Jehovah’s Witness Convention Returning to St. George
Dixie Convention Center to Host the First Large Convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses Since 2019
ST. GEORGE, Utah – After a three-year pandemic pause, one of the largest Jehovah’s Witness conventions in the world has once again chosen St. George to host its global three-day event, the 2023 “Exercise Patience”! Convention.
Prior to 2019, summers in St. George were marked by Jehovah’s Witnesses filling hotels and restaurants as they attended their annual conventions at the Burns Arena. In 2020, the pandemic interrupted that tradition in St. George when the Witnesses canceled their in-person events throughout the world and held their convention programs as virtual events in more than 500 languages. Beginning July 21, 2023, the Witnesses will bring that tradition back to St. George.
“The virtual format allowed us to produce an extremely high-quality program that could be enjoyed from the safety and comfort of one’s home,” explained Michael Overholt, spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses.
That said, “The hugs, handshakes and smiles that we missed at our virtual conventions will definitely be a highlight as we gather again for the first time after several years.”
Some 6,000 conventions will be held worldwide as part of the 2023 “Exercise Patience”! Convention series. In the United States alone, 708 Jehovah’s Witness conventions will be held in 35 different languages 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.
“The Bible links patience with joy,” says Overholt. “If we lose patience, we lose joy. To maintain joy, we must exercise patience.”
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 and navigate to the “About Us” tab.
