The Freedom Hall Civic Center auditorium was a full house Saturday as thousands of Jehovahs Witnesses from Western North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, parts of Kentucky and West Virginia piled inside for their annual convention.

This years convention started Friday afternoon, kicking off the events theme of Safeguard Your Heart!

Zack Self, program overseer for the convention, said the talks focused on the figurative heart.

It has a lot more to do with your emotions, the actions, the things that make you do what you do, Self said. The idea is that you identify the influences, the risks, the threats, the opportunities and then see if you cant help to be more successful in your spiritual life, as well as your other life.

The audience was attentive as speakers took the podium to discuss topics of the heart and then assimilating those topics to scripture. While participants moved freely throughout the auditorium, many sat and listened with their Bibles and notepads in their laps.

Some of the topics discussed Saturday ranged from showing generosity, forgiving one another freely and listening to those who love you from the heart.

Jehovahs Witnesses make trips annually to big conventions like this one and they view it to be a peaceful place to gather with people who share their faith.

We see each other maybe once a year at these conventions and its like a big reunion, he said. If you appreciate spiritual things, this is a gift. Its peaceful, its relaxing, its comforting, its reassuring because you have other folks who care like you do. Families feel comfortable, children feel comfortable together, so its a spiritual haven.

Self said by Saturday the convention had brought in around 3,500 people and they anticipate to have had around 3,800 when it closes this afternoon.

Late Saturday morning, people made their way to the Freedom Hall pool to observe the baptism and ordination of seven members. Jehovahs Witnesses believe baptism not only confirms spiritual beliefs, but also ordains believers as ministers who will help spread the word of Jehovah and his son, Jesus Christ.

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Witnesses at Freedom Hall for convention