Jehovah’s Witnesses

JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES will welcome hundreds today to a three-day program at the Arnos Vale Sporting Complex centering on practical guidance for all. It will include encouragement specifically for young people.{{more}}

Friday will mark the start of the 2008 “Guided by God’s Spirit” District Convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses. People seek guidance and advice in today’s turbulent times, and the Bible teaches that God’s holy spirit provides such needed guidance. Program parts throughout the three-day event will highlight that theme.

The opening part on Friday morning will deal with the subject “Why Be Guided by God’s Spirit?” Later, the keynote address will explain the role of holy spirit in the outworking of Jehovah God’s purpose for mankind and the earth. On Friday afternoon, a large portion of the program will focus on information especially helpful to young people. Witnesses believe that young people will be safeguarded if they live their lives in accord with the guidance of God’s holy spirit. They also believe that God’s direction for young people can help them to avoid many of the moral and spiritual pitfalls encountered in youthful years. The session will conclude with a convention highlight, “Young People-Safeguard Your Relationship With Jehovah!”

The program will not exclude giving attention to older ones, since the Bible indicates that those who are older in years-even though they have gained experience-also benefit from divine guidance. Saturday’s program

will highlight how individuals, whether young or old, can be empowered by holy spirit to resist temptation, cope with discouragement, withstand harmful peer pressure, and endure adversity. The program part entitled “Bible Writers-’Borne Along by Holy Spirit”’ will emphasize that the writers of the Bible were inspired by God’s holy spirit to record the contents of the Bible.

The beneficial impact of the Bible’s counsel and message on the lives of millions of people will be examined, particularly in scenes and interviews throughout the convention. This impact will be especially seen on Saturday morning, when local residents who studied the Bible will publicly symbolize their dedication to God during a baptism ceremony. This ordination of new ministers will include a discussion of what it means to be baptized in the name of the holy spirit.

On Sunday morning, the public discourse, entitled “Reap Blessings Through Jehovah’s Spirit-Guided King!”, will focus on the one person appointed by God to rule with true justice and love-Jesus Christ. A full-costume drama set in the days of early Christianity will be the feature of the afternoon program.

Program sessions start at 9:20 a.m. all three days of the convention. Admission is free, and no collections will be taken.