When Sydney rector Geoff Deutscher first rode his bike to raise money for the Bible Society, he admits he had "bad theology'.
Fresh from this month's 912km Bike for Bibles ride from Sydney to Melbourne, Mr Deutscher recalls that at 17, he decided to ride 400km from his home town of Ballarat, Victoria to Underbool in Victoria's Mallee district, raising $1300.
"I grew up in the Christian Brethren church and" I grew up very much on a performance mentality where I felt I had to earn God's favour all the time," he recalls.
"I had spent $200 on a brand new bicycle, which in those days was a lot of money, and I felt quite guilty spending so much money on myself, so I felt I had to pay God back."
This ride likely made Geoff the first person ever to ride a bike to raise money for the Bible Society in Australia, according to Jim Blaxland, ride organiser for Bike for Bibles, which was officially launched six years after Mr Deutscher's 1978 ride.
This year Mr Deutscher hopes to raise over $3,500, gaining support from family, friends and the local community.
This year also marks the 25th anniversary of Bike for Bibles, and Mr Deutscher, rector of St Martin's Ulladulla these days, has naturally approached the 2009 ride with a "fresher understanding of grace".
"We rest secure in God's love, so we don't need to feel like we've got to be on that treadmill of earning it," he says.
He also says the ride is for him an expression of thankfulness for the healthy body God has given him, and of a desire that as many people as possible have access to the Bible.
"God's word is a transforming one and it changes people's lives and eternal destinies, so to be able to get it into the hands of as many people as we can is a good thing."
Both Mr Blaxland and Mr Deutscher have hailed Bike for Bibles as an excellent way of connecting with those who love the outdoors but who do not go to church.
"This year, one non-Christian on the ride couldn’t believe how well everyone was getting on with each other," Mr Blaxland relates.
"It's an active lifestyle pursuit. Kids go on camps to have a good time " bikeriding's a bit like that. In fact there are more people riding bikes today than there ever have been," he says.
Four seasons in one week
Mr Deutscher, who was part of a group of 44 to do the ride, says the sometimes gruelling trip was a "fantastic experience".
"We had four seasons of weather in the week. Very hot and humid when we left, to the last day we rode the whole way in the rain. It was freezing cold!"
Starting at Gymea Baptist Church on December 6, the group ended up in Melbourne on December 13, having snaked a path through the towns of Bowral, Yass, Cootamundra, Henty, Korowa, Benalla and Seymour.
Churches in these towns offered their homes and halls as shelter, and put on free meals for riders.
On the sometimes gruelling journey, Mr Deutscher says he was thankful for his helmet, riding outfit, shoes that clip helpfully to the pedals and gear-changing mechanism on his carbon alloy frame bike, a far cry from his 1978 accoutrements.
This year's Bike for Bibles Sydney to Melbourne ride is expected to raise in excess of $60,000, with money going towards funding for the training of indigenous pastors at Won-Tulp-Bi-Buya Aboriginal Theological Training College in Cairns, Queensland.
The Bible Society will be holding a number of rides throughout 2009, ranging from week-long trips to weekends and single-day events.
There is also a 20-week training program to help participants to prepare for their trek.
To find out more, visit the Bike for Bibles section of the Bible Society website.
