The locations and months for the seven 2018 Special Conventions (AKA International Conventions) have been announced.
www.jw2018.org
Of course they wouldn't be special without a logo - see bottom of post......
Locations
Georgia - Tbilisi - July 2018
Norway - Oslo - July 2018
Papua New Guinea - Port Moresby - July 2018
Sri Lanka - Colombo - July 2018
Ukraine - Lviv - July 2018
Mozambique - Maputo - September 2018
Peru - Lima - November 2018
Basic Eligibility Requirements
+ You
attend a congregation that has been invited by the local branch office.
Or, someone in an eligible congregation has invited you to join their
travel group. Your congregation secretary can provide further details on
these arrangements.
+ You are exemplary in every respect, including dress and grooming.
+ You
are able to travel without the physical assistance of others. Standing
and walking for long periods of time should not pose a health risk.
+ You can stay in one of the designated hotels for a minimum of seven nights.
All applicants should meet one of the following requirements, as of January 1, 2018
+ 19 years of age or older and serve as elders, as ministerial servants, or in some form of full-time service.
+ Baptized for 20 years or longer. The baptized mates of such ones may apply as well.
+ Baptized
and unbaptized minor children between the ages of 12 and 19 years and
are still living at home may accompany their baptized parent(s).
+ Baptized adult children still living at home may accompany their baptized parent(s).
Submitting Your Application
+ If more than one member of a family is applying, a separate application is needed for each person in the family.
+ Applications
should be submitted to the secretary and you will receive an e-mail
message when they have been entered into jw-org asking you to verify the
submitted e-mail address.
+ Please submit your application by the due date announced to your congregation.
+ It
is not necessary to contact the branch office to determine if you have
been selected. If selected to attend you will be notified via e-mail,
and more information related to the specific convention for which you
have been approved will be provided, including the specific dates. If
you have a question about your status, ask your congregation secretary.
If he informs you that your “Status Summary” on jw-org indicates
“Applied,” you have not yet been selected.
Travel Groups
+ Effort
will be made to accommodate the requests of those who wish to attend
the same convention with family members or friends. However, the size of
the group will be limited to no more than eight persons. One member of
the group should be designated to serve as the group contact before
applications are submitted. Generally, a brother will serve as the
contact. However, if a group is comprised of sisters only, one of them
may act as the group contact. To be linked together, each applicant must
use the same travel group identification.
+ To obtain a group ID,
the group contact should request one from the congregation secretary as
soon as possible. He must provide his e-mail address to the secretary in
order to receive a group ID. The secretary will obtain a unique number
from jw-org and provide it to the group contact. The group contact must
provide the group ID to the other members in his group for them to
include on their respective applications. Using the same number will be
the only way to link applicants wishing to travel together. This
includes friends as well as all family members (even a marriage mate and
others in the same household). Also, all members in a group must stay
in the same hotel and have the same preferences for activities.
Convention Arrangements
+ You
will benefit, not only from the spiritual association during the
three-day convention, but also by spending three additional days with
the local brothers either before or after the convention so that there
may be “an interchange of encouragement by one another’s faith.” (Rom
1:12) Therefore, you will spend at least seven nights in the convention
city.
+ The host branch office will provide you an Approved Hotel
List at the time of your selection. You will be required to make your
own reservation directly with one of the hotels listed on the jw2018.org
website
+ The host branch office will create an itinerary for your
group based on your activity preferences. This will include field
service, attending a gathering with local brothers and possibly visiting
places of local interest.
+ Travel agencies can be used for auxiliary tours before or after the seven days spent in the convention city.
+ No plans should be made until you have been selected as a delegate.
Reminders
+ Airfare, hotel stays, meals, and other costs can be expensive. Heed Jesus’ advice at Luke 14:28 to “calculate the expense.”
+ Please make sure all in your group have up to date passports and understand any specific travel requirements before you travel.
+ Only
individuals who are selected by the branch office as delegates should
plan to attend one of the special conventions. Problems arise when
individuals who are not delegates attend these events due to the limited
amount of space at each convention location.
+ Applications should be submitted by the date specified by the congregation secretary.
+ You
may invite someone from within your own branch territory to join your
travel group if they attend a congregation that is not invited and they
meet the requirements mentioned above.
+ Single persons may apply if
they either have prearranged a roommate of the same gender or agree to
pay the single-supplement price for a single occupancy hotel room.
+ Individuals who are engaged and will be married before the convention can apply as a group, similar to a married couple.
