Thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses expected at 3-day conferences in Cedar Park

Claire Osborn, Austin American-Statesman
·2 min read

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the Jehovah's Witnesses will resume hosting their summer conventions in the Austin area, with two at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park. The first one in English will be from Friday through Sunday. The second, which will be in Spanish, will be July 7-9. Both are free and open to the public. The program starts around 9 a.m. and ends before 5 p.m. each day. The denomination was founded in the late 19th century and bases its beliefs on the Bible. Here is what you need to know about the conferences:

Why are the Jehovah's Witnesses holding conventions in Cedar Park?

The denomination picked the H-E-B Center at 2100 Avenue of the Stars for the first time because it needed a larger venue, said spokesman Noe Moreno. In 2019, the convention was at the Palmer Events Center in Austin, but it was too small, he said. Other congregations have been meeting at the Belton Exposition Center, which also will be hosting the event this year. The conventions in Cedar Park are two of 708 conventions in the United States this summer in 144 cities and 35 languages, Moreno said.

The Jehovah's Witnesses will hold 708 conventions in the United States this summer in 144 cities, a spokesman said.
The Jehovah's Witnesses will hold 708 conventions in the United States this summer in 144 cities, a spokesman said.

How many people are expected to attend the conventions?

There are 6,000 people expected at each convention from congregations ranging from Kyle to Georgetown, Moreno said. There are an estimated 90,145 members in Texas and 1.2 million members in the United States. Worldwide, the denomination has an estimated 8.7 million members.

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What will happen during the conventions?

The theme this year is "Exercise Patience." There will be talks based on the Bible about how to exercise patience, and there will also be singing, baptisms and a movie.

What are some of the beliefs of the Jehovah's Witnesses?

Members worship one God whose name is Jehovah and believe Jesus is the son of God. "They view first-century Christianity as detailed in the Greek scriptures (New Testament) as their model and believe that living by Bible principles draws a person closer to God, promotes strong family ties, and develops productive and honest citizens", said Moreno. Other beliefs include that 144,000 people, chosen by a Holy Spirit, will go to heaven and the rest of the believers will be resurrected on Earth. They do not believe in blood transfusions or military service.

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Will Jehovah's Witnesses be doing their door-to-door ministry in Cedar Park during the convention?

They will not be knocking on people's doors because the focus will be on receiving instruction, Moreno said. Members often do visit people's homes "in keeping with the Bible commandment of going and preaching the good news of the kingdom," he said.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Jehovah's Witnesses set for conferences at H-E-B Center in Cedar Park