Walk with Jesus to be hosted in Steinbach

Organizers of the first Walk with Jesus, a Christian community gathering, say they hope to give people hope.

Denise Sandberg, a member of the organizing committee, said the event planned for Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the K.R. Barkman Park was inspired by the Walk for Jesus held in Winnipeg.

“We had such a great time,” Sandberg, who helped organize as a prayer intercessor said. “We said, we should do this in Steinbach.”

That Steinbach’s event is called Walk with Jesus instead of Walk for Jesus is no mistake.

“If we’re going to walk with Jesus, how has that changed your life?” Sandberg asked. “What does it really mean to walk with Jesus?

A news release said the event is for Christians, churches, families and community members to join for an afternoon of faith, unity, prayer, fellowship and “proclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord.”

It will include testimonies, invocations by Provencher MP Ted Falk and Steinbach Mayor Earl Funk, prayer and worship, a community walk, and free hot dogs.

The non-denominational event is open to all.

“We’re here to celebrate Jesus,” she said. “We’re putting the theology aside because the whole point is you accept Jesus as your Saviour. He saved your life then you live your life according to that.”

“In heaven there are no denominations,” she added. “Those are man-made. We just kind of set aside this for one day. We’re not against anything that the churches here in Steinbach do.”

Sandberg said it’s important for people to realize they don’t need a church membership to attend.

“If you don’t belong to a church, you can still come check it out,” she said. “We are not there to say you’re right or wrong. We’re just there to celebrate. That’s it.”

Donations will support community outreach and support through Steinbach Community Outreach (SCO), a cause that was inspired by the work Sandberg does with Winnipeg for Jesus, a street ministry.

“When you start seeing the broken, hurt people there and how much help they need, you know we’ve got broken and hurt people in Steinbach too,” she said. “(SCO) is doing so much for them.”

Organizers are hoping for a crowd of at least 100 people, but it’s what attendees walk away with that matters more than numbers.

Sandberg said she hopes people feel God’s love through them.

“We want it to be all about God loving us and knowing he’s changed our lives,” she said. “There’s a lot of hurting people in Steinbach and (I hope) they can see that this emptiness they have inside of them can be filled and those broken hearts can be healed.”

Fellow organizer Marianne Curtis agreed saying in a press release that this is an opportunity for the Body of Christ to come together in unity and make a public declaration of faith.

“We want this to be a day of encouragement, hope, prayer, fellowship and showing the love of Jesus to our community.”