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Biking ministers promote personal lifestyle changes
by Gregory R. Norfleet · News · August 12, 2009
Eating less and exercising more is part of it, yes.
Helping close a $5 million gap between the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America’s $25 million goal and the money raised so far is also part of it.
But that bamboo bicycle built for three — that should serve as a reminder of the bigger message a trio of Lutheran ministers brought to West Branch Friday:
Lifestyle changes.
Rev. Fred Saltow, one of three Tour de Revs riders on that triplet bicycle, said that it takes small changes in our lifestyle to make the other things listed above possible.
“That’s what we want everyone to come away with,” he said, “how to look at hunger differently than at Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
The bamboo bicycle is a symbol of the lifestyle changes made by the people of Ghana, he said. So poor that many face starvation, they turned to plentiful,, naturally grown resources around them to build bicycle frames that most of the poor ride because they cannot afford a motor vehicle.
When he or his fellow riders bring that message first and foremost, he said, listeners know that it is “scripturally based,” that change is “our responsibility” and that each of the listeners are “blessed with more than we need, and we need to be better at sharing it.”
Saltow said listeners “look at themselves” and know they have an abundance.
“We all have enough stuff,” he said. “Our garages are overflowing with stuff. To give $5 or more is no sacrifice.”
On that very rainy Friday morning, Saltow and fellow riders Rev. Ron Schlak Jr. and Roger Munro (a member of Saltow’s congregation filling in for Rev. David Twedt, whose mother died two weeks prior to the West Branch stop) pulled into the parking lot of Bethany Lutheran Church in a van pulling a trailer.
They unloaded the first-of-its-kind bamboo bicycle and brought it into the fellowship hall for display.
“The most prevalent questions people ask are ‘Is it really bamboo?’ — yes — and ‘Is there steel inside?’ — no,” Saltow said.
And do they switch positions? Nope. The bike is custom-made for each rider, he said. Saltow always sits up front, responsible also for steering, shifting and braking.
“They say that if you’re not the lead dog, the scenery never changes,” he chuckled. “But I have to watch the road and they look around.”
For a three-person bicycle, it only weighs 52 pounds — comparatively light to a steel or aluminum bicycle at 65 to 70 pounds, he said.
But all three sets of pedals are connected by the same chain, so all three riders share the pedaling work.
While their cross-country trip will add up to about 13,000 miles, the riders only bike for two or three hours a day in the 100 days between May 13 to Aug. 20. They rode from Tiffin to Iowa City the day before, and Friday morning their actual pedaling had covered 2,233 miles.
Looking at the rain through Bethany’s windows, Saltow predicted they would take the van for the next leg of the trip, which they did.
“Sometimes God tells us to take a day off,” he said.
West Branch was the last part of Tour de Revs’ 57th stop — out of 65 total — which included breakfast at Bethany and a tour of Hoover Park. Saltow is certain they have raised $250,000 so far, but a more exact and higher number will not be known for months.
Bethany Pastor Marty Jacobson noted that the traveling ministers are visiting synods throughout the United States — Bethany is part of the southeastern Iowa synod based in Iowa City — and West Branch was chosen to be part of it.
“It is exciting and a privilege to be one of the host congregations,” he said.
The church had been promoting the visit and inviting donations through bulletin inserts over the month prior to their stop. The local synod has collected about $18,000.
Jacobson attended the Tour de Revs dinner the night before in Iowa City and was struck by a couple of stories they told.
One was at a Bible camp where the ministers shared their vision with the participating children. There was a goal set of $500, but the children tripled that, and a $500 match put the total raised at about $2,000. One boy in particular, Jacobson said, tugged on one of the minister’s sleeves and told them he gave them all of the money he brought for gum, pop and candy.
“I put the whole $40 in your jar,” Jacobson quoted the story.
He also heard that there were 2,100 verses in the Bible that refer to poverty and justice. There is even a Web site that highlights them at www.povertyandjusticebible.org.
“I’ll probably use both of the illustrations in sermons,” he said.
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