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He's Rollin'

Pilgrim Ride Underway

by Pamela P. Smith

California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas. Pastor Craig Walker is rollin’ down the highway on his bicycle en route to Providence, Rhode Island, and the 50th NACCC Annual Meeting—all to raise $50,000 for The Congregationalist.

As this is being written on May 12, Pastor Walker is on the edge of Wichita, Kansas. The TV has a tornado warning. His daily journals rival John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley in interest. A woman whose car has broken down in New Mexico asks if The Congregationalist is part of the government (our identity problem again—JBP). Craig writes that he sees what look like “a marmot scurrying ahead. Meadow larks and horned larks fly overhead. The mesas of New Mexico become rolling hills before emerging to the flat plains of Texas. In Texas, the cattle feeding yards go all the way over the horizon.” On his way to Santa Rosa, New Mexico, Pastor Walker had four flat tires. He tried to attend church on Mother’s Day but can’t arrange it. He misses Barbara, his wife of forty years.

 Craig at Riverside Candy Power (in back of Craig Walker)
rode first day.

Late-Breaking E-Mail from Craig

I just want to update you regarding a glitch that developed in sending out the daily logs. AOL shut me down completely because of the great number of emails that I was sending out. They do not allow their members to mass mail. So the agreement that I reached with AOL is that I can only mass mail on PilgrimRide@aol.com and not on WA6RPR@aol.com. I tried to move adressess over to the PilgrimRide screen name but was not 100 per cent successful. Some of you may not be receiving the daily logs. So if you want to get them you must email me at PilgrimRide@aol.com requesting same. Also the logs can be read on the www.PilgrimRide.com website, although they are usually a day behind. So accept my apologies if you have been left out.

Thanks, Craig

Craig is accompanied on his ride by Vince Dunlop, a contractor, who drove a support vehicle for him on his bike ride to Spokane, Washington, two years ago. Harold constantly checks on Craig’s well-being, arranges for motels and meals, and probably bolsters his spirits when needed. Thirty-eight-hundred and fifty miles from California to Providence is a lot of pedaling!!

Pam Smith in Center

Pam Smith, center, North Congregational Church, Fox Point, Wisconsin, coordinates the Wisconsin part of the Pilgrim Ride.

 Bike Committee

Sixteen members of Wisconsin churches met April 2 to plan the Pilgrim Ride route and staging of weekend events.

On part of the first leg of the Pilgrim Ride from Huntington Beach, California, to Redlands California, Candace Power of the First Congregational Church rode along with Pastor Walker. Her earlier “pep” talk about the ride to members of the Redlands Church. Their enthusiasm, generated by Candace and by advance publicity in the church bulletin, showed as they welcomed Craig and Candace at the end of the first leg of his journey.

When Craig arrives in Wisconsin the weekend of May 28, 29, and 30, ride will be featured in several ways. On April 2, sixteen members of Wisconsin churches met in Milwaukee to plan the Pilgrim Ride celebration weekend.

Stiffler Plans

Meanwhile, back in Ohio, Ellen Stiffler charts the Pilgrim Ride from Ohio to Providence and plans for a reception at First Congregational Church, Mansfield, Ohio, on June 12.

Craig will lead the Wisconsin Congregationalist Ride on May 29, 2004. It will take place on the Oak Leaf Trail, part of the Milwaukee County Park System, and will start and end at the First Congregational Church of Wauwatosa. The goal of the Wisconsin Ride is to raise at least $5000 in support for The Congregationalist magazine, the independent voice of the Congregational Way and guardian of the heritage of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches.

Pilgrim Ride Weekend will include a fellowship program hosted by the First and Second Congregational Churches Beloit, the Wisconsin Congregationalist Bicycle Ride on the Oak Leaf Trail through Dretzka and Whitnall Parks, and the beautiful Boerner Botanical Gardens, a luncheon and presentation by Pastor Craig Walker hosted by First Congregational Church, Wauwatosa, and a reception and ice cream social hosted by North Shore Congregational Church, Fox Point. Members from Lake Country Congregational Church, Hartland have designed a special T-shirt to promote the Ride, and members of Faith Community Church, Franklin, will lead the route committee and assist other congregational churches in providing rest area support and biker assistance along the route. There will also be reserved picnic areas in the parks on the Oak Leaf Trail for families and friends to gather and visit with the bikers during the Ride. These events will provide Wisconsin Congregational Churches a wonderful opportunity to fellowship while supporting The Congregationalist magazine.

Pamela P. Smith is a member of the NACCC Communication Services Committee.

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