By: Bishop Scott Jones On 7/29/2010
Topics: Bishop's Columns & Blogs
On Sept. 25, I am going to ride 100 miles on a bicycle for Jesus. I challenge you to either ride with me or support me in my ride to benefit United Methodist Open Door.
Let me explain. Open Door, formerly called United Methodist Urban Ministry, is our frontline service to the poor of Sedgwick County. Open Door provides clothing, food and many services to those in need.
For 18 months, I served on a taskforce formed by the City of Wichita and Sedgwick County to develop a plan to end chronic homelessness in our community. The taskforce involved a wide cross-section of community leaders and representatives. The plan that the city and county adopted calls for a one-stop resource center that would consolidate the services homeless people need. Showers, laundry, counseling, VA benefits, mental-health services and assistance locating shelter—all of these in one place. The various existing social services for the homeless would receive a much higher level of coordination and collaboration. United Methodist Open Door was selected as the lead agency to develop this resource center.
Open Door then entered into a capital campaign and purchased a building at Second Street and Topeka in downtown Wichita. The plan is to raise $5.4 million, and they need both immediate cash gifts and 3-year pledges to help pay for the building and its renovation. Many corporate donors and churches have stepped forward and made commitments to the campaign.
I have asked the United Methodist churches of the Wichita East and Wichita West districts to take special offerings during Advent and Lent.
Many individuals, including my wife and I, have made personal pledges and gifts.
Then, I decided to do something personally to raise more money. I am organizing the Bishop’s Bicycle Challenge. The 100-mile ride will begin at Calvary United Methodist Church in northeast Wichita, stop at other churches around Sedgwick County and end up back at Calvary that evening.
There also are two shorter options: an 18-mile ride and a 50-mile ride.
A number of congregations are making plans to welcome the riders and help us out with water, food and rest facilities.
I need your help in one of two ways.
You can come along and ride with me. To participate, you must find enough sponsors to raise a minimum of $100 toward the Open Door capital campaign and pay the $25 registration fee. You’ll get a cool t-shirt as well as insurance coverage.
The second way is to sponsor me or other riders with a pledge. Pledges of more than $500 may be paid over a 3-year period. Pledge forms can be found online at www.kswestumc.org/bishopsbikechallenge, or request a form by writing my office at 9440 E. Boston Suite 160, Wichita, KS 67207.
There is a side benefit. We are working on healthy lifestyles and getting adequate exercise. I am wearing a pedometer and trying to walk at least 10,000 steps every day. The bike ride will be a welcome increase in my physical activity.
However, my family is a little worried about me, in part because I have not ridden my bicycle since 2002. I am going into training right after my vacation, and I will be in much better shape on Sept. 25 than I am today.
Why do I say that I am doing this for Jesus? My spiritual discipline last year was to read Matthew 25 every day. After so many times of reading verse 40, maybe it finally connected that I needed to do something like this. In that parable, Jesus says, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” So, I am riding my bicycle raising money for the homeless for Jesus.
Can you join me?