In the face of widespread economic strain, national conflicts and social unrest, surveys indicate that confidence in the future is at an all-time low in many countries, including the United States. According to the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer, 24 of the 28 countries surveyed are seeing “all-time lows in the number of people who think their families will be better off in five years.”

Against this backdrop of pessimism, a special global program featuring the theme “You Can Face the Future With Confidence!” will be held on the weekend of April 1–2, 2023. The free 30-minute presentation will be hosted locally at a Mesquite Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, with a videoconferencing option available. Please check the “Attend a Meeting” section on the home page of jw.org for local addresses and meeting times.

“The challenges we face may seem overwhelming, but the Bible holds out a powerful hope for the future that can help us right now,” said Robert Hendriks, U.S. spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “This global program is designed to give all those who attend tangible reasons to face the future with confidence.”

Nevada resident James Keys felt hopeless after a recent cancer diagnosis. “I’m dealing with cancer for the second time, and it’s not curable,” Keys expressed. Being a diligent student of the Bible has helped him to improve his outlook. “(Hope) gets you through a day and gets you to look into the future, knowing that this is only temporary,” explained Keys, who is looking forward to attending the upcoming special program. “Without that hope, I don’t know what I would be doing right now.”

The special talk is the first of two free programs that will be held in all 118,000 congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses during the first week of April. The public is also invited to join nearly 20 million other global attenders for the annual observance of the Memorial of Jesus Christ’s death, to be held on the evening of Tuesday, April 4, 2023.

Admission to both programs is free, and no registration is required. Details on when and where these events will be held locally are available on jw.org, the official website of Jehovah’s Witnesses.