JW district convention in Florida usa
Jehovah's Witness Convention is Important to the Local Economy
The Jehovah's Witness Convention will generate over 2 million dollars into the local economy. The three day long convention takes place twice during the summer in the University of Florida's O'Connell Center. Director of Sales Nancy Fischer at the ...- AM850.com (radio station)
Heavy traffic is likely as Witnesses hit town
Gainesville typically becomes a ghost town on Memorial Day weekend, but a Jehovah's Witnesses district convention starting today will draw about 8,000 visitors to the area. The district convention is being held for the second year in a row at the O ...- Gainesville Sun
The district convention is being held for the second year in a row at the O'Connell Center on the University of Florida campus and is entitled: "Deliverance at Hand!"
Delegates from North Central Florida, Jacksonville and parts of South Georgia will spend the weekend reflecting on "God's promised deliverance from this wicked system," according to pamphlets advertising the convention.
Witnesses believe that current events are a sign indicating that a "day of reckoning," or Armageddon, will bring an end to all "wickedness, crime and oppression," according to pamphlets advertising the convention.
Tony Fowler, an elder at the Micanopy Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, said the convention gives believers and others an opportunity to explore and reflect on the Bible's teachings.
"Our main message is that we want people to take time to take the knowledge of the Bible and apply it in their lives," Fowler said. "Then they'll have happier family lives, and happier lives in general, and the hope of everlasting life."
The three-day convention is considered a boon for the local economy, which normally sees a dip as college students and many residents make an out-of-town exodus for the holiday weekend, said Roland Loog, director of the Alachua County Visitors and Convention Bureau. Earlier this week, about 1,700 of the county's 4,500 hotel and motel rooms were booked by people attending the convention, Loog said.
"For us, it's a great reversal to turn a slow time into a busy time," Loog said. "They're not afraid to pick holiday dates, which are usually dead times around here. We're very pleased about it."
This is the second consecutive year the convention has been held in Gainesville .
Another convention is scheduled for June 30 to July 2. Both weekends are expected to pump roughly $2.1 million into the local economy, Loog said.
With the influx of visitors attending the convention today, traffic is expected to be worse between 8:30 a.m. and noon, organizers said. Fowler suggested that motorists try to avoid W. University Avenue near the UF campus - especially between SW 13th Street and SW 34th Street.
The convention is one of 266 gatherings in 73 cities throughout the United States, all of which are open to the public, according to organizers.
Fowler said Gainesville 's central location for delegates and the O'Connell Center's spacious facilities led organizers to host the convention here.
Starting today at 9:30 a.m., the convention will kickoff with Bible's Scriptures study and a keynote address on "everlasting deliverance."
On Saturday, there will be additional sessions related to the theme, followed by the ordination of new members.
The convention will culminate Sunday with the theme, "Know That the Kingdom of God Is Near," and a costumed drama stressing loyalty to God. Deborah Ball can be reached at (352) 338-3109 or [email protected] ------- Danny's footnote:to quote Gary Buss "the Watchtower is a convention sponsoring company" (just like rock concerts) http://www.gainesvilleforum.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=888 Danny has a thread up at the above online newspaper's forum register and add your post
