Jehovah’s Witnesses return to Kingdom Halls to worship
Correspondent | Tuesday March 29, 2022 06:00
The virtual means of attending will be retained as a complement to the in-person meetings wherever possible.
Since March 16, 2020, even before government restrictions were announced to curb the spread of COVID-19, all in-person meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses across the country and worldwide were suspended.
The decision was motivated by respect for life as a gift from God and this means putting his principles ahead of personal preferences. To care for the spiritual needs of the over 2,400 Jehovah’s Witnesses and others across the country who attend meetings each week, all spiritual programmes and public ministry work were conducted through video or telephone conferencing such as Zoom. Jonnah Pongaponga, the spokesperson for Jehovah’s Witness in Botswana says: “Even when some restrictions were lowered by the authorities it was still felt that it was necessary to wait until vaccines were more widely available and the infection rate of COVID were at an all-time low. So Kingdom Halls can open now, with hygiene protocols such as mask-wearing, sanitizing, and social distancing. That will make everybody coming to the Kingdom Hall comply with the protocols but also feel safe that they are in a clean and hygienic environment.”
He further clarified that door-to-door preaching will not yet resume.
The opening of the Kingdom Halls for in-person meetings coincides with the annual memorial observance of Jesus Christ’s death on the evening of April 15 to which the public is invited. Jehovah’s Witnesses observe this memorial each year on the anniversary of his death according to the Bible’s lunar calendar. He introduced the observance after sundown on Nisan 14, 33 CE.
Witnesses continue to observe the memorial on this date each year, following the practice of early Christians. Although Nisan 14, 33 CE is on a Friday this year, the anniversary of that date might fall on a different day of the week each year. The date on which Nisan 14 falls each year is determined by using the same method as was used in the time of Jesus, rather than applying the method used for the modern Jewish calendar.
The weekend before the day of the memorial event, on April 10, there will be a 30-minute Bible-based public lecture on the topic, 'Where Can You Find Real Hope?' which will be hosted worldwide by congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses, which will also be in-person at the Kingdom Halls and virtually. The public is also invited to attend this faith-building event that gives real hope for the future and to cope with the many challenges people face today.
Admission to both programmes, in-person at one of the Jehovah’s Kingdom Halls near you or virtual is free, and no registration is required.
For more information visit www.jw.org.