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Unos 3.500 testigos de Jehová de Balears se reúnen en Son Moix
El tema propuesto para la asamblea de 2006 es la «promesa de liberación»
Unos 3.500 testigos Cristianos de Jehovà de Balears se dan cita desde el viernes 23 hasta hoy domingo, última jornada del masivo encuentro, en la asamblea de distrito 2006 que se celebra en el Poliesportiu Municipal de Son Moix.
El lema elegido para este encuentro es «Nuestra liberación se acerca», una idea que ha sido difundida, a través de una campaña previa, en 155 países del mundo.
Los testigos de Jehová, tal y como manifiestan en un comunicado, «están convencidos de que los sucesos de la actualidad son elementos de una señal compuesta que indica la inminencia del día en que Dios ajustará las cuentas al ser humano y pondrá fin a toda la maldad, el delito y la opresión», razón que justifica la gran difusión de su mensaje.
Los testigos de Jehová son cristianos que siguen el modelo del cristianismo del siglo primero. Sus pautas de conducta se basan en los principios bíblicos, en la palabra de Dios «inspirada e infalible», si bien entienden que algunos contenidos del texto deben interpretarse «en sentido figurado o simbólico». Aunque no son ascetas, los testigos de Jehová deben evitar la búsqueda desmedida de riquezas, placer o prominencia social.
En la asamblea de Son Moix, ayer se ofrecieron consejos prácticos para instruir sobre «cómo resistir las malas influencias», a través de varios pasajes bíblicos. Asimismo, tuvo lugar la tradicional ceremonia del bautizo en la piscina municipal para dar la bienvenida a los nuevos miembros. Los testigos destacaron la importancia de la vida en familia: la importancia del matrimonio y de la educación de los hijos.
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Jehovah’s Witnesses fan out across region; say end is near and invite all to their convention
Sunday, June 25, 2006
John Beale, Post-Gazette photos
Geoff Parsons holds an umbrella for his wife, Joanna Parsons, as the Jehovah’s Witnesses go door to door on Walters Lane in Springdale Borough. The Parsons, of Franklinville, N.J., came to Pittsburgh to work with local Witnesses.
By Ervin Dyer
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
It’s 10:30 a.m. and a mix of sweat and rain bead up on the brow of Dave Hickok.
He’s been on the streets of Springdale Borough for about an hour with at least 10 other Jehovah’s Witnesses, knocking on the doors of strangers in this quiet, leafy town to tell them the end is near.
Mr. Hickok, 60, a mortgage banker, in his trench coat and smile, is a pleasant figure from West Deer who became a Witness 54 years ago in Seattle. He’s joined by four other faithful, including his daughter, Jennifer Myers, as they march door to door. Not far from them is a team of five. And not far from them is another team of five.
It’s a scene that’s playing out across the county and across the country as Jehovah’s Witnesses, in an unprecedented effort, seek to invite as many people as they can to their annual convention.
The yearly gathering of Witnesses, a Christian faith founded in Pittsburgh 136 years ago, is a huge worship celebration. This year, it has special significance because Witnesses are seeking to get out the word to millions of households that Armageddon, or the end of the world, is imminent. Or, as the invitation says: Deliverance at Hand.
The signs are everywhere, Mr. Hickok said.
World wars have ruled the current generations. Fear is dominant, especially with the rise of terrorism. There is a breakdown in family structure. The magnitude and frequency of earthquakes is growing. There is an increase in pestilence, such as AIDS.
For Witnesses, there is no time like the present to share the message. And their conventions, with record numbers of people, are spreading across the country this summer before being launched around the globe.
In Allegheny County, there are between 8,000 and 10,000 Witnesses.
Before the end of next week, many of them will travel to Cleveland for the three-day district convention. In this district, which covers Western Pennsylvania and northern Ohio, there are 120 Witnesses congregations between here and Cleveland and their goal is to personally deliver the invitation to more than 5.2 million households.
The evangelism, or field service, as they call it, which includes more than 5,000 volunteers, began about three weeks ago.
Mr. Hickok is a member in the Cheswick congregation, where there are 100 people out inviting.
There are 6.6 million Jehovah’s Witnesses in the world and they believe the time is near when good will trump evil in a final battle that wipes destruction and sickness off the face of Earth and restores it as a Garden of Eden.
“We never want to leave a bad impression because another Witness will be coming behind us.” — Dave Hickok, Jehovah’s Witness for more than 50 years.
They are serious about their field ministry.
Each neighborhood, or territory, is mapped out. Blocks become circuits and each is given a full canvassing and then checked off so no Witness goes there again within a year. It’s a calibration that’s done to prevent repeat evangelism.
Then there are ministry classes, where field workers are trained to speak, smile and make eye contact. When there is rejection, they are trained to leave graciously.
“We never want to leave a bad impression because another Witness will be coming behind us,” Mr. Hickok said.
There is on-the-job training as well.
Such as learning how to approach doorsteps.
Joanna Parsons, a visiting Witness from Franklinville, N.J., offers a lesson in never approaching a home without checking for dogs.
First you look, she said, a careful survey of the area. Then you pucker your lips to whistle, to see if you can call the animal. If there’s a fence, you rattle the latch. If there is still no sign of a dog, she said, you send your husband to the door.
Witnesses dress sensibly and conservatively so they do not distract from their message or offend. Mr. Hickok has on a pin-striped shirt and tie. The female service volunteers are in skirts and sandals.
The Bible, which they believe is God’s infallible, inspired word, is the foundation of their faith. God, whom they call Jehovah, is supreme; Christ is his son and is inferior to him. They shun worldly concerns such as Christmas, birthdays and voting. Members come from all social, economic and racial backgrounds and they worship and study in Kingdom Halls. Only men can be elders in the church.
Though this is her first year as a field service volunteer, Mrs. Myers, who is eight months’ pregnant, sometimes does 70 hours a month on the streets. She’s out Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and, sometimes, Sunday.
