(Nashville, Ind. – July 7, 2011) – They arrived in Nashville on their bicycles just as they had left Indianapolis: committed, focused and thankful for the journey.
Five Disciples ministers started out on the 300- mile ride on July 3. Their goal was to reach Nashville just before the start of the 2011 General Assembly, and along the way to focus attention on Reconciliation Ministry and its new annual fund.
Their ride took them through rain and scorching heat, up challenging hills and through car traffic. On July 7, the ride ended in Nashville at the Greenwood Park Cemetery, where two persons who played an important role in racial reconciliation – Preston Taylor and William K. Fox, are buried. Each rider was grateful to not only participate in the ride, but also to see how reconciliation is being lived out each day in the Disciples congregations they experienced along the route.
Members of Disciples churches welcomed them at points along the route, providing them with hot showers, food, and prayers for the journey. Sometimes church members shared stories of their own efforts to be more racially inclusive, including the story told by a member of First Christian Church in Owensboro, Ky. who was invited by an African-American friend to join a choir that at the time consisted of only African-American members. Now the choir has several white members and the group gathers quarterly for breakfast and worship in addition to their performances. In another instance, the cyclists shared their reasons for undertaking the trip with a waitress in Dale, Ind. Before they left the restaurant, the waitress contributed her tip money to their cause.
“The trip was really worthwhile,” commented April Johnson, minister of Reconciliation. “There were so many parallels on the trip to the work of Reconciliation. In many ways biking up the rolling hills was much like the work we face: we make some strides and then we have to press on harder. But we can’t stop.”
Each of the cyclists devoted as much time to the ride as their schedules could accommodate. Johnson clocked 162 miles. General Minister and President Sharon Watkins and her husband Rick Lowery biked 140 miles. John Davidson, of Church Extension biked 50 miles and John Yonker, a retired pastor from Missouri, who served as the lead rider, covered 238 miles. (Hazardous road conditions along one portion of the trip, required the bikers to cover over 60 miles by car). Yonker’s wife, Sarah, drove the back-up vehicle for the riders.
“I thought this was a great symbol of us trying to continue the ministry of Reconciliation and giving witness to the ministry as we shared stories with people along the way,” said Yonker, who has participated in five ‘Bike to Assembly’ rides over the years.
Added GMP Watkins: This ride was significant for us not only for the purpose we set out for, but also for the congregations that welcomed us with smiles and food and then sent us off with prayers and good wishes. The congregations we experienced were vibrant, missional, faithful congregations and it was inspiring to hear their stories.”
The bikers chose to end their ride at the cemetery as a testament to the Church’s long standing commitment to racial reconciliation. During a short prayer service at the cemetery, Preston Taylor (1849-1931), a noted Disciples preacher and entrepreneur who established the cemetery and is buried there, was described as a person, who in his own way, was a minister of reconciliation.
“He reconciled people to God and he reconciled people to each other,” said Norman Reed, a retired Disciples pastor from Tennessee who is chief executive officer of the cemetery. “As an African-American, he wanted to unite the black church and the white church as equal partners. He loved the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).”
William K. Fox (1917-2004), also buried at Greenwood Cemetery, is a former director of Reconciliation Ministry and was among the group who made the first Bike Ride for Reconciliation from Indianapolis to the General Assembly in San Antonio, Texas in 1985.
“These important Disciples leaders are an inspiration to leaders today in our witness for racial reconciliation and wholeness,” said Rick Lowery.
Numerous people sponsored the cyclists on their journey. Donations to the Reconciliation Ministry annual fund connected with the ride are still being accepted. Those donations will help to provide financial stability for the ministry and its work. To learn more or to contribute, go to: http://www.reconciliationministry.org/BiketoGeneralAssembly/tabid/889/Default.aspx
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By: Wanda Bryant Wills, [email protected]
