Dan Sideris, of Newton, Mass., rings a doorbell of a home as he and his wife return to door-to-door visits as Jehovah's Witnesses, Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022, in Boston. During the coronavirus pandemic, Witnesses continued their ministry by writing letters and making phone calls, but it wasn't the same because it lacked a personal touch, says Robert Hendriks, national spokesperson for the denomination.
Aniya Faulcon is The Spark Host/Producer for WITF. She has a passion for shining a light on unique people, experiences, and perspectives within the community.
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Aniya grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and attended the Baltimore School for the arts for high school with a concentration in acting. She continued to hone her skills and passion for storytelling and later graduated from Point Park University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting and Broadcast Reporting. Aniya is eager to continue her journey with storytelling in her role with WITF, as she aims to shed a light on real people and real stories within Pennsylvania in a variety of mediums.
Mary Schwalm / AP Photo
Dan Sideris, of Newton, Mass., rings a doorbell of a home as he and his wife return to door-to-door visits as Jehovah's Witnesses, Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022, in Boston. During the coronavirus pandemic, Witnesses continued their ministry by writing letters and making phone calls, but it wasn't the same because it lacked a personal touch, says Robert Hendriks, national spokesperson for the denomination.
Airdate: October 28, 2022
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There are almost nine million Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide but many only know them by their door-to-door visits.
Robert Hendricks, National Spokesperson for Jehovah’s Witnesses, said understanding his religion is important for the general public because many feel that Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t have much in common with many mainstream religions, but they do, especially with Christianity.
“…We are Christians, we follow Jesus, he is our leader. The difference is that over the centuries, mainstream Christianity has evolved, whereas Jehovah’s Witnesses trace our roots back to the first century Christian congregation,” Hendricks said. “…Our main work is preaching of the Gospel of the kingdom. The name Jehovah, the supreme being, the creator, his father, is embedded in Jesus name and so we believe what Jesus believed and we practice what the apostles in the first century congregation did.”
During the pandemic, Jehovah’s Witnesses used alternative methods to spread information about their beliefs; they used mail, phone calls, virtual bible studies, and their worldwide convention. Hendricks said, they even saw an increase in meeting attendance and baptisms during the pandemic.
He also said, when Jehovah’s Witnesses returned to doing their door-to-door ministry, they received either a nonplussed reaction from people or a reaction that showed people were glad to see them return.
Jehovah’s Witnesses abide by two principles, to love Jehovah with all your heart, soul and strength and to love your neighbor as your love yourself. Hendricks said, because they practice those two principles, they’re not going to do anything that God hates. We explored that logic and discussed some of the restrictions that are in place, within the Jehovah’s Witnesses religion, as a result of following their principles on Friday’s Smart Talk.