The 90-degree temperatures Sunday didn’t provide any indication that Christmas is fast approaching, but a quarter-mile-long line of black-clad men and women on motorcycles certainly did.

More than 4,000 people gathered at Christian Heritage Church on South Nelson Street for Biker Sunday Amarillo, the annual event at which donations are collected for Toys for Tots.

“This is a totally free event,” coordinator Keith Burd said. “The only thing we ask is that you give a toy for Toys for Tots.”

Biker Sunday included free barbecue, games and music for attendees. Last year, the event raised $20,000 to $25,000 in toys for the charity.

“This is really the kickoff,” Marine Capt. Adam Andress said of the Toys for Tots campaign. “From here on out, we start the actual toy dropoffs.”

Toys for Tots is organized by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, which collects toys each year to distribute to low-income or underprivileged children during the holidays.

Andress said the event typically raises the largest number of toys for the charity.

On Sunday, volunteers were accepting toys and placing them in cardboard boxes before loading them on one of two 7-ton trucks. The line of bikers stretched more than a full city block.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the Marines have to go drop these off and pick up some more,” Andress said of the trucks.

Burd estimated that about 1,000 bikers participated in a corresponding parade from Western Street and Sixth Avenue eastward to the fairgrounds off Tenth Avenue. The procession of motorcycles reached Georgia Street before those at the rear even could begin.

Burd said this is the 10th year for Biker Sunday, a two-day event for motorcycle enthusiasts. Starting with the second year, organizers partnered with Toys for Tots, and participation has grown every year since.

“This is a way to give back to the community,” Burd said.

During the event, he shared his testimony with Megan Miles of the IPHC.  Watch below as he shares how God used Biker Sunday to transform his life.

It was a moment in which it was obvious they felt overlooked (Matthew 25 – the “overlooked and neglected” message) and wanted to be included. We exchanged addresses and I assured each other we would try to work together to escort returning soldiers from the airport.

Two months passed. Feeling an urge to visit with them, I called and made an appointment to come to their “house,” the VFW Bar. The Biker Chaplain met me outside (no one is allowed in the bar if you are not a member or with a member). When we got inside we began to make plans for a Veteran’s Day parade and bringing in a traveling Vietnam Veterans Wall that would be in our area around that same time. (Our church’s biker ministry, Hard CORE Motorcycle Ministries, joined in the ride 150 miles away to bring the wall, then rode in the parade.)

We began meeting at the airport to escort soldiers. On one such trip, Hard CORE M/M was invited to help host a dinner for a group of Marine reservists heading to Iraq in early 2009. Things went so well that we were invited to their “private” Christmas party.

One of the major driving forces of Biker Sunday is Toys For Tots. This year’s donations totaled $29,500. However, due to national guidelines, stuffed toys cannot be given away. On that first day in the VFW bar, I learned that the VFW ladies make bags for every child at a local elementary school (that happens to be very close to our church) where most of the children live at poverty level. Each child receives a stuffed toy along with the bag. The VFW needed 459 toys, but only had about 100. I told them, “I think we can help with that.”

We connected them with our Marine contacts who oversee Toys For Tots. Without hesitation, the gave 400 stuffed toys. Isn’t that like the Lord, using a pastor to connect the Marines and the VFW!

Not only have we been blessed to touch these children and the VFW, but also we learned of a family who is struggling because the husband is in Iraq. We received a list of needs and will be able to help them have a Merry Christmas.

We continue to be amazed at the Lord’s work through Biker Sunday and its effects on people in our community throughout the year.

Later, I learned that the bike belongs to Gary Burd, senior pastor of Christian Heritage Church (CHC) in Amarillo, Texas. He also directs EVUSA’s Mission: M25 ministry, which reaches out to nontraditional people groups.

Gary had invited me to attend the ninth annual Biker Sunday, cohosted by the church and Mission: M25. This two-day event is an outreach to the biker community that includes a parade and Toys for Tots drive in conjunction with the Marines.

He warned me it would be like nothing I had ever experienced. He was right.

The event kicked off with a Saturday swap meet. Vendors set up shop in the church parking lot and youth building. Rows of shiny motorcycles gleamed in the sunlight. A stunt driver whizzed by on a fourwheeler, laughing as he popped it up on its back tires. Families milled about, examining the vendors’ wares and chatting with one another. The atmosphere was more like a family festival than a biker event. I had always heard that bikers could be tough and mean. But these people were friendly and caring, warmly welcoming me into their church family.

