Houses of worship are ideal places to start walking teams – people regularly attend, and the locations are usually safe, well-known spaces. In Weldon, Evangelistic Church of Deliverance started their own walking teams through their Wellness Ministry. The Wellness Ministry hosts healthy living programs, including healthy food at church gatherings, a small community garden, a health fair, and more. 

Their walking team approach is a program that any church can adopt.  Individuals can join the Wellness ministry members who serve as team leaders as they walk.  They use set courses around the Town of Weldon including trails at River Falls Park, Roanoke River Canal, Halifax Community College, and their own parking lot.They have also built programming around walking, including “walking” to another city. Each year, the church attends its annual Deliverance Fellowship in another city around the country. In preparation for their trip, the Wellness Ministry will “walk” to that city. The Wellness Ministry finds out the distance (in miles) to the fellowship city and then, as a group, they try to walk that many miles before the trip. Each member logs their miles walked each week, and the group adds all their miles together. They’ve walked from Weldon to Cary, NC and even from Weldon to Augusta, GA, and Philadelphia, PA!

Walking is a low-impact exercise that all ages and abilities can take on. Not only is it a gentle way to get exercise, but it’ll give your congregation a chance to build community and commune with one another. Evangelistic is proof that more gets accomplished on a team. Get your congregation moving with walking teams!