Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec

Ahhh, the open road. The wind in your face, the roar of the engine, the bugs in your teeth…

There’s no denying that motorcycles make a statement. Those who love them, love them, but bikers don’t always have the best reputation. Yet, there are incredible ministries to bikers and some incredible bikers, too. To connect with their local bikers, Wyoming Baptist Church decided to host the Hub Show and Shine, an opportunity to welcome bikers in the area to gather together in the church parking lot, show off their beloved bikes and mingle with church members, with a little help from a CBOQ seed grant.

Rick June, from Wyoming Baptist shares his experience with the event below:

The inspiration for the hub show & shine came from meeting Christian motorcycle groups like the Christian Motorcycle Association and the Heaven Saints that do motorcycle ministry. When I came to know Mark Johnson through the church, we started to share ideas about creative outreach. He suggested bringing the idea to the deacon’s board.

With the blessing of the deacons’ board, we started to have planning meetings once a month starting in February 2017. We had two guys from Forest Baptist Church come on board with us. We started going to local businesses for door prizes and support for the barbecue. The response that we got was amazing! Motorcycle shops, the grocery store, the bake shop and most of the local businesses were very eager to help support the cause. The response from the church to help out was great as well. People came forward to help at the event in every way, from setting up tables and chairs to helping prepare food.

We had a Christian music group come, face painting for the children and a booth set up for donations to send children from low income families to Camp Hermosa—our partner mission for the event.

The bikes started to roll in! We had about 100 bikes and 130 people to enjoy the event with us. We had a great meal, good music and one of the Heaven’s Saints shared his testimony. There were lots of good prizes and interaction between Christians and non-Christians alike. The Lord provided good weather and I believe his hand was upon this even from start to finish. It was our hope to reach out to others to come to know the love of Jesus and I think that was shown by the love of all involved in this great day.

Pastor Steve Stanley includes:

The atmosphere on the day was fantastic. I saw no hesitation on the part of people from our churches to interact and connect with some riders, some of whom appeared to be quite rough characters. The unprompted conversations I shared with a few riders was that they were very impressed with the event. It was well planned, well thought out, included good were to be repeated, they would return and encourage others to do the same.

Throwing a motorcycle showcase event isn’t your typical church activity. It isn’t hosting a Bible study or a prayer circle. But it is reaching out into a community that needs Jesus. It is starting a conversation—paving the entry—for people who might not otherwise come to church. It is sharing the peace of Christ with our neighbour.