Assembly Halls​—A Sign of What?

HAVE you seen one in your area? Or heard about it through your local news media? ‘Heard about what?’ you may ask. About the local Assembly Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The fact is that these Assembly Halls are making an appearance all around the world. At present, worldwide there are 126 enclosed Assembly Halls plus another 96 open assembly facilities. Another 36 halls plus 59 open facilities are under construction. They are a sign that Jehovah’s Witnesses are on the increase.

Recently, a large octagonally shaped hall was inaugurated in the north of England at Hellaby, near Maltby, South Yorkshire. Its unusual design merited an article in the Journal of the Institution of Structural Engineers. The writer was also impressed by the volunteer labor program used to complete the construction. The article stated: “Once the [steel] frame was completed the International Bible Students’ Association’s [Jehovah’s Witnesses] ability to mobilise large numbers of voluntary workers meant that the building was completed rapidly and enthusiastically. . . . The East Pennine Assembly Hall is a notable example of what can be achieved by a combination of skilled professionals and dedicated voluntary workers.” In fact, a total of 11,000 volunteers worked at this site.

At Haysbridge in Surrey, south of London, a 50-year-old school complex was bought and converted into an Assembly Hall. It is nestled in 28 acres (11 ha) of beautiful English countryside, making an ideal setting for Bible conferences and education.

France now has its first two Assembly Halls, one located some 30 miles (50 km) north of Paris, at the city of Creil. It has seating for 1,870 people. The other is in the south of France at Marignane, a few miles northwest of Marseilles. These, too, were built by volunteer labor. In fact, the one near Marseilles took 350,000 volunteer man-hours to complete.

In the neighboring Federal Republic of Germany, they already have nine Assembly Halls across the country. A recent addition is located at Meckenheim on the edge of the Rhine River valley. It has seating for 1,700 persons.

But if the Witnesses have their local Kingdom Halls, why do they need these large auditoriums?

What Is the Motive?

Jehovah’s Witnesses recognize that they live in a world that is corrupt in the extreme, hostile to the values taught in the Bible. Hatred and distrust displace love and unity. Permissiveness and promiscuity have replaced integrity and chastity. And with such changes has come an increase in sexually transmitted diseases and the AIDS plague. There is all the more reason, then, for the Witnesses to fortify their convictions and faith by gathering together in meetings on a larger scale in order to share Bible education and the promise of a new system.​—Hebrews 10:23-25; 2 Peter 3:13.

In former years, the Witnesses used to rent theaters and auditoriums for these larger gatherings, called circuit assemblies. (A circuit is composed of some 20 congregations.) Now such facilities are no longer available in many areas. Therefore, a movement got under way in the United States some 20 years ago to acquire properties that could be converted into Assembly Halls. The fact that more and more are being inaugurated all over the world is a sign of the increase that Jehovah’s Witnesses are experiencing.

How Is It Done?

There are not many wealthy people in the ranks of Jehovah’s Witnesses, so how are they able to construct or remodel these large buildings? Each project is based on voluntary and anonymous contributions from the Witnesses themselves. Likewise, the major part of the labor is voluntary. This results in significant cost savings. As The Structural Engineer stated regarding the project in Yorkshire, England: “The cost savings were also impressive: under competitive tender the centre would have cost £2.5M[illion] in total, but the actual cost will be no more than half that figure.”

Spain now has three Assembly Halls​—one in Madrid and two in Barcelona (one in the city, the other a few miles outside the city). Two were formerly movie theaters, and the third was an unused factory building. Volunteer labor and voluntary contributions have turned them into Bible education centers for thousands of Witnesses from nearby congregations. In every nation a willing spirit motivates all​—from adults to children—​to participate in these Assembly Hall projects.

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Meckenheim, Germany

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Marignane, France

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Haysbridge, England

Creil, France