ATHENS, Greece—Jehovah’s Witnesses in Greece hosted the “Keep Seeking First God’s Kingdom!” International Convention at the Olympic Athletic Center of Athens, the site of the 2004 Olympic Games, on June 27-29, 2014. An audience of 35,863 Bible students gathered at the stadium. During select portions of the program, another 3,093 people were tied in by video in Belgium and Cyprus, bringing the total peak attendance to 38,956.

Convention attendees included delegates from Croatia, Hungary, Korea, Romania, South Africa, Turkey, and the United States. Christina Michail, the manager of the main Olympic stadium, commented: “It was delightful to see people from so many races, from different countries, all sitting together, taking photographs together; and I liked the loving atmosphere . . . This is really noteworthy. We usually don’t have such an experience in this stadium. Usually we have sports fans and team supporters here, and their behavior is very different; that is why we are so impressed and delighted to watch this scene.”

Robert Kern, a spokesman for the branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Greece, added: “We have received hundreds of letters expressing gratitude for the program and the opportunity to share this experience with our international brotherhood. It was wonderful to have so many of our fellow worshippers from other countries with us for this memorable occasion.”

Media Contact(s):

International: J. R. Brown, Office of Public Information, tel. +1 718 560 5000

Greece: Babis Andreopoulos, tel. +30 210 617 8606