Fall is a great season to spend outdoors in Northern Virginia! The weather is getting cooler and the leaves will soon be turning color. There is so much beauty in God’s creation! We love you and encourage you to get out and get moving—while doing good in the world—with two terrific charity walk events.
Join a walk with church friends to raise funds for Ukrainian relief efforts while enjoying the beauty of Algonkian Regional Park along the banks of the mighty Potomac River.
We’ve all witnessed the devastating effects of Russia’s needless war against the Ukrainian people. When you register for the Galilee Church Walk for Ukraine, we’ll ask you to make a donation to UMCOR which we’ll earmark for Ukrainian relief efforts.
There will be multiple trails to choose from that vary in length and difficulty, so walkers of all fitness levels are encouraged to come. Plus there will be a scavenger hunt along the way for the young and young at heart. Upon completion of our walking circuits, fall refreshments will be served and children are invited to carve a pumpkin and hear the story of “The Pumpkin Patch Parable.”
Our shelter (#2) is reserved until 3pm, so bring your lunch and enjoy getting to know others from Galilee and the wider community.
Sunday, October 23 at Algonkian Regional Park, Shelter 2 located at 47001 Fairway Drive, Sterling, VA. Check in starts at 11:30am, with walk commencing at 11:45.
Not local or in town that day? Register to participate remotely in your own location. Send us pictures!
Register here. Recommended donation is $10 per person or $30 per family.
Funds will go to the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) with a designation for Ukrainian Relief.
Join your Galilee community to raise funds for Ukrainian Relief efforts while enjoying a walk in the park. Register now.
Our second walk activity this month comes to us from our mission partners in Sierra Leone. Many Galilee attenders support children and families in Bo, Sierra Leone through Helping Children Worldwide, which runs both the Child Reintegration Centre and Mercy Hospital. Reverend Olivia Fonnie of Helping Children Worldwide will speak this Sunday at Galilee to let us know more about these crucial ministries. You can help support them by registering for The Road to Mercy Hospital virtual fitness fundraiser beginning October 1.
In The Road to Mercy Hospital challenge, you will follow the 28-mile journey a sick child and his mother would have to make from their village (Lembema) to Mercy Hospital. Then, you will travel back to the mother’s home village (Fengehun) to convalesce. Along the way, you will pass by some important places in the Bo region.
If you are looking for more of a challenge (!), you can sign up for the 50-mile Road to Samie Village virtual walk or the 100-mile Road to Freetown. In the Road to Samie, you follow the journey 9-year-old Emmanuel “Nabs” Nabieu took when the civil war broke out from his home village (Samie) to Bo where his uncle lived. The Road to Freetown journey begins from the capital of Sierra Leone (Freetown) to Bo, where Helping Children Worldwide’s programs are located.
You are encouraged to walk, roll, run, jog, row, pedal, or spiritually sprint wherever you are! You may choose to do this challenge with neighbors, friends, family, or on your own. Each person who completes the challenge will receive a small wood carving created by a Sierra Leonean artist.
Registrants may do the challenge anytime between October 1 and October 31, 2022. The deadlines for the Road to Samie and the Road to Freetown are longer to reflect the longer distance. Sign up now!
Money raised will go to HCW’s Global Health Programs. While Mercy Hospital provides life-changing medical care to over 10,000 patients a year in Sierra Leone, HCW also works with global partners through our Together for Global Health network to provide resources and technical advice on global health issues, enabling us to truly help children worldwide.