On Interstate 70 near Zanesville, Ohio, it’s hard to miss the giant billboard for Rushing Wind Biker Church, decorated with a graphic of a bald eagle embracing a cross. “ALL ARE WELCOME,” the sign reads in bold, red letters. “Next Exit, Turn Rt 2 Mi.”
The Rushing Wind church, founded in 2010 by members of the international Bikers For Christ Motorcycle Ministry, is one of several of its kind in the country, and part of a much larger motorcycle ministry movement. It is open to anyone, but as its name implies, it caters mainly to bikers, many of whom say they feel unwelcome in mainstream Protestant churches. Services occur every Saturday night and attract upwards of 50 people.
“Because of my tattoos, a lot of people didn’t accept me or didn’t want me there, weren’t really welcoming, or just thought I was there for the wrong reason,” said biker Nick Buxton, who attends Rushing Wind. “So I just kind of bounced around from church to church.”
Like other mobile ministries, Rushing Wind (and Bikers for Christ) combines Christian outreach with elements of a specific culture, working to welcome bikers and make them feel at ease. Some of these efforts are heavily visual. Rushing Wind is located inside an unassuming, warehouse-style building adjacent to the highway, and Pastor Mike McGuire, in a sleeveless t-shirt and jeans, leads services from a brushed steel pulpit, where a chainlink microphone stand also rests. Church congregants wear leather jackets and jeans, and sport Jesus tattoos and Christian jacket patches.
But the sounds of the Rushing Wind Biker Church further suggest how it reaches out to bikers. During a designated “hang-around” period prior to Saturday night worship (similar to the “hang around” activity found at most motorcycle clubs), billiard balls clank on pool tables. Guitar chords waft from a nearby stage as Pastor Mike and his band, “The Wind,” play Christian versions of popular rock songs, such as “Sweet Home Hallelujah.” During BikerFest, an annual worship event at the church, services are held outdoors in a large tent, where the pastor’s voice mixes with the roar of nearby interstate traffic. These ambient sounds allude to common biker experiences and pastimes, creating a familiar, accessible environment.