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| Founded | 1975 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Herb Shreve |
| Type | Evangelical Non-governmental organization |
| Focus | Proselytizing/evangelising the Christian faith |
| Location | |
Members | 125,000 |
| Website | www |
The Christian Motorcyclists Association (CMA) is an international Christian non-profit organization established in 1975. Its purpose is evangelizing to the motorcycling community.
CMA was started by Herb Shreve, an Arkansas pastor who purchased a motorcycle to close the generation gap with his rebellious son. He began evangelizing motorcycle rallies, and in 1975, he resigned from his church to start CMA.[ citation needed ]
The organization grew to over 125,000 members and over 1200 chapters in all 50 states, and then gained chapters in 31 foreign countries, through the CMA International Ministry. René Changuion started CMA South Africa in 1980 and was the first country to be in the CMA International Coalition, now called CMA International. The UK organization was formed in 1983 when members of the Christian Bikers Association, established in the UK in 1979, approached the CMA in the USA and South Africa. [1]
CMA is not a club but a ministry. This distinguishes CMA from other biker organizations that associate due to manufacturer brand loyalty or riding style. CMA's ministry team program is designed to "make ministers of their members." This implies a breakdown of the traditional distinction between clergy and laity that exist in most Christian ministries. Members are associated with the national organization and then independently may become members of local chapters.
CMA operates under a Board of Directors working in conjunction with six regional evangelists, a Lead evangelist, and Special Projects Evangelist, in order to support the goals and objectives of the organization. The current Chairman is John Ogden, Sr. This leadership team oversees CMA from a national level by appointing other state, area, and local leaders across the country. The headquarters is in Hatfield, Arkansas.
CMA publishes a monthly magazine, Heartbeat. The CMA is a member of Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) and Evangelical Press Association (EPA).
CMA (UK), which has an estimated 1,000 members, [2] has an outreach arm called Holy Joe's whose members provide a cafe and helmet park at motorcycling shows and events. [3] Proceeds from these and HJ's annual bike show are donated to charities such as emergency medical motorcycle couriers Freewheelers EVS. [4]
In Christianity, evangelism or witnessing is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. It is sometimes associated with Christian missions.
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The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is an American nonprofit organization of more than 200,000 motorcyclists that organizes numerous motorcycling activities and campaigns for motorcyclists' legal rights. Its mission statement is "to promote the motorcycling lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling." The organization was founded in 1924 and as of October 2016 had more than 1,100 chartered clubs.
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The British Motorcyclists Federation (BMF) is a motorcycle riders' rights group in the United Kingdom. The BMF was founded in 1960 as the Federation of National One Make Motorcycle Clubs to counter accusations of "leather-jacketed hooligans". It renamed itself the BMF in 1965. The group lobbies for motorcyclists' interests at local, national and European levels.
Bikers For Christ, or BFC is a Christian ministry for motorcyclists founded in 1990 by Pastor Fred Zariczny, who also pastors Rushing Wind Ministries in Oceanside, California. BFC first operated under Calvary Chapel of Marysville, CA in the 1990s. Now it operates under the covering of: Rushing Wind Ministries in Southern California. Rushing Wind Ministries was founded in 2003 as a Biker Church in Oceanside, California by Pastor Z., and there are now over a dozen Rushing Wind affiliate churches in the Us and overseas. There are currently over a hundred BFC chapters with thousands of members worldwide. Paul Crouch Jr. with the Trinity Broadcasting Network has recognized BFC as one of the largest Christian motorcycle ministries in the world. In a 2010 radio interview with Christian metal radio program The Full Armor of God Broadcast, Pastor Z. talked about their worldwide ministry. As of April 2020 - Zariczny states that BFC currently has Chapters in 50 states and 24 countries including: Australia, all over Europe, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Lithuania, South Africa, and Sweden. BFC sponsors several motorcycle events to raise money for the handicapped, underprivileged and disabled. BFC also sponsors events to honor Vietnam Veterans where a 370-foot (110 m) mini replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall is displayed publicly. Pastor Fred is married to his wife Esther. They have seven children, thirteen grandchildren, and a great granddaughter. Pastor Z. is known for his tattoos after having the BFC membership patch logo tattooed on his back by Kim Saigh on LA Ink. Pastor Z. also plays Bass Guitar in the BFC Full Throttle Band - with his Band-Mate: Eric Turner on Lead Vocals & Lead Guitars, and multiple drummers. The Full Throttle Band has played at: Sturgis, Daytona, Hollister, Arizona Bike Week, and many Motorcycle Club parties. The band plays Classic Rock biker tunes and also quite a few Christian Originals written by Eric Turner, Darrell Mansfield, etc. Pastor Z. also takes pictures, and writes articles for the secular motorcycle magazine Quick Throttle.
The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is an international outlaw motorcycle club whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation. Common nicknames for the club are the "H.A.", "Red & White", "HAMC", and "81". With a membership of over 6,000, and 467 chapters in 59 countries, the HAMC is the largest "outlaw" motorcycle club in the world.
The Latin American Motorcycle Association was founded in 1977 in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. LAMA is an international organization that is recognized as one of the most active long-distance riding clubs in the world.
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