She’s usually paired with Jennifer Armstrong, a stay-at-home mom who has done the field service for seven years.
They’ve been to about 20 homes halfway through their service and hand-delivered two invitations, a typical percentage of the people they visit who allow them to come in, Mr. Hickok said.
When no one is home, they leave the invitation under the mat or in the mailbox. The volunteers will note the address and sometimes follow up with a letter.
As the group makes its way through the rain, a Springdale officer cruises past, twice.
“There’s the police,” whispers Mrs. Armstrong, who adopted her mother’s faith when she was 10. “People often call the cops on us because they don’t know us from the neighborhood.”
Mrs. Armstrong’s father, Robert Bernhard, a former Lutheran, eventually switched, too, and learned to read through Bible study with Jehovah’s Witnesses. He’s 75 and was with one of the other teams passing out invitations nearby.
For years, the Witnesses have walked streets and stood on corners, quietly evangelizing by chatting about the Bible with their neighbors or passing out their journal, The Watchtower, which is published in Spanish, French, Korean and other languages.
They’ve reached millions, but many still view them with doubt. Jehovah’s Witnesses consider themselves Christian but are not regarded as such by Catholics, Protestants or Orthodox, who say that a co-equal Trinity is a key component of Christian belief.
“The conventions give the public a chance to come out and see what it’s all about,” Mr. Hickok said.
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Die Lehren der Zeugen Jehovas
24.06.2006 (N. Galetzka) Kategorie: Kultur
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Die ZH haben ein sehr eigenwilliges Verständnis der Bibel. Dieses wird als die „Wahrheit“ bezeichnet. Wer gemäß ihrer Interpretation lebt, „hat die Wahrheit in sich“ oder „befindet sich in der Wahrheit“. Ihrer Interpretation der Bibel unterscheidet sich dabei jedoch in vielen Punkten und sie sind deshalb klar von herkömmlichen christlichen Glaubensgemeinschaften abzugrenzen.
Die Mitglieder betrachten sich als „Bruder / Schwester Christi“. Ihrer Ansicht nach hat Jesus Christus die Leitung der Christenversammlung inne. Er wurde in ihren Augen von „Gott“ zu dessen Haupt bestimmt und leitet diese durch den „Heiligen Geist“.
Angebetet wird Jehova („Gott“). Er hat die Welt und das Leben im Himmel (Engel) und auf Erden erschaffen. Seine wichtigsten Eigenschaften sind Gerechtigkeit, Macht sowie Weisheit gekrönt von der Liebe. Jehova ist ein unsichtbarer Geist, der von den Menschen unabhängig ist, jedoch persönliches Interesse an jedem einzelnen von ihnen haben soll.
Die Lehre der Dreifaltigkeit wird von den ZH streng abgelehnt und stellt einen Hauptpfeiler des Glaubensgebäudes dar. Sie gehen davon aus, dass es keine Passage der Bibel gibt, die richtig oder genau übersetzt wurde und diese These stütze. Der Heilige Geist ist ihrer Meinung nach keine Person, sondern lediglich eine Kraft, die jedoch nicht zu der Dreieinigkeit gehört.
Wesentlich ist ihre Vorstellung von der Zukunft da sie von der Wiederherstellung des Garten „Edens“ ausgehen. „Eden“ ist das verloren gegangene Paradies auf Erden. Der Ausgangspunkt ihrer Weltanschauung ist dabei „Satan“. Dieser war laut ihnen ein selbstsüchtiger Engel, der angebetet werden wollte. Er verführte die Menschen, die bewusst sündigten. Seither wird ihre Unvollkommenheit von Generation zu Generation weiter vererbt. Deshalb kündigen die Zeugen Jehovas den „Messias“ an, der für Erlösung sorgen wird. Gott räumt den Menschen währenddessen Zeit ein, um sich zu profilieren.
Leben nach dem Tod: Nach der Auffassung der ZH ist die Seele des Menschen sterblich. Aus der Sicht eines Atheisten kann man somit sagen, dass dieser Glaubensgemeinschaft etwas Wichtiges fehlt. Sie gibt dem Leben keinen Sinn oder Hoffnung. Trotzdem warten die ZH auf die letzten Tage und Harmagedon. Dabei werden alle, die nicht Anhänger der Zeugen Jehovas sind, vernichtet, die Welt bleibt aber erhalten. Die ZH versuchten bereits, den Zeitpunkt dieses Ereignisses zu errechnen. Welche „Überraschung“ – die Berechnungen blieben ohne Erfolg! Nachdem 1975 nichts geschah, halten sie sich dezent mit Prognosen zurück. Mit Harmagedon beginne jedenfalls das Tausendjährige Reich und damit die Wiederherstellung. Die Überleben werden die Erde wieder zum Paradies machen.
Um ZH zu werden, muss man sich bewusst für ihre Glaubensgemeinschaft entscheiden. Was den einen oder anderen überraschen dürfte, ist, dass sie die Leistungen von Wissenschaft und Technik anerkennen. Sie betrachten die Bibel auch nicht als wissenschaftliches Lehrbuch. Sie hat lediglich dann höhere Autorität, wenn Wissenschaftler ihrer Interpretation widersprechen. Politisch leben die ZH enthaltsam. Die Politik und die Macht des Staates werden jedoch lediglich von „Gott“ und daher auch von ihnen geduldet. Demzufolge bekleiden sie keine politischen Ämter und enthalten sich Wahlen.
Von der Hochschulbildung raten die ZH ihren Kindern ab, die Entscheidung sei jedoch jedem selbst überlassen. Wie selbst überlassen sie einem tatsächlich ist, wenn man sich unter Druck einer derartigen Gemeinschaft befindet, sei dahingestellt. Gearbeitet wird auch nicht in der Tabakindustrie oder im -handel, in Berufen, die mit Glücksspiel zusammenhängen, geschweige denn in kirchlich oder militärisch unterstützten Einrichtungen.
