By God’s grace, we are privileged to do extraordinary things to help our brothers and sisters in Christ. It was with great joy that I joined my fellow bikers to ride all 50 miles of the beautiful trail in the Charlevoix area last August, in the first Here We Ride event. Originally, I just wanted the Martin Luther-themed shirt. Once I had selfishly signed up, I was so moved by the generosity of former students and Facebook friends (after one post) that I became more excited about clothing others with Christ’s love by raising money for a student scholarship program at Immanuel Lutheran School, where I teach part time. I actually became so excited that I completely forgot about the Luther shirt. I’m certain some of the people who pledged one and two dollars per mile were surprised this almost-70-year-old woman would ride all 50 miles, but the JOY OF THE LORD was and is my strength, so on I rode!
God’s generous people helped me raise $1,330, which made it possible to help several students be clothed with Christ’s love in a loving, Christ-centered environment this past school year. Did I ever get hot? Yes, a bit, but mostly I just felt really warm—in my heart—because God had used me for the good of His Kingdom. What an honor!
To be honest, I rode 51 miles because I was having so much fun I missed the stopping point. I didn’t figure that out until the trail ended and I noticed there were no other bikers. Fortunately, there is NO END to God’s love and grace, and so we joyfully RIDE ON!
What is Here We Ride?
Here We Ride II is a FREE single-day bike-riding event that will be held on Saturday, August 4, 2018 at Bethany, Charlevoix, exactly a year after the first one.
How does it work?
Starting and finishing at Bethany, you and your family are encouraged to ride the distance you choose: 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 miles are available (and anything in between). There will be starting times for serious cyclists and other riders. A come-and-go family picnic will be available at Bethany throughout the day for riders, their families, and the community.
Here We Ride will take place on the Little Traverse Wheelway—a multi-use paved trail that skirts the beautiful waters of the Little Traverse Bay. There are plenty of opportunities to rest and enjoy the scenery, and happy volunteers will be stationed along the route.
As mentioned above, Here We Ride is intended to be entirely FREE for ALL PARTICIPANTS. However, participants are encouraged to collect pledges for the miles they will ride. We ask that you give 50 percent of the money raised to your church or school for its ministry purposes, and the remaining 50 percent to the Here We Stand campaign initiatives. All participants are asked to register online. More information can be found at herewestand.michigandistrict.org/hereweride.
Photo courtesy of Cindy Zavada
