Evangelist to walk 500 miles with 12-foot cross

Clive Cornish will be sharing his faith with the people he meets along the way

Carrying a 12-foot wooden cross 500 miles is difficult enough, but Counties evangelist Clive Cornish has set himself the additional challenge of completing the journey in just four weeks.

The 46-year-old will be walking across Wales, stopping off at Cardiff, Fishguard, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Conwy, Llangollen, Abergavenny and Newport.

He wants to use the walk to pray for his home country and share his faith with the people he meets along the way.

Despite suffering from terrible back spasms and blisters, Cornish is determined to complete the walk by October 6.

Clive Cornish is carrying a wooden cross 500 miles across Wales

It is not the first time he has done this walk. He took the same route in 2003 when he also experienced a lot of pain and discomfort.  However, it was the visible difficulty of the walk that appeared to compel people to stop and talk to him.

"A woman saw me in Cardiff then in Bridgend then in nearby Pyle, so she had to stop and ask me why - a great opportunity to talk about Jesus," he recalls.

"A bus driver said he saw me earlier in the day and wanted to know what I was doing. A passenger shouted 'Why!' I was able to hand tracts to the driver and the passengers.

"A local newspaper sent a reporter who took some details and pictures. He said I had provoked a large response. One guy rolled down his window and asked if I was walking in Port Talbot yesterday.

"When I said yes he wanted to know why. I said, 'To remind you Jesus loves you!' He beeped his horn with great enthusiasm."

News
New Catholic head says lessons must be learned from abuse failings
New Catholic head says lessons must be learned from abuse failings

The newly installed Archbishop of Westminster has said the Church must learn from victims of sexual abuse.

Young adults abandon marriage as pensioners overtake under-25s - report
Young adults abandon marriage as pensioners overtake under-25s - report

The institution of marriage has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past five decades - particularly among young adults.

Iconic cathedral to run truth project during Lent
Iconic cathedral to run truth project during Lent

One of England’s most well-known, historic and picturesque cathedrals has announced plans to run a Lent series looking at truth in the modern world.