Thousands flock to Rio Rancho for Jehovah's Witness convention

RIO RANCHO — From June 7- 9, thousands of people filled the Rio Rancho Events Center to be a part of the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ “Declare the Good News” convention.

The program was arranged by the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses and included many volunteers who helped run the event.

According to Jehovah’s Witness’ local spokesman Dominic Cillis, on Sunday June 9, more than 4,000 people were in attendance. The official mark was 4,146.

“I really have enjoyed being able to learn about Jesus’ life: how he lived, how we can live the same way, how we can follow his footsteps closely. So, being able to have a whole weekend dedicated to that … with our friends, loved ones and just everyone in the community, is really enjoyable,” Skylar Roybal said.

Roybal attended the three-day convention with her husband Benjamin Roybal. Both are local to Albuquerque.

“We get to come every year, get together with a bunch of people that we are close to; we just have a really good time,” Benjamin Roybal said.

The program included many Bible-based videos, music, prayer, Bible-based talks and baptisms.

“We hear a lot of bad news, and it can cause a lot of anxiety, stress on our minds, and so to hear good news is refreshing,” Cillis said. “The program is really designed to help us to be able to hear bad news and not feel overwhelmed by it.”

Last year, nearly 13 million people attended these conventions throughout the world.

According to Cillis, in the U.S. there are 695 conventions happening throughout the country. And on a global scale, there are more than 6,000 conventions happening worldwide in 500-plus languages (36 languages in the U.S.).

“We are gathered here to learn about the Bible; this particular convention teaches us about the good news from Jesus and how that can improve our lives as a family as well as being better members of the community,” Jehovah’s Witness Delegate Juan Portillo said.