Before the 144 cyclists and 25 support crew members head out on their first day’s ride Monday, members of the Reformed and Christian Reformed churches in Seattle celebrated with them and prayed for them.
About 450 people attended the first of 12 celebration rallies along the route Sunday at the University of Washington. Those gathered sang praises to God, spoke words of encouragement to the tour participants and, in the words of one local organizer, offered them the “best gift of all”—their prayers.
During the 90-minute service, the riders and support crew were asked to kneel together in a circle and were surrounded by the others in attendance while Rev. Ken Koeman, of Bellevue CRC, offered a prayer of thanks, protection and blessing.
“It was a nice way to send us off,” said Matt Rekman, a cyclist from Sarnia, Ontario. “We felt the support of the Seattle community.”
In his message, Dr. Brian Turnbull, pastor of a Christian Reformed church plant in Seattle called The House, challenged the cyclists to develop the fruit of the spirit.
“The muscles that you’re building are more than physical,” Turnbull said, “you’ll be developing spiritual muscles.”
He emphasized the spiritual fruit of love, first in the list of nine fruits from Galatians 5. “As Christ followers, we are called to be on this mission of love,” Turnbull continued. “When we begin to love, we will begin to see the Kingdom of God in our cities, countries and around the world. Cyclists, you are a picture of the Kingdom of God, giving testimony to the love of Jesus.”
The rally also included some testimonies from cyclists on why they decided to join the tour. Jim Holwerda, of Grand Rapids, Mich., shared about the challenges he’s faced and overcome, with God’s help.
“For me, these nine weeks will be an act of worship,” Holwerda said. “Twenty-four years ago, Multiple Sclerosis had stolen my legs, but God gave them back to me. I will be praising God with the motion of my legs. And I’m humbled that He will use me as an instrument to help people escape the paralysis of poverty.”
The tour begins with a tire-dipping ceremony at Golden Gardens Beach in Seattle at 9 a.m. (PT). Watch the live web cast here. Riders will make their way 50 miles east to Sultan where they will stay at the Sultan High School.
To find out more about the tour or to make a donation towards its cause of poverty-reduction, visit www.SeatoSea.org.
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