Sunday, July 23, 2006

Bikemovement

Bikemovement is a group of Mennonite young adults biking coast to coast across the United States from July 10 through August 25 this summer. Through this ride, they plan to engage in a bridge building dialogue about their perspectives and vision for the church. To further this dialogue, they will be stopping for conversations with the people of a number of churches along the way. A part of their vision is for the church to transition from institution to movement.

Were I just a bit younger (I'm in my upper forties), I would want to be riding with them. Also as a part of this ride, Bikemovement is seeking to raise $50,000 to enable youth from the global South to attend the 2009 Global Youth Summit at Mennonite World Conference in Paraguay. The goal of this fundraising is to enable the youth of the global South to share their vision for the international church. More about that later. For now enjoy the pictures and comments below.


Here is the Bikemovement team picture just before
they begin the venture from the Oregon Pacific shore line.



Here's the team consulting a map along the way.



A team picture on the road in Oregon



Hospitality enjoyed along the way in Idaho



Group time - sharing personal life stories



Conversation with Hyde Park Mennonite Fellowship in Idaho



Sun over an Idaho river


For those who want to learn more, do visit the Bikemovement web site. There among other things are an interactive Bikemovement team journal, a forum for general discussion, a large and growing photo album, and instructions for donating to their Global Youth Summit project.

All pictures on this post were used with the permission of Bikemovement. They are a small sample of what is in their online photo album.

Boy, I wish I was with them! :) The adventure, the mission, the dialogue, the team building, the outdoors.

24 comments:

San Nakji said...

Tour de France, here we come!

Judypatooote said...

What a nice way to collect the money for their conference.... A couple of years ago I went to a Youth convention with a couple of youth from my church. There was over 7000 youth that attended, and what an experience.....It was so uplifting.....and it renewed my faith in the young people.....

My granddaughters went to Bethany High School in Goshen In. and it was run by the Mennonites....

Thanks for stopping by my sight.. funny it was about the Amish.....

Cergie said...

Don't worry, Tim ! Rambling is goog for legs too and you're not so old ! Haha ! Try to imagine being 90 !
I'm sure walking as you do is good to keep youngness !

Kevin Stilley said...

Very nice concept. I will pray for them as they travel.

I had never been to your blog until today and wanted to let you know that I enjoyed it very much.

You are correct that the Texas Hill Country is beautiful.

I am curious about your blogroll. You have them listed in different colors. Do the different colors mean anything?

Blessings, and peace.

Tim Rice said...

Hi, san nakji. I thought of that association, too, when I wrote this post.

Thanks, judypatooote. It's neat to hear from you and of your experiences. I've enjoyed going to a couple large conventions like you mentioned, too.

Hi, cergie. Hope your vacation was an excellent time. You know physically I am not the same as when I was in my twenties. But that was not the primary thing that makes me ineligible for this ride. The situation is that young adult does not refer to a forty something person. I'm simply not young adult anymore. I'm not old either just middle aged. :) By the way last summer, I was regularly riding twenty to forty miles a day three or four days a week. Last fall, I took on a number of other volunteer activities and I had to let something go.

Thanks, kevin stilley. I and especially they will appreciate your prayers for their ride and their ministry. I am glad that you enjoyed my blog. It is something that I enjoy and a way I can share some of my interests and hobbies with others. As for my use of colors in my blogroll, it is for mostly personal reasons. But you may note (if you spend enough time with it) that some of the colors though not near all represent what you might call unofficial blogging communities. I also think it just looks pretty. Credit my sense of artistry. ;) Thanks for coming by.

backpack_everyday said...

Hey Tim,
Never too old for any thing.Maybe u should try and participate in a small leg of the journey atleast.


Vathsan

Kevin Stilley said...

http://www.getreligion.org/ has an article up on "Mennonite mania grips cycling fans" so I put in a plug for your site.

Blessings, and peace.

Ed said...

Heck, my parents are in their 50's and are already thinking of their fifth bicycle ride across the United States. They have already done three west-east rides across the north, middle and south and one North-South ride along the continental divide. They rode one of those trips with 50 people over the age of 70 years. You still have time.

