Jehovah's Witnesses hold congress in Prague

Prague, Czechoslovakia - A three-day congress of Jehovah's Witnesses started with a joined song and prayer in Prague Saturday, press representative Cyril Sevcik said.

Over 4000 people attended the morning programme. They strengthened their faith and discussed their reasons for it, Sevcik said.

Let Us Stay Close to Jehovah was the motive of this year's congress.

The motto was situated near the rostrum, surrounded by rose and white geraniums.

Sevcik said baptism would be held on Sunday and dramatisation of the story Walk through Faith, not Visions from early Christian time would follow on Monday.

The congress lasts until Monday and it will also be held next weekend. Organisers expect about 10,000 participants to come to both events.

This weekend, a congress of Jehovah's Witnesses from Russian and Ukraine is held elsewhere in Prague as well.

There are over 7.3 million Jehovah's Witnesses across the world. Their magazine Watch Tower appears in 174 languages with 37 million copies.

Christian churches consider them a sect. On the other hand, Jehovah's Witnesses call themselves Christians, rejecting the other churches.