After a three-year break due to the pandemic and covid protection measures, thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses have once again made an appointment for their established annual gathering.

“”Be Patient” with Longsuffering”. This was the call made by the Greek Witnesses of Jehovah through their website, for this year’s three-day event, held at the Olympic Gymnasium of Ano Liosion from July 7 to 9.

“We need patience more than ever. But what does patience really mean? And how can it affect our daily lives? Attend with us the Convention for 2023 on the theme of “Persevere” with Long-suffering!”, said the same call below, repeating the theme of this year’s convention and addressing people of all ages.

The event, which gathered thousands of people, takes place every year, while similar – on a smaller scale – are also held in other cities of Greece. It is estimated that by 2023 there will be approximately 6,000 such events worldwide, with the theme being common to all countries.

These meetings have been organized in many countries of the world, including Greece, for about a century, with this year’s being the first to be held after three years, as the pandemic and the protection measures for the coronavirus did not allow gatherings of this size.

Although the view has prevailed that Jehovah’s Witnesses are members of a sect, it is an official Christian religion, counting over 8.7 million members and 117,960 churches in 240 countries. As a basis for their faith they have the Holy Bible, while they preach that they are a revival of the first Christian Church. Furthermore, they do not accept the Holy Trinity, as they consider it to be based on philosophical rather than biblical concepts.

In Greece, Jehovah’s Witnesses are recognized as an official religion by the state, with their activity beginning at the beginning of the 20th century, a few decades after it was founded, that is, as it is a religion that is only 150 years old.

Despite their recognition, however, they still face legal problems regarding the way in which they convert believers, which is considered unfair according to the legislation of the Greek state, but also with the refusal of blood transfusions when it comes to minors. Specifically, in our country blood transfusions to minors are permanently ordered by the Prosecutor in case of danger to the minor’s health or life.

According to jw.org, “The reasons are primarily religious and not medical. Both the Old and New Testaments clearly command us to abstain from blood. (Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 17:10; Deuteronomy 12:23; Acts 15:28, 29) Also, in God’s eyes, blood represents life. (Leviticus 17:​14) Therefore, we don’t put blood because we want to be obedient to God but also because we respect him as the Giver of Life”.

In addition to the various discussions around the subject of patience and how it can help not only the daily life of believers, but also their relationship with God, the three days also included baptism in “harmony with the commandment of Jesus Christ” .

For Jehovah’s Witnesses baptism by total immersion in water is a symbol of dedicating one’s life to God. {}