In the face of widespread economic strain, national conflicts and social unrest, surveys indicate that confidence in the future is at an all-time low in many countries, including the United States. According to the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer, 24 of the 28 countries surveyed are seeing “all-time lows in the number of people who think their families will be better off in five years.”
Against this backdrop of pessimism, a special global program featuring the theme “You Can Face the Future With Confidence!” will be held on Sunday, April 2, 2023. The free 30-minute presentation will be hosted locally at Kingdom Halls of Jehovah’s Witnesses throughout St. Louis, with videoconferencing options available. Please check the “Attend a Meeting” section on the homepage of jw.org for local addresses and meeting times.
“The challenges we face may seem overwhelming, but the Bible holds out a powerful hope for the future that can help us right now,” said Robert Hendriks, U.S. spokesperson for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “This global program is designed to give all those who attend tangible reasons to face the future with confidence.”
As a survivor of childhood abuse, Connie Conway of the greater St. Louis area felt worthless and had a void in her life so deep that she no longer wanted to live.
A study of the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses gradually gave her a hope and a purpose for which she had been searching. “I’ve found real happiness and satisfaction in life that helped me have a reason to live,” Conway said. “Now I live for helping others learn about how they too can find happiness through a study of the Bible and having a close relationship with our creator, Jehovah God.”
The special talk is the first of two free programs that will be held in all 118,000 congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses during the first week of April. The public is also invited to join nearly 20 million other global attenders for the annual observance of the Memorial of Jesus Christ’s death, to be held on the evening of Tuesday, April 4, 2023.
Admission to both programs is free, and no registration is required. Details on when and where these events will be held locally are available on jw.org, the official website of Jehovah’s Witnesses.