Im Alltag minimieren und meiden sie den Kontakt zu allen „Andersgläubigen“ bzw. „Weltmenschen“. Traditionelle Feste jeglichen Ursprungs werden oftmals abgelehnt, es sei denn sie haben keinen direkten Bezug zur Gegenwart. Auch Mitgliedschaften in Parteien, Vereinen, Gewerkschaft oder anderen Zusammenschlüssen werden nicht gerne gesehen.
Oft wird behauptet, dass für die „Religion“ drei Stunden Zeit pro Tag abverlangt werden. Für Hobbys bleibt – so gewollt – kein Platz. Ziel wäre die ständige Beschäftigung mit der Religion, die zur vollständigen Übernahme der Standpunkte der Mitglieder der ZH führe. Durch den fehlenden Kontakt mit „Weltmenschen“ besteht selten Möglichkeit für ein kritisches Gespräch. Innerhalb der Organisation seien kritische Gespräche über die ZH selbst verpönt, was nicht überraschen würde.
Sex vor der Ehe ist nicht erlaubt. Scheidung und Widerheirat sind nur im Fall der Untreue erlaubt. Trennung ohne Widerheirat ist unmöglich. In der Ehe hat der Mann die Autorität über die Frau und die Eltern über ihre Kinder. Geheiratet werden sollte aus Gründen der Vorbildfunktion in den Augen der Zeugen Jehovas deshalb am besten nur innerhalb der Glaubensgemeinschaft. Homosexualität wird selbstverständlich abgelehnt.
Berlin – Die Zeugen Jehovas als anerkannte und gleichgestellte Religion
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New kingdom hall complete
District convention returning to Toledo; 32,000 expected
The new kingdom hall – the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ term for a house of worship – is twice the size of the facility it replaces. The structure will be shared by two congregations. The cost was about $340,000, thanks to volunteers. John L. Harrington, in the auditorium of the new facility, says the convention is returning to Toledo because the participants were treated so well last year.
( THE BLADE/DAVE ZAPOTOSKY )
Photo Reprints
BLADE RELIGION EDITOR
EVENTFUL SUMMER FOR JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES
A new kingdom hall is just about ready, and a six-week district convention will begin next month for area Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The new West Toledo kingdom hall – the term the Jehovah’s Witnesses use for a house of worship – was built on the same property as its previous facility, 3725 West Alexis Rd. The old building was bulldozed. The new one, at 5,000 square feet, is twice as big as the kingdom hall it replaces.
The district conventions are slated to be held in SeaGate Convention Centre starting the weekend of July 14. There will be six of the Friday-through-Sunday sessions downtown, continuing every weekend through Aug. 18-20. The weekend of Aug. 4-6 will be a Spanish-language convention.
Hundreds of conventions are held simultaneously throughout the country, with this year’s theme being “Deliverance at Hand.” Lecture topics include “Jehovah Tenderly Cares for Older Ones,” “Deliverance from Painful Distress,” and “The Role of Angels in Rendering Public Service.”
Each of the Toledo weekend sessions, which are free and open to the public, is expected to draw about 7,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses from throughout Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Pennsylvania.
Last year marked the first time the Jehovah’s Witnesses held their district convention in downtown Toledo. The gatherings drew more than 47,000 people over eight weekends and pumped an estimated $15 million into the local economy, according a study by University of Toledo Professor Emeritus Thomas Klein for the Greater Toledo Convention and Visitors Bureau.
This year, there will be two fewer weekend sessions because two of them are being moved to Saginaw, Mich., according to John Harrington, an organizer of the district conventions.
“We’re expecting about 32,000 people in Toledo this year,” Mr. Harrington said.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses felt that the Toledo meetings were successful
enough last year for a return engagement this summer.
“Everybody was pleased with the city,” Mr. Harrington said. “The merchants were friendly and the police department was very cooperative and looked after our people. Toledo’s a good place for us.”
Construction on the Alexis Road kingdom hall began in April and was finished recently, but the congregation is awaiting an occupancy permit from the city, Mr. Harrington said.
The kingdom hall would have cost about $1.5 million to build, but with volunteer help and other cost-cutting efforts the actual price for the congregation was about $340,000, he said.
“We had 450 volunteers in one weekend to help put the structure up,” Mr. Harrington said.
Kingdom halls vary in design according to the location, from open-air, thatched-roof structures in tropical climates to renovated commercial buildings in some U.S. cities. They can have windows but there are no crosses or religious images, which Jehovah’s Witnesses feel can become idols.
The Alexis Road kingdom hall is shared by the North Congregation and the Jackman Congregation, each of which has about 100 members, Mr. Harrington said. Services are held on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
There are eight kingdom halls and 13 congregations in the Toledo area. Jehovah’s Witnesses, founded in Allegheny, Pa., in the late 1870s, have approximately 6.5 million members in 235 nations, including 35,000 in Ohio.
The 2006 “Deliverance at Hand” district convention of the Jehovah’s Witnesses will be held Friday through Sunday starting July 14-16 and continuing for the next six weeks at the SeaGate Convention Centre, 401 Jefferson Ave. Morning sessions start at 9:30 a.m. Afternoon sessions start at 2 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1:40 p.m. on Sunday.
Se murió a los 176 años siendo tortuga y …. nunca evolucionó!
EL UNIVERSAL DE MEXICO
6/24/06
Muere a los 176 años Harriet el animal cautivo más longevo
La tortuga era una de las principales atracciones en el parque de diversiones y figuraba en el Libro Guinnes por su longevidad
 
Cuidadores de Harriet, que murió siendo el animal más longevo en cautiverio, durante la celebración del 175 aniversario de la tortuga (Foto: Archivo/EL UNIVERSAL)
Notimex
El Universal
Sábado 24 de junio de 2006
05:00 LONDRES.- La tortuga Harriet, posiblemente capturada en alguno de los viajes de exploración a las Galápagos del naturalista Charles Darwin, murió hoy en el zoológico australiano que la albergaba a los 176 años de edad.