Fred said...

You said it Tim, what an adventure. Looks like an excellent way to collect money for a worthwhile cause.

Ava said...

Wow, looks exciting and exhausting all at the same time! Wish I had that kind of energy.

Sam!! said...

I think it's all a game of thinking, if u think u r energetic enough & have strength to do so than u can do it beleive me. Yeah age factor matters but i wud say ur positive thinking can over come the fact. Just have courage n be optimistic my friend:)

Takecare

sage said...

I'd love to join them too. But then again, I'd really like to go to Paraguay! I hope you're not too old to do these kind of things--if so, it'll spell doom for some others like myself whose seeing the sands of the late 40s quickly slipping through the hour glass!

Tim Rice said...

To Everyone: Okay, I'm sorry that I ever mentioned anything about age since everyone seems bent on misinterpreting what I'm trying to say. Let's see if I can say it any clearer as follows: From my understanding, the organizers of this event when recruiting the cross country bikers were seeking young adults mostly in their late teens or twenties to interact with people in our churches along the way. Since I am in my late forties, I was not in their target group for the cross country bikers. I am in no way saying that my age prohibits me or anyone else from doing a cross country bike ride. Does everyone understand now? :)

I do however have a bad knee that acts up periodically. And even Bicycling magazine has in the past noted that as one ages, one doesn't have as much bicycling strenth as one did when one was younger. Again, however, I am not saying age prevents any person from doing a cross country bike trip. And I still do a fair amount of hiking. :)

Tim Rice said...

Hi, backpack_everyday. Thanks for coming by. And to everyone else, his blog has outstanding nature pictures. Go check it out.

Thanks, kevin stilley. I appreciate that. Blessings and peace to you, also.

Hi, ed abbey. Your parents sound like extraordinary people. I think it's neat that they thinking about their fifth ride. Perhaps some day for me, too.

Hi, fred. Thanks for stopping by. I bet those who participate in this adventure won't ever be the same.

Hi, ava. The energy part I think comes by starting out small and adding on little by little. One summer, I worked my way up to a century ride - a hundred miles in one day. I would not have had the energy to do that much had I not built myself up little by little.

Hi, samrina. Thanks for coming by. I am encouraged simply by your visit. Blessings.

Tim Rice said...

Hi, sage. I think alot of us would like to do these kinds of things. I think it is a matter of how much I/we are willing to pay the cost perhaps on a number of different levels.

christina said...

Hello from Vancouver!

What a great idea those cyclists had. Thanks for posting the pictures.

Ginnie Hart said...

It looks like you ARE with them, Tim, and so are we, through your great post. What a great idea and one that will be a memory (on both sides) for a long time.

Ed said...

Just thought that I should add that my parents are Mennonite as well.

Merili said...

Looks like a very nobel cause and lots of fun at the same time. I wouldn't mind biking through the entire coats for one month myself.

Tim Rice said...

Hi, christina. Thanks for taking time during your vacation to visit my blog. Glad you enjoyed the post.

Thanks, ginnie. And you're right that I am living their journey vicariously as much as possible. :)

Thanks, ed abbey, for making that connection.

Thanks, merili. Maybe we bloggers who like biking should get together to do such a ride. ;)

Sandy Hatcher-Wallace said...

I hope that you are planning to go to Paraguay with them. It's for a good cause.

Thanks for sharing these pictures and this post. It has made me aware that some of the bikers that we see on the road are biking for a good cause and not just on a summer vacation...I wasn't aware of this program.

Tim Rice said...

Hi, abandoned in pasadena. Glad you enjoyed learning about what they are doing. At this point, time will tell whether I get to go to Paraguay or not.

Home's Jewels said...

Ah - Mt. Hood - that's in my neighborhood. I stumbled upon your blog after reading your comments on Cergi's blog :) Bikemovement sounds like a great idea!

Tim Rice said...

Thanks, homejewel. Glad you like the concept of Bikemovement.