A Polk County pastor and his congregation are camping in the air to help people in need.
The pastors at Impact Church in Lake Wales said they’re putting a new meaning to the saying, "when the prayers go up, the blessings come down." The group has spent a week sleeping on a 21-foot scaffold to raise money for charity.
“We are in the air for kid’s charities,” Impact Church Pastor, Walter Nelson said. “We’re striving to raise funds for different missions endeavors and our own local outreaches.”
Nelson and the church’s youth pastor, Shawn Rudy came up with the idea.
“Because it gives a lot of attention," said Rudy. "People drive by and honk the horns, they wave. We have a bucket down there where folks will pull in and put some money in.”
The pastors said church members delivered them hot meals all week.
Since this is the second time in five years they’ve pulled this off, the pastors said they were fully prepared to pitch the tents in the air in front of their church.
“It was very cold," said Rudy. "Last night especially. We had two heaters going in there.”
Nelson said they had a solution for bathroom breaks, too.
“We sleep up here. We happen to have a Johnny on the spot potty tent and so we spend most of our time up here,” Nelson said. “We do give ourselves time in the morning and in the evening. We have a shower in the church.”
The pastor said he delivered his sermon from the top of the scaffold on Wednesday night.
And with today being their last day in the air the pastors said it’s safe to say they attracted just the kind of attention they wanted. And they were able to do it while doing something good for the community.
So far the church has raised more than $7,000 of their $25,000 goal. The church is still accepting donations.