La tortuga gigante falleció de un ataque al corazón, según los primeros informes de los veterinarios del Zoológico Australiano, un famoso parque de atracciones propiedad de Steve Irwin, un animador que protege animales y monta espectáculos para la televisión.
Harriet era una de las principales atracciones en el parque de diversiones y figuraba en el Libro Guinnes por su longevidad, pues se estimaba que era el animal en cautiverio con más edad, citaron este viernes medios australianos de prensa.
Se cree que el quelonio fue capturado por Darwin cuando realizó su célebre viaje a las Islas Galápagos en 1835, donde la serie de observaciones y hallazgos que efectuó le permitieron desarrollar su teoría de la evolución de las especies.
Darwin habría regalado al animal a un amigo suyo de Brisbane, una ciudad del oriente australiano, y durante más de un siglo se creyó que era macho.
Irwin se mostró por demás afectado por la muerte, pues dijo que consideraba a la tortuga gigante como un miembro más de su familia, la que sufrió una gran pérdida con este hecho. “Era una gran dama”, lamentó.
La edad de Harriet, de 150 kilogramos de peso, fue determinada con pruebas de pruebas de ADN, las cuales apuntaron hacia 1830 como fecha más probable de su nacimiento.
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Posted on Sat, Jun. 24, 2006
Jehovah’s Witnesses assemble on Friday
From Staff Reports
As in the past several years, two summer conventions of the Jehovah’s Witnesses are being held at the Columbus Civic Center, 400 Fourth St.
The first begins Friday and ends July 2. The second gathering is July 7-9. The public is invited to all sessions.
Nearly 5,000 delegates from Georgia, northwest Florida and east Alabama are expected at each convention, adding an expected $2.8 million to the area economy. Through September, 266 such meetings are being held in 73 U.S. cities. The theme this year is “Deliverance at Hand!”
The worldwide religion is based in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Here are a few basic beliefs of the faith, according to its Web site:
• The people: Jehovah’s Witnesses are members of a worldwide Christian religion who actively share with others information about God, whose name is Jehovah, and about his son, Jesus Christ. They view first-century Christianity as their model.
• The Bible: It is God’s infallible Word, upon which Jehovah’s Witnesses base all their beliefs. They interpret some passages figuratively or symbolically.
• God: Jehovah is the name of the only true God, the Creator of all things. His main qualities are love, justice, wisdom and power.
• Jesus: The Son of God. He came to earth from heaven and gave his perfect human life as a sacrifice. His death and resurrection made salvation to eternal life possible for those exercising faith in him. Jesus never claimed equality with God, and is not part of the Trinity.
• Funding: Primarily by voluntary donations from Jehovah’s Witnesses. No collections are taken at meetings, and members are not required to tithe. Clearly marked contribution boxes are provided in all meeting places for voluntary donations, which remain anonymous. Expenses are manageable, as there are no paid clergy and the meeting places are modest.
IF YOU GO
What: Jehovah’s Witnesses summer conventions
When: Friday through July 2; and July 7-9. Morning sessions are at 9:30. Friday and Saturday afternoon meetings begin at 2. Sunday sessions begin at 2:40 p.m.
Where: Columbus Civic Center (South Commons), 400 Fourth St.
Phone: 334-291-9595.
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Basic beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses
By Lynn Arave
Deseret Morning News
A snapshot of basic beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses:
• The people — Witnesses are members of a worldwide Christian religion who actively share with others information about God, whose name is Jehovah, and about his son, Jesus Christ. They view first century Christianity as their model.
• The Bible — It is God’s infallible, inspired word. However, some portions of the Bible are to be understood figuratively; or symbolically.
• God — Jehovah, the creator of all things, is worthy of worship and devotion. His outstanding qualities are love, justice, wisdom and power.
• Jesus — He is the son of God. He came to Earth from heaven and gave his perfect human life as a ransom sacrifice. His death and resurrection made salvation to eternal life possible for those exercising faith in him.
• Interaction with society — Jehovah’s Witnesses are found in all levels of society. However, they avoid unchristian prejudices and controversies. Although not ascetics, they avoid being excessive in the pursuit of wealth, pleasure or prominence.
• Family life — Witnesses view marriage as a serious, lifelong commitment. Parents should teach children scriptural values and provide loving discipline. They believe the Bible does not condone harsh physical punishment.
• Other beliefs — While the church’s opposition to blood transfusions is well-documented, the church does not oppose all medical intervention.
— The door-to-door visitation for which the church is known stems from a desire by each congregation to visit all the people in a neighborhood at least once a year with a Bible-based message. Contacts are also made on street corners, in parks and at other public places.
— Witnesses are expected to be ardent defenders of religious freedom and freedom of conscience. While the church recognizes the authority of nations to raise armies and defend themselves, members are expected to follow the example of Jesus and early Christians and refrain from participating in the wars and politics of the various nations. They firmly believe they must “beat their swords into plowshares.”
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Jehovah’s Witnesses to convene
More than 7,500 from 3 states expected at convention in Ogden
By Lynn Arave
Deseret Morning News
OGDEN — “Deliverance at Hand!” is the theme of next weekend’s annual Jehovah’s Witness District Convention for Utah and portions of two surrounding states at the Dee Events Center.
More than 7,500 Jehovah’s Witnesses from Utah, southeast Idaho and western Wyoming are expected to attend the three-day event, which begins Friday and continues through Sunday, July 2. This is one of 260 similar conventions to be held in the United States as well as in 154 other nations this year.
All meetings are free and open to the public. No collections will be taken.
“It helps you to refocus on what’s going on in the world,” said Warren Beers, an elder in the Millcreek Jehovah’s Witnesses, who is helping to organize this year’s convention in Ogden. “It gives a person a lot of hope.”
Richard Wolf, an elder in the North Salt Lake congregation of Witnesses and another district organizer, said the conventions always help people escape from the cares of the world and delve into some basics of the Bible.
The two men also stressed that “deliverance” is a pretty strong word but that God’s message is not a fearful thing. They remain hopeful, despite worsening world conditions, and say the convention will share their biblical basis for optimism.
