"I'm Walking Across America for Jesus Christ"

November 15, 2002

At a church in rural northeastern Oregon, a tall, slim, bearded man stepped up to the microphone one Sunday morning in late October and introduced himself with these words: "My name is Don Vermilyea, and I'm walking across America for Jesus Christ."

This stop at the Weston Community Church of the Brethren was congregational visit No. 45 for Vermilyea, who hopes to visit every church in the denomination before his coast-to-coast journey is done. The Walk Across America, sponsored by the General Board's Brethren Witness and Brethren Volunteer Service offices, began in February in Arizona. That was more than 3,400 miles and 7 million-plus steps ago, all with a weighty pack on his back.

Vermilyea began his visit at Weston with a Sunday school presentation, in which he used "homeless items" he has picked up along the way to talk about things that represent peace or the opposite of peace. Much of his message speaks against the materialism and wastefulness that he says is contrary to the word of God.

"If we Christians aren't going to turn this around, who is?" he said. "We need to wake up."

In his message during the worship service, he shared about the call he felt from God to live simply, which led him into Brethren Volunteer Service. He has experienced numerous hardships along the walk thus far and learned many lessons, he says, but the call remains strong.

"This walk is so much bigger than me," Vermilyea told the church. "Without my relationship to the Lord and your prayers, I would have died many times over. . . . If we decide to walk with the Lord, the miracles just pile up all over the place."

Vermilyea has now reached Idaho after a treacherous hike across the Blue Mountains, and will visit with congregations in that district over the coming weeks. With the onset of winter, he is planning to spend the winter in Twins Falls, Idaho, connecting with the congregation there.

When he finished up at Weston, he left behind money he had picked up along the road since his previous stop. He asks each church to process it and send it in to the General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund and Global Food Crisis Fund. He also left behind some of his "homeless items" for members there to keep, to remind them of the walk and its purpose.

"Look at the stuff, pray, and remember there's a crazy guy walking across America for the Lord," Vermilyea said. "We're all on a journey."

Newsline, Church of the Brethren