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Musical Duo Use Story and Song to Help People Know Christ Better
By Liz Quirin
Source: Catholic News Service
Published: Sunday, November 15, 2009
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BELLEVILLE, Ill. (CNS)—Shannon Cerneka and Orin Johnson, who travel around the country and minister through music and story to help lead others to a deeper understanding of Christ, call their outreach Oddwalk Ministries.

At first it may seem a strange name for a musical duo, but they say, "Not so."

It is loosely based on the disciples' walk to Emmaus in St. Luke's Gospel. The disciples didn't recognize Jesus at first, and sometimes as people try to determine what path to take, it may seem to be a strange journey. So for Cerneka and Johnson, "Oddwalk" fits.

"Our mission had to be about our journey of faith in the world and how an encounter with Christ changes that," Johnson said.

The two men met at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville. Both are married. Cerneka and his wife have three small children.

The partners' personal stories and ministry will take them to the National Catholic Youth Conference Nov. 19-21 in Kansas City, Mo. The biennial youth gathering is expected to draw more than 20,000 young people and their adult chaperones this year.

At the same time Cerneka and Johnson will debut their newest CD, "Alright Now," produced by GIA Publications Inc., "a leading publisher of liturgical music and music education resources," according to its Web site.

"What originally attracted GIA ... to them was their uniqueness," the company's Andrew Schultz told The Messenger, newspaper of the Belleville Diocese. "As performers, the duo is engaging and fun to watch to people of all ages. As composers, GIA appreciates that much of their writing is liturgically sound and usable, all the same sounding fresh and contemporary."

The Oddwalk duo said they were excited not only about their appearance at the youth conference and their upcoming CD but also about their partnership and mission to bring others to a deeper and fuller understanding of Christ.

Johnson, 36, is coordinator of music and liturgy at Our Lady of the Snows. Cerneka is a director of youth ministry at St. Peter Parish in Jefferson City, Mo.

When Johnson and Cerneka met in 1998, Cerneka also worked at the shrine doing, according to him, "nearly every job there, including guest relations and leading tours."
While none of those jobs required guitar skills, Cerneka had taught himself to play and began receiving requests.

Cerneka, 34, invited Johnson to "come along" and the two found they had an instant rapport.
Cerneka was comfortable in front of groups and a natural to lead with the guitar. Johnson, a self-described introvert, played, sang and told stories.

The two now travel the country performing and praying with youths and adults.

In the early days of their partnership, Johnson said if someone asked them to play for more than an hour they wondered how would they fill the time? Now, they play and tell stories for an entire day if they are leading an event.

"The quantity of music, stories and prayer experiences has grown," Johnson told The Messenger.

The more time they spent performing, Cerneka said, they realized they could have "a more intentional ministry."

Besides the new CD, Oddwalk also has contributed 11 original songs to GIA's new hymnal "Cross Generation."

The songs belong to GIA, which gives Oddwalk small royalties on them.

More importantly, Cerneka said, "it will put our music in places we are not able to be; it will let the music touch people's hearts."

In their live presentations, Johnson tells stories of faith, stories that express a need to be vulnerable and to be open to the will of God.

Their message is "Don't be afraid to take a risk, especially in terms of faith," Johnson said.

Both see clearly the path that has pointed them on their journey to Christ and expanding others' horizons. It's not so much an "oddwalk" as a sure-footed journey of faith.

"Several moments (along the way) have given Oddwalk new insight into who we are and what we are to be about as we strive to be partners in the mission of building up the kingdom of God," Johnson said.

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