• Brandon Leonard •
• Originally published January 16, 2009 at 5:04 p.m., updated January 16, 2009 at 5:04 p.m.

Stephen Hope has carried a cross with him everywhere for about six months - but not around his neck.

The 8-foot wide by 10-foot high cross is over his shoulder most of the time.

"I'm tying a historical event that I believe was the most important event in history into our time and saying it's still important," Hope said. "We need to understand that Jesus loved us so much, that he was willing to die for our sins."

This is the reason Hope has walked the cross in Houston, Galveston, Corpus Christi, Brownsville and Harlingen, to name a few. The walk is part of his ministry, Walking With the Cross, which began after a May 2008 revival in Corpus Christi.

An evangelistic ministry, the Houston house pastor has teamed up with three cyclists for his latest trek this time along the Chisholm Trail. He started in Brownsville and plans to complete the trip in Abilene, Kan.

They came through Victoria County late last week.

Hope and the other members of the group believe Jesus' death reconciled God and man.

"You can't explain Jesus, His life and His love without looking at the cross," Hope said.

Cyclist Douglas Barnes, who travels with Hope, said the group camps in towns close to where they are on the trail, often staying in the same places as the homeless.

Reaching out to the homeless is the thing all four members of Hope's team have in common.

Barnes started his ministry, Riding with Christ, as an outreach to the homeless, as did cyclists Jimmy and Tiffany Sizemore's ministry, Riding with Faith Ministry.

How does it all work?

The couple and Barnes ride ahead to set up camp in the next town. The group sleeps in tents and carry a little food and a few personal belongings behind them in bike trailers.

The group never has a need that is not met though, Barnes said.

"We don't ever ask anybody for anything. That's not our thing," Barnes said. "If they're willing to donate, we're willing to accept."

Hope catches up to them by driving his truck. He leaves it at his starting point each day and returns to the truck by hitching a ride or walking and drives the pickup to the camp site - 10-12 miles a day

Since May, Hope has walked the 57-pound cross almost 500 miles.

When he started, he would walk twice a week in Houston, on the interstates or in neighborhoods ministering to the homeless, which is how he met Barnes and the Sizemores.

By October, Hope began walking the cross full-time, relying on donations to make payments on his pickup, cell phone and insurance for his truck, his only fixed expenses.

"A lot of people don't see the blessings they got," Barnes said. "So the little things we get are blessings, and we see that God put them there."

The group has devotions and prays together each day.

They also visit churches in towns, often after being invited by someone in town, Hope said.

After completing the trail, the group does not know where they will go next, or even if they would go together.

"It's not the kind of ministry anybody can go and do," Barnes admitted, but he felt blessed he could.

• MORE INFORMATION

  Stephen Hope and his group are available to speak. For more information, you can contact Hope at 281-546-6549.

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