Signing up to spend his summer on the seat of a bicycle made sense to Rev. John Noordhof, a pastor from Williamsburg, Ontario. He’s traveled extensively around the world and seen firsthand the reality of poverty, from Haiti to Zambia. This summer he’ll pedal from Los Angeles to New York City to raise awareness and money to fight poverty.
Cyclists in the 2008 Sea to Sea tour
Gayla Postma
“In my mind, raising awareness is just as important as raising money,” Noordhof wrote in his blog. “After all, there are easier ways to raise money.”
Noordhof is one of more than 150 cyclists who have signed up so far to pedal 3,900 miles (6,276 km) in nine weeks for the Sea to Sea 2013 Bike Tour. In addition to crossing the U.S., the tour will also pass through Toronto and Montreal. Each cyclist must raise money: $10,000 for those doing the whole tour, less for those cycling smaller segments of one to five weeks.
The tour is hosted by the Reformed Church in America, Partners Worldwide, and World Renew, the development and relief agency of the Christian Reformed Church.
All funds will go to programs that alleviate poverty locally and internationally. The 2008 tour sponsored by the Christian Reformed Church raised $1.5 million.
“We have been able to make a difference in fighting poverty, locally and abroad, before. But there is so much more to do. The needs today are greater,” said Claire Elgersma, chair of the tour’s steering committee/
About the Author
Gayla Postma retired as news editor for The Banner in 2020.
