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Jehovah’s Witnesses Increase! Conventions Keep Congregants Active and Safe
#TurkandCaicos, April 1, 2022 -, well-known in the community of Grand Turk for knocking on doors to share a Bible message, has no plans to halt her volunteer ministry. However, her service abruptly changed in the spring of 2020 when Jehovah’s Witnesses suspended their in-person public ministry, meetings, and large conventions.
For congregants like Betty Malcolm, the virtual pivot has meant trading her book-bag for a Smartphone and iPad; and her walking shoes for slippers. Her tools have changed, but her message is the same. She and her daughter, together with upwards of 50 volunteers, share scriptures regularly and conduct free Bible courses via telephone and Zoom each week. 
“The work we’re doing now on the phone, allows me to reach persons I couldn’t reach before; and at times that I couldn’t have before. My neighbours are more relaxed and responsive,” she explains.
“Staying active in our ministry while remaining safe has had a powerful preserving effect on our congregants and communities,” says Robert Hendriks, Branchwide spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “The wise decision not to prematurely resume in-person activities has united us and protected lives while comforting many people in great need. The results speak for themselves.”
Last year, the international organization reported all-time peaks in the number of persons participating in their volunteer preaching work, increased attendance in Zoom meetings, and more than 171,000 new believers baptized. In the past two years, more than 400,000 have been baptized worldwide.
Twenty-year-old Malachi Malcolm got baptized in a private setting in February 2021. He states his reason: “During the lockdowns, I had more time to visit JW.ORG, read the Bible and reflect.”
Some whose ministry or congregation meeting attendance has slowed because of age and poor health, say they feel reenergized with the convenience of virtual meetings and a home-based ministry.
Like many octogenarians, Peter St. Fleur, 87, deals with diminished energy and other health issues; yet he and his 81-year-old wife, Merci, are now more active in the ministry via the online platform. The St. Fleurs use Zoom to
“What could have been quite a disadvantage, has proven to be an advantage,” St Fleur says. “My wife’s
illness makes it difficult for her to walk. Now she can participate in her cherished ministry right from home. We’re happy working together.”
Mavis Jones uses family chats to reach relatives with the Bible’s message of comfort. Many other Jehovah’s Witnesses have strengthened their relationships with relatives through virtual Bible discussions. Regarding the advantages of being on the online platform for these two years of spiritual activity, Mavis acknowledges: “To me, it is my lifeline.”
“JW.ORG has given me somewhere to find good advice; somewhere to learn to be a better person, a better mother, a better daughter, and to live the way God wants me to. It teaches me so much,” says Marvalyn Smith, a resident of Providenciales.