JEHOVAH’s Witnesses have completed the 27th edition of their Remain Loyal to Jehovah series of regional conventions attended thousands of congregants countrywide.
BY TATIRA ZWINOIRA
Yesterday, 3084 congregants attended the final day of the Harare three-day convention series while thousands others attended in Gweru, Bulawayo, Kadoma, Chegutu and Mutare respectively.
Speaking to NewsDay on the side lines of the convention, programme overseer Arnold Makayi said the convention came at a time when Jehovah’s Witnesses believe the end is nigh as highlighted in Matthew 24:14.
“These pressures in life make it easy for worshippers to develop divided devotion for our God. So this convention was helping us redirect our priorities and keep in our minds that Jehovah is the sovereign lord and creator who deserve our undeserved loyalty,” Makayi said.
“We also have, apart from this convention, our beautiful website JW.ORG. It has all our literature, videos and even news about us. The website is in over 600 languages including Shona.”
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One of the major highlights was the drama, titled O Jehovah…I Trust in You, a movie chronicling biblical King Hezekiah and the troubles he faced against the Assyrian army. The film showcased how his trust in Jehovah resulted in God sending an angel to slay 185 000 of the Assyrian army which saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem.
The film was told in a very stylized way with effects found in large scale block buster film productions.
Many non-Witnesses attended the event following a massive three week campaign prior to the convention.
In this current series of regional conventions, 15 events would be held in Shona, Chitonga, Swahili, French and Zimbabwe sign language while the first Ndebele convention will be held beginning this Friday at the Harare Assembly Hall.
The final day of the convention also featured the public discourse titled When Will Loyal Love Triumph Over Hatred that was met with a rapturous response.
As part of the programme, nine symposiums showed how Jehovah God does care for his people in this time of the end and how Jesus revealed loyal love for His followers. There were also captivating interviews that were prepared to help congregants on how to remain loyal to Jehovah.
Guest speaker Trent Edison said: “all the parts imitate loyal ones like biblical David, Shiphrah and Puah, Hushai and Ruth, and warning not to imitate loyal ones like the first human Adam, Judas Iscariot were timely for Jehovah’s people today. “The interactive videos shown were meant to prepare Witnesses for the great tribulation in the not too distant future”.
Edison added the baptism talk helped all baptised witnesses – new and old –to reflect on their promise of loyalty to their Creator.
“The dramas were another major highlight of the convention, helping people to reflect on their spirituality,” he said.
This year is the 50th anniversary of Jehovah’s Witnesses use of dramas at their conventions since 1966. The convention also featured dramatic bible reading Who is on Jehovah’s Side?
There are over 43 000 Witnesses in Zimbabwe, and an estimated 100 000 congregants are expected to attend the regional conventions which kick-started on July 22 and end on September 25 this year.
