BY STEVE EPHRAEM
PERSONS of Concern (who include refugees and asylum seekers) are set to benefit from an in-person Regional Convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW) that shall take place this week at Tongogara Refugee Camp in Chipinge.
The event is part of a global three-day Bible-based program being held in 2023 under the theme “Exercise Patience!” The Tongogara program shall take place from Friday 8 to Sunday 10 September this year at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the camp. It shall be held in Swahili language.
Chipinge held two other Conventions, one at Checheche in August and the other in Chipinge town last week. The Checheche Convention had a peak attendance of 1,200 delegates as that in Chipinge town had 864 delegates.
JW Regional Conventions had paused for the past three year due to the global pandemic of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID 19) as Witnesses held their convention programs as virtual events in more than 500 languages.
“As much as we loved the convenience and quality of our virtual conventions, nothing can replace being together in a large group setting,” said Titus Nyamupinga, Manicaland and Masvingo Regional spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses.
“While our online conventions reached millions around the world and kept our communities safe, we long to get back to our joyful fellowship at these large gatherings.”
Some 6,000 conventions will be held worldwide as part of the 2023 “Exercise Patience!” convention series. In the Zimbabwe alone, more than 60 conventions will be held in many host cities.
From Friday through Sunday, six convention sessions will explore the quality of patience, highlighting its modern-day relevance through Scriptural examples. A live baptism will be performed following the Saturday morning session and a pre-recorded drama will be featured in two parts during the Saturday and Sunday afternoon sessions.
“Patience is a beautiful quality that all Christians desire to display in their daily lives. Despite our good intentions, however, maintaining patience in the face of life’s many challenges can be a daily struggle. Spending three days exploring aspects of this quality will be very timely for all of us,” added Nyamupinga.
The Convention is open to the public and no collection is taken. More information on the program or other convention locations and dates can be found on Jehovah’s Witnesses’ official website named jw.org.