A Harley Davidson Sportster and a mini scooter graced the stage of Fairview (Okla.) MB Church. Thirty-five bikes stood parked outside, their riders seated inside with an opportunity to be filled physically and spiritually before heading out for a ride.
Biker Sunday is an annual fellowship and outreach event hosted by Fairview MB including a meal, a prayer of blessing and a ride designed to bring together riders from multiple churches and introduce others to church.
Fairview MB’s fourth-annual Biker Sunday took place April 29. The event began with breakfast prepared and served by the church’s missions and evangelism committee, followed by a devotional.
Riders sat in reserved seating in the sanctuary for the worship service, then transitioned to the parking area, where a church elder prayed over them. The congregation was welcome to participate by standing with riders.
The Enid Chapter of the Christian Motorcycle Association assisted by distributing information about salvation and stickers to each biker.
“The sun was shining, and the weather was close to perfect,” says promotional manager Patricia Regier, wife of event organizer Elton Regier. “The wind had picked up during the church service, but it was still a pleasant ride to our destination.”
Bikers took a series of back roads to Woodring Airport in Enid, a distance of about 45 miles, where the airport restaurant served a meal of pulled pork, brisket, homemade bread and multiple salads and sides.
“After we ate, the director of the museum gave a talk about the airport, the museum and the Wall of Honor, which is an 80 percent replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall of Honor in Washington, D.C.,” Regier says. “We then moved over to the museum and the wall for tours.”
Regier says lunch locations are selected each year based on proximity to the church, as well as the ability of the restaurant to accommodate a large group.
“Two things all bikers like to do are ride and eat,” she says. “This is our fourth year for the event, and so far we have gone all four directions.”
As the wind increased in speed, the final bikers departed the airport by 4 p.m.
The ride brought together people from other MB churches, including members of Mennonites on Bikes (MOB) from both Enid and Edmond, Oklahomo. Riders also represented the Outback Toy Run MC Club from Aline, Okla., Tulsa #1 Harley Owners Group Chapter, Ladies of Harley and the Outlaws of Oklahoma City, as well as those with no club affiliation. Local guests without a home church have also attended.
Regier says the response has been positive, and the church plans to do it again next year.
“(We received) all positive responses to my knowledge,” she says. “We had some first-time attenders that said they really enjoyed it and want to be notified next year so they could come again.”
Janae Rempel Shafer is the Christian Leader associate editor. She joined the CL staff in September 2017 with six years of experience as a professional journalist. Shafer is an award-winning writer, having received three 2016 Kansas Press Association Awards of Excellence and an Evangelical Press Association Higher Goals award in 2022. Shafer graduated from Tabor College in 2010 with a bachelor of arts in Communications/Journalism and Biblical/Religious Studies. She and her husband, Austin, attend Ridgepoint Church in Wichita, Kansas.
