For weekly meetings and annual convention, Jehovah's Witness hold steady on Zoom

TOLEDO — Julian and Azaleah Bumpus-Barnett usually count the annual convention as a highlight of their summer: They and a few thousand of their closest friends pack into the SeaGate Convention Centre, reconnecting and collectively reigniting their spiritual lives as Jehovah's Witnesses. That shoulder-to-shoulder fellowship isn't in the cards this year, particularly for a faith community that's been resolute in its blanket decision to keep the doors to its kingdom halls shut more than a year into a coronavirus pandemic. For the second time in as many years — and the first time since they began holding public conventions in stadiums, arenas, convention centers, and theaters in 1897 — Jehovah's Witnesses this year canceled what would have been nearly 6,000 conventions around the world, including two held regularly in Toledo. If the announcement was cause for disappointment last year among Witnesses like the Bumpus-Barnetts, the local couple said it's no longer so this summer. At this point they're well adjusted to Zoom, and, whether it's their weekly meetings or their regional gathering, they said they're finding the screen more than adequate. "We've seen that we can thrive either way," Bumpus-Barnett, of Oregon, reflected recently. "We're not just getting through the pandemic, but we're thriving spiritually. So we're happy to continue doing this for as long as necessary." The Jehovah's Witnesses, a biblically rooted faith community that claims 8.5 million members across the world, have been notably cautious in their response to the risks posed by the pandemic. While their peers in other faith traditions and denominations have been welcoming adherents back for more than a year in many cases — and have been doing so with a particular enthusiasm since the expansion of vaccine access in the United States — Jehovah's Witnesses who gather at any of northwest Ohio's 20 kingdom halls remain waiting on their cue from denominational leaders. In the meantime they're on Zoom, and they've become quite adept at it, according to the Bumpus-Barnetts, who faced an additional challenge this year in joining a new congregation across town. They now log in for meetings at the Midtown Kingdom Hall on Cherry Street. While they already knew some of the faces who appear Brady Bunch-style on their screens there each week, others they've yet to meet in person. "I think for most, we'd love to be back at the kingdom hall. But also because we're so well spiritually taken care of on Zoom, we know it's OK if we need to stay like this a little longer," Bumpus-Barnett said, in a point echoed by her husband. "We also know that when the time comes for us to be back at the kingdom hall, it will truly be safe," she continued. "Vaccinated or unvaccinated, it will be safe for us to do so." If fellowship is an integral part of the week-to-week gatherings, it's especially so for the annual three-day conventions that are replicated across the country and around the world, so that a worldwide membership experiences the same spiritual nourishment. Toledo has been a host site since 2005, and as such would have drawn 8,000 to 10,000 regional adherents to the local convention center for back-to-back weekends: The first convention is held in English, the second and somewhat larger is in Spanish. "That's the highlight of our summer," Bumpus-Barnett said, accounting for his initial disappointment last year at the announcement of plans to go virtual. "It's a larger gathering, so we're meeting not just with the congregations in northwest Ohio, but a lot of times from Indiana, some in the past from Michigan. So you meet new friends. "That fellowship is a big part of the convention. Even just something I missed was the singing, because you hear several thousand people singing together," he continued. "It's a big boost, it's a special feeling." But he and his wife said a positive experience last year was enough to wipe away any trepidation about this year's virtual programming. They look forward to elements of it that they see as benefits, like a roster of high-profile speakers who wouldn't have otherwise been available to attend each individual convention. "It's not uncommon for us to say with each year's convention that, 'Oh, this was the best one yet!' That's how I felt last year," Bumpus-Barnett said. "And so far, what we've already viewed for this year ... I already feel that way." This year's theme is "Powerful by Faith!," and its programming is being released in weekly installments: What would have been the morning session of the first day of the convention was released on the faith community's website and app in late June, and subsequent sessions are being released each Monday through Aug. 16. Sessions are free and open to the public on jw.org, JW Broadcasting on the JW Library app, and streaming platforms like ROKU TV and Apple TV. The Bumpus-Barnetts said they've gotten in the habit of taking in the multimedia programs on the weekends, often at the home of his parents. They said they were particularly looking forward to this weekend's programming, the first part of a drama on the biblical figure Daniel. The drama — years ago it was a live performance at the conventions; Bumpus-Barnett recalls performing in one in his teens at the SeaGate Convention Centre — is always a highlight for them at any convention. And not just for them. They'll be watching it with a few million of their closest friends. "Faith has helped our global brotherhood to continue to thrive even during a pandemic," Robert Hendriks, a spokesman for the Jehovah's Witnesses, said in a statement. "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." ___ (c)2021 The Blade (Toledo, Ohio) Visit The Blade (Toledo, Ohio) at www.toledoblade.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.