After leading our church team in last year’s Ride for Refuge fundraiser for Inner Hope Youth Ministries, I was eager for us to participate again this year. After all, what was not to like?
As part of last year’s event:
- we had a wonderful time walking and/or cycling together,
- enjoyed an informal chili supper with great conversation around the table,
- gladly welcomed new friends,
- were encouraged by the prayers and donations contributed by church, family, and community members,
- and raised $4,225 for Inner Hope’s work with youth and their families.
What a wonderful time of community building for us as a small church as we supported the good work of Inner Hope!
Following last year’s event, I shared some things I learned about community building, and here are a few more lessons from this year that I hope will encourage you.
Ask for Feedback
In response to last year’s mini-survey, all expressed appreciation for being able to participate off-site instead of commuting into Vancouver for the main event. All expressed appreciation for having supper together afterward. One noted that coming together for a meal at the end of the day was especially good since our walkers gathered to walk around our local Mill Lake, while those cycling met that day at a different time and location. Another said, “I liked the way we ordered and got dry weather.”
Listen Well for What’s Said and Not Said
This year, instead of planning a chili supper, the main event in Vancouver planned for bannock tacos. I thought we could try tacos too, since that might be a fun change and easier than my making chili for twenty. So I emailed a few people to test that idea. One replied to something else in my email, but didn’t respond about the food, which I took as a less than enthusiastic response to the idea of switching to tacos. Another later said to me that while make-your-own tacos might be easier, chili was less messy and less hands-on. Besides, everyone loved the chili last year, so why mess with success? So, I again happily planned to make chili with extra hot sauce on the side, and everyone else contributed buns and butter, fresh veggies and dip, fruit, dessert, and other parts of the meal.
Be Flexible
We had a wonderful team again this year, but participation on the actual day was not quite as high. One couple had previous travel plans, but they signed up for the team anyway, raised funds, and assured us they would do the walk around the cruise ship while they were away. On Ride Day, they sent us photos to prove their commitment along with an email message to our team. They had even packed their Ride t-shirts from last year so they could wear them!
Another team member had a heart attack the week before so wasn’t able to cycle as planned. But we were all so grateful that he recovered well enough to join us for our chili supper, and he has plans to complete the ride when he is able.
Keep Building
Hosting last year’s Ride for Refuge off-site was an experiment for us, and this year, we could build on that. I already had a great chili recipe from last year. I already knew which friend would gladly lend me her crock pot to use alongside my own. One of our team members last year suggested that we raise our team fundraising goal for this year. I had simply signed our team up with the default goal, but since we had raised more than that, I kept raising our goal this year to $4,500. But as it turned out, I had set my sights too low—so far we’ve raised $5,600 for Inner Hope this year, and more donations may come in before the end of the month when this year’s fundraiser ends. (so p.s., if you’d still like to donate, you can do so here.)
Plan Ahead
After this year’s event, one of our enthusiastic team members emailed me: “Thanks again for hosting us all after the ride/walk yesterday. What a blessing to be a part of this annual event.” Wow, this was only our second time hosting our own off-site event, and it’s already become an annual thing! I’m glad that she’s already looking forward to next year, because I am too! Save the date: October 3, 2026!
Each year, there’s a new Ride t-shirt. Some on our team are happy to add to their growing collection. Others prefer the blue t-shirt from a previous year.
“But it’s not about the colour, whether it suits you or not,” said one team member. “It’s all about supporting a good cause!”
When You Work for the Church 
I’d love to hear from you: