CROSSROAD CHRISTIAN RIDERS

The Season in Review

And Beyond

Our first full season as a chapter is now behind us, just like the 10,000 or 15,000 or 20,000 kms. that have been placed
on our bikes. As some members have voiced recently, "Where did the summer go? And where did I go to put on all those miles?" (See.. even with metric do you ever hear anyone say kilometers? Or is that kilometres??) Anyway, just to
refresh our memories, here are some, but probably not all of what we were up to this season.

Some of the following were just rides taken by riders & co-riders, some were more organized like rallies, some
were CMA events, some were other sponsored events, some were dry, some were wet, some were short and
some were long. But looking back, we would like to think that all were fun and that all provided opportunities for
witness in either word or deed or conduct. Over the season, on a number of occasions, members were reminded
that others were watching us, that we were remembered, that we were noticed.

And now, in no particular order, well, semi-chronological order:

Seasons of Refreshing – remember snow on the bikes.

Run For The Son, Advocate Harbour – what a road!! The little Cabot Trail.

Saint John camping equipment buying trip – tour of the bridge and Reversing Falls by Dave – "I know where I’m going"

Vacation trip – 7 days – Ottawa, Americade – met CMAers and Rick Steffy, Northeast Evangelist – Mohawk Trail,
New England States – 3 Provinces, 5 States

Vacation trip – 11 days – Newfoundland – See Dave, it doesn’t always rain – meeting Ride For Sight bikers – lessons
on how to drop a bike!

Rally at the Ranch – first CMA service for us.

CMA Rally, Boistown – not pleasant memories about stator problems, Cy.

Shubenacadie Bike races – lessons on how to race a 250 Ninja by Dave.

16^th Annual Island Rally, Brackley, PEI – lesson on how to load a patio deck on a truck.

Tantramar Toy Run – it always rains!

Moncton (MMTC) Toy Run – have your spouse pull your ticket to win 50/50 draw.

Fall Colour Run – nice Albert County ride.

And then there were visits to churches, Pointe-Du-Chene wharf, Burnt Church pie run, ferry rides (about 7 hours to
get from Sussex to Moncton, the loooong way led by Gaius), trips to Halifax to visit Doug Beattie, Halifax CMA
chapter meeting, Halifax GWRRA chapter meeting, escorting American biker tourists, stops at the Blue Bird in Sussex, GWRRA poker run, ride through hail in Sussex, and just rides for the pure joy of riding with friends.

A story from this summer – while on the poker run at the PEI rally, three bikes of our chapter members were
approaching an intersection on the outskirts of Charlottetown. They noticed some congestion in the intersection.
There was a half ton truck stopped and a car behind it with flashing lights. Traffic was moving around these
vehicles, and no one was stopping. As our bikes also pulled around, it was noticed that the truck had lost its load
onto the road. Our members quickly pulled over, there were no questions like "why are we stopping?", our members
were of one mind - to help. It seemed that the driver of the truck was taking a load of lumber for a patio deck
home, followed by his wife, with their children in the car. The load of decking had slid out of the truck box as he
had pulled away at the light, and now he stood helpless looking at his load in the middle of the intersection. Quickly
our members were able to cut the straps binding the lumber and help him load everything into the truck. Then away
they went, incident forgotten, to finish the poker run.

But the story doesn’t end there. It seems that the guy returned to the hardware store for more material later in the day,
and told the story about being helped by Christian Bikers while everyone else drove around him, and that he
hadn’t really had a chance to thank them. The salesman at the store said he thought that it must have been bikers
attending a rally that his sister was involved with, and proceeded to call her at the rally site. Later Saturday night,
during the awards ceremony, after announcing the poker run winners, the MC said, "Oh, speaking of the poker
run, the truck driver that was helped by those Christian Bikers says a big thank you for helping get the load back
in his truck. And speaking of CMA, everyone remember the CMA service tomorrow morning." The service the
next morning was attended by over 30 bikers, the largest attendance that CMA has had at that rally.

Does this remind you of a parable? Luke 10: 25-37
 

And what is coming? I’m glad you asked.

November 13^th Saturday – breakfast at Harvest Field restaurant, chapter meeting afterward, next year’s executive announced.

November 27^th Saturday – chapter’s Christmas gathering at Rickers’; starts 6:00pm; pot luck supper; Yankee Swap,
note, gifts are to be either something you already have but don’t want any more (rambunctious children and pets excluded!) or
something you have made yourself.

In 2000

Some of these are tentative

April 28-30 Seasons Of Refreshing at Sunny Brae Baptist

May 21 Hillside Baptist Church visit

June 25 – July 1 CMA rally in Hatfield, Arkansas 25^th Anniversary

July 8 – Irishtown Boys and Girls Club Poker Run

August 11-13 Rally at The Ranch, Irishtown

August 11-13 CMA Rally, Boistown

September 1-3 17^th Annual Island Rally, PEI

September 9 Tantramar Toy Run

September 16 Moncton Toy Run