Something a bit different this week. Below is my article published by our Diocesan
Newspaper, The Huron Church News. The
article can be found on-line at https://diohuron.org/breakfast-with-the-bikers/
Bikers’ Breakfast – what in heaven’s name is a Bikers’
Breakfast? Well, I found out a few weeks
ago at St. John the Evangelist Church in Strathroy. Let me assure you it is not a case of a bike
gang such as the Hell’s Angels arriving in town raising hell in the local hang
out during the breakfast hour. It is not
even the modern Christian version of Daniel in the Lions’ Den with the bikers
on the menu. This Bikers’ Breakfast was
a most civilized and enjoyable experience that the most sedate Anglican would
approve of (and that is saying a lot).
No bikers or even non-bikers were harmed during the event.
I found my introduction to the monthly Bikers’ Breakfast at
St. John’s to be a most entertaining and educational event. Actually, the Bikers’ Breakfast, which began
in September 2018, is the brain child of Greg McNair, one of the Lay Readers at
St. John’s, and was enthusiastically embraced by St. John’s as a form of
outreach to the community. As Greg noted
“There are no other breakfasts quite like this with guest speakers and with a
religious flavour that I know of.” The bikers come from the Strathroy area but I wouldn’t be
surprised if this expands geographically-wise as the word spreads. You
wouldn’t know it by looking at Greg but he is a biker, or perhaps I should say,
a rider of motorcycles. Greg’s current
ride is a 2003 Honda GoldWing. However,
the breakfast is open to all and you don’t have to be a biker to partake of the
food and activities.
The breakfast itself is the work of a team of enthusiastic
volunteers comprised of six or seven parishioners headed by Lyn Charlton. The menu this month was a wonderfully tasty
version of French Toast which was enthusiastically and summarily devoured by all
present. The cost of the food is covered
by a $7.00 donation from those in attendance and the honorarium for the speaker
is covered by a Jubilee Grant.
In addition to the great breakfast, the event was, as I
noted, also educational. Each month
there is a guest speaker who usually speaks on a motor cycle theme. The breakfast I attended had speaker Cal Zavitz, the senior road captain for the Canadian
Motorcycle Cruisers, Strathroy chapter 021, covering the safety protocols
for riding in groups. Now, this is
something that motor cycle gangs (e.g. Hell’s Angels) probably don’t worry
about – but that may be prejudice on my part.
However, group riding, when done properly and safely, is much more
involved than the non-biker realizes.
There are rules and lots of do’s and don’ts, and even a whole series of
hand signals that are a match for a high Anglican worship service. There are designated positions (perhaps the
equivalent to the presider and sub-deacon) including Road Captains who are in
charge of the route and leading the way and tail-gunners who bring up the rear to
ensure that no lamb goes astray.
In all there are 12 general rules which you could say are
the group bikers’ version of the Ten Commandments. The procession of bikers in the group is
every bit as formal as any Anglican procession (and we Anglicans are known for our
processions). For example, the organized
groups must be 100% alcohol free (rule #3 – unlike Anglicans who believe that
Jesus was using actual wine at the Last Supper.) There are also some very sensible rules for
comfort as well as safety such as #12; Please ensure you have a full tank (of
gas) and an empty bladder when you show up for group rides.
Finally, there are a series of hand signals which are used
to communicate to all the bikers on the group ride. You have the usual ones that you might
remember from riding the other kind of bikes (those with peddles) such as left
turn i.e. the left arm extended out to the left. But there are also ones I have never
encountered before such as Emergency Stop which involves tapping the top of the
helmet with a closed fist.
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