CONVENTION MARKS 20TH ANNIVERSARY

The Witnesses Now for Jesus Convention held its 20th gathering Oct. 23-25 at Blue Mountain Christian Retreat in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania.

From humble beginnings in 1979, the convention has been a consistent source of counsel, support and encouragement for people whose lives have been torn apart by the Watchtower Society. During the past two decades, help to Jehovah’s Witnesses who desire to break free from the organization and to families who have lost loved ones to the sect have been a primary focus of the meetings. The three-day conventions are filled with doctrinal teaching, examinations of Jehovah’s Witness doctrine and practice, and testimonies by those who have made their exodus from the Watchtower and have found true salvation through Jesus Christ.

The convention was started by Bill and Joan Cetnar as a way for former Jehovah’s Witnesses, family members of current Jehovah’s Witnesses, and apologetic ministries to interact and network. Bill served on Personal Freedom Outreach’s board of directors from 1984 until 1991 when he went home to be with the Lord. Since Bill’s passing, Joan has served as a PFO director and continues to host the conventions.

The first convention was held in October 1979. Dr. Julius R. Mantey, Dr. Robert Morey and Dr. Jerry Bergman were among the featured speakers. During the final years of his life, Dr. Mantey, a noted authority and professor of New Testament Greek, became a renowned and outspoken critic of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and their translation of the New Testament. The Watchtower had misrepresented Dr. Mantey’s writings on Greek grammar in its effort to undermine the deity of Christ.

During the recently held convention, a plaque commemorating the milestone event was presented to Joan on behalf of fellow directors of PFO and the numerous lives that have been impacted by her diligence in hosting the annual gathering.

The crowning event of the 20th convention was a live taping of a six-program series on Jehovah’s Witnesses by The John Ankerberg Show. The guests for Ankerberg’s shows included Joan Cetnar, Lorri MacGregor, Duane Magnani and David Reed, all former Jehovah’s Witnesses.

—MKG

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