45.1 F
Indianapolis
Friday, April 26, 2024

Jehovah’s Witnesses knocking on doors again 

More by this author

Jehovah’s Witnesses resumed door-to-door ministry beginning Sept. 1, when a 2 1/2-year suspension of the work is officially lifted. It’s just in time to begin a global campaign featuring a new interactive Bible study program.  

The decision to resume their door-to-door ministry marks the complete restoration of all pre-pandemic in-person activities for the 1.3 million Jehovah’s Witnesses in approximately 13,000 congregations in the United States.

Houses of worship, Kingdom Halls, were reopened April 1, witnessing in public places resumed May 31 and in-person conventions are once again being planned for 2023.  

“I can’t wait to knock on my first door,” said Eric Sowell.

Another congregant, Shavon Sowell, added, “Writing letters and calling are wonderful ways to check in on people, but there’s nothing like seeing a person’s face and their expressions.”  

The suspension of the public ministry was a proactive response by the organization to keep communities and congregants safe. The move was also unprecedented. Jehovah’s Witnesses had been preaching from house-to-house without interruption for more than 100 years through an economic depression, two world wars and global unrest. But COVID-19 demanded a different response.  

“We believe that the early decision to shut down all in-person activities for more than two years has saved many lives,” said Robert Hendriks, U.S. spokesperson for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “We’re now ready and eager to reconnect with our neighbors once again – person-to-person, face-to-face. It’s not the only way that we preach, but it has historically been the most effective way to deliver our message of comfort and hope.” 

Restoration of the public ministry coincides with a global campaign to distribute a new interactive Bible study program available in hundreds of languages at no cost. The program comes in the form of a book, online publication or as an embedded feature within the organization’s free mobile application. Released in late 2020, the interactive study platform combines text, video, illustrations and digital worksheets to help learners of all ages.  

“This new study program is designed to match the learning needs of the 21st-century student,” said Hendriks. “We’re excited to begin sharing it with our neighbors as we return to making personal visits.”  

The pandemic forced Jehovah’s Witnesses to quickly pivot to virtual meetings and conventions, while conducting their ministry exclusively through letters, phone calls and virtual Bible studies. This has led to growth in meeting attendance and the number of congregants, with more than 400,000 newly baptized witnesses joining the ranks of 120,000 congregations globally in just the first two years of the pandemic. 

For more information about Jehovah’s Witnesses, visit jw.org. 

- Advertisement -
ads:

Upcoming Online Townhalls

- Advertisement -

Subscribe to our newsletter

To be updated with all the latest local news.

Stay connected

1FansLike
1FollowersFollow
1FollowersFollow
1SubscribersSubscribe

Related articles

Popular articles

Español + Translate »
Skip to content