Roaming, ranting and waving a Bible overhead, Ev Cherrington makes sure everyone around the Hub or Parks Library has heard about Jesus, whether they want to or not.

Known as the “God-socks man” or the “Hub man,” Cherrington paces the sidewalks, clutching his stuffed heart pillow and shouting at passersby, who usually walk faster and pretend they can’t hear him.

Undoubtedly, they can.

For four weeks now, Cherrington has ventured from the Hub at 2:30 or 3 p.m. each day after his shift to speak about the gospel of Jesus on his own time.

He is not the Hub speaker many students are familiar with, the “dark-haired” Tom Short who speaks annually to large crowds and is from Columbus, Ohio.

Short, a middle-aged man steeped in theological arguments, usually draws a large crowd of listeners and a few debaters when he visits town. Cherrington doesn’t draw an audience, per se. He just talks to those walking on the sidewalks.

Cherrington said he enjoys preaching the gospel. That’s because he’s telling the “good news,” that although humans are sinners, they can “be forgiven by Jesus and go to heaven, but only through him.”

Cherrington said he became a born-again Christian when he was 16 while attending a camp in Fairfield. He said his repentance was brought about when he recalled an incident of cheating on a spelling test in the third grade.

Since then, Cherrington, 61, says he has struggled with “sin.” He confessed that he slept with a woman outside of marriage, drank excessive amounts of alcohol, once dropped a cat down an outhouse and had his license revoked for speeding.

“These are areas I have overcome now. I’m pretty disciplined now. I have five areas I work on,” Cherrington said. “Monday I work on patience; Tuesday I’m a good listener; Wednesday I work on diligence; Thursday I’m humble; and Friday I encourage others.

“I’m a very happy person because Jesus Christ is in my heart,” he said.

He also admitted to a period of hospitalization for serious depression and said he was treated with Prozac.

Cherrington has never been married.

“I desire that someday,” he said. But he said he decided if he gave his heart away to a woman, he couldn’t give it to God anymore.

Cherrington carries around a red and white polka-dotted heart-shaped pillow that he recently bought at a garage sale.

Dressed in a striped shirt, green shorts and gray socks pulled to his knees with black tennis shoes, Cherrington looks as colorful as his past seems to have been.

He mentioned several incongruous occupations.

“I’ve been a teacher; I’ve coached. I majored in physical education at Western Illinois and received an education degree at Iowa State; I have minors in journalism, driver’s education and history,” he said.

“I received my master’s in elementary education and drove new trucks to railroads,” Cherrington said. “I’ve done writing and been published — I wrote an article about RAGBRAI, ran track and cross country. Now I swim. I’m in excellent physical condition.”

Cherrington’s travels took him to Europe.

“I’ve seen quite a bit of the world,” Cherrington said. He also mentioned bits about his life in California and Arizona, but said he considers Ames his one true home now.

Cherrington works a vending route on campus.

“One time I left the Snickers box on top of the vending machine in Lagomarcino. We’ve all made mistakes,” he said.

At the Hub, Cherrington prides himself in helping people and solving problems. For example, he said he was responsible for changing the instructions on the milk vending machine.

“Before it was almost a page of instructions — I got it down to five sentences and laminated the sign,” he said.

“I’ve met so many people. I like to be around people. I’m a people person and a problem solver,” he said.

Not everyone approves of his after-hours evangelism or his messages. But Cherrington said he welcomes their feedback.

No doubt Cherrington stirs people with his strong stances on such controversial topics as homosexuality and Darwinism.

“Homosexuality,” he said, “is perverse and unnatural.” And as for Darwinism, “It’s absurd to think that I come from a monkey.”

Others complain to Cherrington, saying, “You’re yelling in my ear,” he said.

“Love is something very important as a Christian,” he said. “We’re not out to hate people.

Cherrington said he likes to argue for Jesus. In fact, he was supposed to debate an atheist named Adam in front of the Hub, but he said, “So far he hasn’t come.”

Although he said he would do anything God wanted him to, Cherrington added that he aspires to be a pastor or a counselor at Ames High School.

Meanwhile, Cherrington said he will stand in front of the Hub and talk about Jesus “until the snow covers my socks.”