Witnesses will focus on the biblical phrase “Deliver us from the wicked one,” found in Matthew 6:13. They believe that only God can deliver mankind from inherited sin. They will also refer to Romans 5:12 and Roman 6:23, to underscore man’s need for deliverance.
They see worsening world conditions as evidence that mankind is closer than ever to God’s intervention in earth’s affairs — with the destruction of the wicked close at hand.
A record attendance is expected at this year’s convention, which has sessions starting each of the three days at 9:30 a.m. They said the Dee Events Center offers plenty of free parking and the mountains to the east provide a spectacular backdrop.
Friday’s focus will be on Jeremiah 1:19, “I am with you.” The morning’s keynote address will be “Jehovah’s Provisions for Our Everlasting Deliverance.” The afternoon will shift to examining how God provides an escape for his servants. The day’s program will end at 5:15 p.m.
On Saturday, July 1, the program will center on “Deliver Us from the Wicked One” and “From every sort of Lawlessness.” Practical advice on resisting wicked influences will be presented. Christian baptism will be examined at 11:50 a.m., followed by an ordination of new members of the faith as ministers. “Are you Living with Jehovah’s Day in Mind?” will be the concluding discourse of the day at 4:35 p.m.
“Know that the Kingdom of God is near” (Luke 21:31) will be the focus of the final convention day, Sunday, July 2. Speakers will expound on several parables of Jesus Christ, and a costumed drama will be presented. “Deliverance by God’s Kingdom is at Hand!” will be the final discourse at 2 p.m.
The Dee Events Center is located at 3850 University Circle, just east of Harrison Boulevard. The convention has been held there annually for more than 25 years.
Jehovah’s Witnesses now number more than 6.6 million in 235 lands and territories throughout the world. There are more than 98,000 congregations of Witnesses worldwide.
Some 1.5 million people are expected to attend this year’s district conventions in America.
The group’s main publication, The Watchtower, has a circulation of 27 million in 153 languages.
For more information on Jehovah’s Witnesses, go to www.watchtower.org.
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Jehovah’s Witness convention is expected to draw 10,000
By SUSAN ORR
Juin 24, 2006
Photo by Justin Rumbach
Sequoia Harris, 8, gets in close with her grandmother, Anna Tyler, to share her songbook during a recent Jehovah’s Witness meeting at the congregation’s Kingdom Hall.
Photo by Justin Rumbach
On Thursday nights at the Kingdom Hall, Evansville’s Southeast Congregation learns ways to be effective with their message and how to relay it to the public. Bethany Parrish, left, plays a doubtful college student as Christy Ferguson, right, explains the validity of the Bible
Photo by Justin Rumbach
An elder at the church speaks to the congregation about the coming convention at Roberts Stadium.
If the Jehovah’s Witnesses haven’t knocked on your door recently, expect a visit soon. That’s because the believers are gearing up for an annual district convention that will attract more than 10,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses – and, they hope, lots of interested visitors – to Evansville’s Roberts Stadium.
The convention is one of 266 identical events being held in 73 cities nationwide from now through September. The local gathering will draw Jehovah’s Witnesses from Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois and who will attend Friday through July 2 or July 7-9. Two separate conventions are taking place here because Evansville does not have a venue large enough to accommodate the entire group at once.
In recent weeks, local Jehovah’s Witnesses have been making special efforts to visit all residents and invite them to the convention.
Evangelism is at the core of the faith.
“Our goal is to preach the good news of God’s kingdom,” said Ira Parrish, an elder with the Southeast Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses which meets at a Kingdom Hall on Burdette Avenue. Jehovah’s Witnesses use the term “Kingdom Hall” rather than “church” to refer to their gathering places.
“When you become one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, that is it – the public ministry.”
The Southeast Congregation meets in one of Evansville’s four Kingdom Halls. Jehovah’s Witnesses keep their congregations to no more than 100 or 150 members, and sometimes different congregations share a Kingdom Hall by using the facility at different times. In all, Evansville has six separate Jehovah’s Witnesses congregations, one of them Spanish-speaking.
Because evangelism is such a key part of the faith, Jehovah’s Witnesses spend a lot of time preparing for this activity.
On Thursday evenings, Parrish and other members of his congregation meet for Theocratic Ministry School – essentially, public speaking training. The school’s curriculum covers dozens of topics, including poise, naturalness, voice quality, being tactful yet firm.
During a recent meeting, some members role-played different scenarios. In one, a woman played the role of a skeptical college student, while another woman played the role of the “publisher,” or Jehovah’s Witness, who convinced her that the Bible is still relevant.
Another scenario demonstrated how publishers should approach people to invite them to the convention.
“With a quick, simple presentation, we can get to many doors pretty quick,” Theocratic Ministry School conductor Marty Welch told the congregation.
Everything is geared toward making members more effective evangelists.
Before a Jehovah’s Witness can begin evangelizing, he must take a Bible study course, become baptized into the faith and participate in the ministry school.
Each congregation concentrates its door-to-door evangelism within a geographic territory assigned to it by the Jehovah’s Witness headquarters in New York.
But even with the training and structure, evangelism can be a daunting task for newcomers.
“If you talk to a lot of us, most of us were afraid to do it,” Parrish said.
Shirley Bard, a Jehovah’s Witness since 1974, recalled her early experiences of going door to door with another woman. Bard would resolve to speak, but once she rang the doorbell she’d change her mind and make her partner talk.
“I would back out every time because I was afraid,” Bard said.
Bard said her partner eventually started waiting in the car while Bard approached each house alone.
“Once I did it, I was OK, but the initial visit was hard at first,” she said.
During the recent meeting, members were asked to share their experiences of inviting people to the convention.
“We just went berserk the first week, so we’re sort of paying the price this week, … We’re suffering, but it’s a good suffering,” member Ernestine Howard told the group.
Most members’ stories focused on positive interactions with the people they had met, but not every story was uplifting.
