Public invited to ‘Imitate Jesus!’

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“Imitate Jesus!” is the theme of a Jehovah’s Witness convention slated for Saturday through Monday, May 23-25, at the Edith Kanaka‘ole Multipurpose Stadium at 350 Kalanikoa St. in Hilo.

“Imitate Jesus!” is the theme of a Jehovah’s Witness convention slated for Saturday through Monday, May 23-25, at the Edith Kanaka‘ole Multipurpose Stadium at 350 Kalanikoa St. in Hilo.

The convention theme is based on 1 Peter 2:21: “In fact, to this course you were called, because even Christ suffered for you, leaving a model for you to follow his steps closely.”

The doors open at 8 a.m. and the programs start at 9:20 a.m. daily. The keynote address will be “Concealed in Him Are All the Treasures of Wisdom.”

There will be two dramas about Jesus. The first will be “For a Certainty God Made Him Lord and Christ” at 3:20 p.m. Saturday.

Most of the convention speakers are from Hawaii Island, but Monday’s drama at 2:10 p.m. will feature guest speaker Geoffrey Jackson of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Jackson will present the discourse, “Jesus Came to Seek and to Save What Was Lost,” based on Luke 15:4-10; 19:10. Jackson is from the Governing Body’s world headquarters based in New York City.

There is no charge to attend the convention.

Throughout the United States there will be 385 conventions in 103 cities. Worldwide, there are more than 8 million Jehovah’s Witnesses in more than 115,416 congregations.

Jehovah’s Witnesses begin their 2015 convention series May 22 in the United States. The 2015 “Imitate Jesus!” regional conventions will continue worldwide through January 2016. For each convention venue, local witnesses will launch a three-week campaign to invite the public to attend the program free of charge.

“This year’s convention theme recognizes Jesus Christ as a universally known figure and a positive role model for people of all ages, backgrounds and cultures,” said J.R. Brown, spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses at their world headquarters in Brooklyn, N.Y. “We believe that the public will enjoy the fresh presentation of significant events in Jesus’ life.

“This year’s program promises an interactive approach, incorporating meaningful and exciting video features that will show how we can benefit from imitating Jesus in our everyday lives.”