Covenant News

'Bikes for Congo' Ride Will Help Congo Pastors

BIWABIK, MN (May 11, 2004) - A "Bikes for Congo" campaign is running and Evangelical Covenant churches throughout the Northwest Conference are planning an extensive bike trip from August 4-7, beginning at the Evangelical Covenant Church of Biwabik and finishing in St. Paul.

A number of host churches and camps have been lined up to help coordinate the event, which includes about 250 miles of riding. Covenant Park Bible Camp in Mahtowa is a host site, along with a Covenant church in Harris and Elim Covenant Church in St. Paul. Salem Covenant Church of New Brighton has agreed to host the final leg of the trip as it has already been raising nearly $10,000 funds for Bikes for Congo. Part of the trip is being ridden on the Willard Munger Bike Trail, a 63-mile stretch near Duluth, said one of the coordinators of the trip, youth pastor Paul Langmade of the Evangelical Covenant Church in International Falls.

In 1996, Covenant churches in Minnesota and around the country raised funds to purchase 250 bikes for Congo (then known as Zaire). All of the bicycles were stolen by marauding soldiers and rebels during the years of civil war - peace and civil order have returned to that area of the Congo where the Covenant operates it ministries. The bikes are important as they are a primary mode of transportation for pastors as they visit parishioners/congregations because the roads are often too difficult for vehicles to navigate.

The Covenant Church of Congo (CEUM) asked if churches would be willing to buy more bikes and some churches have already responded, including Salem Covenant. Bikes have been purchased in Congo, along with spare parts. The total cost of re-supplying the bicycles was $25,000 - $250 per bike plus spare parts for 100 new bicyles.

Along with paying a $50 registration fee (which includes an event tee-shirt, energy snacks and supplies), riders are being asked to raise $250 in pledges - enough to purchase a new bike for pastors and administrators in Congo. Funds can be sent to the Salem Covenant Church "Bikes for Congo Fund," 2655 Fifth Street NW, New Brighton, MN, 55112.

"One thing I was excited about was an event that would gather a lot of people from Covenant churches in a variety of places," said Langmade. "I enjoy biking, but it's a great family event and it has a purpose. We'll be averaging 80 miles per day, so it's a challenging ride. But it's not a race. We have all day to do that and we can have a grandfather and a grandson ride together. And the trip will end at the Luis Palau Festival, which is a great evangelistic event.

"The request (Bikes for Congo) came from former CEUM President Gbuda Luyuda in 1996, saying that all of his superintendents have to walk to visit churches," recalled Don Johnson, pastor at Salem Covenant. "For me, it was a no-brainer to help re-supply the bicycles. And the cool thing is that I'm getting checks from all over the Northwest Conference. It's a very tangible thing to get $250 and these pastors (in the CEUM) average 250 miles per week riding bicycles. In fact, some leaders say that the bicycles are a major reason that the gospel is being spread to the eastern part of Congo."

To register for the Bikes for Congo bike trip, email Langmade at pastorpaul@agrowingchurch.org or call him at 218-283-3365. Emails can also be sent to Johnson at djohnson@salemcov.org or he can be reached by telephone at 651-633-9615, ext. 13.

Printable version of this page.