Conventions That Open Doors to Godly Freedom

“I will laud you in the big congregation; among a numerous people I shall praise you.” (Ps. 35:18) Jehovah’s Witnesses take hold of opportunities to praise the Universal Sovereign, and they do so unanimously at their annual district conventions. During the past service year, when the “Pure Language” conventions remaining from 1990 were wrapping up in one part of the globe, the 1991 conventions with their theme “Lovers of Freedom” began in another section of the earth.

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This little Polish delegate was one of 74,587 who attended the convention at Prague, Czechoslovakia

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Conventioners of Prague were moved to tears when the New World Translation Bible was released by A. D. Schroeder in the Czech and Slovak languages

Budapest, Prague, and Zagreb held international conventions. Delegates at Zagreb, Yugoslavia, rejoiced to sing Kingdom songs during the noon break

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Tallinn, Estonia, now independent, was the site for the first convention ever held in the Soviet Union

The book “The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived” was released in the Russian language and in other Eastern European languages

This past year the “Lovers of Freedom” District Conventions held in Brazil in July and August 1991 were also a great success, and the discourses helped our brothers to cherish more deeply their God-given freedom. A festive atmosphere prevailed at these three-day spiritual feasts. The total attendance for all 98 conventions combined was 482,034, with 8,991 persons baptized.

In Italy a Catholic priest was one of the 245,161 people who attended the “Lovers of Freedom” District Conventions. He mingled with the crowd at the convention held in Brescia on July 19 to 21. He was so moved that he put a note in a contribution box. He wrote: “I am a Catholic priest, naturally in plain clothes, who wanted to see personally what these people, whom the church has always considered as just a handful, really do and say. Well, the 15 minutes that I spent in this stadium was enough for me to realize just how much time I had wasted until now. You are really an example to follow. You have made me think, and you have used that which I should use more often​—the Bible. Who knows, one day I may also be with you, dressed in tie and jacket.”

Eastern Europe was the stage for three international conventions this past service year. Budapest, Hungary, hosted 40,601 delegates; Prague, Czechoslovakia, saw 74,587 attend; and Zagreb, Yugoslavia, greeted 14,684 conventioners. Delegates from the four corners of the earth made the crowded streets around the convention sites beautiful by their cheerful presence. Joy abounded among the delegates as they received good Bible instruction and renewed old acquaintances and made new friends.

The international convention held at Nepstadion in Budapest, July 26 to 28, had delegates visiting from 35 countries. It had been only two years, since June 1989, that Jehovah’s Witnesses were recognized legally. By contrast, several years ago, at the time when the stadium was being constructed, some of the brothers were in prison for their religious beliefs. The jailers bragged to them: “You’ll never see this stadium.” One of our brothers replied: “Who knows? Maybe someday Jehovah’s Witnesses will be there.” Because of that statement, he was beaten. But how happy that brother was to be present at this convention and to see the stadium filled with over 40 thousand in attendance!

Conventions were held openly for the first time in the Soviet Union. Tallinn, a coastal city in the now independent nation of Estonia, provided an ironic setting for some convention attenders. From the site where 447 persons were baptized, the brothers and sisters could see an old fortification that in 1950 and 1951 was used as a holding prison for some of them while they were awaiting their time to be carted off to prison camps in distant Siberia. Thus, sobering memories were momentarily awakened at this time of great rejoicing.