Service at Christchurch, Upper Tean
Published: 01/04/2019 - staffordshire-and-shropshire
Article from Cheadle & Tean Times
28MAR 2019
Bikers ride in to Christchurch
By timesecholife on in All News, Community News
BIKERS have shared their love of motorcycles and Jesus at a special church service held in Tean. Members of the Christian Motorcyclists Association (CMA) rode in to Christchurch, Tean to share their stories and conduct Sunday worship. The group also organised music and attracted a large congregation from across the area.
The Rev Joe C ant, vicar at Christchurch, Tean and All Saints, Leigh, organised the event.
He said: “I first came across the Christian Motorcyclists Association about 10 years ago, when a friend gave me a copy of the Biker’s Bible.
“As well as a New Testament it includes true stories about faith and finding God from bikers around the world.
“The CMA service on Sunday came about after contacting them to get hold of some more Biker Bibles, as I like to hand them out from time to time.
“They said that they would happily send a speaker or take a whole service, so I grabbed the opportunity with both hands and they led the whole service, including bringing some of the bikes into church and doing the music.
“Di Raven told us about what the CMA UK are all about and we had a biker called Rob tell us about the role bikes and God had played in his life.
“I had invited the other village churches and put the word about, and it was great that the church was packed out.
“Outside the church were other motorbikes, including a Triumph and a Harley Davidson.
“We are hoping to make it an annual event.”
The CMA is an international Christian biker group who go around biker rallies around the country and the world offering things like quiet spaces, helmet parking (somewhere safe to store your leathers whilst at the rallies), cups of tea and a friendly face.
Their bikers’ ‘patch’ is a big white cross on their backs, so there’s no mistaking who they are.
Bikers are often seen as aggressive, tattooed scary people but part of the message of the CMA is that all people are just people, and shouldn’t be judged by appearances.
Rev Cant added: “At Christchurch I try and get guest speakers in fairly regularly, and we have had people in from the Cheadle and District Food Bank, the Temple Street night shelter in Fenton, social services talking about fostering, amongst others.
“On May 19 we have the president of the Fostering Network coming to take the sermon slot, on June 23 we have a speaker coming to talk about human trafficking and I am planning a service and follow-on training around Dementia Friendly awareness.
“The aim is to link faith and worship with social issues, by raising awareness and then hopefully helping in some way.”