Jehovah’s Witnesses schedule virtual convention due to coronavirus
The coronavirus pandemic has prompted Jehovah’s Witnesses to cancel the denomination’s live annual global conventions this year and instead conduct a series of virtual conventions over the next several weeks.
It’s the first time the denomination will gather via a streaming platform. Locally, conventions were scheduled to be held on multiple weekends from July 31 to Aug. 30 at the Dixie Convention Center in St. George, Utah, where Southern Nevadans were to be among about 12,000 attendees.
“Our worship is centered on our mutual love for our God and for each other, irrespective of where we are physically,” Robert Hendriks, U.S. spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses, said in a news release. “This year’s convention program underscores the unity of our international family and the joy that people can have against a backdrop of stress and despair.
Convention programming now will be released in six installments, each corresponding to a morning or afternoon session of what had been scheduled to be three successive convention days. Some congregations will watch the first convention session this weekend (July 11-12), and the final weekend of the virtual convention is scheduled for Aug. 29-30.
Those who wish to watch may contact a local congregation or view the program for free on jw.org.
About 13,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses live in the Las Vegas Valley, Pahrump and Mesquite.
Contact John Przybys at jprzybys@reviewjournal.com. Follow @JJPrzybys on Twitter.