[SEPT. 23, 2000]  Ministry and evangelism among hard-core motorcyclists — bikers — is not for the fainthearted or the fair-weather Christian. According to Allan Elder of the Sons of Light motorcycle ministry, biker evangelism takes the Christian message to its essential core. Bikers who live on the edge of life and often face the edge of death are blunt and ask the direct question: "Are you a just a Christian on Sunday or are you a Christian 24-7?" They want to know if you live the faith you profess 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, according to Elder. Bikers "will call you on it if your life is not 24-7," he says. "Regular people won’t." That lack of accountability in the mainstream churches is "killing Christianity," believes Elder. The Sons of Light ministry seeks to share the Gospel of Christ with those who live hard and ask the hard questions.

Allan and his wife, Paulie, will go wherever bikers are gathered; set up a tent; distribute Bibles, tracts and meals; and lead services on Sunday morning. For a recent rally their daughter-in-law Jodi ran the grill that prepared free breakfasts. One of the most important ministries they provide is conversation and a sympathetic ear for lonely bikers who want to talk. The Sons of Light is not a rigid organization run from a suite of offices. It is led by committed Christian friends and is shaped by the practical faith of its supporters.

According to Elder, the ministry to bikers, some of whom are members of hard-core motorcycle clubs, is an ongoing battle of "fear versus faith." He admits that he is often reluctant to go to a biker rally, reluctant to pack the tent and all the supplies necessary and then spend what is often an exhausting weekend. But "as soon as I get there I’m pumped and inevitably I have an awesome weekend."

In our recent conversation he admitted to times of discouragement and even fear as they encounter tough, even violent bikers. Elder acknowledges the frequent need "to pray for courage, to pray for boldness." He says that his experiences have taught him that you get courage the same way you get patience — through trial. One of those trials was a foray into a hard-core biker bar to hang posters for their Sunday worship service. Elder and his friends prayed as the bikers glared at them. Their prayer was answered when one of the bikers in the bar walked up and asked if he could have some posters to put up in the campground.

Those who undertake this ministry sometimes put both their faith and their lives on the line. Elder told of a violent biker who put a cocked gun to the head of the Christian who was sharing the gospel with him. The biker asked, "Where will you go if I blow you away?" The Christian answered confidently, "If you shoot me, you blow me into the presence of God."

Allan Elder is uniquely suited for this ministry through both his life experiences and occupation. He owns Elder Custom Cycle, located at 203 S. Sangamon St., where he repairs, modifies and customizes motorcycles with his son, David. The business itself serves as an important contact point for the ministry. According to Elder, many bikers first see "my faith and commitment" as customers in the shop. Some bikers come in daily or weekly "just to talk" and to share their lives and their problems. He says that there is no fooling the bikers about your Christian faith. They look below the surface and mere appearances. "They know the truth and they appreciate the truth — they know it when they see it," he said.

Elder believes that three elements of his life have suited him for his present ministry. His mature age, his tour of duty in Vietnam, and his life experiences growing up in a broken family and in foster care have prepared him to help others. Elder’s birth parents were alcoholics and were often troubled and in trouble. From age 10 to age 17 he was shuffled between foster homes. He entered the army at age 18 and served four years, including 1½ years in Vietnam. During his tour in Vietnam he developed problems with both "attitude and alcohol." After his discharge, he amplified those problems when he began riding with bikers in Colorado and the West.

Over the next several years there was a slow but steady convergence of the two elements which would form the foundation of his ministry: cycles and the Christian faith. One of the few constants in Elder’s life was his fascination with the motorcycles that his stepbrothers and foster brothers owned. In biker clubs Elder found the acceptance and "family" he had longed for all his life. Over the next several years and two failed marriages Elder came into contact with both Christians and the church but found both very different from what he read in Scripture or saw in the life of Christ. In bikers he found a straight-ahead honesty; in Christians and the church he saw "people who didn’t walk what they talked."

In the 1980s Elder’s life was changed by two key events. In 1985 he met Harold Alexander in Wapella at a motorcycle rally — the first Christian Elder had met who "walked his talk." While others "compartmentalized" their faith, Alexander demonstrated authentic Christian faith and "got me motivated," said Elder. Two years later he met and married Paulie, his wife and partner in ministry, who shared his growing commitment to Christ. Allan and Paulie have one child in Lincoln, David, who is their partner in the cycle shop. David and his wife, Jodi, have three children, Ashley, Abbey and Wesley.

The Elders have had their faith tested and refined many times in their 15 years of motorcycle ministry. Biker clubs and organizations identify themselves by wearing unique patches or "colors" on their denim or leather vests. Allan designed the distinctive patch for the Sons of Light, which includes the images of the Christian fish, the cross and a cycle. Biker patches or colors are given and they are worn in a deadly serious way. They show whom you ride with and to whom you give your allegiance. Bikers have been killed defending the people and ideas represented by their patches. According to Allan Elder, bikers who are leery of Christian hypocrisy say, "If you put on a Christian patch, live it out or we will pull it off!" Christians who minister to the often rough world of the bikers must, as it says in Scripture, "put on Christ" and must "walk the talk, 24-7."

This idea is well expressed in a writing by Bob Moorhead which speaks of wearing the Christian "colors."

I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till he stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me — my colors will be clear.

You may reach Allan Elder and his ministry by phone at (217) 732-5454 or by e-mail at www.sonsoflight.org.

[John Welter]

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