One of the most wellattended annual events at Osceola Heritage Park is back over the next few weekends —that will explain drive-time traffic near the Silver Spurs Arena.
While marquee events like the Mecum car auction and Country Thunder music festival bring tens of thousands of visitors over a weekend, or week-plus, the annual Jehovah’s Witnesses conventions will bring over 40,000 people to the area over the course of six weeks.
They have their own firm beliefs, like all other religions, including baptism, worship and spreading its message through evangelism. But the congregation, known for visiting door to door in neighborhoods, welcomes all those, not just those who identify or preach as Jehovah’s Witnesses, according to Keith Barros, area spokesman.
“All are welcome, if you want come, learn and experience,” he said. “Donations are appreciated, but we don’t ‘Pass a plate’ like you might find at a weekly service. We’re just sharing a little good news for those who want to listen. We are commanded to go out and make more disciples; that’s why we go door to door.
“I liken it to a ‘spiritual feast,’ an all-day escape from what’s outside. The preaching of good news is a very good thing. The scriptures lay out that change is coming.”
The congregation will meet this weekend (Friday through Sunday) and next in English, and the following three weekends through Sept. 8 in Spanish. During a service, some verses are done in multiple languages, like Creole.
“That’s because Jehovah’s Witnesses are global,” he said.
Last weekend marked the first of the conventions. This year’s convention theme is, “Declare the Good News!” Each event of the weekend in the Silver Spurs Arena lasts from about 9:30 a.m. into the mid-afternoon, and even the threat of Hurricane Debby didn’t postpone or dampen the event Sunday. OHP even had sandbagging operations for the public on Friday and Saturday in one of its adjoining parking lots, which didn’t inhibit attendees getting in or out at all.
JW’s delivering its Biblical messages goes right along with OHP hosting them. For OHP/ ASM Global General Manager Robb Larson and the facilities team, it’s another successful assignment.
“We flourish in multipleday events,” he said. “This time of year, many of the touring acts go north, so the Jehovah’s Witnesses fill those open dates.”
And, in such a diverse area, all involved say the Jehovah’s Witnesses are welcomed to Kissimmee. It doesn’t hurt that they come prepared to manage, and even clean up after, their conventions. A JW ushering crew helps bring attendees into the facility, and a similar group assist in breaking down and cleaning up the facility afterwards, leaving it, “Better than we found it.”
“We’ve had nothing but positive feedback from the community,” Larson said. “It’s very much like a partnership, with how much they help put into their events. They provide a lot of volunteers.”
It’s one of a number of regional conventions held throughout the state, but the events here are well-attended because of proximity and ease of travel from places like Daytona, Ocala and Tampa, and because of, according to Barros, familiarity. The conventions have been coming to OHP since 2004, not long after the current Silver Spurs Arena was constructed and completed.
The conventions returned to in-person events last year after three years of strictly virtual gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mike Smith is from Lake Mary, but with a young child he stays at a local hotel and makes a weekend out of it.
“We love being back, and you can see it in the effort that those who have a hard time getting around give to be here,” he said. “We’re blessed to be able to meet at place like this in a town that’s so inviting.”
