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Jamaica Gleaner / More than 3,000 Jehovah's Witnesses attending last weekend's regional convention in Marlemont, St Catherine, were urged to prepare for the period of "loyal love, which will triumph over hatred". Held under the theme 'Remain Loyal to Jehovah', the three-day convention explored the subject of loyalty of thought, word, and action, using passages from the Bible to make the point that Jehovah deserves undivided loyalty. Acknowledging that appreciation, self-control, love, and faith build loyalty, Elder Simon Paisely of the Kingston congregation, in a public Bible discourse designed to benefit people attending for the first time, answered the question 'When will loyal love triumph over hatred?' "We have been living in the last days since 1914. Based on events that are happening now, we can expect God's Kingdom to remove Satan and all hatred, then loyal love will completely take over." Elder Paisely stated. LAST DAYS Continuing, he said: "The Bible tells us that hatred was introduced into the world by Satan, so we look to a time in the very near future, according to recorded prophecy, when Jesus will act to completely remove Satan." The Jehovah's Witness elder said, "We are living in the last days of the system of things - wars, diseases, natural disasters - and Jesus will act to bring an end to this system any time now. "So when Satan is gone, so will all hatred. Everyone will be able to live in love and unity," Paisely said, adding that true love could only manifest itself when we served God. Attendee at the regional event Robert Jackson told The Gleaner that it was very informative. "Through this convention, loyal love was explained in such a way that people attending for the first time got a clear understanding," Jackson told The Gleaner . Byron Smith, a senior elder and one of the organisers, said the objectives of the convention were met. "Judging from the participation and feedback of both the young and senior members, I am quite sure that our objectives of exploring loyal love were satisfied." Smith disclosed: "Everyone keenly took part and made their contributions in all the sessions." The regional convention will continue on August 26, with members from a different congregation taking part. http://entornointeligente.com/articulo/8828845/JAMAICA-Jehovah

Members of the public are being encouraged to join the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses for their annual convention, which is expected to bring hope and highlight God's faithfulness to people. The event, which will be held under the theme 'Remain Loyal to Jehovah', will take place this weekend after which there will be a break for a few days. The convention will then resume on August 26 and continue through to September 11. It will be hosted at the Marlemount, Old Harbour branch, in St Catherine. The organisers said the event will be free and no collection will be taken. Patrons can look forward to short videos showing Jesus as an example as the Loyal One, in addition to feature-length films highlighting Bible figures such as King Hezekiah and Job. http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20160817/jehovahs-witnesses-host-convention-weekend

A cash crunch is forcing the Jehovah's Witnesses Church in Jamaica to join its colleagues around the world in offloading some of its real estate as part of cost-saving measures. The church is selling some of its larger temples and other buildings, as it tries to operate from smaller, less expensive, and easier to maintain facilities. One large temple, located on Cowper Drive, close to Washington Boulevard in St Andrew, is among the properties on sale, and sources say the religious group is asking $45 million for the property. Four other auditoriums, on Elletson Road and Giltress Street in east Kingston, one in Waterhouse, and one in August Town, St Andrew, are also up for sale. A local Witness, who asked not to be named as he is not an official spokesperson for the religious group, told The Sunday Gleaner that some local properties have already been sold while others are on offer to the highest bidder. HIGH OVERHEADS According to the Witness, high overheads forced the religious body to take the action. "Maintenance and electricity costs are killers. And the improvements in technology have made it easier for communication between individuals, and so staffing for the temples became redundant," said the Witness. When our news team contacted the headquarters of the Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States, a representative said he was not an official spokesperson for the religious group and could not speak on the record. "All the answers you are seeking can be found on our website. With respect to Jamaica, go to the website and use the search facility, enter yearbook, branch consolidation and you should get an answer," said the representative. But no information specific to the sale of the properties in Jamaica was found. The religious group had previously announced that as of September 2012, the oversight of more than 20 of its branch offices would be closed and transferred to larger branches. "In recent years, improvements in communications and printing technology have reduced the need for personnel in some branches. With fewer people working at larger branches, room became available that could be used for housing some who were working in smaller branches in other countries," said the Witness who spoke with our news team. According to the organisation's website, "Because of the mergers, qualified ministers who had been serving in small branches can now concentrate on preaching the good news." The group, whose members are well known for their door-to-door preaching and distribution of the Watchtower and Awake magazines, has also seen a scaling down of this activity, particularly in the Corporate Area, in recent times. Younger Witnesses are "studying and securing jobs for themselves and their families, so the large numbers are not there anymore. But we still have Witnesses," said one local member of the church. At the last check, in 2011, Jamaica recorded 50,849 Jehovah's Witnesses, up from 44,203 10 years earlier. Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20160410/jehovahs-witnesses-properties-sale-rising-costs-force-religious-group-go-small