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Jehovah's Witnesses are canvassing Utah neighborhoods this month, but this time they are not out just to share their beliefs. They are issuing an invitation.
It is the 30th year that Witnesses are gathering for a convention at the Dee Events Center at Weber State University in Ogden, and they hope seekers will join them to learn more about the faith.
Some 5,500 are expected at the sessions for Spanish speakers now under way, and 7,100 are to attend the convention for English speakers next weekend.
The convention's theme -- indeed the theme of 319 conventions across the nation and more around the world in the coming year -- is "Keep on the Watch."
"We are deep into the last days," said Richard Wolf, a church spokesman in Utah, "and when we look at that, we want people to understand what will happen."
Wolf believes wars, violence and disease are all signs of the times.
"Those are the important things we want to tell people. ... The system of things, how man runs things will be destroyed.
"We don't know the date and we are not doomsdayers," he said. "Basically, we are looking forward to this to get this system changed. ... We know we're in a dangerous, wicked time."
Because of that core belief and because Jesus Christ told his disciples to share their faith, Jehovah's Witnesses put much emphasis on proselytizing, said Francisco Montano, another spokesman for the church in Utah.
"For us, there is sense of urgency to help people know what is happening, what the signs are," Montano said. "It's like seeing a person in a house that's on fire. We want to help them get out."
Even so, Witnesses are in no hurry to baptize those who want to join the religion. Montano and Wolf said it often takes a year or two for prospective converts to learn what they need to know and to change their lives before baptism. They even start going door to door before formally entering the faith.
"One thing we want to make sure," Wolf said, "is that everyone knows what they're getting into."
This is just the third year that a separate convention is being staged for Spanish speakers, and it reflects the growth in the number of Latino Witnesses, Montano said.
Many Latinos, he said, are drawn to the faith because of its adherence to the Bible, a book revered in their cultures.
The first Spanish-speaking Jehovah's Witness congregation in Utah began in Ogden in the 1970s, he said.
Wolf said the convention, with talks by experienced speakers in the church, is designed for worship and education. But it's also a chance to gather with friends for a long weekend.
He remembers that when he lived in Pocatello, Idaho, his family would be among 100 Witnesses camping at Cherry Hill water park in Kaysville during the convention each year.
"It's a fun time of year."
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» Utah's 6,000 Jehovah's Witnesses worship in dozens of congregations throughout the state. Worldwide, 7.2 million Witnesses actively proselytize.
» The religion is still one of the nation's fastest-growing, but the pace has slowed in recent years to a 2 percent to 3 percent growth rate. According to the Pew Forum's 2007 study, 37 percent of adults who were raised Jehovah's Witness remain in the faith, the lowest retention rate among U.S. churches.
» The journal The Watchtower is a primary vehicle for teaching about the faith. Published since 1879, it has a circulation of 37 million and is translated into 174 languages. The church's world headquarters is in Brooklyn, N.Y.
About their beliefs and practices
» The end times -- but not the end of the world -- are near. God's government will replace human systems, ending suffering and violence and beginning a reign of peace, love and no death.
» The Bible is the infallible, inspired word of God. Some passages, however, are figurative.
» The most important way of living one's faith is to share it, primarily by going door to door.
» Christ is God's son and is inferior to him. He died a sacrificial death on a stake, not a cross.
» There are no pastors. Elders, all men, guide the teaching at the local level and overall direction comes from the Governing Body at headquarters.
» Seekers interested in the faith often are not baptized until after a year or two of study and personal improvement to conform to church teachings.
» Witnesses have no Sabbath, believing that every day is to be dedicated to God's work.
» Smoking is strictly prohibited; drinking is allowed only in moderation.
Sources: watchtower.org, church members and Pew Forum
Thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses from seven Western states are gathering at Weber State University's Dee Events Center in Ogden this weekend and next for their annual conventions. "Keep on the Watch" is the theme of both conventions.
Spanish-speaking Witnesses » began meeting Friday and will gather again at 9:20 a.m. today and Sunday.
English-speaking Witnesses » will meet July 3-5, beginning at 9:20 each morning.