Charles Honess, a retired businessman from Atlanta, on Monday kicked off a more than 3,000 mile bike ride that will take him from Florida to California to raise awareness and funds for the United Methodist Church's relief arm, UMCOR.

In a blog post published Wednesday chronicling his first day of activity on Monday, Honess said he rode 50 miles into Jacksonville, Florida. The rider said he was already wondering if he was receiving some heavenly help.

Honess said a Jacksonville policeman gave him the right directions after veering off course, and the officer followed up with the rider 15 and 30 minutes later.

When Honess was ready to end his ride for the day and get the help of friend Paul Sparks, driving a support vehicle for Honess during the trip, there was no cell phone response.

Honess said he saw a police car headed his way and got the officer's attention to get some help.
"He pulls over, and right behind him is Sparky. Paul's phone had died and the policeman said he knew where I would be. We get Paul a charger for his phone that night," Honess wrote.

"Angels in an unusual form? I believe so."

Honess is expected to travel across eight states until he reaches San Diego, California, according to UMCOR. He'll be making part of the trip in the support vehicle and will make up for the segments he didn't ride on his way back to the east coast.

Honess is not a United Methodist but calls Mount Pisgah United Methodist Church in Atlanta as his home congregation, the agency says.

"[Honess] felt so inspired by what he learned of UMCOR's work that he offered to make the cross-country bike ride to benefit the organization," the agency said.

The original idea for the ride came from Sparks, who is a United Methodist. Honess learned of UMCOR's work through Sparks and others, finding it specializes in disaster preparedness and response in the U.S. and abroad.

The organization works with churches, communities and others to provide its services. The group also helps in countries with needs for long-term development.

Along the way, Honess says he will seek to speak with as many congregations and community groups who will receive him to share more about the organization, the agency said.