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Church members to spread gospel on bike trip

By Frances Borsodi Zajac 3 min read

A team from Calvary Baptist Church in Uniontown has found an unusual way to evangelize as it plans to distribute Gospel tracts during a six-day bike trip across Pennsylvania. “It’s a way to spread the Gospel across the world,’ said the Rev. Joseph Ritz. “We’ll be meeting different people, getting the word of God out and letting them know that God loves them.’

Eleven members of the church are participating in the bike trip, including the Rev. Allen and Osa Owens, the Rev. Ron and Leigh Hudson, Leonard and Shirley Pain, and Kenny Hays, all of Uniontown; Allison and Steve Gaida of Deer Lake; and Ritz and his wife, Susan, of Connellsville. The members range in age from Hays, who is 15, to Gaida, who is 57.

The group includes three pastors. Owens is senior pastor of Calvary Baptist but will leave the church at the end of the month to return to the mission field. Ritz will take over as senior pastor. Hudson is youth pastor.

The team will leave Saturday morning, driving to Edinboro, which is 13 miles from the Ohio state line, and continue on a northern route to Damascus on the Pennsylvania/New Jersey border. It’s a total of 375 miles through towns such as Kane and Scranton.

While not all the bikers are experienced, most enjoy biking, and several have been on previous trips, whether they were shorter, local trips or last year’s trip across Kansas.

“Allen is originally from Colorado, and he always had dreams of crossing Kansas on a bicycle,” Ritz explained. “We said, ‘OK, let’s do it,’ and it became a ministry.’

The church adopted the theme PEDAL (Producing Evangelistic Drive And Lifestyle). They use a logo that features the word “PEDAL’ and two bikers and wear shirts with the same.

“As we meet people and carry on conversations, we present them with a plan of salvation and give them a tract or a small Bible,’ said Ritz. “Last year, we talked with a lot of people, and four people came to know Jesus Christ.’

Last October, 20 members of the church biked from Meyersdale to McKeesport on the Yough River Trail and handed out more Gospel tracts. Two weeks ago, members prepared for the upcoming Pennsylvania trek with a bike trip from Dawson to Cedar Creek for a picnic and back.

In comparison, the 475-mile Kansas trip included just two bikers and two members in a support vehicle. This year, seven people will be biking.

“This year will be more challenging with more people and the road conditions,’ said Ritz. “But it will be fun.’

The church also has plans for upcoming trips, including doing Florida from north to south, an 800-mile trek across Texas and biking around England.

This is not the only way the church evangelizes. They have mission teams traveling to Haiti in June and Mexico in July.

But the bikers are very noticeable, and this form of ministry actually makes it easier to talk to people, Ritz said.

“They see us and they want to know something about you. You stop at a store or along the road and people come up to you and ask where are you from. They see our shirts with the logo and it starts a conversation,’ Ritz said.

Ritz cites the Gospel of Matthew and Jesus’ command for the Great Commission – “Go ye therefore and teach all nations” – as a reason for evangelization.

Anyone can join Calvary Baptist in these trips. For more information, phone the church at 724-439-0401.

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