You may have received a letter or phone call from Jehovah’s Witnesses recently with an invitation to their annual memorial of Jesus’s death, which has been solemnly observed each spring by the Christian religion. This year’s memorial is slated for March 27, 2021, begins at sundown, and will be held virtually in over 1,000 languages and 240 countries and territories worldwide.

The Blanco congregation invites Johnson City residents to attend the online memorial event using the videoconferencing program Zoom, where bible-based information about the life and death of Jesus Christ will be presented. The program will last about 40 minutes.

Last year, the global headquarters of the organized Christian religion reported 17,844,773 total attendance at the event that was also held online shortly after social distancing measures were adopted globally. 8,695,808 active ‘publishers’ of the religion were reported in 2020.

Attendees of the memorial event pass the emblems of wine and bread as part of the observance of the death of Jesus Christ. However, with the virtual event, each household prepares the unfermented bread and a glass of red wine ahead of time, and passes each emblem at the indicated time during the memorial. A prayer is said for each emblem. The memorial is also referred to as the Lord’s Evening Meal or the Last Supper, and is strictly followed by Witnesses the way Jesus instructed to and was recorded in the Bible.

“My observance of the annual Memorial of Christ Jesus’ death for the last 50 years, has been a deeply faith-building experience. Additionally, the simple, dignified, solemn occasion has added meaning and stability to my family’s spiritual lives for four generations now,” said Timothy D. Covert of the Blanco Congregation.

“My neighbors in Blanco County would benefit from attending the virtual commemoration because they will experience firsthand the love that identifies true Christians, as they are encouraged and motivated to explore how we each can give meaningful expression to our love and faith in Christ.”

The event is free, and information about Zoom credentials can be obtained by asking any member of Jehovah’s Witnesses or calling Covert at (210) 473-4339. The program is also available locally in Spanish.

A special talk is also programmed for the month of March that will develop the theme, “Have You Found a ‘Pearl of High Value’?”

Since late February 2020, Witnesses in Blanco have followed social distancing measures and moved all religious activities online. Through Zoom, the congregation shares in expressions of faith which include Bible-based conferences, song worship and group study.

The congregation’s publishers have also continued preaching activities by phone and letter, following a mandate found in Matthew 24:14 to preach ‘good news of the Kingdom’ to neighbors, family and friends.

The Witnesses offer personal Bible classes for free, and anyone could sign up for a class online at jw.org. The website features additional information about the Witnesses’ beliefs, activities and online versions of their literature as well as a digital Bible.

The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses is located at 157 Logans Way in Blanco, TX.