A shiny black Harley caught my eye, and I stopped to snap a photo. Soon, the owner and his wife were chatting amicably with me. Lupé and Rena Reyna are CHC members and help with Biker Sunday. Rena explained that this event was her way of reaching out to women in need.

“In the biker community, women are sometimes viewed as property instead of a person,” she said. “I want these women to see that the emblem on my jacket looks like my pastor’s emblem; it looks just like anyone else’s patch. It doesn’t say I’m anyone’s property. It states that I’m me.”

Rena also said ministering to the biker community has given her more understanding and compassion for people. “It’s awesome to be a part of something that’s reaching others,” she said.

The next day, I arrived at the church for Sunday morning service.  The street was packed with cars and motorcycles. As I walked in, an usher wearing jeans and a black leather vest greeted me with a smile. Over 20 motorcycles lined the altar. Gary stood on stage wearing jeans and a black leather vest.  His brother Keith, who organizes the event, wore black chaps and a matching vest. Nearly everyone in the congregation was dressed similarly. I watched in awe as a sea of bandannas and black leather began to praise God. Some were Pentecostal; some were Baptist; some were Methodist. But on this day, everyone was welcomed as a child of God.

After the service, Gary and members of the church’s biker ministry revved up their engines and rode their bikes out of the sanctuary. The service was over, but the day was just beginning.

Mission: M25’s philosophy of ministry focuses on taking the message to the hurting outside the four walls of the church. That’s exactly what the congregation did.  They went down to Scooter’s Bar, where they began to sign bikers up for the annual parade and toy drive. Within an hour, bikes lined the street as far as the eye could see, waiting for the parade to begin.

First came the police escort, followed by the Marines. Then came the church’s biker ministry. Next was the Toys for Tots Santa Claus bike. Behind him roared 720 bikes, all with a toy strapped to the back. The parade wound through town, making its way back to the church. A crowd lined the street, cheering and waving American flags, as the bikes pulled into the parking lot.

Then every person got off his bike, picked up his gift, and walked to a tent where Marines were accepting toys. The donation line stretched down the street. At the end of the day, the biker community had donated enough toys to fill nearly two military trucks. The same people who were considered “outcasts” had given over $29,000 in toys.

The rest of the day was a celebration. The church gave away 4,000 barbecue sandwiches. There were bike games, including drag racing. Stunt drivers performed daredevil feats as a band played “Sweet Home Alabama.”

In another tent, members of the church’s biker ministry performed “bike blessings.” This is a special prayer of protection and guidance over a rider and his or her bike. That Sunday, the team gave 20 bike blessings.

At the end of the day, the crowd gathered around a makeshift stage in the parking lot and waited for the final event—a Harley-Davidson giveaway. But before that took place, Gary asked the crowd for five minutes to hear “something that’s really important to us.” Then he called on his friend, an evangelist called Ox, to share the gospel.

Ox spent the early part of his life in a biker gang in Chicago. Sixteen years ago, he accepted Christ and has been ministering to bikers ever since. As he shared his testimony, the crowd stood silent. He spoke as only a fellow biker could, spouting tough love intermingled with the gospel message. He never condemned, only compelled them to find what they were looking for in Jesus.

After Ox’s testimony, Gary asked the crowd to sing “Amazing Grace.” And there, in a parking lot where “Sweet Home Alabama” had been performed just minutes earlier, hundreds of voices sang, “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound / That saved a wretch like me. / I once was lost, but now am found, / Was blind, but now I see.”

There was no altar call, no sinner’s prayer, only the sweet sound of grace breaking hardened hearts and healing wounded souls.

As I left the church that evening, I reflected again on the sign on Gary’s bike. Now I understood. The sign is not for the lost. We can easily see their scars. The sign is for people like me. I went to Biker Sunday expecting to see people saved and lives changed. Instead, I was the one who was changed. I saw that I, like so many others in the church, had been scarred by our culture’s preconceived notions about ministry and outreach. The weekend was as much for me as for them. Biker Sunday was not about having an altar call and seeing hundreds of people respond. It was about building relationships and showing Christ’s love.

