with conviction . “ We ’ ve been there , done that , several times , and this is August ; it will be hot and dusty ,” I whined . Nevertheless , you can ’ t argue with God and your wife when they are in agreement , so , Toto , it was off to Kansas we went .
Herbie Shreve , with his daughter , Misty in tow , showed up at that rally unexpectedly . As soon as he announced they were in dire need of volunteers to assemble materials for the new Ministry Team Training at CMA headquarters in Hatfield , we looked at each other and knew God was speaking directly to us . We followed Herbie and Misty back to Hatfield and went to work . A few months later , we moved our fifth wheel from Texas to the original CMA campground .
God has accomplished so many miraculous things in CMA over the last 50 years that it is hard to comprehend . He has certainly been good to us through the ministry of CMA . We began volunteering wherever we could . Jane eventually went on staff as the receptionist in 1995 , becoming the “ Voice of CMA ,” as members and leaders called in to hear the familiar , “ CMA , Jane speaking , how may I help you ?” She loved her job , speaking with the callers , processing membership applications , printing member cards , and helping everywhere she could . Due to their frequent calls , she was able to recognize most of the State Coordinators by the sound of their voice . Her passing in 2017 was a great personal loss not only to me but also to the ministry of the Christian Motorcyclists Association .
I was invited to come on staff in 1998 to run the print shop and perform the CMA motorcycle maintenance on the side . Over the years , there have been many newly arrived volunteers who served their Support Center initiation , helping in the print shop . A big Thank You to all y ’ all ! Buddy Hooper and Linda Dow were two very valuable employees back in the days when we printed and processed 400,000 pieces annually . In 2015 , after 20 years , we officially closed the print shop as it was no longer cost-effective with the rise of newer and cheaper digital technology that most out-ofhouse vendors could provide CMA .
That ’ s good stewardship right there , something I have observed many times over the years in CMA .
Being a sport bike rider , I enjoyed being part of the Fast Lane Team , writing over four dozen “ Inside Line ” articles for the HeartBeat , and having the privilege of traveling coast-to-coast attending rallies , races , and many sport bike venues with John Ogden Jr for 5 or 6 years .
Since day one , I ’ ve always liked being part of the camera crew during the rallies , so after the print shop closure , I was reassigned to the media department , operating cameras , reproducing DVDs / CDs , maintaining the media library , and some light video / audio editing . I continued taking care of the CMA motorcycles until just recently and have backed off a bit on the rest , but I still function as a CMA staff writer these days .
God , through the ministry of the Christian Motorcyclists Association , has given me a purpose , training , opportunities , inspiration , a calling , and a beautiful family of like-minded people .
CMA , I can ’ t think of a better place to have spent the last 35 years of my life !
09 www . cmausa . org
CMA
Tim and his wife , Jeanne , live in Mena , Arkansas . Tim is a media writer for CMA .