The Walk of 1000 Men
With Best Foot Forward…
Had you been drinking in a pub in the Central Pennine Region during May this year, you may well have found yourself staring through your glass at a beer mat bearing this symbol. You may also have met men in walking gear wearing matching badges or sweatshirts. Curious? Have no fear; the REV. HARRY CHANT, one of the intrepid walkers, explains about the event known as…
The Walk of 1000 Men
A title like that probably conjures up a mental picture of a crowd of 1000 men walking together from A to B, but this would be a complete misunderstanding of a mission that took place last May in the Pennine region. In fact there were not 1000 of us and we were not all together. There were about 650 of us in groups of 10 operating between May 11th and June 2nd, some for one week, some for two, and some for three weeks, covering an area up to 20 miles either side of the Pennine Way from Kirk Yetholm to Edale.
The objective was not, of course, just to go for a walk in and around the Pennines, but to visit towns and villages in the area to share something of the Christian faith and our personal experience of our Lord Jesus Christ. We worked in conjunction with the local churches, visiting pubs, clubs, schools, offices, factories, etc, places that had first been visited by local church members to elicit their agreement to our visits. In addition, in some venues we operated in market places with singing, drama and sharing of personal experiences of Jesus and how he had changed our lives. In all we covered 10,000 square miles, worked with over 300 churches, had direct contact with 194 ministers, gave out over 175,000 items of literature, including 75,000 beer mats in pubs.
The project was the result of an inspiration from the evangelist Daniel Cozens, an Anglican clergyman, back in 1988. Daniel was already well experienced in pub evangelism, and he was inspired to set in motion the visitation of all—or a good many—of the pubs near the Pennine Way. Over the ensuing three to four years he raised up the 650 or so men who participated and trained us for the task.
My reason for participating was as much as anything to test a felt sense of vocation to being more involved in direct evangelism. The thought of operating down the ‘Backbone of England’ appealed to me. In a human body the nerves run down the spine and out to the various parts of the body and I could see the possible knock-on effects of the proposed mission, paralleling the body principle. Jesus is very real to me and has brought purpose and direction, as well as meaning, to my life, hence my desire to share my discovery with other people.
So what actually happened on the walk?
“We worked in conjunction with the local churches…”
Revd. Harry Chant describes how in one church “the Vicar handed the whole service over to us. (It had been due to be a communion, but he changed it for the occasion). Two or three people came for healing prayer, others followed a prayer of commitment but didn’t come forward…”. Many walkers were also impressed by the hospitality offered in these churches; Len Reeve, also from St. John’s, Fareham, recalled that “the generosity from the people who cared for us in their homes was overwhelming.” Another walker commented: “They gave us what they didn’t have for themselves.”
“…visiting pubs and clubs…”
Harry continues: “In one pub, there was so much noise from a disco that it was difficult to go in!” But in another, “Len and I spoke for two and a half hours with two men. One of the two…had admitted he was at a cross roads and had to choose between his wife and his girlfriend: Len helped him to save his marriage and obviously made a great impression on his spiritual life also.” Another walker recalls: “On our first night in a pub, I met a man called Jim with his girlfriend. Jim was 6’3” and an ex-soldier like myself, he was a rough and rugged bloke…He came to the meeting the following night after we had talked about Jesus and what he has done in my life…and he came forward and received Christ along with eight other men.”
“…schools, offices, factories, etc…”
Some evenings, the walkers ran meetings in a variety of venues, inviting all of the local community along. There was even a meeting in a local cricket club, at which twelve young people responded to the message about God that was presented to them.
“In addition…we operated in market places with singing, drama and sharing of personal experiences of Jesus and how he had changed our lives…”
One walker recalls being stopped by a man and his wife, who asked about the walk. On being told that the walkers were there to tell them about God’s love for people, the man was irritated and told of his bitter past. The walkers suggested they pray for him…they prayed for him and the tears began to flow, all the bitterness was washed away and the man thanked the walkers and his wife went home rejoicing.” There were also miraculous healings: one group of walkers prayed for a man whose leg was broken in three places. During the prayer witnesses heard three ‘clicks’ and the man was able to walk away, healed. Harry Chant recalls an event recounted to him of elsewhere on the walk when “a man who was deaf praised God when, after prayer, he turned to the people and excitedly shouted ‘I can hear you!’”
“We left feeling thoroughly encouraged and inspired to be more out-going in our home towns.”
It would be foolish and quite wrong to say that the Walk of 1000 Men was all described above; the walkers did experience failure and disappointment along the way as well, but there was a general feeling amongst those who took part that this was an unforgettable and very worthwhile event. Len Reeve exclaims that it was “the most exciting, exhilarating, emotional, prayerful, loving, caring, tiring experience of my life.” Another walker said “I found the mission exhilarating and exhausting”; yet another that “It leaves me with an ache in my heart for the places visited.” And Revd. Harry Chant, whose experiences we have followed during this article concludes: “The whole venture has been, for me, a tremendous experience with a first-rate team of evangelists. It was good to be with men of vision, worship together, helping and encouraging one another, and spending time with just one purpose in mind—to share the Good News of Jesus in the heart of a nation where there is so much apathy, hopelessness and lack of m eaning to life.”
With acknowledgements to Revd. Harry Chant and Mr. Len Reeve of St. John the Evangelist, Fareham, and The Walk of 1000 Men Journal.