Todd Sperber<\/a> opened the event by reflecting on the significance of the Easter weekend gathering.<\/p>\n\u201cWe are blessed to come together today to honour and remember the life of Jesus Christ, the death and the resurrection,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Throughout the afternoon, attendees sang, prayed, and shared messages of hope, with a focus on bringing faith beyond church walls and into the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cWalk for Jesus is this love and joy we\u2019re all feeling inside of our church buildings,\u201d Sperber said. \u201cIt\u2019s time to bring this love and joy\u2026 to the streets.\u201d<\/p>\n
Related Stories:<\/p>\n
A walk rooted in outreach<\/p>\n
As the group moved through the North End, organizers emphasized reaching people who may be struggling or feeling alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo anyone that may be feeling lost, broken, or alone\u2026 let\u2019s love them and lead by the love of Jesus Christ,\u201d Sperber told the crowd.<\/p>\n
Pastor Paul Morin also encouraged participants to see the walk as an opportunity to share their faith with others.<\/p>\n
\u201cJesus loves everyone\u2026 He loves the people out there,\u201d Morin said during a time of prayer.<\/p>\n
The event featured live worship, including a performance of the song “I Speak Jesus”, as well as moments of prayer for the city and those encountered along the route.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
A story that inspired the walk<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s walk was shaped in part by the story of a Winnipeg woman whose faith left a lasting impact on those around her.<\/p>\n
Sperber shared how a family reached out to him about their mother, Kathy, who had been diagnosed with cancer but remained deeply connected to the Walk for Jesus.<\/p>\n
Despite her illness, she attended previous walks and continued serving others, including visiting homeless encampments to provide food and support.<\/p>\n
Her daughter, Shannon Underwood, told the crowd the event meant far more than just a gathering.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor my mom, it was never just a walk or an event\u2026 it became such a huge part of her life and her faith,\u201d Underwood said.<\/p>\n
Even in her final days, that connection remained strong.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven when she was in the hospital, this ministry continued to be a source of comfort and strength for her,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Underwood added that her mother\u2019s love for the walk was so significant that she was cremated in a Walk for Jesus T-shirt.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat shirt meant so much to her that she was cremated in it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Sperber said the story became a defining reason to organize another walk this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was the fuel to the fire for me to do another Walk for Jesus,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Related Stories:<\/p>\n
Continuing a message of hope<\/p>\n
Organizers say the event continues to grow as more people look for ways to express their faith publicly and connect with others across the city.<\/p>\n
As the walk concluded, the message remained centred on hope, unity, and the meaning of Easter.<\/p>\n
Underwood reflected that her mother\u2019s spirit continues to live on through the event and those who take part.<\/p>\n
\u201cWalk for Jesus was such an important part of her life because it reflected exactly who she was, loving, faithful, compassionate,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s still walking with us today.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hundreds of people took to the streets of Winnipeg\u2019s North End on Holy Saturday, April 4, as the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":583615,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194296],"tags":[49,48,22073],"class_list":["post-583614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-winnipeg","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-winnipeg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/583614","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=583614"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/583614\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/583615"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=583614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=583614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=583614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}