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 April 2, 2023. The free 30-minute presentation will be hosted locally at the La Plata Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, with a videoconferencing option 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. spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “This global program is designed to give all those who attend tangible reasons to face the future with confidence.”
Vickie Swann of Waldorf felt hopeless after losing her stepmother in death. “It left me feeling devastated, lost and all alone,” she lamented. “I started to indulge in excessive smoking and alcohol abuse.” When she began to study the Bible, however, her outlook gradually changed. “I started to feel joy and have a real hope for the future,” said Swann, who is looking forward to attending the upcoming special program. “I could smile again. In time, I began to change my thinking which helped me to change my life for the better.”
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.