Bishop Charles H. Mason Patterson Sr. asked God to show him a “new face” for evangelism and God gave him bikers.
Motorcycle riders gathered Sunday (April 23) at Pentecostal Temple Church of God in Christ for a “City-wide Blessing of the Bikes.”
Bishop Patterson said the event was a “first” for him, but bike clubs and pastors all over the country have annual prayer ceremonies at the beginning of “riding season.”
“I got the idea from my good friend Bishop Joseph Chase,” said Bishop Patterson. “We are both members of the riding community, and he told me about these prayer ceremonies held every year. Bishop Chase conducted our blessing ceremony, and it was beautiful.”
Bishop Patterson said the prayer service is a part of his effort to increase Pentecostal’s outreach to the community.
“God has given me a desire to connect with the community, to be in tune with the needs,” said Bishop Patterson. “I want the church’s fingerprint on the community. I asked the Lord to show me a new face of evangelism. ‘Blessing of the Bikes’ is the beginning of this new face of evangelism.”
Bishop Chase, a member of COGIC’s Board of Bishops, said Bishop Patterson inspired him as he shared his vision for discovering a “new face on evangelism.”
“Ministry must extend beyond the church walls,” said Bishop Chase. “Bishop Patterson’s ‘new face of evangelism’ struck a chord with me because we live in a day when the church must be creative in sharing the gospel of Jesus.
“I came home with a desire for new opportunities for outreach. We are a mouthpiece for Jesus, but He also needs our hands and feet.”
Bishop Chase is founding prelate of the Greater Jamaica Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction. He pastors New Community Temple COGIC in Portsmouth, Virginia.
Bishop Chase started biker blessings more than a decade ago.
“I wanted to reach out to bikers all over the city,” said Chase. “Virginia has a huge biking community. When riding…
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