United in Faith Worldwide!

Breaking a century-old tradition, the largest convention organization in the world has moved its annual in-person event to a virtual format for the second time in as many
years, canceling nearly 6,000 conventions in 240 lands.

For 14 consecutive years, the summers in Bloomington, Illinois, featured thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses streaming into the city to take over hotels and fill restaurants as they held their conventions at the Grossinger Motors Arena.

In 2020, the pandemic unexpectedly interrupted that tradition, moving the international religious organization to cancel in-person conventions throughout the world and launch a global virtual event. This was a first for Jehovah’s Witnesses, who have held public conventions in stadiums, arenas, convention centers, and theaters around the world since 1897.

The Grossinger Motors Arena has been home to the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ conventions since it was first built in 2006. Each summer, two to four conventions were held at the facility, each with an average of 4,000 attendees, and a record peak of 8,000.

The economic boost to Bloomington from the conventions has been tremendous, bringing in an estimated $116 million since 2006. “They really appreciate our business, but not only our business — they appreciate the quality of the people we're bringing into the city. We're law abiding, we're honest, we're friendly, we create no issues, and they appreciate us very much,” said Jon Feeny, a convention planner in Bloomington.

Rodney Hodge Sr., a fellow convention organizer from Springfield, Illinois, elaborated: “When we come into a facility, we will actually clean that facility before we use it because it's our place of worship for the event. And when we finish the convention, we'll leave that convention center in as-clean or cleaner condition than how we found it.”

Each convention Hodge attended left him impressed by the unity of the attendees. “Here you have a group of people from all nationalities that truly demonstrate love for one another … just getting along, paying attention to the program, being educated. And when you meet people for the first time, it's like you've known them forever.”

“Powerful by Faith!” is the theme of the 2021 global event, which will be delivered in more than 500 languages to households throughout the globe over six weekends during July and August 2021, uniting some 15-20 million people in 240 countries. All of the six weekends' programs are now posted online. See below for ways to access them.

The planning and translation of a program of this magnitude takes months of effort. With the uncertainty of whether it would be safe to bring thousands of people together in cities around the world, the organization opted for a virtual platform for the second consecutive year. However, the move has not curbed the enthusiasm for the annual event. Congregations around the world are inviting the public to join them in this historic occasion.

“Faith has helped our global brotherhood to continue to thrive even during a pandemic,” said Robert Hendriks, U.S. spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “Our faith will continue to unite us in worship—even virtually—as millions gather in private homes around the world to enjoy a powerful and inspiring spiritual program.”

Jules Purvis of Peoria, Illinois, has been planning conventions for over 50 years. Even though he will miss organizing an in-person convention in Bloomington again this year, he stated how much he enjoyed the virtual program last year and that he is eagerly anticipating this year’s program as well. “The nice part of that is if you miss something, you can back your video up. You can get great notes. The speakers were just absolutely wonderful.”

All are invited to attend the event by going to jw.org on the web or JW Broadcasting on the free JW Library app available for iOS or Android, or on streaming platforms like ROKU TV, Apple TV, and others. The program is free and accessible to all.

Please click below to view a short video recap of our local assembly history:

Jehovah's Witnesses Convention History - Bloomington IL