for inperson services.
“This is something we all really missed,” he said. “As a family, we didn’t even have to decide. We never even talked about it. It wasn’t a question of whether we’ll go back or not.”
Bola looks forward to joining in song with his fellow worshippers. “It’s very near and dear to me to hear others and praise God,” he said. And the Kingdom Hall is a place to encourage and support others in ministry.
“For all these reasons and more, I am excited to be back in person,” he said.
His son Jola said there’s no substitute for being together with his Kingdom Hall family.
“There’s something about the mood when all your brothers and sisters are together,” he said. “It’s very energizing.”
In time for the Memorial
The return to in-person gatherings comes in time for the annual commemoration by Jehovah’s Witnesses of Christ’s death, or Memorial, scheduled for April 15.
This service is considered the most sacred, Hendriks said. “We’ve never canceled that, ever.”
When in-person meetings were halted in 2020, the Memorial quickly became virtual.
“We had faith it was going to happen,” Hendriks said. “It was more a question of how it was going to work. We had only been using Zoom for a couple of weeks.”
The denomination was able to quickly pivot to reach members in new ways. In countries where no internet was available, radio and television broadcasts filled the void.
Bola and Yemi Owoeye, seated, daughter Kanyinsola and son Jola say they are eager to return to in-person services at their Jehovah’s Witnesses Kingdom Hall.
In total, about 20 million individuals around the world were able to participate. To find a way to come together, even virtually, to celebrate Christ was meaningful, especially in the beginning of the pandemic, Hendriks said.
Coming back together
The timeline for coming back together will happen in phases, Hendriks said. For instance, the door-to-door ministry will stay on hiatus.
Throughout the pandemic, efforts to reach others have remained strong, he said, and attendance to virtual meetings was high.
Hybrid meetings were piloted in Puerto Rico and Connecticut, where vaccination rates were high, Hendriks said.
“We can’t livestream our meetings,” he said. “We don’t only want our congregants to see us. We want to see them. Our meetings are discussion based.”
Protocols for reopening were sent to the 13,000 Kingdom Halls and 7,000 auditoriums throughout the U.S. branch, which have all been working around the clock to prepare for in-person gatherings.
“There’s a lot of joy, a lot of anxiety,” Hendriks said. “We want to see each other, but we know we’re still in a pandemic. We have to be careful.”
Hybrid worship will now allow Jehovah’s Witnesses to have a choice, if they are ready to return in person or prefer to join from home. Zoom has made it possible to have spiritual discussions with small groups in breakout rooms, Hendriks said.
Hendriks said John 13:35, where Jesus states, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another,” has been on his mind.
“Love is expressed in peace,” he said. “And the manifestation of peace is unity. To go back as a unified family and pick up where we left off, it’s just awesome.”