Cycling
Bike to Church in ‘Biketober’
October is a great month to pick a Sunday to be Bike to Church Sunday! Here are some ideas to celebrate Biketober in October:
Celebrate cycling with rewards for those who come on 2 wheels.
Invite a speaker to share why our carbon emissions matter to God.
Get a keen cyclist to share about how cycling expresses their faith and mission.
Host a community bike maintenance workshop to repair not-quite-working bikes.
Promote and volunteer at a community bike fix-up like the Aranui Bike Fixup in Christchurch.
Promote and attend cycling events like the Build a bike trailer workshop in Christchurch.
Check out some of Grace Vineyard Church’s promotional images - get your church members involved in promoting Biketober too!
Images courtesy of Grace Vineyard Church.
Be a cycling-friendly church
To ensure your church is cycling-friendly, here are some things your church could consider doing:
Provide good quality and ample bike parking at church.
Provide lockers or hooks inside your church to accommodate biker’s gear like helmets, outerwear, and water packs.
Provide a bike map of safe routes to and from the church on your website or on a notice board.
Provide a bike repair station at your church.
Support a local bike-share program and consider sponsoring a station at your church.
Purchase an electric bike for the church to share. Check out this featured story: https://www.ecochurch.org.nz/stories/electric-bicycles-for-church-leaders
More ideas from the Diocese of Manchester, Church of England to support cycling at church. https://www.manchester.anglican.org/beelines/
Cycling Church website
Cycling Church aims to encourage the spiritual benefits of outdoor activity and to stimulate the connection between the feeling of spiritual well-being in the outdoors and the act of worshiping God. Core values are appreciation of God in the outdoors, humour and caring for God’s creation as a core part of the Gospel of Jesus.
Funding to encourage cycling
Community Bike Fund - Does your church have a great idea to get more people cycling? The AT Community Bike Fund is available to support communities and groups to deliver activities, events and projects that encourage more people to ride bikes more often in Auckland, especially new riders. The Community Bike Fund forms part of AT's ongoing commitment to support and promote cycling as a transport choice.
Relevant Eco Church NZ stories
