A BORN-AGAIN Christian's plans to reconstruct the scene of Jesus carrying the cross yesterday were scuppered - when his wife went into labour.

But former alcoholic Steven Williams vowed the event would still go ahead in Darwen early next week instead.

In a symbolic gesture to point out that Easter is about 'more than just chocolate eggs', Steven, 37, planned to walk through Darwen with a large cross beam of timber strapped across his shoulders during an hour-long trudge.

But it had to be postponed when his wife went into labour and was taken into Queen's Park Hospital at 4.30am yesterday, giving birth to their second son, Matthew.

He now intends to do the road walk at some point next week wearing a white t-shirt bearing the words 'Jesus Changes Lives'.

He will also have his arms outstretched and tied to the wood in the position of the crucified Christ.

Steven will make his way from the New Methodist Church, Duckworth Street, along the main road towards the Darwen/Blackburn boundary and back into town again.

The dad, who lives in Darwen with his wife and four-year-old son Luke, turned to God after reaching his lowest level of alcoholism. He said: "Before I became a Christian I was a very aggressive selfish alcoholic with a great deal of anger and hate inside me.

"If anyone had told me a few years ago that one day I would become a Christian I would have thought they were mad.

"It all began while walking up to Darwen Tower four years ago when I saw the massive cross that is put there every Easter time.

"Looking at that cross I found myself not so much praying for a change in my life but shouting up at the sky in anger and threatening God to prove his existence to me.

"During the weeks that followed, I was quite unprepared for what started happening to me. All my anger and hatred towards people started to subside and I felt only the need to replace all that with love. I have never been the same since.

"So perhaps on that windy afternoon near the cross on Darwen moors, God did hear me."

Steven, who is now a preacher with Darwen Churches Partnership, got the idea of walking along carrying a cross from a born-again Christian called Damon Dugdale who made a similar gesture in Blackburn last year.

He said: "When I read his story I could not help but feel total admiration for Damon for having the faith and courage to walk through Blackburn with a cross and for showing people the real meaning of Easter.

"Quite often in our lives we are all stressed both at home and work. So when a public holiday comes along and a chance to get away from it all for a few days we are really not too concerned as to the reason why the holiday has come about.

"Easter time is all about the death and resurrection of one man - Jesus Christ.

"He paid the price for all our wrongdoing and became the gateway to life after death and by believing in him and accepting Jesus, God has given us a second chance."