“We didn’t get everybody to listen,” one woman said.
But the woman, along with Parrish, said they expect to encounter some rejection because the Bible predicts this.
“Jesus was the greatest teacher who ever lived, but there were no mass conversions,” Parrish said.
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Uzbekistan has deported a second Jehovah’s Witness, a month after deporting a Russian lawyer intending to defend his fellow-believers, Forum 18 News Service has learnt. Yevgeny Li’s home is in the Uzbek capital Tashkent, but he was deported to Kazakhstan although he is Ukranian. Also, Jamshed Fazylov, an Uzbek lawyer intending to defend Jehovah’s Witnesses in southern Uzbekistan was himself detained in a cell for 24 hours for “vagrancy”. “What happened to Li sets a very dangerous precedent,” a Jehovah’s Witness told Forum 18. “The authorities could launch a mass deportation of our fellow-believers.” The use of deportation to rid the country of religious believers the state does not like seems to be growing. Other faiths are facing growing repression, Protestant sources telling Forum 18 that twelve churches have been stripped of registration, thus banning them from conducting any religious activity. Also, the authorities are attempting to stop Muslim schoolchildren from attending mosques.
One month after the deportation of a Russian lawyer, who had arrived in the country to defend his fellow Jehovah’s Witnesses in numerous prosecutions that followed coordinated police raids, the Uzbek authorities have deported a second Jehovah’s Witness, a Ukrainian citizen. On 29 May, Yevgeny Li, who holds a temporary residence permit in the capital Tashkent and owns an apartment there, was deported from Uzbekistan over the border to Kazakhstan, Jehovah’s Witness spokesperson Sergei Artyushkov complained to Forum 18 News Service from Tashkent on 22 June.
He also told Forum 18 that Jamshed Fazylov, an Uzbek lawyer the Jehovah’s Witnesses then sent to the southern town of Karshi [Qarshi] to defend those facing prosecution, was himself detained in a cell for 24 hours. “Clearly the authorities are doing everything they can to prevent believers under persecution in Karshi from having defence lawyers,” Artyushkov told Forum 18.
Li’s home was in Tashkent and his elderly parents and wife – who are Uzbek citizens – remain in the capital. Artyushkov said there are several other Jehovah’s Witnesses with foreign passports for whom Uzbekistan is their permanent place of residence. “What happened to Li sets a very dangerous precedent,” he told Forum 18. “The authorities could launch a mass deportation of our fellow-believers.”
The use of deportation to rid the country of religious believers the government does not like appears to be growing. Deported from Uzbekistan in late April were three Protestants, all Turkmen citizens, present when police raided the home of Protestant pastor Sergey Lunkin in Urgench [Urganch] in the Khorezm region of north-western Uzbekistan on 24 April. On being deported back to Turkmenistan, the three were reportedly given black stamps in their passports prohibiting them from re-entering Uzbekistan (see F18News 5 May 2006 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=774).
The renewed pressure on Jehovah’s Witnesses comes at a time when other faiths too are facing growing repression. Protestant sources told Forum 18 that twelve Protestant churches have been stripped of their registration this year. This means that under Uzbekistan’s harsh religion law – which breaks the country’s international human rights commitments – they are no longer allowed to conduct any religious activity at all.
The pastor of the officially registered Full Gospel Church in Andijan, Dmitry Shestakov (known as David), faces between ten and twenty years in prison if found guilty of treason charges apparently lodged against him by investigator Kamolitdin Zulfiev of the Andijan [Andijon] regional Prosecutor’s Office under Article 157 of the Criminal Code. If convicted, this would represent a sharp escalation of punishment for religious believers simply for practising their faith (see F18News 20 June 2006 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=803).
Sources in Tashkent have told Forum 18 that authorities have also stepped up pressure on Muslims. Regional leaders have appeared on local television channels announcing that schoolchildren may not attend mosques. Instances have been recorded in Bukhara [Bukhoro], in western Uzbekistan, where police have not allowed schoolchildren into the mosque.
However, the head of the government’s Religious Affairs Committee, Shoazim Minovarov, denies absolutely that the authorities’ religious policy has become harsher, despite such increased pressure on Jehovah’s Witnesses, Protestants and Muslims. “Our policy remains the same,” he insisted to Forum 18 from Tashkent on 20 June. “The fact that Protestants and Jehovah’s Witnesses have stepped up their propaganda about their beliefs among the Uzbek population is a separate issue. Uzbek law forbids proselytism and we have to take measures against it.”
At the beginning of 2006, a massive rise in fines for unregistered religious activity has also recently been brought in, with increases in fines from 5 to 10 times the minimum wage to 50 to 100 times the minimum wage (see F18News 27 January 2006 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=720). Against international human rights standards, unregistered religious activity is illegal.
Yevgeny Li was among many Jehovah’s Witnesses prosecuted under the Code of Administrative Offences in the wake of coordinated police raids on 12 April, when police detained more than 500 local Jehovah’s Witnesses who were commemorating the death of Jesus in meetings across Uzbekistan. Some were badly beaten by the police, including Bahrom Pulatov from Karshi, who was hospitalised with severe concussion and suffering from a brain haemorrhage. The Jehovah’s Witnesses were held under arrest for several days for taking part in “an illegal religious gathering” (see F18News 19 April 2006 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=763).
In the wake of the prosecutions, Russian citizen Kirill Kulikov came to Uzbekistan to represent Jehovah’s Witnesses in Karshi who were facing trial. However, on 26 April he was detained at Tashkent airport, denied entry and deported (see F18News 9 May 2006 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=775).
The Jehovah’s Witnesses then sent Jamshed Fazylov, a lawyer with Uzbek citizenship, to Karshi. However, on 22 May he was sent straight from court, where he was defending his fellow believers, to a cell where he spent more than 24 hours for “vagrancy”. Fazylov had with him a photocopy of his passport as the original was with the authorities in Tashkent for updating.
