In two weeks’ time (August 14) WorldShare’s interim CEO, John Lamerton, will join thousands of others as they run (or walk) 14km for the City2Surf.
The twist is, he’ll be one of the only ones doing it in total silence…
We recently caught up with John to find out more about his plans and preparations for the race and how he’s being spurred on by a heart for the deaf community of DR Congo.
WS: So, John, 14km is a long way to run, what made you want to do such a thing?
John: Well, there’s a good chance I’ll be walking most of it, haha.
But, to answer your question, I’ve been looking for a way that I could personally fundraise for our ministry partners and with all these fun runs and events starting up again for the first time in a couple years it just seemed like a perfect opportunity.
Plus, it’s a beautiful walk through the city and down into Bondi. And, it’s good for your health… all the usual reasons that people do this kind of thing.
WS: But you’re doing something a bit unusual, tell us about that.
John: Yes.Well, because I’m raising funds for Ephphatha I wanted to do something that would point to or reflect the people that I was running for.
Ephphatha serve the deaf community in the DR Congo and so I figured I would try and do the run in silence.
I haven’t yet decided whether earmuffs are good enough or whether I’ll need to borrow some noise-cancelling headphones but either way I’m trying to do the whole run in silence.
WS: Out of all our ministry partners why did you choose Ephphatha?
John: I love all of our partners and they each do incredible work for God’s kingdom in their communities across the world. But in my first week here [as interim CEO] we heard the story of George, a young man who had just been shot by police because of a misunderstanding resulting from his deafness.
This was a confronting story for my first week on the job and as I followed George’s progress in the weeks that followed, I got to see the extraordinary work and service that Ephphatha was performing in the deaf community of Goma. And also, how vital and powerful their work was for that vulnerable community.
So, almost from day one, Ephphatha quickly captured a special place in my heart.
WS: That’s good motivation to make it to the finish line.
John: Haha, yes. I should be able to get there, I hope. There’s a walking track near my home that is about a 6km loop that I like to walk along and spend time with God. So, it’s only about two and a half of those haha. I’ve been making sure to walk that track most days in the lead up to the race.
WS: So how can we support you in this endeavour?
John: Well, anyone is welcome to join me. Like I said before, with all of these events starting up again after a few years it’s a great opportunity to enjoy the city you live in, enjoy God’s creation and raise some funds for an organisation or cause you believe in.
If you are running in the City2Surf come find me, I’ll be the one in the bright WorldShare blue t-shirt with big headphones on. But you might need to tap my shoulder to get my attention, and then be prepared to be accidentally yelled at haha.
And obviously you can support my fundraising efforts through my fundraising page here, I’m aiming to raise $500 and so any support you can give towards Ephphatha’s incredible work would be much appreciated.
But like I said before, I strongly encourage you to do one of these challenges yourself and to use them as a chance to fundraise for something you believe in. If that happens to be one of our partners, then you can set up your fundraising page through our website here. I can attest that it’s super quick and easy to set up and get going.
If you’d like to support John’s silent City2Surf you can donate here and if you are looking to do your own fundraising challenge for any of our ministry partners you can set up a fundraising page here.