Aug. 31, 2008—Amid cheers, tears and hugs, Sea to Sea riders and supporters celebrated the conclusion of their nine-week cycling trek across North America on Saturday.
Hundreds of family and friends gathered on the side of the road in Liberty State Park and applauded as the 190 cyclists—guided and guarded by a 9-mile, 55-minute police escort—made their way to the final destination on the Sea to Sea Bike Tour.
Prior to dipping their tires in the Atlantic Ocean simultaneously, those gathered recited The Lord’s Prayer together, acknowledging the provision and protection of God over the tour throughout the summer.
The celebrating continued with a dinner and celebration rally Saturday evening at Cedar Hill Christian Reformed Church in Wyckoff, NJ.
“I think we’re here to do at least two things,” said Ben Spalink, pastor of City Grace Church in Manhattan, who opened the final celebration service with humor and energy,” celebrate what God has done through this tour and recognize that this is not the end but the beginning of our journey toward ending the cycle of poverty.”
In a message entitled “Let Justice Continue to Roll,” Rev. Mark Gornik called the Sea to Sea Bike Tour a significant, profound moment in the history of the Christian Reformed Church.
“The cycles of poverty and injustice can be addressed from the ground up,” he says. Now that the riding is over, “you’ll need to transition from one way of approaching poverty to another.”
Gornik, director of City Seminary in New York City, spoke at the celebration rally in place of Dr. John Perkins who is recovery from successful, emergency surgery. Gornik suggested at least four ways, based on Hebrews 12:1-3, to sustain the momentum brought about by the bike tour concerning poverty.
“Be where God is at work,” he said. “The most deeply transformative work is happening at the grassroots and on the margins. Also, have the ability to receive. Draw on a great cloud of witnesses. And view the work as a marathon, not a sprint.”
About 750 people attended the two-hour worship service that included energetic singing and testimonies from a number of Sea to Sea cyclists.
Christeena Nienhuis, of Sarnia, Ont., shared about the many places she felt the presence of God on the trip.
“I’ve seen God in the uphill climbs and when going downhill, while sweating in the desert and in a family on the side of the road offering water.”
Nienhuis said God was at work from the moment she signed up for the tour when someone offered to pay for her bicycle and someone else bought her a tent.
“And when I was nervous to fly across the country and go through customs by myself, I saw six other cyclists waiting at the airport to go on the same flight,” she said.
John Vandersteen, of London, Ont., agreed. “It was so obvious that God was with us,” he said. “The weather, the community, this trip has been about so much more than biking because we were biking with God.”
“The riding portion is over and our heightened awareness for poverty issues was a big part of what we learned on this trip,” said Barb Mellema, of Sioux Center, Iowa. “We have a heart and passion that continues on.”
Before blessing the congregation, Jerry Dykstra, executive director of the CRC and cyclist, offered his gratitude in a short, yet emotional speech.
“Thank you to the dreamers who brought this idea forward and asked ‘is it possible,’ to which the answer was ‘of course it is, with God.
“Thank you to cyclists and all those involved with this tour on behalf of the body of Christ and specifically the Christian Reformed Church and Reformed Church in America,” Dykstra said. “You have shown what it means to be Christ-like examples to show compassion for a hurting world.”
—Sea to Sea Communications
www.SeatoSea.org
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