FAYETTEVILLE — Located on the corner of Dickson Street and College Avenue, First Baptist Church of Fayetteville is in the middle of the action during Bikes, Blues and BBQ , the annual motorcycle festival that started Wednesday.
The Rev. Douglas Falknor wouldn’t have it any other way.
His Southern Baptist congregation has been welcoming bikers to the rally foryears. This year, volunteers from the church will offer free bike washes Thursday and Friday, as well as a free hot breakfast for bikers on Saturday morning.
“It’s a good opportunity to meet a lot of bikers, to minister to them and serve them, not really expecting anything from them,” Falknor said. “We just let them know we’re glad they are here.”
When the church members first started offering the free bike washes, Falknor saidsome bikers were skeptical.
“They thought maybe there was some catch,” he said. “There’s no catch. It’s simply a bike wash. A lot of folks try to pay us and we turn them down.”
Falknor said the church also allows festivalgoers to park in the church lot for free in the evenings.
“That’s a big deal because there’s not parking, especially on Friday and Saturday nights when so many people are around,” he said.
First Baptist’s neighbor on Dickson Street, Central United Methodist Church, also uses the rally as a time to help others. The Rev. Carl Palmer, pastor of outreach, said the church offers free parking for bikers and volunteers pass out water to the thirsty crowd.
“We treat it as a hospitality ministry,” Palmer said. “We’re the greeters for 300,000 visitors to Fayetteville.”
Organizers have peggedthe projected attendance this year at 200,000-250,000 for the festival’s core events.
The church will have a tent and table set up at Dickson Street and Highland Avenue, and church members will be on hand to pass out maps and brochures about Fayetteville and direct bikers to the parking lot. The church’s parking deck, located near the rear of the property, will be used for parking of another sort. Palmer said the church lets Washington Elementary School use the lot as a fundraiser by charging a fee for parking.
“It’s one of their biggest fundraisers of the year,” he said. “And we’re glad we can support them.”
New this year, the church will also present free Christian music concerts on the front steps from noon to about 7 p.m. Saturday. It ispartnering with the Christian Motorcyclists Association to bring in about a half-dozen bands.
Palmer said the church sees Bikes, Blues and BBQ as a way to start a conversation with the thousands attending. He said they aren’t looking for a “come-to-Jesus moment,” but simply want to plant a seed of interest.
Members of the FAITH Riders from Cross Church Fayetteville set up a booth in the Walton Arts Center parking lot Wednesday. Jeff Hairston said last year was the group’s first time participating in the rally. The group is part of a national motorcycle ministry based in Lakeland, Fla., and members from throughout the Southeast areriding into town to help out.
“We’re in the heart of the event,” Hairston said.
The riders share their faith with bikers and tourists. This year they will give away iPads in a series of drawings.
“In exchange for registering, we ask them to give us three minutes so one of the riders can share a testimony,” Hairston said.
Talking to others about Jesus isn’t as easy as it sounds, Hairston said, adding that last year was a good opportunity for club members to practice and get comfortable sharing their stories.
“Obviously, in the middle of a big motorcycle rally with all these people running around is not where you would normally think of sharing your faith, but it was a wonderful experience for many in our group,” Hairston said.
As for Falknor, being senior pastor has some advantages and with so many church members volunteering to help out, he’ll have time to wander around the festival and do what he said pastors do best - talk.
“We really have a good time with it,” he said.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 7 on 09/27/2012