Date: Feb. 2, 2006 Contact: Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford V: 847/742-5100 F: 847/742-6103 E-MAIL: _CoBNews@AOL.Com_ (mailto:CoBNews@AOL.Com)
WALK ACROSS AMERICA MAKES CHANGES IN SCHEDULING OF CHURCH VISITS
Feb. 2, 2006 (Elgin, IL) -- "After over four years and 18,000 miles it is time for a change in the way scheduling has been handled," said Don Vermilyea, in an announcement about the Walk Across America. Vermilyea is a Brethren Volunteer Service worker who began a `Walk Across America for Jesus Christ' in Feb. 2002. He started walking in Tucson, Ariz., with the goal of walking to every Church of the Brethren congregation in the US.
After Feb. 12, Vermilyea is asking congregations to take the initiative in arranging for him to visit, by calling contact people who will be handling the scheduling of his church visits. Vermilyea said he is no longer able to make
arrangements for congregational visits from the road, and will no longer take
the initiative to call congregations that are on his route in order to arrange the visits.
He also announced a change in the name of the effort: "Chapter One of the `Walk Across America for Jesus Christ' will end Feb. 12 in Jacksonville, Fla.," he said. "The next day, Chapter Two will begin as the `Walk for Jesus' from Florida to Michigan."
Vermilyea plans to be in the Southeastern District of the Church of the Brethren, beginning in February. "Georgia, South Carolina, western North Carolina, western Virginia, and eastern Tennessee are next up," he said, adding that he already has visited the Church of the Brethren congregations in Alabama, in the fall of 2005.
After Southeastern District, Vermilyea plans to traverse Kentucky and Indiana on the way to Michigan. Four other Church of the Brethren members will be his contact people for those states. Their names and phone numbers will be publicized while Vermilyea is completing the walk in Southeastern District.
Frank Thornton, a member of Fruitdale (Ala.) Church of the Brethren and former Southeastern District moderator, will be Vermilyea's contact for the churches of Southeastern District. Congregations interested in hosting the Walk for Jesus are asked to call Thornton at 251-827-6337.
"If you or your congregation would like to host the Walk, please make direct
phone contact with Frank" or one of the other four contact people who will be named for later parts of the walk, Vermilyea requested, asking that congregational representatives speak personally with the contact person named for their area. Thornton and the other contact people are familiar with the walk
and will be able to answer most questions. "The schedule will fill in, thus timeliness is important on your part," Vermilyea alerted congregations who are still on his route across the country.
For more information about the Walk for Jesus, and for stories and photos from Don Vermilyea's experiences on the road, visit _www.brethren.org/genbd/witness/Walk.html_ (http://www.brethren.org/genbd/witness/Walk.html) .
The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to continuing the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its faith in community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrates its 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts about 130,000 members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Nigeria.
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For more information contact:
Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford Director of News Services Church of the Brethren General Board 1451 Dundee Ave. Elgin, IL 60120 847-742-5100 ext. 260 _cbrumbaugh-cayford_gb@brethren.org_ (mailto:cbrumbaugh-cayford_gb@brethren.org)
***************************************************************** The Church of the Brethren Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford,
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