Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide will honor Jesus Christ’s death after sundown on March 24. PHOTO BY JW
After sundown on March 24, almost nine million Jehovah’s Witnesses (JWs) worldwide will gather at their places of worship, Kingdom Hall, and other venues to observe their most sacred event — the memorial of Jesus Christ’s death.
Once a year, JWs, known for their door-to-door ministry, commemorate the death of Jesus following the Bible’s command to “keep doing this in remembrance of me.”
They are encouraging non-JW neighbors and friends to attend the event which is also known as the Lord’s Evening Meal or the Last Supper.
Last March 2, JWs launched a global campaign to distribute invitations in their community. In 2023, 20,461,767 attended Jesus’ death anniversary.
There are 8,816,652 JWs in 239 lands. During the Covid 19 pandemic in 2020, 17,844,773 attended through video conferencing.
Why do JWs observe the Lord’s Supper differently from the way other religions do?
“We adhere strictly to the Bible in our observance,” according to James Morales, spokesperson for JWs in the Philippines.
“Jesus Christ instituted the Last Supper on the night of the Jewish Passover in 33 C.E.,” Morales said.
“The Passover was a celebration held just once a year, on the 14th day of the Jewish month Nisan?” he said.
“Jesus died later that same day — Nisan 14, 33 C.E. We continue to observe the Memorial on this date each year, following the practice of early Christians,” he added.
Morales said the program will last for about one hour. It will start and end with the singing of a song, as well as a prayer offered by a minister of JWs.
A Bible-based talk will discuss the importance of Jesus’ death and how we can benefit from what God and Christ have done for us, he added.
For more information about the 2024 Memorial and how to attend, please visit Jw.org, the official website of JWs.