If you happen to be at the Oklahoma State Fair during its closing days, you may notice that a pre-pandemic fixture is back: smiling faces standing next to a colorful booth and carts featuring a positive message and free Bible-based literature.
Thousands of these carts are rolling down the streets of communities like Oklahoma City and Tulsa as Jehovah’s Witnesses recommence their global public preaching work some 24 months after putting it on pause due to the pandemic.
Oklahoma City residents Robert and Vanessa Rivers are excited to see their neighbors in person again, especially at the state fair. “I look forward to just having a conversation to find out how people are doing. There’s a lot of stress and anxiety still going on,” Robert Rivers said, “so I want to share something with them that could give them comfort and hope.”
The Christian organization is returning to its public ministry for the first time since March 2020 when all in-person forms of their volunteer work were suspended out of concern for the health and safety of the community.
In response to the global decision, more than 100 congregations in the local area have now reopened their cart locations near Harkins Theatre, Scissortail Park, Myriad Gardens, and Leadership Square.
The local congregations have also resumed free in-person Bible studies along with personal visits to those who have invited them back to their homes. This comes two months after the organization began gathering at their Kingdom Halls once again for in-person meetings.
“While we understand that the pandemic is not over, we are entering into a phase of learning to live with COVID,” said Robert Hendriks, U.S. spokesperson for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “That means we need to find more ways to personally interact with our neighbors. Being out in the community and having conversations with our neighbors is accomplishing that goal.”
Mobile displays of Bible-based literature have been part of Jehovah’s Witnesses' public ministry in the U.S. since 2011. While “cart witnessing” began in large metropolitan areas around the world, the practice quickly spread to the tens of thousands of smaller communities, becoming a fixture in rail and bus stations, airports, harbors and main streets.
In 2017, Witnesses began offering a selection of Bible literature at carts throughout well-trafficked areas of Tulsa. The project’s success led to expansion into Oklahoma City in 2019 with displays added across the downtown area and the state fair.
Tulsa resident Jack McLamore has been part of the initiative from the beginning and has seen the positive effects. “It’s like a community outreach program. We’re there consistently,” he said. “People are welcome to approach us. When they stop, when people have trouble in their life, we’re ready to listen and to share some comfort from the Scriptures.”
Vanessa Rivers views her participation in this ministry as an opportunity to show her neighbors that she cares. “We’re concerned about people, about what’s going on in the communities, and we’re trying to help people have hope for the future,” she said. With regard to volunteering at the state fair, Rivers added, “People stop and look at the questions going across the monitor at the booth, and we have these opportunities to have friendly conversations with them. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”
To learn more about Jehovah’s Witnesses, their history, beliefs and activities, visit their official website jw.org, featuring content in more than 1,000 languages. Pat McGuigan of The Oklahoma City Sentinel has covered communities of faith, religious freedom and related issues frequenlty over the past decades.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.