How do you find scars on chrome? You cannot see them; you can only feel them. To find and repair the scar, you must be close enough to touch it, to feel the rough edges and the indented grooves. That is what Christ calls us—the church—to do.

That is what Mission: M25 does. That is what Biker Sunday does.

Mégan Miles is administrative assistant to the director of Communications for the IPHC.  She lives in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Biker Sunday was held annual on the last weekend in September, in Amarillo, Texas.

Original Article Text:
Miles, Mégan (2009, January). M25: Healing Invisible Scars. IPHC Experience, 6(1), 10-11.
http://www.iphcexperience.com/_pdfs/2009/Experience_Jan09.pdf

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As people walk into the church, an usher greets them at the door and hands out bulletins. Families say hello and catch up on the week’s events while children play around them. As people make their way to their seats, the worship team begins to play.

Sounds normal, right? Just like your church? Well, imagine this: 90% of the congregation – including the pastor – is decked out head-to-toe in biker gear.

Welcome to the ninth annual Biker Sunday at Christian Heritage Church.

The event is held in conjunction with a Toys For Tots drive with local Marines. The weekend begins with a Saturday swap meet, where vendors sell their goods in the church parking lot and youth hall. The church also sells raffle tickets for a Big Dog bike, and all the proceeds go to Free Camp.

On Sunday, the church is packed with worshipers wearing their “biker clothes.” Pastor Gary Burd wears jeans and a leather shirt; his brother Keith, who organizes the event, is wearing leather chaps and a leather vest that says “Hard Core Ministries” on the back. Hard Core is the church’s biker ministry. Many other Christian “patches” are in the congregation today, including a Hispanic ministry called “Los Perdonados” – The Forgiven. But as the worship service begins, it is obvious that today is a day to celebrate as one Body of Christ.

The service concludes with a special event. Over 20 bikes are parked in the sanctuary. The congregation takes communion together; then, the riders rev their engines and ride their bikes out of the church to kick off the annual biker parade and Toys For Tots drive. They drive to a local bar, where other bikers are waiting to join them. For the next hour, the church talkes to men and women from all backgrounds. Some are in gangs; some ride for fun. They all have toys strapped to their bikes.

At 1:00, the parade kicks off. Over 720 motorcycles ride an 8-mile route through town. When they arrive at the church grounds, a crowd of people line the street, waving American flags and cheering them on. Then they line up to deliver their gifts to the Toys For Tots truck.

Then comes the fun. The church property transforms into a bike-themed carnival. There are bike competitions: the potato race, a slow race, the burnout competition, and drag racing. There are stunt riders who perform daredevil tricks for the crowd. The local radio station, whose D.J. attends the church, comes out to promote the event. There is even a concert by a local rock/blues band. The church motorcycle ministry also performs “biker blessings,” where they pray for God’s guidance and protection over a rider and his/her bike.

At the end of the day, the crowd gathers for the final event. Pastor Gary introduces Ox, his longtime friend and evangelist to the biker community. Ox shares the Gospel with the crowd. Then they sing “Amazing Grace” together. As they sing, “Thu’ many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come; ’tis grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home” many in the crowd close their eyes or raise their hands in worship.

Afte the devotion, the church hands out awards for the bike games, then has one final event – the bike giveaway. The winner receives a free Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

The entire event, including the Harley-Davidson giveaway, is free to the public. It’s quite an investment for the church, but check out the return:

• 720 bikes in the parade
• 3,000 event attendees
• 20 biker blessings
• Over $29,000 in Toys for Tots gifts
• $9,300 raised for Free Camp

But here is the best return of all: a woman who had been involved in the Wiccan relgion (witchcraft) gave her heart to the Lord that day.

Biker Sunday reminds us all that the church is not made up of a sanctuary and a fellowship hall. The church is the Body of Christ. It’s time for us to go outside the walls of our building and reach out to our community.

Let’s do as Jesus did – as Pastor Gary and Christian Heritage Church did – and go into all the world.

Click here to see more event pictures.

