Jehovah’s Witnesses meeting in person again

Members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Shawano County, as well as around the world, now have an opportunity to meet in person.

For the first time in two years, Jehovah’s Witnesses are meeting in person. These meetings were suspended as the COVID-19 pandemic ramped up in early 2020. Open meetings started again on April 1.

“The reaction of our congregates has been jubilation,” said Jehovah’s Witnesses spokesman Aaron Purvis. “We have had a strong desire to be back together. There have been so many things that we have missed.”

Purvis said that people of all demographics have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The pandemic has affected the young and old, the rich and poor, people of different education levels and people of different races,” said Purvis. “There have been a lot of things that we have missed out on, where people may need support, like a death of a family member.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic started, Purvis walked through the decision to suspend in-person meetings.

“It all has to do with safety,” said Purvis. “When we first went into a lockdown, where we suspended our in-person meetings and our in-person ministries, it was actually March 20 of 2020. There were just so many unknowns. It was too dangerous. We based that decision of safety on love. It is really just a simple principle that people follow in the bible.”

Purvis said that the Jehovah’s Witnesses wanted to respect everyone’s gift of life.

“We thought at that time, that that was the safest thing to do,” said Purvis. “We can honestly say it did work. We can honestly say that not one person caught COVID-19 from our meetings or ministries.”

He then explained why April 1 was the right date to start meeting in person again.

“The reason why it is changed now, is just simply because we have better understanding of COVID-19 — we figure it is safe now,” said Purvis.

He said that the Jehovah’s Witnesses were planning to get back in person last year, but was halted due to variants of COVID-19, including delta and omicron.

As the pandemic continued, Purvis said that the Jehovah’s Witnesses in 239 countries were able to stay united.

“We have the same guidelines, which are the Scriptures,” said Purvis. “When everyone has the same guidelines, they can stay on the same page a lot easier. Many may have handled the pandemic differently, but as a group, many put their needs and wants aside and looked at what was the best for the entire group.”

Purvis said that even though many people were affected negatively during the COVID-19 pandemic, there were some silver linings.

“We did get a better use and understanding of technology,” said Purvis. “In the United States branch, we have 1.3 million Jehovah’s Witnesses, but our two meetings that we hold during the week, we have 1.5 million people who attend. The use of technology gave some the opportunity to attend our meetings, without being uncomfortable in person.”

He believes that Jehovah’s Witnesses will continue to use technology in their programs.

“Moving forward, we will have a hybrid meeting, where people can come in person if they feel comfortable, while keeping Zoom going,” said Purvis. “For those who can’t make our meetings, this will give them the opportunity to attend.”

Purvis reiterated that getting back to in-person meetings is important for Jehovah’s Witnesses, because of being able to congregate with their friends and family.

“Young people have not been able to be with their friends, the way that they want to be,” said Purvis. “For older people, it has been very challenging. One of the big features at our meetings is singing. Everyone has been singing alone in their home. God gave us arms for a reason; there is now a chance where people can just hug each other again. That human interaction is important.”

He said that getting back to in-person meetings will help to invigorate everyone.

“I think everyone is just ready to be back together,” said Purvis. “It will give them a breathe of fresh air. It is one that they need. Technology served its purpose, but it is not a replacement for human contact.”

Purvis said that, eventually, Jehovah’s Witness members will go back to knocking on doors.

“The reason that it is not happening immediately, is because coming to our meetings is really about choice,” said Purvis. “When we go and knock on people’s doors, we take that choice away. We feel at this time, it is just not the right time. Some may feel uncomfortable.”

Purvis said that if people wanted to learn more about Jehovah’s Witnesses, they can visit jw.org.

“Anyone can download anything that they want free of charge,” said Purvis. “On the website, we have Bible literature in 1,053 languages. There are also things for teenagers, children and families as a whole. If someone is interested in attending meetings or special events, there is a spot on the website where people can find the closest kingdom hall.”

lreimer@newmedia-wi.com