Hanover residents among those restarting 100-year-old tradition

After a three-year pandemic pause, one of the largest convention organizations in the world has once again chosen Richmond to host its global three-day event, the 2023 “Exercise Patience”! Convention.

Since 1923, summers in Richmond were marked by Jehovah’s Witnesses filling hotels and restaurants as they attended their annual conventions. In 2020, the pandemic interrupted that tradition when the Witnesses canceled their in-person events throughout the world and held their convention programs as virtual events in more than 500 languages.

The Christian organization restarted their 100-year-old tradition of in-person gatherings in Richmond on June 2, 2023, with the first of 13 conventions that will be held Friday through Sunday throughout the summer. Thousands from Hanover County and throughout Virginia are expected to attend the convention series at the Richmond Assembly Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

“Being able to meet online was very important. It allowed us to continue doing something we love to do, attend our conventions,” said Fred Gaskins, spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “Being in person, however, allows us to greet and hug one another, something that cannot be duplicated any other way. Getting back to our large gatherings allows us to enjoy a special bond with our God, Jehovah, and share that with the public.”

Some 6,000 conventions will be

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Send letters to: The Mechanicsville-Ashland Local 8460 Times-Dispatch Blvd. Mechanicsville, Va. 23116 Fax: (804) 344-8746 E-mail: editor@mechlocal.com held worldwide as part of the 2023 “Exercise Patience”! Convention series. In the United States alone, more than 700 conventions will be held in 144 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 prerecorded drama will be featured in two parts during the Saturday and Sunday afternoon sessions.

“Patience is important to us since there is so much going on in the world today that requires it,” said Gaskins. “Patience is something none of us have mastered, but we are taught how to put this quality into practice. This convention theme helps us to see how and why we can develop the patience we need during these trying times.”

Jehovah’s Witnesses have been holding public conventions in stadiums, arenas, convention centers and theaters around the world for more than 100 years. After resuming smaller in-person meetings and their public ministry during 2022, the summer of 2023 marks the first time they will gather at much larger regional events around the world since the lifting of pandemic restrictions. The convention is open to the public, and no collection is taken. For more information on the program or to find other convention locations and dates, please go to jw.org.

—Submitted by William Jackson Davis, Jr.

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