JSU's SWAC Championship Game Saw Jehovah's Witnesses' Carts Displayed

As more than 50,000 football fans made their way to Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium for last weekend’s SWAC Championship Game between the Jackson State Tigers and the Southern Jaguars, they might have noticed something interesting. At various spots near the stadium, Jehovah’s Witnesses’ carts were on display offering colorful books and pamphlets featuring positive messages in a variety of languages.

“We could feel the excitement as we got organized that morning,” said Jackson resident Trey Small, who was among nearly 70 volunteers sharing in the “cart witnessing” ministry at the stadium that day.

“It was a delight to show hospitality to those who visited our city while also directing them to God's Word,” Small added. “The carts targeted something we all need: help for our families. Several people enjoyed having encouraging, Bible-based conversations, and many more thanked us for the work we do. All involved are looking forward to similar events in the future.”

Aside from a pandemic pause, the literature carts have been a regular fixture in Jackson, along with the smartly dressed volunteers who stand by them. But carts on display at the stadium for game day was a new sight. And a JSU victory made the experience that much more rewarding.

“It makes me happy to see the positive influence the university’s football program has made within the city because of its winning season,” said Tracy Stapleton, an alumni and former administrator at JSU. “The work being done with the carts is very influential, too, when you think about it. While cart witnessing at a college football game is something new for this community, sharing good news is always appropriate and timely.”

Prior to the pandemic, many congregants from local and surrounding areas volunteered their time to stand with the carts on a regular basis in the city until early 2020, when the Christian organization suspended all in-person forms of their volunteer work out of concern for the health and safety of the community. A little over 24 months later, Witnesses all over the world recommenced their public preaching work including right here in Jackson.

“We believe that the early decision to shut down all in-person activities for more than two years has saved many lives,” said Robert Hendriks, U.S. spokesperson for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “We’re now ready and eager to reconnect with our neighbors once again – person-to-person, face-to-face. It’s not the only way we preach, but it has historically been the most effective way to deliver our message of comfort and hope.”

Small, mentioned earlier, said that before the JSU game, he engaged in the cart witnessing ministry at Mississippi State University’s last regular season game in Starkville. “Many people no longer keep up with the news because it can be so depressing and draining, but the message of good news from the Bible is refreshing since it provides hope. We love to direct people to our official website, jw.org, when they only have a few minutes to chat. For those that are not in such a rush, we can share an encouraging scripture, show a short video that answers a bible question or even demonstrate our free interactive bible study course.”

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 has quickly spread to the tens of thousands of smaller communities, becoming a fixture in rail and bus stations, airports, harbors and main streets – and in Jackson, at the Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium .

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.