AFTER a three-year pandemic pause, one of the largest convention organisations in the world has once again chosen the Leonora Track and Field Stadium to host its global three-day event – the 2023 “Exercise Patience”! Convention.

Prior to 2019, Jehovah’s Witnesses marked June through August thronging to venues to attend their annual convention.

In 2020, the pandemic interrupted that tradition when the Witnesses cancelled their in-person events throughout the world and held their convention programmes as virtual events in over 500 languages. On July 7, 2023, the Witnesses will bring that tradition back to Leonora Stadium.

“As much as we loved the convenience and quality of our virtual conventions, nothing can replace being together in a large group setting,” said Andre Darrell, spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “While our online conventions reached millions around the world and kept our communities safe, we long to get back to our joyful fellowship at these large gatherings,” the Witnesses said in a statement.

Some 6,000 conventions will be held worldwide as part of the 2023 “Exercise Patience”! Convention series. Beginning on July 7, 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.

“Patience is a beautiful quality that all Christians desire to display in their daily lives,” says Darrell. “Despite our good intentions, however, maintaining patience in the face of life’s many challenges can be a daily struggle. Spending three days exploring aspects of this quality will be very timely for all of us,” the statement said.

Jehovah’s Witnesses have been holding public conventions in stadiums, arenas, convention centres, 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 programme or to find other convention locations and dates, please go to jw.org and navigate to the “About Us” tab, or contact local spokesman Andre Darrell on 617-9089 or adarrell@jw.org