City hosting Jehovah's Witness convention

[Guest Nicole]

Jehovah's Witnesses from across central Ontario will be converging on the Barrie Molson Centre beginning Friday.

Regional conventions are held worldwide every year, but this is the first one of its kind to be held in Barrie, according Jehovah's spokesman Steven Brown, adding area residents are welcome to attend the free event.

"The theme this year is Remain Loyal to Jehovah," Brown said. "Loyalty is a crucial part of any healthy relationship. This convention focuses on content that will help all attendees to develop stronger bonds with friends, family members and, above all, God."

Numerous video segments and two feature films will be shown on large screens to enhance the learning experience, he said.

"The water baptism on Saturday is a highlight that many people find particularly joyful," Brown added.

Local congregations will be distributing a special invitation to the public and welcoming them to attend, Brown said.

"The best way residents of Barrie can be involved in this event is simply by accepting our invitation to attend the convention," he said. "Everyone is welcome. It is absolutely free: no admission charge, no collection. Come for a day, come for an hour, drop by over your lunch break.

"We eagerly invite all friends of peace to attend. Although we are renowned for our enthusiasm about our Bible-based hope, we are not contagious. Visitors will find the mood to be joyful, dignified and very welcoming."

He said a convention of this size also brings benefits to the local economy.

"Convention delegates from central Ontario have travelled to Kitchener in past years. Clearly, Barrie is a much more convenient location for people in our area," Brown said. "Additionally, the Molson Centre is an ideal venue for our event. It is large enough for the expected 3,700 delegates, easily accessed and plenty of parking.

"Your city's hotels, restaurants, services and general facilities all add up to an ideal location for our regional convention this year."

Kathleen Trainor, executive director of Tourism Barrie, said a convention of this size has obvious benefits to local businesses, adding there are more more than 1,300 rooms available in the city, including the 260 rooms at Georgian Suites at Georgian College that are available during the summer.

"Almost all the hotel rooms are sold out. There are very few rooms left. Based on what the hotels have told me, a little less than half (of the 3,700) are staying overnight. They're not filling up all the rooms, but there is certainly an economic impact of new money coming into the city," she said, adding that can include shopping, eating, buying gas and even the use of public transit.

"We can also make the assumption that people who come here for a convention have probably tacked on some day trips or stayed somewhere in the region along the way," Trainor said. "Certainly, people coming into your area to visit is very important because it can also attract them to come and stay permanently."

To learn more about this weekend's convention, visit www.jw.org.

http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/2016/07/14/city-hosting-jehovahs-witness-convention