Miller City street preacher is getting the word out

It has been 25 years since Duane "Street Preacher" Lyon put down his welding tools and started carrying a cross.

Since then he has visited 45 states and 15 foreign countries with one message, "Jesus Saves." He carries it on a message board and often hoists a 12-foot cross for emphasis.

"I'm a visual witness with a sign and a cross. I'm there just for that moment when people drive by ... to remind them, 'hey, Jesus saves,'" he said.

Lyon will be in Cape Girardeau County every weekday until Christmas. Friday he was at the corner of Main and Hope streets in Jackson. He sees his calling as particularly important at this time of year.

"You're shopping and out there running yourself crazy, and I know you're not having any fun. Christmas is supposed to be a time of celebration, not doom and gloom," he said.

Lyon has spent much of his life as a messenger. He recently returned from a trip to Israel and Lebanon where he set up in similarly visible locations. He also visited Haiti, Estonia and Finland in recent years.

"When Jesus said 'Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel,' I took him literally," said Lyon.

Lyon's tactic is to be visible and make himself and his literature available to anyone curious to learn more. "I never say a word unless people come up," he said.

He makes his home in Miller City, Ill., with his wife and six children.

Lyon also has political ambitions, having won the Democratic primary for Alexander County commissioner this year before losing in the general election. He is now writing his memoirs and planning a run for state representative in two years.

But whatever he does, he'll keep harping on one message: "Let's keep Christ in Christmas. Jesus is a lifestyle, not a weekly event," he said.

tgreaney@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 245