Gospel Verses in Transit Locations

Since 2021, the trustees of Eglinton Ave Gospel Hall have been investigating different opportunities for outreach with the Gospel. Around July 2022, we came to know that "Gospel Text Publishers"  have posted Gospel verses inside the transit buses in Mississauga. After praying and discussing, we approached Mississauga Transit (MiWay) to start a large campaign with Gospel verses inside the buses. We received approval and signed the contract. 

As we were encouraged by that exercise, we decided to approach other transit companies to see if they were ready to post the Gospel verses in different cities. The response was overwhelming. In a very short time, we had thousands of verses inside buses, on bus shelters, inside trains and train stations, and on billboards all across Mississauga, Toronto, Brampton, York Region (Markham, Richmond Hill, Vaughan and the surroundings) and Durham region (Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa). 

See the photos for examples. On each posting was an offer for a free Bible by calling a phone number monitored by one of the brothers. We also listed an outreach website (heaven4sure.com). Millions of commuters were reading these verses every day and still are.

In the months after the start of this campaign, we received hundreds of phone calls. The nature of these calls covered a very broad spectrum. Very few of the calls were negative, and even some of the calls that began as negative turned positive and fruitful by the end. We received many requests for Bibles. 

In the beginning, we tried to hand over the Bibles personally but soon discovered that delivery was not practical. We decided to involve as many assemblies as possible in this ministry. All the assemblies we contacted were happy to help. We started directing every caller who was requesting a Bible to the assembly nearest to their approximate location. We asked them to stop by around the time of the Gospel meeting, and many of them happily attended the Gospel meetings at different assemblies. Some are still regularly coming out to meetings. One young lady was baptized and is in fellowship now with the saints in one of the assemblies. We received calls from people requesting prayer due to their difficult circumstances, and we made sure that they heard the Gospel first.

The postings started with 3 verses: John 3:16, Ephesians 2:8-9, and John 14:6. Some calls were very interesting and encouraging. Christians would phone to tell us that they were encouraged and blessed by these verses. Some said that they decided to read the Bible more. 

One remarkable call was from a young lady, a college student. She said she was far from God but came to know a Christian boyfriend who helped her to start reading the scriptures. Her life was changed, but because she was from a ritualistic background, she had difficulty accepting that salvation is a free gift from God. She used to dispute with her boyfriend and say that salvation is valuable and should cost us a lot like any other valuable things we obtain. One day she had the same argument with her boyfriend and left him upset. She always thought she needed to do good works to be saved. She told us that she entered the bus and saw this verse in front of her eyes. Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” She was in shock. She said I really felt that God was talking to me, and I submitted to the Truth of the Grace of God. She requested that we include Matthew 11:28 in any future campaign, so we did.

We had the opportunity to meet with some of the callers in person and share the Gospel with them. We appreciate the prayers of the saints. Some of the contracts are set to end in early 2024, and a few will run till the end of 2024. We are certainly happy with those who contacted us, but we also know that millions have read the Word of God and we will not know the full extent until we meet the Lord.

When Eglinton Ave Gospel Hall closed in 2021, there were feelings of loss felt by all. It is never a happy thing to see an assembly disappear. We all miss the happy fellowship we shared there with our brothers and sisters. When we closed, there was no real plan for how the funds from the sale of the building would be used. We only knew it was the Lord’s money. We could not have known how He would work.

Isaiah 61:1-3

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

From the ashes of Eglinton, we were given the beauty of the Gospel. Although we are still in the middle of the story, we can see how God has and is working. He used the testimony of Eglinton for many years to touch the hearts of people in the neighborhoods round about it. He used the assembly members from Eglinton to aid and support the various other assemblies that they have now joined. And He used the funds from the sale of the property to bring the Gospel to countless numbers of both saved and lost souls, that He might be glorified. We are thankful that the Lord was pleased to use us this way. If we were asked to give one key lesson that we learned from this experience, it’s the words of Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”.  When the Lord puts something in your heart, even if it sounds remotely possible, Just move ahead and leave it in His hands.