A Christian preacher has embarked on a 1,500-mile snowmobile expedition that he's hoping will help bring both awareness and funding for a major church construction project.

Pastor Brad Shannon, 44, of New Covenant Church in Twig, Minn., hopped on his snow mobile Sunday after preaching to his congregation and embarked on the three-week journey -- an effort to raise enough money to build a new house of worship, The Christian Post reported.

He will be accompanied by his wife and three children, with his adventure ending in Churchill, Manitoba.

Image source: NewFrontierExpedition.com

Shannon, who will ride his snowmobile while his wife drives the family's Suburban, has already raised $400,000 among church members and has secured a matching loan from the national Covenant denomination.

With the project expected to cost $1 million, Shannon hopes to pick up the rest of the funds he needs along the way as he travels on what he's calling his "New Frontier Expedition."

"The idea for me is: How can I invite the broader community into what God’s doing in Twig? So it’s friends and family. We have donations from California; we have donations from the East Coast," he told the Duluth News Tribune. "We have donations from Catholics and Lutherans and Baptists and Methodists and Presbyterians. It’s a beautiful picture of the kingdom of God."

Shannon, an avid snowmobile enthusiast, said he's excited for the experience.

Shannon's route from Minnesota to Canada (Image source: NewFrontierExpedition.com)

"Adventure has always been in my blood," he added.

Shannon's wife, Brooke, will follow with the kids for most of the way, but will board a train for the last leg of the trip, as there are no roads available for transit where her husband will be snowmobiling.

In the end, the four will travel home together; they hope to be back in Minnesota by March 2. Follow the family's trek here.

We'll leave you with GoPro video from the day Shannon departed:

(H/T: Christian Post)

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Featured image via NewFrontierExpedition.com