CITA Crusades in Ethiopia: How Do These Events Take Place?

Over the past 3.5 years, the international ministry “Christ is the Answer” (CITA), in partnership with local churches, has organized 10 large-scale evangelistic crusades in Ethiopia.

These massive open-air evangelistic events lasted four days and gathered between 50,000 and 120,000 participants in various cities, including Muslim-majority areas like Shinshicho, Durame, Hosanna, Dilla, Sodo, Shone, Dire Dawa, Harar, Chuko, and Boditi.

Ethiopia is considered a Christian-majority country, with 67% of the population identifying as Orthodox, Catholic, or Pentecostal. However, at least 30% of the population practices Islam.

The country faces significant challenges, including high rates of illness, addiction, and demonic oppression. Even children are exposed to psychotropic substances. Additionally, 40% of Ethiopians live below the poverty line.

CITA crusades involve preaching the Gospel, the outpouring of God’s power, salvation, healing, deliverance, intercessory prayers for people and nations, inspiration from the Holy Spirit to spread the Gospel, medical outreach, and aid to those in need. Each event is meticulously planned by the CITA team.

Two months before a crusade, the international CITA teams in Ukraine and Ethiopia begin praying and fasting. They coordinate with local authorities to secure stadiums, collaborate with gospel singers, print evangelistic newspapers, and prepare for charitable eye clinics. In host cities, promotional materials such as posters, invitations, and TV ads are distributed widely.

Alemu Chalemew, a minister from the Evangelical Churches Union in Hosanna, shared that many testified about receiving healing and deliverance at the Hosanna crusade. He believes God reignited a spiritual hunger in the city that had been lost for the past decade. He personally witnessed the manifestation of God’s glory and the love of Jesus in people’s lives.

Tagesse Gichamo, a participant in the third CITA crusade, added, “We had participated in crusades before, but this one was different. Many people received supernatural blessings. I believe God healed our hearts and our land.”

Dire Dawa was the first Muslim-majority city where CITA held its seventh crusade.

This city is known for widespread immorality and drug use, particularly the consumption of khat. According to Taras Sen, a key feature of the crusade was the overwhelming number of people turning to Christ. During prayer, demonic spirits could not withstand God’s power and left people with loud cries, causing them to collapse. Security teams carried those affected to the stage, where ministers prayed for them.

Harar, where CITA held its eighth crusade, is often called “the Muslim heart of Ethiopia.” No large evangelistic events had ever been held there before, and no evangelists had preached in the city. CITA became the pioneer in bringing the Gospel to this challenging region.

During crusades, an evangelistic tent operates, offering spiritual counseling, Christian literature, and personal prayer. The first tent was introduced in Durame during the second crusade in the fall of 2021.

By the next crusade in Hosanna, church representatives were serving in five CITA ministry tents.

After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, CITA’s director and speaker, Taras Sen, initiated prayers for Ukraine at Ethiopian crusades. He noted that Ethiopians responded sincerely to the call to support Ukraine.

At the December 2022 crusade in Dilla, he led a prayer with 100,000 participants:

“I called on everyone present to pray for Ukraine. I prayed in Ukrainian, followed by an Ethiopian minister praying in Amharic. I firmly believe that every righteous prayer is powerful, even from a distance, because God is real and answers His people’s cries. Many Ethiopians sincerely pray for our country.”

For three days during each crusade, charitable eye clinics provide free vision check-ups and eyeglasses. To date, at least 9,500 people, including Muslims and Orthodox Christians, have received professional eye care.

Due to widespread poverty, many Ethiopians cannot afford eyeglasses or medical check-ups.

During the seventh crusade in Dire Dawa, local health officials emphasized the importance of these medical initiatives and covered them on Dire TV.

In one instance, when local CITA missionaries were arrested in a Muslim city, Muslims defended them, arguing, “They brought us free eyeglasses!”

Crusades also provide a great opportunity to distribute evangelistic newspapers. During the fifth crusade in Sodo in February 2023, 50,000 newspapers in Amharic were handed out.

These newspapers feature articles by ministers, testimonies of transformed lives, excerpts from Christian books, spiritual poetry, and prayers of salvation. Contact details for local churches are also included, allowing readers to seek further help. Local ministers have reported increased outreach inquiries thanks to these publications.

Each crusade is an opportunity to help those in need. In Hosanna, impoverished families received food packages sufficient for a month. In Sodo, CITA provided food for widows.

In Shone, 700 people received hygiene products and blankets. In Dire Dawa, a state-run shelter for single mothers was given equipment for making injera, Ethiopia’s staple bread.

Boditi became the 10th city to host a CITA crusade, marking a milestone event. Speaker Taras Sen led prayers for Ukraine with a crowd of 120,000, while local ministers conducted another large-scale eye clinic for thousands of Ethiopians, including Muslims.

According to Sen, a defining feature of this tenth crusade was the number of physical healings. Many were healed from heart disease, vision problems, and mobility issues. He witnessed a man with extremely poor eyesight suddenly see clearly over long distances after prayer. Another man, previously unable to walk properly, began running, jumping, and standing firmly on his feet. Many were also delivered from demonic oppression during this crusade.

What is a Crusade?

The term “crusade” refers to missionary outreaches in Protestantism. These events typically involve religious gatherings in churches or rented venues and the preaching of the Gospel.

Starting in 2025, “Christ is the Answer” plans to hold crusades in Ethiopia on a quarterly basis.

CITA Ministry Press Center.