For the past three weeks, Jehovah’s Witnesses around the state have been inviting friends and neighbors to join them at a convention in Ogden. The Bible-based convention entitled "Be Coureous" will be held this week.
“We believe that there are huge challenges that people are faced with and that causes anxieties and fears and as a result there is a need for facing these pressures and doing so in a courageous way," said Larry Mainers, the media contact for the Utah Jehovah’s Witnesses Conventions.
“What we do is we use the Bible, or look to the Bible for practical advice in how to deal with certain situations," Mainers said. "Whether it’s family situations, situations at school, at work, the Bible has practical guidelines that help people deal with those situations courageously.”
The Bible story of Jonah is one example Mainers gave. Johan was commanded by the Lord to bring a warning message to the violent people of Nineveh instructing them to change their ways. At first, Jonah was frightened of the task and ran away. But when he did follow through, God was merciful to the people.
A practical application for this story today Mainers said is a teenager facing bullying situation in school. Not only does the story of Jonah acknowledge that confronting this will be difficult, it encourages mercy.
“And then the other side is for that student to see, maybe that bully can change, and if he did, would we be just as merciful as God was with the Ninevites?" said Mainers.
The convention is free and open to the public and will be held from Thursday to Sunday this week. A Spanish convention will be held next week.