Artyushkov reports that the prosecutor’s office in Karshi is bringing a criminal case against a group of Jehovah’s Witnesses who had gathered for the commemoration. Bahrom Pulatov and Feruz Mamatotov, who faced a criminal prosecution last year, are among the accused. However, the investigation into Pulatov’s beating is at a standstill despite an appeal to Uzbekistan’s General Prosecutor.
A total of 28 Jehovah’s Witnesses have already been prosecuted in 14 separate cases over the 12 April commemorations in various parts of Uzbekistan. Fines imposed so far total more than 3,000 US Dollars [3,687,400 Uzbek Soms, 19,000 Norwegian Kroner, or 2,400 Euros]. In the north-western town of Nukus, Nurlan Ayatov was sentenced on 27 April to 10 days in prison for holding an “unlawful religious meeting” (see F18News 5 May 2006 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=774).
Nor has there been any progress on the Tashkent Jehovah’s Witness community’s long-blocked application for legal status. “Documentation for the registration of Tashkent’s Jehovah’s Witness community has been sent back by the justice ministry eight times this month,” Artyushkov complained to Forum 18. “It’s obvious that our situation is getting worse.”
But as in the past, Minovarov of the government’s Religious Affairs Committee puts the blame on the Jehovah’s Witnesses. “Once again, they have not been able to fill in the necessary documents correctly,” he told Forum 18.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses have been allowed to register only two religious communities in Uzbekistan, and the registration of one of those – the community in Fergana [Farghona] – is under threat.
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Jehovah’s Witnesses to meet at Colonial
South Carolina Jehovah’s Witnesses will gather this week and next for two three-day conventions at the Colonial Center in downtown Columbia.
The “Deliverance at Hand!” meeting is one of 266 gatherings in the U.S. that will be held from May through September.
The public is invited to the meetings, set for today throughSunday and June 30-July 2, which will include biblically based programs to help the family, Bible prophesy and worship.
There are up to 15,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses in South Carolina, according to Patrick J. McIntyre, a spokesman for the Witnesses. He said about 8,000 are expected to attend each weekend convention.
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NEW MILFORD-Although they trace their roots to the late 19th century in Western Pennsylvania, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, who take their cue from the biblical verse in the Book of Acts that says, “You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house,” have been conducting door-to-door visits in New Milford as a prelude to the district’s annual convention that begins today in Newburgh, N.Y.
The convention continues through Sunday, and in anticpation of it the Jehovah’s Witnesses had sent out a press release announcing the intention of reaching out to every resident of New Milford.
“There’s air conditioning, nice comfortable chairs and cafeteria facilities,” said New Milford resident Mark Voglewede, describing elements of the denomination’s new assembly hall in Newburgh. “It’s a beautiful facility. Weather isn’t a problem.”
Mr. Voglewede, who began ministering for Jehovah’s Witnesses as a child, said 2,000 to 3,000 persons are expected to attend the event.
“Some are from the area. They’ll be different states assigned to this convention,” he said, referring to the speakers. “They are very qualified speakers from within those states,” he said, referring to members of the denomination who will speak.
“Basically what takes place is a series of talks that are designed to encourage us, using scriptures from the Bible, and to help us recognize that deliverance is near, which is the theme of the convention,” Mr. Voglewede said.
“To be a Witness you must be a preacher,” said a spokesperson for the religious denomination, speaking from the group’s global headquarters in Brooklyn, N.Y., who asked that his remarks be attributed to JR Brown. “Our ministry is so well known. It’s what defines Jehovah’s Witnesses,” he said, referring to the printed booklets the groups, whose legal entity is the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, distribute.
Several congregations make up a circuit, and two circuits complete a district. There are two congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses, whose membership numbers 6.7 million worldwide, in New Milford, and they began distributing invitations to the Newburgh event June 2.
“We do make an effort to reach everyone. The challenge that we face today is that people are so busy with life. They have less time to give to a day-to-day sermon,” Mr. Brown said. “There’s no dress code,” he said, with regard to the conservative manner in which Jehovah’s Witnesses seem to dress. “You would typically see someone in a shirt and tie. It varies as often as someone’s personality.”
“That’s encouraged,” affirmed Mr. Volgewede, who tries to devote two to three hours a week to ministering, of the Jehovah’s Witnesses conservative dress. “Let’s say, you were going to go to a wedding. There’s a certain dignity to the occasion. Since we’re respecting God, men wear a shirt, tie and slacks, and women will wear a nice dress.”
“I was probably about 5 or 6 years old when I started in the ministry,” said Mr. Volgewede, who observed he grew up near Zanesville, Ohio.
He said he was living in Georgia when he met Lucia, who would become his wife. “Her sister had lived in the area. We decided to relocate to this community,” he said, referring to New Milford. “We’ve been here for about 13 years now.” Mr. Vogelwede’s congregation ministers to northern New Milford, Kent, Washington and Warren.
“A lot of people may not be at home,” he said, concerning the reception that the Witnesses get when they appear at doorways. “Most people listen to what we have to say. They’ll allow us to read from the Bible. Some would just rather not talk to us. Of course, we respect that.”
“In this area, I would say that maybe 25 percent won’t speak to us at all. Another 50 percent will listen to us but not do anything about it. Twenty-five percent want to pursue it,” he said, referring to Bible studies with the Jehovah’s Witnesses, whose denomination acknowledges salvation for some, but believes that others, as Mr. Vogelwede put it, “lose consciousness and return to dust.”
“In the more affluent areas, they may be satisfied with their life,” he said, when pressed further on the reception the Witnesses get, and why. “Perhaps they’re not as directly impacted by things as those that are struggling to make a living. They may be content with how their life is. …”
Against the backdrop of a society in which religion has become more prominent both culturally and politically, Mr. Volgewede said in some ways the Witnesses’ Bible-based ministering has become more difficult. “They see some of the hypocrisy in religion today. That turns them off.”
On the other hand, Mr. Volgewede said others find the world tumbling from one problem to the next.
