A walk with God is full of hope. Church communities like yours can share this powerful hope with people like Agnes.  

Agnes lives in rural Zimbabwe, but like you, she is an active member of a church that meets each Sunday. She attends faithfully, but getting to church hasn’t always been easy. Every Sunday, Agnes would walk an exhausting 15 kilometres to attend the nearest service to her home. 

For many people like Agnes, living in rural areas around the world, walking long distances to church is their only option. While some set out on a five to 10 kilometre walk each Sunday, others face a challenging walk of up to 25 kilometres. Being so far from church makes service attendance difficult, isolates people from their church community, and limits involvement in church life – and the challenges are not limited to distance.  

Your own spiritual journey has no doubt been influenced by the hope of the gospel and the ministries of your local church, but many people around the world still don’t have access to the hope brought by Christian ministries. Many people have no Christian presence in their communities and, as a result, have never heard the gospel. Others have no pastor to lead a local church, or are confined to their homes due to illness or injury. Without evangelists or trained pastors to visit them, they have little to no opportunity to hear the gospel and be a part of a Christian community. 

This Good Friday, as you reflect on your spiritual walk for hope, you can give that hope to others by walking to church. Walk for Hope is a challenge run by Global Mission Partners (GMP) to walk to church, raise money and give people hope through access to Christian ministries. By planning a one, five or 10-kilometre walk, and with the support of family and friends, the money you raise will plant new churches, train pastors and send evangelists to share Jesus’ message of hope to more people.  

Because of the support of people like you, a new church has been planted near Agnes’s home, cutting the distance from her home to church in half! Agnes is actively involved in the church, and even helped to make and lay the bricks for the church building. Today, she is a leader in women’s fellowship and visits many people around her community to encourage them and share the hope that she has found.  

We recently heard from BJ Mpofu “I met Agnes today at Msipani Circuit Churches, where the six churches had their first circuit service. Agnes is now vice secretary of her Circuit. Every year senior leadership positions change but she was asked to remain on the executive as vice secretary. She enjoys visiting the sick in her church and going for prayer meetings.”

The generous support from last year’s Walk for Hope has made a huge difference to people like Agnes. The community has been able to build a Pastor’s house, a Church Office and buy a second hand truck for use by the different committees in the Circuit over the last five years. Now they are planning to build a children’s Ministry Classroom. The bricks have been made and construction should begin soon.

By getting yourself and your church community involved in Walk for Hope you will be making it possible for more people like Agnes to attend and contribute to their churches.  

It’s as easy as walking to church. Sign up today at WalkforHope.com.au