Back on the Streets of Central Mississippi After Pandemic Pause

Across Central Mississippi you may notice that a pre-pandemic fixture is back on the sidewalks: smiling faces standing next to colorful carts featuring a positive message and free Bible-based literature.

Thousands of these carts will be rolling down the streets of communities like Jackson all across the world this week as Jehovah’s Witnesses recommence their global public preaching work some 24 months after putting it on pause due to the pandemic.

“I feel really excited about returning to the public ministry with our cart witnessing program,” said Kelsea Putorek, a regular volunteer at Strawberry Patch Park in Madison. ”I missed…being able to relate to people on a face-to-face basis. Seeing their smiles and saying a greeting, it’s a totally different experience from speaking to someone over the phone or through letter. I did have some nerves to resume, however, it was quickly relieved. People were very friendly, it’s like we never left.”

The Christian organization returns 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, local area congregations are now beginning to reopen their cart locations. They may also be found in Friendship Park in Ridgeland, Parham Bridges Park in Jackson, on the corner of North State Street and University Drive outside of the University of Mississippi Medical Center and in other locations throughout the area.

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’re 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 2015, Witnesses in the Jackson area began offering a selection of Bible literature in English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Hindi and Punjabi at the carts during the morning commute and on weekends to be accessible to community members.

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.