Dominion Post: Cycling church takes sermon on mount to extreme

A Wellington church will soon be praising the Lord and passing the bike pump as it takes worship to the wilderness. As if to prove that the Lord does indeed move in mysterious ways, St Andrew’s on The Terrace will start its Sunday afternoon cycling church within the next few weeks. Environmentally concerned parishioners, and others who find themselves restless in the pews, will use pedal power to tour God’s great outdoors to contemplate the relationship between religion and nature.

The trips will occur after Sunday services. While not admitting that God spoke the words “let there be wheels”, the Rev Margaret Mayman says there is a serious side to the cycling revolution. “This is a playful way of suggesting we might think about our engagement with the natural world as a part of our worship.”

She also said the Presbyterian church’s sacred cycling sessions will give worshippers a breather from thinking about a fundamental principle of Christianity. “We are not focused on the hereafter, we are focused on what God has given us here and now.” A handful of St Andrew’s faithful already cycle to and from Sunday morning services, including 12-year church veteran Helen Beaumont.

“The cycling church is really about raising people’s awareness on environmental issues and building that into the context of what we do in everyday life, which includes what we do in our church.” The ecclesiastical “Le Tour” is an extension of St Andrew’s green principles, which incorporate a waste recycling programme. Future renovations at the church will also include green aspects. The Sunday Afternoon Cycling Church was established in Christchurch.