SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - After a three-year pandemic pause, one of the largest convention organizations in the world has chosen downtown Sacramento to host its global three-day event, the 2023 “Exercise Patience”! Convention.

The return happens just in time to use the newly renovated SAFE Credit Union Convention Center, and will draw an estimated 28,000 attendees to the downtown area during a time when most locals are away for the summer.

Prior to 2020, summers in Sacramento drew Jehovah’s Witnesses from all over Northern California who filled hotels and restaurants as they attended their annual conventions at the Sleep Train Arena. In 2020, the pandemic interrupted that tradition when the Witnesses canceled their in-person events throughout the world and held their convention programs as virtual events in more than 500 languages. Starting in late June of this year, the Witnesses will bring back the tradition to Sacramento, hosting conventions exclusively downtown at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center. Conventions will be held over seven weekends this summer starting June 30, 2023, and ending Aug 13, 2023. The conventions will be held in English for five weekends and two (July 14-16, July 21-23) in Spanish.

“After three years without in-person conventions, we can’t wait to gather together again for these special annual events,” said Adrian Barnes, local spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “It’s particularly exciting that we are returning to support beautiful downtown Sacramento, where the local restaurants, businesses and residents have always been welcoming.”

Some 6,000 conventions will be held worldwide as part of the 2023 “Exercise Patience”! Convention series. In the United States alone, more than 700 conventions will be held in 144 host cities. From Friday through Sunday, six convention sessions will explore the quality of patience, highlighting its modern-day relevance through Scriptural examples. A live baptism will be performed following the Saturday morning session and a prerecorded drama will be featured in two parts during the Saturday and Sunday afternoon sessions.

“Given the challenges we face today as individuals and communities, the theme of our convention, “Exercise Patience”!, is particularly timely,” said Barnes. “The three-day program will share practical ways attendees can cultivate and display patience, which in turn contributes to stronger relationships and more compassionate communities, including right here in Sacramento.”

Jehovah’s Witnesses have been holding public conventions in stadiums, arenas, convention centers, and theaters around the world for more than 100 years. After resuming smaller in-person meetings and their public ministry during 2022, the summer of 2023 marks the first time they will gather at much larger regional events around the world since the lifting of pandemic restrictions.

The convention is open to the public and no collection is taken. For more information on the program or to find other convention locations and dates, please go to jw.org and navigate to the “About Us” tab.