BRATISLAVA, Slovakia—Jehovah’s Witnesses in Slovakia held an open house at their branch office on December 15, 2012, to mark the 100th anniversary of their Bible education work in the country. Personal invitations to tour the facilities were distributed to people from the surrounding neighborhoods. More than 200 attended the open house, which featured ten displays highlighting milestones in the Witnesses’ history in Slovakia.

In 1912, representatives of Jehovah’s Witnesses began their public Bible education work in Slovakia. In 1991, the Witnesses released an accurate, easy-to-read translation of the Bible in Slovak. The branch office in Bratislava supports the work of five Slovak translation teams. Translation work also includes Slovakian Sign Language and the Eastern Slovak Roma and Olah Roma dialects. All of the literature and Bibles produced by the Witnesses are offered free of charge. To date, the more than 11,000 Witnesses in Slovakia conduct over 3,400 free home Bible studies each week, helping people of all ages to attain greater personal and family happiness.

Meetings for further Bible education are conducted in all of the 160 congregations throughout the country, and the public is welcome to attend these free Bible sessions as well. The Witnesses also have a long history of annual conventions, the first one being held in 1923. In 2006, Jehovah’s Witnesses hosted a special convention in Bratislava with over 10,700 attendees, including more than 3,600 delegates from the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania.

Rastislav Eliaš, a spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Slovakia, states: “Over the last 100 years, Jehovah’s Witnesses have earned a reputation in Slovakia for being peaceable and honest citizens who maintain strong ties with their relatives and local community. We will continue working hard to help our neighbors benefit from Bible education, just as we are striving to do ourselves.”

Media Contacts:

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

Slovakia: Rastislav Eliaš, tel. +421 2 49107611