Rooftop Pastor Halfway Through His Cross-Country Trek

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Pastor Corey Brooks, who became known as the "rooftop pastor," reached Chicago Friday as he continued his cross-country journey on foot to raise money for a South Side community center.

One problem: He's raised only $50,000 of a $15 million goal. But as CBS 2's Brad Edwards reports, it's one step at a time.

It's the mental half-way marker. The pastor stopped in Gary, Ind. – a man on a mission from God – before he arrived home soaked in sweat and rain.

"We got caught in a little bit of rain, but it was a nice rain," Brooks said.

Brooks sat atop a derelict motel by his church to raise funds to raze the empty building in West Woodlawn. His New York-to-L.A. trek covers 3,400 miles -- with a couple hundred in a car because of extreme heat and the like. "Grace miles," he calls them.

In February, film director and actor Tyler Perry donated the final funds needed to demolish the motel. Brooks then decided on the cross-country trek to build a community center.

The pastor is well short his dollar goal, but he's still dedicated in his goal to eradicate violence.

"I live by faith, and I don't live by what I see. If I live by what I see, I wouldn't be taking this walk," Brooks said.

Brooks' next event is Sunday at Navy Pier before he continues his journey to Los Angeles.