riding into the son
ride, but what you are looking for cannot be found on a
bike. It can only be found in the person, who came to give
us peace and direction down that hazardous road called
life, and His name is Jesus.
by Kinne Callaway
Pastor of The RodeHouse
Welcome to the first of my monthly articles about God, life,
riding and whatever else comes to mind. My name is Kinne
Callaway. I am the Pastor of The RodeHouse Biker Church
in Bend, Oregon. The RodeHouse is so named because
life is hard and often times those life roads we take are
full of potholes, bumps and covered with cinders. So The
RodeHouse is for those who have been rode hard and are
looking for something different. It is also a church for bikers
who don’t like church. It’s a church custom built for bikers.
You might find those tags a little strange for the typical
church but The RodeHouse is far from being the standard
church.
Our typical Sunday, during the riding season, has us
meeting at a local restaurant and enjoying breakfast
together. After eating, a question is asked and then we ride
to a scenic spot where we dialogue about the question,
creating an atmosphere where riders are free to ask
questions and search for answers that they have about God
and what He is doing. However, the most important activity
each Sunday that we do is love Jesus and share His love
with other bikers.
Our tags also describe those who come to The
RodeHouse. Our first tag describes those who attend who
may feel like life has been tough and, as I said before,
feel like they have been rode hard and are just looking or
searching for something different. You too may find yourself
on that road with all the potholes, cinders and detours.
However, you keep riding down that same road hoping you
won’t hit any more potholes or slide on any more cinders
while trying to miss those same detours; all the while
expecting that the road will lead you somewhere but it really
leads you nowhere except to the same dead end. You may
even try a new road, hoping that it will bring you freedom
and peace of mind, but what you find is that it too leads you
to the same place. Nevertheless, you keep searching for
that perfect ride that all motorcycles companies say you will
find if you ride their newest bike. Because life is hard it’s
understandable you are looking for a new road, that perfect
Maybe our second tag best describes you and where you
find yourself. The RodeHouse is for those bikers who don’t
like church. You may not necessarily not like church, but
you feel like you don’t fit in the typical church, or you may
not like the church you see in our world today. You may
think the church preaches it loves people but doesn’t show
it. You may be tired of being told that if you don’t look a
certain way, speak a certain way or act a certain way, you’re
not welcome. What you see is a church full of hypocrites
that are unloving, judgmental, narrow minded and are all
about themselves and don’t look anything like Jesus in
their actions. Well, we all are hypocrites to one degree or
another. All of us are judgmental but at The RodeHouse we
try to be real, authentic, and honest in who we are and our
goal is to be more like Christ in our actions, so that others
may see a genuine faith and love for Jesus.
Christ loves the church and so do we at the RodeHouse.
It doesn’t matter where you come from, where you have
been, or what you look like. The RodeHouse is a church
that welcomes you in Christ’s love. Our core values are:
Authenticity – being real and honest with each other and
ourselves. Relationships – with God, with others and with
our biker community. Love and Acceptance – choosing to
love and not judge others no matter what a person rides or
where that ride has taken them in life. Service and sacrifice
– choosing to serve others befo