Sponsor Newsletter

Welcome

The goal of this newsletter is to periodically update you on our ministry and the opportunities that God has given us to help grow His Kingdom. We figure that since you have chosen to partner with us, the least we can do is to let you know what is going on and how God is using us [and your support] to change lives. As we prepare for the 2012 riding season, I will be contacting each of you individually to extend a sincere thanks for your support in the past, provide a more personal invitation to continue partnering with us for the coming year and to find out how we can serve you better. Below are just a few of the things our ministry is doing [or planning on doing] thanks to your support:

Spring Training Camp

We are planning our third annual Spring Training Camp for late March. But this is much more that just a biking junket in the middle of a long Minnesota winter. This is a chance for us to come together as a club in His name, study the Word, have some laughs and build each other up for the upcoming season. Last year we opened the camp to anyone, club member or not, and were surprised that there were non-Christians who wanted to join us. We found it a great opportunity to share the love of Christ with those who don't know Him. One non-Christian who came with us sited our camp as a highlight of his season and is eager to bring friends to join us. So, guess what? This year we invited even more!

Tuesday Night Timetrials [TnT]

This will be our third year hosting this popular race series in Medina. God has used the summer long event to not only introduce us to the cycling community, but has also provided interaction that has led to some relationships. So much so, that we have TnT racers interested in our Spring Training Camp. We are excited to know them even better and help with any matters of faith that may come up along the way. The series has also brought us together as a club and the volunteers who work the event are blessed with the opportunity to serve one another as well as the cycling community.

Wednesday Night Club Rides

Our Wednesday Night Club Rides have always been popular and continue to bring us new faces as well as reacquaint us with old favorites. We have had as many as 50 riders and 5 groups of various skill levels or speeds leaving Wooddale Church [our host]. This has been a perfect way for people to check out the club and learn more about what we do and how they can plug in. It is also a wonderful, non-intimidating opportunity for members to invite friends who otherwise may never consider going to church.

The Jersey Program

Since our main focus is Christ, instead of the bike, we have a very unique outlook on how our club operates and, thus, we do things a little differently. Most bike clubs require not only a membership fee, but also an investment in a cycling uniform in order to be fully integrated in the club. At the Twin Cities Spoke, we know that the best ministry tool we have is our jersey on the backs of our riders. Thus, when a rider joins our parent club [The International Christian Cycling Club -- or IC3], we GIVE them a jersey. For free. While this may cost the club some cash out of pocket, it has brought us so many blessings throughout the years since the jersey is such a great way to start a conversation. Therefore, our jersey -- with sponsors logos -- are seen all over the Midwest at all sorts of cycling events. Not only are the jerseys seen on thousands of training miles, they have also been on the backs of participants of scores of other events like: road races, cyclocross races, mt. bike races, time trials, triathlons, charity rides, organized centuries, organized tours and more.

One last thought

We truly appreciate you and your support of the Twin Cities Spoke. And, we would like you to consider inviting a friend to support it as well. If you know of someone who might be interested, please contact me [click here] -- or give them this link so that they can contact me. I would love to talk to them about the wonderful ways God is moving in our club. Yet another idea is to sponsor our club in the name of your favorite charity. You would not only be helping our club, but also giving some free publicity to a deserving non-profit. Talk about a "win-win"!

Once again, thank you for your support -- and I hope to talk to each of you soon.

Tim Turnquist