Sean Higgins/Coolidge Examiner, Workers complete the interior of Arizona’s first Jehovah’s Witness assembly hall, currently under construction on McCartney Road just east of Interstate 10 in Casa Grande.
Construction is nearing completion for Arizona’s first Jehovah’s Witness assembly hall on McCartney Road in northeast Casa Grande.
The site, which is just east of Interstate 10, is home to a 45,000-square-foot weekend facility to be used by the denomination for biblical education.
Beginning in September, Jehovah’s Witness congregations, more commonly known as circuits, from across the state will make their way to Casa Grande for weekend-long educational instruction.
Jim Ellison, the assembly hall’s construction chairman, said that the Casa Grande site was chosen out of a need to find a central location for the majority of the denomination’s followers. In the past, Jehovah’s Witnesses had rented out school auditoriums for their assemblies, but due to problems with lighting and crowding, the group decided to build the facility for convenience and comfort. “Everything about this location,” says Ellison, “is conducive to education.”
With a dedication scheduled for Aug. 28, the assembly hall will have a maximum capacity of 2,171. Representatives of the denomination estimate that for at least 36 weekends out of the year, mostly excluding the summer months, the facility will contain participants taking up 80 to 85 percent of the building’s total capacity. Many of the members will be traveling distances that demand lodging, groceries and entertainment, and almost all visitors will require gas and meals. The hall, described as having a picturesque setting and technologically up-to-date, has an estimated total cost of $7 million for materials and land. All labor has been volunteered by members of the denomination, many of who travel to the site on weekends to donate their time and expertise.
The hall will be unavailable to rent out for community events. However, any meeting held at the facility is open to the public and representatives strongly encourage anyone to attend a weekend instruction.
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