By Laila Casiano | Staff Writer

Sister Cindy, viral TikTok influencer and known preacher, visited Arkansas State University on Nov. 4 around noon to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. Her presence gathered hundreds of students, as a couple days prior, posted on her TikTok account announcing her expected arrival to three schools belonging to Arkansas: University of Central Arkansas, University of Little Rock and Arkansas State University.

Cindy Smock, a 63-year-old from Indiana, became popular sometime around 2021 in the TikTok world as her viral presence documented her questionable preachings she shared to university students of various campuses in different states. 

Smocks has been traveling across state lines, visiting different universities for 44 years alongside her late husband, Brother Jed. They met at the University of Florida in the ‘70s and married four and half years later. Brother Jed was a pastor for 50 years until in early June he died due to health complications. 

With Sister Cindy’s arrival to A-State, she was accompanied by Heidi Barry-Rettele, or better known as Sister Heidi. The two began working together in the first part of September, where Sister Heidi’s own pastor introduced the two women as he was inspired by Brother Jed and Sister Cindy when they had visited the University of Nebraska in the ‘80s. 

“Our role is we want to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, to anyone and everyone who listens. That is our hope,” said Sister Heidi.

The Nebraskan does majority of the filming process, usually known and seen to be carrying a device and tripod to film Sister Cindy’s preachings. She also drives the two of them from location to location, makes sure that all the equipment is accounted for and even speaks to students. Their travels don’t always consist of just the two women working together independently, with them at times having the company of three to seven people joining them on their endeavors. 

The preachings are at times questionable, her notoriety and sensationalism have molded her into a comedic character. Words targeting young women of how they should act, or how they should manage and maintain their sexuality and/or creating a shift between faith and identity is more focused than the undermining goal of Smocks, of “calling upon students for repentance and faith in Jesus.”

Smock’s dramatic tangents of women’s sexuality and her on-going joke campaign of, “No Ho, No More” and “Never a Ho” sent her skyrocketing in social media, especially upon teens and young adults.

“I became viral on TikTok before having an account. I had an account before, but I never really posted anything. It’s the students that made me viral,” Smock said.  

Smock’s popularity was never intended, nor was it ever her decision, but she believes that this was the work of the Lord. “God knew that Brother Jed, my husband, was going to pass away and he wanted the ministry to continue. By making me go viral, it just made it easy. I just posted that I was going to be here and there were people out here and waiting when I got here. I think it was the Lord that did it.”

When questioned about her ways of preaching, she states that though her purpose is to share the gospel, they are also trying to put on a show.

“I do use satire, speak in hyperbole, exaggerations and make jokes. I think one reason I did become viral was because in March 2021, people were going through COVID and they needed something to laugh at. I didn’t mind being laughed at,” Smock said. “Gen Z, they have a sense of humor, they don’t mind me making jokes about them, they can laugh at themselves too.”

Smock’s statement remained true as a large crowd formed outside the Humanities building, near the Memorial Arch, watching the preachings of Sister Cindy. Students of different ranks, majors and ages attended, grasping the chances to hear her speak and even gain attention from the speaker herself. 

With the on-going chants of “No Ho, No More,” and “Never a Ho,” Sister Cindy would ask questions that were derived from the Bible or inspired by her storytelling of her life, career and marriage. Smock would ask questions to the crowd and with every question answered correctly she would give students pins with the chants written on them.

Jayda Halfacre, a first-year majoring in nursing from Truman, won a Sister Cindy pin when another peer of hers had already won one, giving his second-winning pin to her. 

“I don’t agree with all of what she says, but I think that it’s cool what she does and I think that this is definitely the largest I’ve seen here so far and so I thought it was pretty neat that everyone gathered today,” Halfacre said.

Rike Robinson, a junior majoring in composition from Jonesboro, won his pin by answering a question that was intended for memory, seeing if anyone in the crowd had been really paying attention.

“It’s ethereal, it’s great. She came here my freshman year, two years ago and I actually got to sit down and talk to her and it was really interesting. It’s so hard to tell if she’s legit or if she’s doing a bit, you know? And so, I’m of the belief that it’s really over exaggerated and it’s like a bit but maybe there might be a little hint of like here’s how you can be saved or whatever,” Robinson said. When asked if he’d attended once more if she came the next year, he happily agreed.

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