Cyclists raise money for Olympic Bibles
MANITOULIN ISLAND, ON—Hundreds of cyclists across Canada are hitting the pavement this summer, to raise money for The Canadian Bible Society's (CBS) outreach to the 2010 Olympic Games.
Bike for Bibles is a national campaign each June through August, featuring over a dozen rides from as far west as Vancouver Island to as far east as Prince Edward Island. Routes vary every year, and several provinces hold more than one ride.
Money raised in 2009 will fund Olympic New Testament Scriptures and resources for the 2010 winter Olympic games in Vancouver, including a gospel of Mark and Book of Hope youth magazine.
Funds from previous rides have enabled the creation of a new Bible for the Canadian armed forces and another for new newcomers to Canada, both of which proved to be tremendous resources for sharing the gospel with Canadians, according to Wib Dawson, CBS district director for Western Ontario.
"One of the great things about the ride is the variety of people who take part," says Dawson. "We have riders on the cross-Ontario ride from the ages of 14 to 80. There are also riders with a variety of riding skills—from people who are relatively inexperienced to those who have been riding for many years."
Reg Graves, director for south Alberta adds: "For the Bible Society, the heartbeat and drive behind this is to provide people with Bibles. The Bible is a life-changing book. When you feel you can't cycle any further, you remind yourself of that to keep going.
Len Bachiu, district director for Saskatchewan, coordinates the smallest of the Bike for Bible rides—a fact he jokingly blames on the lack of "interesting geography."
Bachiu calls Bike for Bibles "the most authentic expression of Christianity I have ever experienced.
"I've been a pastor for 20 years and I've learned it's possible to fake it on a Sunday morning. But when you cycle together, when you line up for showers and meals together, when you sleep together in a gymnasium where you can almost reach out and touch each other, and when you are all sleep deprived, you cannot fake it! You learn what it means to really be a Christian in community."
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