Convention a time for contemplation

By Sharon Kemp
Updated November 7 2012 - 6:09am, first published September 18 2011 - 11:40am
Ceremony: Steve Austin from Seymour is baptised by Steve Marshall. Picture: Brendan McCarthy
Ceremony: Steve Austin from Seymour is baptised by Steve Marshall. Picture: Brendan McCarthy

The District Convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses convened in Bendigo at the weekend for contemplation on the theme of Let God’s Kingdom Come.Come they did: more than 3200 people attended the Bendigo convention at Bendigo Stadium.It was one of 24 Jehovah’s Witness conventions held in 12 Australian cities during August and September which more than 80,000 people attended.Bendigo’s event attracted people from Albury-Wodonga, Ballarat, Portland, Shepparton and Swan Hill.After a weekend of activities including symposia, experiences, demonstrations, song, prayers and baptisms, worshippers in Bendigo finished with a dramatisation based on the messages in Genesis about Joseph, a son of the patriarch Jacob.Convention spokesman David Ray said actors were in full costume. Mr Ray said the message was aimed at young people and how they could stand up to ridicule and resist peer pressure.“As Jehovah’s Witnesses, we try and follow what the bible says we should do,” he said.“There are moral standards which guide us. But we are all subject to pressure generally. A lot of pressure comes from life in general.”Mr Ray said the annual convention was held in Bendigo because residents were welcoming and accommodated the large number of convention goers even when it meant booking out venues.“Obviously, they wouldn’t come to Bendigo unless they felt comfortable here,” he said.

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