Tough Christian Bikers Ride for At-Risk Children
With leather apparel, bandanas, and salt-and-pepper beards, thousands of bikers that rode throughout the streets in 12 cities on Saturday may have looked tough on the outside but inside they had a big heart for people who haven't yet heard the message of Christ and for children whose parents are in prison.
On Saturday, Christian bikers teamed up with Prison Fellowship Ministries - the world's largest outreach to prisoners, ex-prisoners and their families - for the third annual Unity Ride to collect Christmas gifts for children who have an incarcerated mother or father.
The Unity Ride was sponsored by national biker magazine Wheels of Grace and held in Atlanta, Carson City, Nev., Cleveland, Detroit, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Central Florida, Phoenix, Sacramento, Calif., and Southern California.
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In Sacramento, hundreds of Christian bikers came out to show their support, each bringing a present to benefit PFM's Angel Tree.
"We had a great turnout yesterday," Rick Atchley, Sacramento-area director for Prison Fellowship, shared with The Christian Post.
"The Unity Ride participants bring a gift for a children of a prisoner that we use locally to serve families in the Sacramento area. This year we will serve over 34,000 kids in northern California."
Sacramento riders gathered at Liberty Towers Church Saturday morning to join in a nationwide prayer rally that was streamed online to participating Unity Ride locations.
During the webcast prayer rally, hosted at Ocean Hills Church in Southern California, representatives from major fellowships of Christian motorcyclists expressed their sincere hope to reach non-Christians through their ride and solidarity with the 1.5 million children in America who have a parent behind bars.
Founder of Harley Davidson's for Christ Marty Powell told bikers during the prayer meeting to "fix into your mind someone who does not know Jesus Christ and take their name to the cross with me."
A representative from Azusa Street Riders said, "It's all by God's grace that this is happening."
Since 1982, Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree program has provided 16 million Christmas gifts to some 7.5 million children of prisoners nationwide.
