Rallies Set for Sea to Sea Bike Tour
April 14, 2008-The Christian Reformed Church in North America is finalizing its plans to host a series of spirit-packed Celebration Rallies in several cities during this summer's 2008 Sea to Sea Bike Tour.
One of the largest bike tours of its kind ever to cross the United States, the nearly 3,900-mile trek will begin on the Pacific Coast in Seattle on June 30 and end nine weeks later in Jersey City, New Jersey, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.
More than 200 cyclists, inspired by their faith, their love for adventure and a worthwhile cause, will be pedaling across portions of North America and gathering with supporters at the Sea to Sea Celebration Rallies.
Set for 12 cities along the route, these rallies will be a highlight of the tour, which is sponsored by the CRCNA in partnership with the Reformed Church in America. The focus of the journey is to increase awareness about local and global poverty and raise $1.5 million to fund programs that help the poor.
"The rallies that are planned along the tour route will unite participants in worship and in commitment to address poverty in Jesus' name," says Rev. Jerry Dykstra, executive director of the CRC, in a letter to be sent to CRC pastors.
"The celebration events will provide an opportunity for people to learn about international as well as local ministries, and about how to obey God's call to do justice and love mercy.''
Most of the rallies will take place on Sundays, starting with the kick-off on June 29 in Seattle, Wash. Other rally sites include Kennewick, Wash., Boise, Idaho, Salt Lake City, Utah, Denver, Colo., Omaha, Neb., Sioux Center, Iowa, Madison, Wis., Palos Heights, Ill., Grand Rapids, Mich., Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Wyckoff, N.J. The tour ends at Liberty State Park on August 30.
In addition to music, prayers and information on ways to get involved in the fight against poverty, the rallies will feature comments and testimonies from the cyclists themselves. Many of the riders live in or near the communities where the celebration rallies are being held.
Rallies will take place in churches, university halls, stadiums and outdoor parks. The gathering in Grand Rapids - expected to be the largest because of the high concentration of CRC and RCA congregations in West Michigan - will be held at the 8,000-seat Fifth-Third Ball Park on Sunday, August 17. The speaker in Grand Rapids will be Shane Claiborne, a social justice advocate and author of the book â??The Irresistible Revolution.â??
Each celebration will have a theme. In Seattle it will be love, followed in Kennewick by joy. Peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and justice and mercy are some of the subsequent themes.
"There are two main components of each celebration: The Worship Event and the Ministry Fair,'' says Dykstra.
The worship events will include a challenge for people to become engaged in ministry, and an offering of money that will be divided among the partnering agencies of Sea to Sea and ministries that serve the poor in the city where the rally is held.
The ministry fair will highlight both the Sea to Sea partners as well as the local agencies that are working to alleviate poverty in the community. Booths at the fairs â??will present visitors with tangible opportunities for service in ways that help the poor, allowing people to fulfill Godâ??s call to defend the cause of the weak and fatherless and stand up for the rights of the oppressed,â?? says Dykstra.
While 125 cyclists plan to ride the entire nine-week trip, another 90 will join the tour for at least a two-week section. Among these will be Dykstra, who plans to ride on his tandem bike with his wife, Linda, from Grand Rapids to New Jersey.
This summer's Sea to Sea Tour follows on the heels of the CRC's 150th anniversary celebrated in 2007. It is also the second time that the denomination has mounted a tour such as
this. More than 160 riders
took part in the â??Sea to Sea with the CRCâ?? bike tour that crossed Canada in 2005.
Through money raised by the riders combined with tour sponsorships from the business community, the CRC plans to fund programs that help end the cycle of poverty by improving education, business development skills, health care, and housing services to those in need.
That is why Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, Christian Reformed World Missions, Partners Worldwide, The Reformed Church in America, Christian Reformed Home Missions, The Office of Social Justice and Hunger Action, and The Back to God Hour are all partnering together to make Sea to Sea a reality.
MEDIA NOTES:
Accompanying the Sea to Sea riders will be a media team that will be able to help coordinate interviews and photos and video for news organizations interested in learning more about the people participating in the tour. For more information or to receive a list of cyclists from your area, contact: David Raakman - Communications Manager - 905-220-3910 david.raakman@seatosea.org or visit www.SeatoSea.org
Chris Meehan, CRC Communications
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Chris Meehan News and Media Relations Christian Reformed Church in North America www.crcna.org