Jehovah's Witnesses gather for three-day convention at Convention Centre
Over 10,000 expected June 5-7 for event exploring spirituality and eternal happiness.
More than 10,000 Jehovah's Witnesses are expected to descend on Vancouver this week for a free, three-day convention at the Vancouver Convention Centre, June 5 to 7.
This marks the Witnesses' return to Vancouver after a seven-year absence. Organizers say interest in the event is high and attendees will travel from across southwestern British Columbia.
The program theme is "eternal happiness," with sessions exploring how happiness can be achieved through spirituality grounded in practical Bible principles. Some session topics include "Abundant Happiness Forever — Is It Realistic?", "Why Are You Anxious?", and "Have You Discovered the Treasure?"
The convention will run parallel sessions in English and Tagalog. Jehovah's Witnesses Canada reports operating roughly 6,000 conventions annually in almost 500 languages worldwide. Canada has approximately 125,000 Witnesses.
The timing places the convention one week before the FIFA World Cup kickoff. While the Witnesses convention brings substantial numbers, organizers note it won't rival last year's AA convention — which was the largest gathering of its kind in Vancouver's history.