For Jon Tyner, minister of music at Olive Baptist Church, worship and missions go hand in hand. That’s why he and three friends took on the challenge of walking for 24 straight hours to raise money for missions.
On a Thursday in late October, the four began walking at 7 a.m., traveling from one end of Pensacola Beach to the other and then back to where they started by 7 a.m. the next day.
The group, made up of Tyner as well as Olive’s associate pastor and two choir members, walked 66 miles in total.
All of this was done to raise money for an evangelical organization called Next Level Worship, which seeks to train and resource Christians around the world in biblical worship. The money goes to fund missions projects the organization does throughout the year.
Each October, the organization hosts a Walk for Worship fundraiser, where participants from across the world walk miles to raise money. People can sign up to donate for each mile someone walks.
In total, Tyner and his group raised more than $8,000 for Next Level Worship during their one day of walking. He hopes this act of walking itself will serve as an act of worship.
He said, “Worship is something we do with our mouths and with music, but it’s also about our lips and our lives.”
The four weren’t alone on their journey, as many fellow church members joined them during the day, including all of their spouses.