My Field Experience In Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall

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Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall

For my field experience activity I choose to go and visit the Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall in Cumming, Georgia. I choose this particular location because not only did it represent a religious sector that I was very uninformed of, but this specific building is one that has been there for almost 15 years now and I would say I have driven by it without paying it any mind just about 5-6 times a week for several years. The Kingdom Hall is made entirely out of red brick. The Kingdom Hall building is a simple setup. They have a general meeting area with about 150 seats inside and a podium for speaking purposes. They have a couple of additional rooms for storage purposes and multipurpose areas like a kitchen and other open areas for different things.
A friend of mine had conducted a similar field experience activity and introduced me to Gary and Dina Roy, attenders of the Kingdom Hall in Cumming. Upon arriving I had no idea what to expect. I met a few Jehovah’s Witnesses in middle school but never spent enough time with them to make conclusions about their religion and their culture. All that I really knew was that they were not able to celebrate school holidays, but I never knew why. My father told me they didn’t believe in Jesus and that they were a cult. I had a sense that my father was incorrect about their faith so I went into my field experience with an open mind hopeful that I would become more informed on a sect of my own religion, Christianity. My friend told me that keeping an open mind was key and that I was soon to embark on a journey full of new perspectives.
My first visit was a simple observation visit. I met with Gary and Dina at the Kingdom Hall for the 1pm Bible Talk service and the Wa...

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...that they have. Going forward I plan to be more accepting of other faiths and practices.
The environment as a whole was the most welcoming and accepting environment that I had ever been a part of. Through it all I met only friendly people and was never uncomfortable. Each person remembered my name and made an effort to get to know me, a feeling that make everyone feel warm inside. Since, I have started to wonder just how many other groups I have jumped to hasty conclusions about without seeing it for myself. Since my time with the Roy’s, my goal has been to reassess my previous assumptions and to diversify my experiences to become more informed about the things that I know little about. I have learned that you should not always believe what you are told, but rather to go out and see it for yourself. Keeping an open mind will mostly likely change your life forever.

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