Convention Results in New York City
EIGHT days, July 30 to August 6, 1950, Jehovah’s witnesses from 67 nations gathered in convention at New York’s famous Yankee Stadium. Opening day attendance was 79,247. On Sunday, August 6, 123,707 persons overflowed the stadium, adjoining streets and cafeteria tents and the trailer city nearby in New Jersey. Needless to say, a convention of this size would have an impact on any city, even a city as large as New York. The presence of the witnesses by the thousands created a generally favorable impression everywhere and, even though the convention is now history and the large throngs have gone, the city has not forgotten its largest convention.
But there is another side to the convention picture that provides an interesting insight into what is achieved in a more or less incidental way by such a large gathering of Christians. This viewpoint commends the general conduct and deportment of the witnesses, and it gives evidence of the power of the truth when spoken in the homes of people who are disposed toward righteousness.
Circumstances compelled Jehovah’s witnesses to secure accommodations in thousands of private homes and apartments, for the hotels were unable to contain all the delegates. In these homes and apartments Jehovah’s witnesses conducted themselves well, were friendly with their landlords and landladies, and did not fail to speak about God’s Word to those who were their hosts. Many of these kindly people listened with genuine interest to their visitors from Colorado, Texas, Washington, California, England, Gold Coast of Africa, Sweden and other distant points; and some attended the last few days of the convention, being impressed by the orderliness and sincerity of the conventioners.
Following the convention Jehovah’s witnesses of New York city were determined to stimulate the interest manifested by such landladies and landlords. The results are most encouraging, as brought to light at the first circuit assembly held in the city (November 10 to 12) since the convention. Already at least 26 landladies and landlords have become Kingdom publishers and are associated with the 26 units in New York. Some of these new publishers were among the 202 persons who symbolized their consecration by water immersion Sunday, November 12. More than 300 landladies and landlords who were host to Jehovah’s witnesses now have Bible studies in their homes. More than 1,000 throughout the city are being called on regularly by Jehovah’s witnesses, with the prospect of soon having studies in their homes.
One of the outstanding new publishers is a man of Jewish birth, a former ordained holiness preacher. He had witnesses in his home. Now he is so happy in his newly found knowledge of the truth. Another couple who entertained a brother from England are now active publishers and attend meetings at the Bethel Kingdom Hall. Both were immersed at the circuit assembly, and she plans to enter pioneer service as soon as she is eligible. Then there is the young man who, despite opposition from his mother, persisted in studying with a faithful witness who called back. Now the young man is a publisher and his mother is attending the home Bible study. And think of the person who approached one of Jehovah’s witnesses on the street and asked if she might help hold the magazines. She certainly could, and now she is a publisher.
Kind consideration, too, bears its fruit. One group of Jehovah’s witnesses from a distant point found it necessary to stay in a hotel instead of the private home to which they were assigned. They telephoned their landlady and explained the situation; and every evening thereafter by telephone they gave her a résumé of the day’s convention events. This person invited them out to her home; and they, in turn, invited her to the public lecture at the stadium. By the time the Kingdom publisher called at her home after convention she had already placed several books and was talking to her neighbors. She wanted a home Bible study. She has it, and she attended the circuit assembly and related her experience with Jehovah’s witnesses even though they never stayed at her home. She now attends meetings at the local Kingdom Hall.
Undoubtedly many more wonderful experiences will be brought to light as Jehovah’s witnesses in New York continue to visit the landladies and landlords who had convention delegates as guests in their private homes.