LVIV, Ukraine—The Ukraine branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses welcomed the public for a special open house on May 2, 2017. The one-day event allowed state and local officials, academics, and business owners to see the branch operations, as well as neighbors from the city of Lviv.

The branch created special exhibits for the open house, including displays and a video about the branch operations, a historical museum, and an area designed for children. Ivan Riher, spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Ukraine, states: “This is the first time since 2001 that our branch office has held an open house. We are well-known here in Ukraine for our door-to-door Bible education work, but we were excited to invite our neighbors to see how our branch office operates and contributes to the community.”

Andriy Yurash, the director of the Department of Religious Affairs and Nationalities, a department in the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, gave his impressions of the branch operation: “This is an example by the religious organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses, portraying what can be done to harmonize the relationship within the community, between its members and other people in general.”

This year, the Witnesses have also hosted open houses in their branch office in Cameroon, as well as in their world headquarters facility located in Warwick, New York.

Media Contacts:

International: David A. Semonian, Office of Public Information, +1-845-524-3000

Ukraine: Ivan Riher, +38-032-240-9323