BikeMovement Asia begins: Cyclists explore global Anabaptist community

 

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – From May 1 to July 1, 2007, six young adults from Anabaptist communities in the United States and Canada, including four Goshen College students and recent graduates, will ride their bicycles from Phnom Penh, Cambodia – through Vietnam, Thailand and Laos – to Chengdu, China. Touring participants of this group, BikeMovement Asia (BMA), will connect with Anabaptist and other Christian congregations, as well as individuals and communities affiliated and working with Anabaptist agencies.

 

Goshen College junior Bible and religion major Tim Showalter from Harrisonburg, Va.; senior Bible and religion major Nicole Cober Bauman from Shakespeare, Ontario, Canada; and 2006 graduates Adele Liechty and Nick Loewen are biking with Neil Richer and Jesse Bauman and began their journey by meeting with Phnom Penh Mennonite Church members May 1-5, before riding to Ho Chi Minh City. They plan to then travel north to Vientiane, the capital of Laos, cross into Thailand to spend time in Ubon Province. They will cut back through North Vietnam with a stop in Hanoi, and then spend their last weeks cycling through Yunnan Province, visiting Anabaptist communities in Kunming and Nanchong (Sichuan Province), China. Goshen College sophomore communication and business double major Sheldon Good, of Telford, Pa., is the group’s North American ambassador, handling their communication needs.

 

In the summer of 2006, from July 10 to Aug. 25, Mennonite young adults biked across the United States in the first BikeMovement trip, as an initiative to engage conversation regarding their visions and perspectives for the church. They traveled from Oregon to New Jersey, and had 60 people riding for various lengths of time.

 

This group of six has taken that vision across the Pacific for BMA, in the hopes of beginning to realize global community through intercultural engagement. They seek to understand the day-to-day realities of their hosts and observe the joys and challenges faced by the local churches of Southeast Asia. In this way, they will be able to grasp more fully the dynamic issues these communities deal with, along with the factors that shape their theology and mission. BMA ultimately seeks to realize the potential for global Anabaptist community-building through open and engaging conversation.

 

The issues BMA hopes to explore and the relationships they strive to develop along the way are relevant to North American congregations. Questions such as “Who are North American Mennonites in the context of the global church community?” and “Who/what is the Anabaptist community of Southeast Asia?” are integral to any conversation about the role of a congregation or community within the global Anabaptist partnership. Questions such as these will allow the riders to gain a better understanding of Southeast Asian Anabaptism and culture.

 

BMA participants are committed to recording and creatively reporting on their experiences as they tour Southeast Asia. In this way, anyone can join in the conversation through BMA’s interactive Web site, www.bikemovement.org.

 

BMA also seeks to address issues of structural inequality, which make global opportunities available to some and not others, by financially supporting young adults from the global south – where the majority of the Anabaptist church is located. BMA is committed to raising funds so that more of these young people can attend international Anabaptist gatherings, in the hopes of allowing for a more accurate representation of the global community. Donations to this global sharing fund, as well as to the operating costs of BMA, can be made on the BMA Web site.

 

– By Nicole Bauman and Sheldon Good, for BikeMovement Asia

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.