CITA in Ukraine: How Missionaries Spread the Gospel

The work of “Christ is the Answer” missionaries is focused in the eastern, western, and southern regions of Ukraine, particularly in the Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Rivne, and Ternopil regions. Before the Russian occupation, missionaries also served in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Missionary Outreach CITA missionaries serve children and youth, internally displaced persons, prisoners, hospital patients, people with disabilities, widows, the homeless, wounded soldiers, retirees, and others. They conduct charitable eye clinics, provide food to the needy, distribute evangelistic newspapers and calendars, and share the Gospel in evangelistic tents. The Word of God, promoted by the Ministry, can also be seen on billboards along roads in western Ukraine. Missionaries preach in prisons, hospitals, military hospitals, and private homes. Local church leaders, in cooperation with the Ministry, work throughout Ukraine, except in temporarily occupied territories, using CITA’s evangelistic tools.

CITA’s Evangelistic Tools

Eye Clinics

For over ten years, the Ministry has supported free eye check-ups and provided prescription glasses in cities and villages across Ukraine.

• Each clinic reaches up to 90 people with the message of Christ.
• Clinics create opportunities for deep conversations.
• They allow evangelism in restricted areas like military bases and prisons.
• Many attendees later join churches.
• Word-of-mouth spreads awareness, encouraging more people to seek help.
• Clinics boost the reputation of local churches.
• They foster community unity among organizers.

Carpathian Retreats

Since 2017, CITA has invited people of all ages, professions, and backgrounds to a five-day spiritual, emotional, and physical retreat in the scenic Carpathian Mountains. Participants include church leaders, missionaries, orphans, low-income families, displaced persons, war victims, and media representatives.

Over the past eight years, 35 retreats have been held, each hosting about 60 attendees. These retreats feature hiking, excursions, evening gatherings, quizzes, fellowship, and gifts. CITA also organizes annual missionary conferences in the Carpathians for church workers and their families.

Christian Newspaper

The newspaper “Christ is the Answer” spreads the Gospel and supports spiritual growth with articles on biblical values, testimonies, conversion stories, positive news, prayers, and church contacts.

Published six times a year in Ukraine since 2015, including special Christmas and Easter editions, over 6.5 million copies have been distributed. The newspaper is shared during street evangelism, in evangelistic tents, on public transport, in hospitals, prisons, military units, and at CITA events like eye clinics and food distribution.

Churches across Ukraine order thousands of copies for evangelism. Many readers seek spiritual support through the newspaper’s contact details, and some come to faith and join church communities.

Christian Calendars

Printed since 2015, these calendars feature Bible verses, prayers, and words of encouragement, including prayers for Ukraine’s defenders.

Missionaries ensure they reach even the most remote homes. Over ten years, nearly two million copies have been distributed through donations. Many recipients contact missionaries for prayer and spiritual guidance.

Evangelistic Tents

CITA has used evangelistic tents since 2017, setting up over 110 across Ukraine (with eight in occupied areas). These tents, placed in busy public spaces, feature messages like “Jesus frees from depression,” “God forgives everything,” and “Pray—God hears you.”

Volunteers distribute Christian literature, answer spiritual questions, offer prayer support, and invite people to church. These tents also serve as venues for food aid to the homeless and needy, attracting over 100 attendees in Zaporizhzhia and up to 90 in Rivne.

Other Printed Materials

CITA distributes branded bags for humanitarian aid and food. At Christmas, missionaries give children sweet gift boxes containing the story of Jesus’ birth. In 2021, the Ministry printed 3,000 school diaries with Bible verses for Ukrainian students.

Children’s Evangelism

Missionaries in Zaporizhzhia, Rivne, Ternopil, and Kharkiv organize summer day camps where children learn about Jesus through games. A team in Nova Odesa reaches five rural areas annually with summer camps. On Children’s Day, they host sports and entertainment events featuring bounce houses, popcorn, and cotton candy, introducing children to Christ. Many later join Sunday school and bring their parents to church. The Nova Odesa team also runs a 12-week Bible course, “The Greatest Journey,” teaching teens about God’s creation and Jesus’ life.

Billboards

CITA places billboards with Bible verses and Christian messages along roads in Rivne and surrounding areas. These billboards prompt people to reflect on God and seek spiritual support. Some families have joined churches after reading these messages.

Prison Ministry

For 15 years, missionaries Hennadiy and Olena Holota from Mykolaiv have served in correctional facilities. They regularly visit three penal colonies and a prison, where they lead weekly worship services for at least 20 inmates. They also provide pastoral care, pray with prisoners, and conduct a Bible-based course called “The Prisoner’s Path,” focusing on the Gospels of Mark and Luke.

Social Ministry

CITA supports large families, widows, people with disabilities, and those facing hardships with food, clothing, and essential items. In Ternopil, they visit families at home and invite them to church events and workshops. Over five years, ten families have come to faith, with some now actively serving others. More than 400 vulnerable individuals receive ongoing support.

Ministry to Wounded Soldiers in Hospitals

Since 2023, a team of chaplains, including a missionary from Ternopil, has visited wounded soldiers in hospitals, offering spiritual and psychological support. They use music to connect with patients, break the ice, and foster relationships. They also organize nature retreats, where soldiers can fish, cook over a fire, and hear words of hope and prayer. These outings help soldiers reset mentally and emotionally.

Regional Missionary Work

Western Ukraine 

This region has a strong evangelistic presence, with a permanent tent ministry in downtown Rivne and Bible verse billboards. Missionaries provide weekly hot meals for the needy in Rivne.

Ternopil is home to CITA’s printing center, which produces evangelistic newspapers and calendars. Free eye clinics are regularly held in Rivne and Ternopil. At the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, missionaries in Rivne set up a food warehouse, served displaced persons, and organized evacuation buses for refugees.

Eastern Ukraine

Missionaries focus on personal evangelism in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia, where many elderly and struggling families live. They provide food packages, humanitarian aid, and meals. Children’s ministries, youth programs, and summer camps are growing rapidly.

Missionaries help children with schoolwork, organize Bible-based games, and run “Superbook” programs. Free eye clinics operate twice a month in Zaporizhzhia and rural Kharkiv.

Southern Ukraine

Missionaries in Nova Odesa lead children’s ministries in remote villages, including kids’ clubs, Sunday schools, and workshops. They visit nursing homes, offering evangelistic programs and humanitarian aid. In Mykolaiv, missionaries serve in prisons, addiction centers, cancer hospitals, and military units. They also support widows, the poor, the homeless, and war victims.

CITA Ministry Press Center.