Bikemovement traveled from Prairie Street Mennonite Church in Elkhart, Indiana to North Leo Mennonite Church in Leo, Indiana.  The group underwent some participant changes today as Tim and Holly Showalter traveled to Goshen and Neil Richer left to fulfill other summer commitments.   Even though I only met them two days prior when joining the group in Chicago, I was able to engage in a few quality conversations with those three as we biked across the remainder of Illinois and Indiana.  There was a sadness with me as they left because I had just begun to connect with these three.  Biking across the country really creates an atmosphere to form and develop meaningful relationships.

Despite the goodbyes many hellos were exchanged; the day brought many more additions to Bikemovement.  We welcomed Jason Shenk from Goshen, Indiana.  Jason Shenk’s motivation to be an active participant was very evident as he stepped into the responsibility of directing the biking route for the day.  Jason would only be staying for a short while with the group, but his insightful thoughts left an impression on me.  Jill Landis also joined the group from Harrisonburg, Virginia.  Jill thankfully will be with the group for the rest of the duration and I look forward to future conversations with her.  Not only were newcomers joining but experienced cyclists were returning.  Nathan Maust, Sarah Thompson and Timothy Shenk re-joined the group after their brief time away.  Their energetic return shows their devotion and passion towards Bikemovement.

In addition to Jason, Jill, Sarah, Nate and Timothy, the group also gained four additional cyclists for the day. Andrea, Jill, Mike and Joe were an energetic addition to the group and the extra company was very refreshing and inspiring.  Andrea, Jill, Mike and Joe were willing to offer feedback about Bikemovement before they drove home to Elkhart.  I always enjoy listening to what other people, especially young adults, have to say in response to a group of people biking across the country to discuss the meaning of church.  Their thoughts and opinions in regards to the purpose of Bikemovement were very supportive.  Their words encouraged Bikemovement to keep promoting change in the church and to continue to inspire others to embrace new ideas and perspectives of making the church a practical community.

In order to create practical communities within the church, questions and ideas need to be freely exchanged amongst church groups. However, these questions and ideas need the element of time to be received, nurtured and implemented within the church.  Time is such an important factor to see/experience change within the church.  My experience with Bikemovement serves as a good example to show how “time” is needed to see change. At first, I felt very unsure of how I would receive and be received by the Bikemovement group.  My unsure feelings slowly dissapated as the days passed. Time was necessary to talk with various/all Bikemovement members in order to “get to know” each participant.  Taking the time to talk and share stories and ideas with Bikemovement members has made all the difference to integrate with the group and feel connected. This example, exemplifies the importance of time.  Time is necessary for a movement to gain influence and bring forth change.

Posted by Andrea Weaver

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 16th, 2006 at 11:44 pm and is filed under Trip06. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.