Pastor Rod Zimmerman of Celebration Church in Stevens Point plans to run 135 miles to Green Bay between 6 p.m. tonight and 10 a.m. Sunday, with minimal stops along the way.

There's no trophy or finish line at the end, but there will be more than 3,000 members from the church's three congregations in Stevens Point, Howard and Green Bay waiting for him.

He wants to inspire them and others to believe that anything is possible with dedication and hard work.

The church is kicking off a Generosity Campaign to encourage congregation members to make an additional financial contribution beyond their normal offerings.

Zimmerman, 43, wanted to contribute to the campaign in a big way.

He said he felt a calling from God to "use what you have," which in his case is a passion for running.

"I could make a limited financial contribution, but I thought there's got to be something greater than what I can give," he said.

He is using running as a way of bringing together the multiple locations for the first combined service, at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay, led by senior pastor Mark Gungor.

"I kind of saw this as a figurative connecting the dots between our venues," he said.

He will leave from the Stevens Point church tonight and make stops at the other churches along the way before ending at the KI Convention Center.

There will be three planned aid stations along the way, in Waupaca, Shiocton and Oneida, with warm food and other supplies. A car will follow him, and volunteers will be at various locations to direct him.

A physical therapist has put together care kits for him, and Zimmerman can call him anytime if he needs help getting through stretches. Zimmerman will take minimal rests during his run.

Zimmerman is no stranger to running long distances. He completed a 50-mile run in October in Door County and participated in Ironman Triathlons in 2006 and 2007. But this will be the longest run he's ever attempted.

He said he's a bit nervous for the challenge, but there are people in the community who face similar challenges financially and in other ways.

He said he hopes they will follow his example and push through the pain and difficult times to get to the reward on the other side.

"I think it's awesome," congregation member Paulette Quick, 59, of Stevens Point said. "I think this isn't going to be on his own strength. I think God is going to (help) him, too, because this is a lot of miles."