Carpool, Bike, or Walk to Church, Sunday, Oct. 12!
October 1, 2008 | posted by Lars under on the way together, press
Bike to church! Walk to church! Carpool, unicycle, or skateboard to church! On October 12, members of Virginia Mennonite Conference churches are invited (encouraged!) to connect with others from their church and decide together whether they’ll use 4, 2, (1,) or no wheels to get to church. As a part of the Body of Christ, this is one way to witness to the healing and hope of Jesus Christ, and not comply with the frenzied, isolated, and consumptive patterns of the world.
It’s not a new idea. People have been re-imagining transportation for a long time — for some, using alternative transportation to get to church is old hat — and for that, our hats are off to you! You’re our role models here! But, for many, the idea of walking, biking, or even carpooling to church is new, so here are some reasons to try it out on October 12.
Most notably, this is an opportunity to practice caring for all of God’s Creation. Noticing and reducing consumption is one way to exercise good stewardship of the natural world and to begin living at peace with others, since many wars are fought over scarce resources, like oil.
Less obvious is the gift of change. The simple act of altering the routine can provide a new perspective on the ordinary. Often, it is in these moments of heightened awareness that God speaks and appears most vividly.
Starting with the money saved, participants can help young leaders from the global south attend the Global Youth Summit and Mennonite World Conference Assembly in Paraguay next summer. AMIGOS, the global network of Anabaptist young adults, is trying to raise a final $30,000 to provide assistance to youth from the global south who would like to participate in the gathering as delegates of their church conferences. While the cost for one youth delegate to travel to and attend the summit is approximately $2,500, together, by sharing resources, the church can help make this happen.
Contributions can either be made here, or by mail to Virginia Mennonite Missions, Attn: ‘on the way, together’, 901 Parkwood Drive, Harrisonburg VA 22802. Virginia Mennonite Missions will pass all funds on directly to Mennonite World Conference AMIGOS.
Printed in the October, 2008 issue of the Virginia Mennonite Conference Connections.
Promotional material is available on the press page.