Pedal power puts even more mileage into Bible mission

They didn’t just get on their bikes, they hit top gear and then burned rubber some more!

And each mile racked up during September’s Bike for Bibles 2021 event unleashed more of the power of God’s word worldwide.

This year’s sponsored bike ride shattered expectations. It’s estimated more than 5,000 miles were completed and more than £15,000 raised during Bike for Bibles 2021.

This means more Bibles for children in Africa, more access to God’s word for people in rural China in desperate need of hope, more Scriptures and other support for refugees who have fled conflict in the Middle East, and even more Bible outreach to prisoners in England and Wales to help them experience God’s forgiveness and turn their lives around.

What drove on Susan Wingrave and her husband, Matt, when they rode 300 miles in September, was the thought that they were putting the Scriptures into the hands of children in Africa.

‘When riding uphill to Ilfracombe at 27˚C we wondered how hot it is in Malawi. When cycling into Okehampton in a downpour, I wondered what the rain is like in Malawi,’ said Susan. ‘Most importantly we’ve been blown away by people’s generosity for Bibles for children in Malawi. Thank you, everyone!’

Targets were smashed to smithereens all over England and Wales as cyclists, both serious riders and novices, rode between 50 and 300 miles during September and piled up funds that will enable more people to experience God’s word the world over.

If medals were handed out, John and Rosemary Beal-Preston probably would have snatched gold. They raised £1,896 (which will be more than £2,000 with Gift Aid), four times their target, for a 50-mile ride from Guildford to Brighton where they celebrated at the seaside with an ice cream.

Some people saw action without leaving their living room. Ann Griffiths, who hasn’t been on a proper bike since she was nine, notched up 300 miles by covering a solid ten miles a day on her exercise bike. She even talked about Bike for Bibles 2021 on Radio Nottingham and Radio Mansfield.

The Wellington Baptist Church team in Somerset were also in the news, featuring in their local newspaper. They had to repeatedly raise their target as they raced beyond their fundraising expectations. At the time of writing they had raised more than six times what they originally hoped for and were closing in on their final target of £2,000, with a combined total of more than 1,000 miles completed.

The Bike for Bibles Facebook group became a bustling online community during the event. Lots of riders also shared their routes via Strava and Relive as well as supporting each other. Non-participants, including those who had been hoping to ride but weren’t able to because of injury, prayed for the event.

You can add to this amazing total by giving today to put the Bible in more people’s hands alongside the riders.

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