Tent Flash Mob covered ten regions of Ukraine: Results of the event

During the week of November 11-19, Christ is the Answer International Ministry held a flash mob “The Gospel Tent – a point of support for people in times of war” in ten regions of Ukraine.

The purpose of the event was to remind people of the effectiveness of street evangelism through a tent and to inspire others to join in using one of the most effective tools of evangelism. 

At the end of the event, the ministers of the evangelistic tents shared details about their part in fulfilling Christ’s Great Commission.   

Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kyiv, Chernivtsi, Ternopil, Khmelnytsky, Rivne, Sumy and Dnipro regions – representatives of local churches served passers-by in evangelistic tents on the streets of cities and villages during the flash mob.  

“The tent is effective because it can be used in different weather conditions, it can be seen from a great distance, and it attracts people,” say ministers from the Kyiv region (Boyarka). “Here, passers-by can find not only a word of encouragement and prayer, but also hot tea with cookies and candy, and talk to anyone who is willing to listen.

“In the tent, we share the Gospel, distribute books, and pray for people’s needs. We also have a microphone that we use to give short evangelistic messages and call people to repentance. In our western region, people ask about different things: older people are interested in denominational differences, rituals, forms of worship, questions about Mary, the apostles, etc. Young people ask few questions and are almost not interested in religion. The age of the people who are interested in the tent is mostly from 50 to 70 years old,” said Volodymyr, a pastor from Ternopil. – This ministry is definitely effective and necessary, especially now when the number of wounded and war-affected people is growing every day. “We used to evangelize without a tent, but we see that the effectiveness of our work has increased with the tent.” 

According to the pastors, passers-by often ask about the denomination, whether they can get humanitarian aid, where God is during the war, why the war came, how long it will last, and when peace will come. Someone asks to explain from the Bible what is written on the tent; where the church meets. People also ask to pray for their relatives and friends who are in the frontline. 

According to the pastors, people of all ages are interested in the tent, but mostly older people. Those who are younger come to the tent with a specific need.

With the help of a tent, even in small towns or villages, you can reach up to 50 people per day. The number of people depends on the location of the tent. In large cities, especially in crowded places, the tent can reach more than 300 people.  A big advantage of the tent is that people can see the inscriptions on it from afar. 

And because of its brightness, people remember the tent as a place where they can come to get help, the ministers believe. 

“People are drawn to the tent, there is a call for salvation – in times of war people believe in God more, so the tent ministry becomes more appealing to them,” said Vladyslav from the village of Polonne in the Khmelnytsky region. 

“We have been working with the tent regularly for two years. At first, people treated us with contempt and avoided us, but gradually they began to approach us, asking us to pray and coming with various requests and experiences. Glory be to our Lord!” said Yuriy from the village of Budylka in the Sumy region.  

In the town of Kodyma, Odessa region, a team of four evangelists works weekly in a tent, where each has a different role.

“One tent minister offers Christian literature and engages in dialogue, and if the person is open, he begins to communicate with them. The second pastor makes tea/coffee.  The third one welcomes people so that everyone gets attention. The fourth is in the prayer house, which is 150 meters away, and prays fervently for the tent ministry and for the Lord to send people with open hearts,” says Tymofiy. 

The pastor believes that tent ministry is effective for evangelists for several reasons. First, the tent is a good method for saving souls. Second, street ministry in a tent helps to gain experience in sharing the Gospel and communicating with people. Third, the ministers experience unity in brotherly love, become closer to the people and become known in their area. 

Christ Is the Answer Ministry has been using Gospel tents since 2017. 

CITA Press Center.