“Those types of individuals who are searching for the truth are most interested,” he said.
The annual convention, whose theme is “Deliverance at Hand,” will extend across 155 countries, with more than 260 district conventions taking place in the United States. The ministry has roughly one million members in this country, the spokesperson in New York said.
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Witnesses building many Kingdom Halls
Jehovah’s Witnesses are perhaps best known as the people who show up at your door to talk about the Bible. But in many parts of the world they are also known for something else: their ability to construct Kingdom Halls, as their places of worship are known, in a very short space of time.
The Kingdom Hall in Orangeville, located on Blind Line, was erected – and essentially completed – in the space of one weekend in October 1993.
This past week, local congregations of Witnesses learned more about a remarkable project undertaken by the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Brooklyn, New York. The program is designed to provide modern, functional Kingdom Halls to congregations of Witnesses in developing countries, where local congregations would never have the means to construct a building on their own.
Visiting minister David Clark explained that, since the 1990′s, growth among the Witnesses in developing countries has been an astonishing 83%. Yet many congregations in these countries lack a suitable meeting place for their congregation meetings.
With the fall of the Soviet Union, the Witnesses are now able to build places of worship in 20 additional countries, places where their work was previously banned. Local congregations this week viewed a special DVD presentation, presented by Mr. Clark, to explain how this extraordinary building program was conceived and implemented.
To meet the need, Witnesses in Canada, the United States and Western Europe have been contributing to a special fund to supply adequate meeting places for those interested in Bible education. Five regions of need were pinpointed: the Mexico branch of Jehovah’s Witnesses cares for Central America and the Caribbean, Brazil looks after South America, Germany oversees the program for Eastern Europe and Russia, South Africa for the African continent, and Australia for the Pacific islands and Asia. In all, 60 branch offices of the Witnesses are involved, affecting construction projects in 100 different countries.
Beginning in 1999, specialized construction teams were set up in these different parts of the world. The emphasis was on simplified design and construction methods, with a view to building as many meeting halls as possible in a short space of time.
Several designs were made available, but emphasis was placed on using local materials, so that there was no need to import expensive materials from abroad.
Project overseers from developed countries traveled to the various construction locations, providing skills and tools, and staying with the local congregation until the hall was completed. The actual building was done by Witness volunteers, as was the case with the Kingdom Hall in Orangeville. Training in construction
skills was provided by the project overseers, with the local Witnesses being joined by volunteer workers from North America and Europe.
The video presentation showed how one Witness congregation in Zambia (in southern Africa) mixed, molded and baked over 35,000 bricks, all made by hand, to construct their new Kingdom Hall.
Men, women and children in the congregation gathered sand, broke the stone needed to make concrete, and formed the bricks. The colour of the Kingdom Hall was determined by the colour of the local soil!
At another construction site on Lake Malawi, materials were brought in by boat, and carried by hand to the hilltop location of the new Kingdom Hall. Over 12 tonnes of building materials were moved 1,000 feet up the mountain to the building site.
The average completion time for the new meeting halls was from six to eight weeks.
In the video, Witnesses who have benefited from this program expressed their appreciation through translators for the generosity and kindness of their fellow Christians in other lands. Whereas previously they had met in shabby rented facilities, they were now delighted to have a spacious, dignified building of their own to serve as a centre for Bible education.
The video showed local Witnesses a series of “Before and After” shots from such far-flung places as the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ghana, Honduras, Kenya, Madagascar, Samoa, Sri Lanka and
the Ukraine. The “Before” pictures showed various buildings where congregations had been obliged to meet in previous years, with the “After” shots showing modern, well-equipped Kingdom Halls constructed in all these places, complete with plumbing, heating, a sound system, and even landscaping.
Witnesses from the former Soviet Union, who had previously met in forests and along river banks to avoid the authorities, were particularly delighted to have a place of worship they could call their own.
The video concluded with a remarkable statistic: since the program’s inception in 1999, a total of 11,560 Kingdom Halls have been constructed in developing countries, all by volunteer labour. This works out to an average of 40 per week.
It is estimated that 13,450 are still needed, due to the growth among the Witnesses in these lands.
The three Orangeville congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses will be attending their annual District Convention at Kitchener Memorial Auditorium from June 23 to 25. It is estimated that 5,000 Witnesses from this part of Ontario will attend.
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Asistencia Medica Transcultural en el Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires
Destinada a valorar y respetar las diferentes necesidades de diferentes culturas.
BUENOS AIRES.-Desde el año 2000 el Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires está desarrollando e implementando un Programa de Asistencia Médica Transcultural, destinado a mejorar la calidad de asistencia médica de aquellas personas que poseen culturas diferentes. Inicialmente dirigido a pacientes de origen oriental, hoy con la experiencia incorporada, incursiona exitosamente con pacientes pertenecientes a la comunidad Testigos de Jehová.
Iniciado a partir de percibir necesidades diferentes en la población de pacientes, particularmente la asiática afiliada al Plan de Salud del Hospital Italiano, consideró a posteriori las necesidades de los pacientes Testigos de Jehová como un paso más en este camino de aprendizaje organizacional.
Los objetivos principales son lograr la integración, valorar y respetar las diferencias culturales, aumentar la equidad, reducir la barrera cultural y mejorar la comunicación intercultural. Para su implementación se han introducido cambios institucionales y promovido cambio en las actitudes y comportamientos profesionales, destinados a una atención culturalmente sensible y competente, que se traducen en la utilización de herramientas informáticas, formación e incorporación de facilitadores culturales bilingües en salud, líneas telefónicas directas, entre otras.
Los “Facilitadores culturales bilingües en salud” son personas formadas específicamente para promover la comunicación intercultural, encargados a diario de reducir la barrera idiomática facilitando la relación médico-paciente.
Diversos índices muestran el interés y utilización de este Programa de Asistencia Médica Transcultural que, con el transcurrir del tiempo va conformando en el Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires una cultura organizacional donde se privilegia el derecho y el respeto por las diferencias culturales.
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