Jehovah’s Witnesses resumes in-person services after two years of Covid-19

Jehovah’s Witnesses said it has reopened its Kingdom Halls in Nigeria and worldwide to in-person religious services after two years of shut down due to Covid-19 restrictions.

As a result, the religious body plans to hold two important programmes that are aimed at giving hope and comfort to millions of participants around the globe in this month of April.

According to the religious body, the 30-minute programme tagged, ‘Where Can You Find Real Hope?’ as well as the annual observance of Jesus Christ’s death, will be held at Kingdom Halls at different times in April.

“Living with the hope found in the Bible is so reassuring even those who have lost loved ones in death are not hopeless,” said Olusegun Eroyemi, spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Nigeria.

According to Eroyemi, “God’s original purpose has never changed and will soon be realised.”

Eroyemi, who noted that admission to both programmes is free, and no registration is required, said that attending one of these special events will provide the needed courage to look to the future with confidence in God’s promises.

Citing example of how people find real hope in the scripture, the religious body, said that for more than 20 years, 82-year-old Eunice Oguara, who lives in a nursing home in Abuja, battled with complications from an accident that disabled her.

“It is an unpleasant situation. I cannot walk; I cannot use my hand even to pick calls,” said Oguara.

Oguara however said she has been holding on tight to the hope from the Scriptures since she became a member of Jehovah’s Witnesses 58 years ago.

“My Bible reading and meditation shows that the hope of having healthy bodies in the new world is sure. This is fortifying and comforting,” Oguara said.

In April, Oguara will join millions of Witnesses worldwide, including about 400,000 Witnesses in local congregations in Nigeria, to hear the solid reasons for confidence in the hope promised in the Bible during a Bible-based lecture to be held during the week of April 4, 2022.

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Chuks Ejelonu, a 55-year-old, who lives in Lagos, is another example of how faith has also helped one to see obstacles as stepping-stones.

Ejelonu, who has been blind from five months old, said: “Sometimes I feel a deep sense of loneliness, even when people are around me.”

In the last 22 years, since he became a member of Jehovah’s Witnesses, he has been sustained by the hope found in the Bible. “That I will see with these eyes in the new world, appreciating colors, seeing the faces of friends and loved ones, in a world without sickness and suffering, gladdens my heart.”

Another is Mary Anyosah, who lives in Delta State. She has been widowed for 26 years and recently lost her daughter.

“The death of my daughter turned my world upside down. She was very caring and very attentive to my needs,” she said.

For 56 years, Anyosah has built her life around the hope she found in the Bible as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

“I am sure that she will be resurrected along with my other loved ones,” she added.