George Brunstad, the 70-year-old man who set a record as the oldest person to swim the English Channel, poses with his world and national championship swimming award medals. (Bryan Haeffle photo, Ridgefield Press)

ATLANTA – George Brunstad, the 70-year-old man who swam the English Channel in August setting a record as the oldest person to complete the 25-mile swim, is a member of a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship partner church in Wilton, Conn.

With each stroke Brunstad took on Aug. 28, he raised money for Center of Hope, an orphanage in Haiti he visited during a missions trip last November with Wilton Baptist Church, where he’s been a member for 25 years.

Center of Hope has been the dream of Emmanuel St. Juste, pastor of French-speaking Baptist Church of Stamford, Conn., a church Wilton Baptist has supported for 20 years. Brunstad and his wife, Judy, visited the Haitian ministry with their pastor, Robert Guffey. "George was captivated by the children there and felt called to dedicate his swim to help the children of Haiti," Guffey said.

Located in Hinche, a city of 80,000 with no electricity, the 12-acre site will eventually have elementary and secondary schooling, a vocational training center and a medical clinic. The project’s first stage – an orphanage for 100 children and school for 200 – will cost $36,000, of which Brunstad has raised $23,000 thus far. The next fundraiser is a Dec. 17 party sponsored by a prominent Wilton couple. To contribute to Brunstad’s effort with Channel of Hope, tax deductible donations can be mailed to Center of Hope, P.O. Box 844, Georgetown, CT 06829. More information is available at www.channelhopeforhaiti.org.

Brunstad, a former U.S. Air Force pilot for seven years and American Airlines pilot for 30 years, wanted to cross the English Channel on his birthday, but bad weather forced a delay. Instead, he took his first stroke at 9:13 a.m. on Aug. 28, with the prayers of hundreds behind him. During the long swim, the last five hours of which were done under moonlight, he thought about the children of Haiti and the people praying for him, never about not finishing. "I couldn’t let these people down. I’d have to be pulled out with a crane," he said.

The finish was triumphant. Escorted on his left by Alison Streeter, known as "the Queen of the Channel" who swam it five times in 1995, and on his right by Marcy MacDonald, the first American woman to cross the Channel both ways, Brunstad touched shore in Sangatte, France, after 15 hours and 59 minutes. "I raised my arms like Rocky and said, ‘Praise you, God! Thank you, Jesus! God is great,’" he said.

With the swim, he broke the former record set in 1987 by Australian Bertram Batts, who at age 67 completed the swim in 18 hours 35 minutes.

The swim was a "media blitz," Brunstad said. Covered by major publications and national networks, he and Center for Hope got publicity in the United States and Europe. On Nov. 13, he received Sri Chinmoy’s "Lifting up the World with Oneness-Heart" award, which recognizes people who have inspired and uplifted humanity. While there, he met 9-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis, who asked for Brunstad’s autograph.

Brunstad, a national and world Masters swimming champion and victor in 100 U.S. Masters national competition, teaches children’s swimming classes at the local YMCA.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.