FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — If you were driving past Woolsey Baptist Church in Fayetteville around lunchtime Saturday, Feb. 8, you would have seen lots of smiling kids riding bicycles around the building. This was not just kids having fun. These were kids on a mission.
Thirty-five kids, ages 1 and a half to 11, rode 356 laps around the church property on a ¼-mile track to raise money for the church missions support offering, which goes to global missions organizations.
This bike-a-thon was part of Woolsey’s yearly world focus week.
“When we were planning it [the focus week], we knew we wanted to include this event as a way for the kids to get involved,” said Kids Ministry Director Brittany Herget.
To raise money, each kid went door to door to get per lap or maximum pledges from family members, friends and neighbors. They raised just over $6,000.
“Everyone who rode set a goal, and I believe that everyone either met or exceeded their goal in terms of number of laps ridden,” Herget said.
Matt Shirley, pastor of worship, senior adults and missions, said the per-lap pledge is the most interesting one “because you never know how many laps a kid will ride. It motivates the kids to see how many laps they can get.”
Herget said riders wore race bibs. They slowed down and got tally marks for each lap. Church members counted the laps.
“They had a lot of fun taking off their race bibs and counting the number of tally marks they had on their back. How many laps they had completed,” said Herget.
Kindergarten through fifth graders rode for 30 minutes while preschool-age kids rode for 15 minutes. The most laps a kid completed was 21. One 5-year-old had 18 sponsors. Some children learned to ride a bike for this event, while others rode with training wheels or on tricycles and scooters.
“We had some children who went to the church to practice and train so they could ride as many laps as possible to earn as much money for missions as they could,” Herget said.
She added that the kids were very excited to be doing it together. “I think that because they all were participating at one time, it inspired them all to do more than they would have otherwise. I was very encouraged at how much excitement there was,” she said.
Five-year-old Micah Shirley, who did 14 laps, and 3-year-old Daniel Shirley both enjoyed the event and the fundraising. “I want to do it again next year. I think other churches would like it,” said Micah. Daniel said “I liked riding my pedal bike and raising money for missionaries.”
Herget said there were some children who worked hard on a pitch and knew what they wanted to say and how they wanted to present this in order to get more participation from sponsors and neighbors.
Micah and Daniel joined forces with cousins Abby and Lydia Chambers to get sponsors.
“One of us knocked on the door and then we said, ‘Hello my name is Abby. And we go to Woolsey Baptist Church and we are doing a bike-a-thon for missions. And, we were wondering if you would like to sponsor,’” said Abby.
“It makes me feel excited and happy that it’s not just for me, but it’s for other people I know around the world.”
Abby added that she hopes people will see that it’s not just older people that can give money to the church, it’s really everyone.
Matt Shirley first mentioned the idea of a bike-a-thon to Herget while discussing the missions week. They were trying to think through ways for children to be involved and excited about what God is doing around the world and to participate. He thought it would be something they could be involved in even if some of them didn’t like riding bikes.
During World Focus Week, the children went on a virtual airplane journey around the world. Shirley reached out to different partners. They had a missions fair set up in the church lobby as well as visits from international missionaries and local missions partners.
Children learned about the bike-a-thon a week in advance and got busy getting sponsors. “I think this was definitely more exciting to them because it was a way that they could physically get involved,” said Herget.
She said the event inspired her “to think more sacrificially. And to think how can I give more.” She also sees a difference in the kids.
“Because these missionaries on the field were on the forefront of their mind during world focus week, I think that it has been good and I can see a difference in their prayers, even when we have a prayer time for our missionaries,” Herget said.
“Their prayers I feel are more specific, and maybe they are just able to better articulate what it is we are praying for when we say we are praying for missions. We know what our money is going to support because we were able to put a face to some of these names. And, I think for the kids, that was helpful.”
She added that it would be an easy event to replicate.
“Any church who is interested in something similar, I would say to do it,” she said. “The work it took to plan was definitely well worth the return. Not just monetarily, but just in the excitement that the kids had and I think it will be an event they will look forward to doing in future years.”
This story originally appeared in The Christian Index.
Related posts:
Churches minister to hikers on Florida trail 
9/11 met with listening ear for those struggling on 22nd anniversary 
Coffins Frame a Sad Commentary for Navajo Families 
Ky. worship leader finds comfort in hitting high notes in recording studio 
Northwest Pastor’s Family Rediscovers God’s Faithfulness After Heart Attack, Redeployment to Arkansas 
Baptist Collegiate Ministry: “I Remember” 
After summers of setback, North Carolina sees VBS resurgence VBS: Community Outreach with an Eternal Impact
