The Jehovah’s Witness community in Haines is growing, prompting the group to rent a larger space for religious services.
Reid Blank, representative of the Haines Witnesses, said in a press release: “We needed more space to accommodate our rapidly expanding number of attendees to our weekly meetings.”
Sebabi Leballo, a representative for the Witnesses, was one of the first to start teaching that denomination in Haines. He said the group started holding meetings in the Haines Borough Library conference room in August 2014. Only about three people attended then.
When the group began to grow, leaders moved meetings to a private home.
Now, the Witnesses’ new Kingdom Hall is located on the first floor of the two-story brown building near 1 Mile Haines Highway, at the previous location of the consignment shop. They started using the space in August after renovations.
Leballo said about 25 people come to weekend meetings. When asked why he thought the Witnesses were growing, he said the community appreciates their focus on in-depth Bible study.
“Our Kingdom Hall is a place where people enjoy learning to reason on the scriptures, speak publicly, apply Bible principles to everyday life, cooperate with others and show genuine love towards all,” Leballo said.
The Witnesses meet in the Kingdom Hall Saturdays at 10 a.m. and Tuesdays at 7 p.m., and host additional Bible studies.