Hard Core Motorcycle Ministry and Christian Heritage Church have endeavored these past years to give back to the community, and not make this a fundraiser.  Admission and participation is free!  The only thing that might cost you is a toy for the U.S. Marine Corps‘ Toys for Tots.  And after 8 years, people still ask, “How much is a ticket for the give-away bike.”  I guess the concept of “free” is that there is always a catch; not here, you only need to sign up and be present to win!  We also give out barbecue sandwiches – again free – instead of charging for them.  It’s hard for some to grasp that concept!  We desire to give back to the community.  One of the ways we fund this is by selling advertisements on a t-shirt that is given away.

We would like to thank all that have helped make this a success over the last 8 years.

> Topping the list is the MARINES for allowing us to be a part of something so great in helping children in our area at Christmas time.  What a pleasure it is to be a part of something so rewarding and satisfying.
> We also thank all of our sponsors who placed ads on our shirts and/or gave door prizes.
> Christian Heritage Church for being a church that is open to the ministry that reaches out to the hurting.  We are not a biker church, but we do accept bikers, and others the world overlooks.  Some of us that ride have a patch that reads “THESE ARE MY CHURCH CLOTHES” and they are; dress is not a major point at our church.  We believe that you can come as you are and feel welcome.
> Hard Core Motorcycle Ministry for the hard work of its members, hosting and planning this event; and for those others on the committee that also help in making this a success.  Thanks to the Biker Sunday committee for giving of their time and resources to help make the Toys for Tots Parade and Biker Sunday overwhelming awesome!
> High Expectation Motor Works and Bo and Debbie Pearson for their hard work building the bike we give away.  Bo is a master when it comes to working and building a Harley-Davidson.  He has been working on them for many years and can pretty much tell you what is wrong simply by listening to it.  Bo and Debbie have joined our vision in reaching out and ministering to those who are hurting or have been hurt in life.
> Gratitude to KAR 95.7 and ROCK 108 radio stations for getting the word out and helping with drawing names of those to have a chance at winning the free motorcycle.
> We welcome a new sponsor this year, Amarillo’s NEWS CHANNEL 10, whose work helped us notify the city and area on television.
> American Classifieds for putting the word out on paper.
> Tyson Fresh Meat for helping furnish brisket.
> Fred Lerch, who for years has cooked the BBQ so many enjoy on Biker Sunday.  Its obvious that Fred takes pride in making sure it is the best possible.  Fred is a supporter of Hard Core Motorcycle Ministry and has also joined efforts with us in reaching out to the hurting.
> Ashmore Inn who came forward to be the event’s host hotel; for their hospitality in making sure that out-of-town bikers have a pleasant experience.  They’ve also increased security at the hotel at night to make sure that the bikes are safe, giving a designated place for parking bikes, and offering means to wash bikes on their parking lot.
> Ben E Keith for helping with supplies and condiments for the sandwiches given away on Biker Sunday.
> Bikers Alley, and Gene Miller, who has assisted in the making of a successful event.
> Thanks to D and L Plastics, who ordered our shirts and made the printing screens for them.
> Connie Johnson and her crew for taking care of the in-house screen printing of our shirts.
> Southern Cycle for the contribution of the tire given to the winner of the “Burnout Pit.”
> Brasher Trophy who has supplied the plaques for winners of the bike games and biker show.
> Derek Epperson for designing the t-shirt and the website layout.
> The Rockin’ Plowboys who fill the air with great music.
> Completely Twisted Riders for their entertainment of stunt riding.> Amarillo Police Department and Amarillo Emergency Services for planning and escorting the Toys for Tots parade, making it safe and successful.
> Xotic Cycles / Big Dog for putting up another motorcycle to raffle, which helps to sponsor Biker Sunday and another outreach to kids, Free Camp!
> If we’ve failed to recognize anyone, please know that it is not intentional and accept our sincerest apologies.

And we know that the Toys for Tots Parade and Biker Sunday can’t be a success without those that participate and for the generous giving of toys to the Marines to be distributed at Christmas.  It is such a joy to go out with the Marines on Christmas Eve, delivering toys to children and see their faces filled with surprise and delight!  Everyone that has been involved over that past 8 years and those that will join with us in the years to come, has helped the Toys for Tots Parade and Biker Sunday event to become one of the largest events in Amarillo, Texas.  We have people who come in from many different states, ranging from North Carolina, Mississippi, Oklahoma, California, New Mexico, and many more.

If you’ve enjoyed reading about Toys for Tots and Biker Sunday, and want to be involved on any level, please use our contact page and let us know!