CYCLISTS READY TO 'BIKE4CHRIST' MEMBERS OF LOCAL CHURCH WILL JOIN BORDER-TO-BORDER RIDE.

Byline: HOLLY J. ANDRES

Staff Writer

CHATSWORTH -- Miles and miles of meditation and prayer lie on the road ahead for seven members of Chatsworth Lake Community Church as they pump their legs on a border-to-border "bike4christ" event.

The seven, including the pastor, will kick off their glory-for-God adventure at the Canadian-United States border at Sumas, Wash., on Sept. 22. The bike ride was organized by church members within the Advent Christian General Conference, the same denomination as Chatsworth Lake Community Church.

Their goal is to bike more than 1,600 miles and reach the U.S.-Mexican border at San Ysidro by Oct. 13.

The cyclists from the little church, nestled in the Lake Manor neighborhood near the Chatsworth Nature Preserve Reservoir, will test their strength and faith and raise money for various nonprofit organizations. They will be joined by other cyclists from around the country.

"When I ride my bike down to the beach, I feel at one with God. This really is God's land, is what I'm thinking when I get there and look around. On this ride, I'll have a lot of time to pray," said Jeff Schwimer, a board member and Sunday morning greeter at Chatsworth Lake Community Church.

Schwimer, a respiratory therapist for an ambulance service, loves to bike, but was unsure whether he could get the time off from a new job and whether he had the stamina to bike, on average, 90 miles a day. Surprisingly, he said, his boss gave him the time off and Schwimer has been tallying up the training miles in recent months.

"I prayed about this ride. I rely on God and I know I'm going to get through it," said Schwimer, who has never participated in a long-distance bike ride.

"I never was a church person but the best things that have ever happened to me, other than my children, happened after I started going here," Schwimer said. "I'm relaxed and excited about the ride. I think it will glorify God and I just really want to do it."

The Rev. Jesse Stevens from Chatsworth Lake Community Church participated in the last Advent Christian General Conference bike event held in 2004. His long-distance ride was just one week, the first leg of the coast-to-coast ride from San Diego to Jacksonville, Fla.

"I've been biking since I was a teenager. I enjoy physical challenges. I've always enjoyed raising funds for different causes," said Stevens, who has been with the Chatsworth church since May 2001.

Stevens said he can make a parallel between his faith and the bike tour: God didn't intend for people living a Christian life to do it all on their own, he said, and this event has brought people together as a team.

"Yes, you can live a Christian life alone, but who would want to? I wouldn't want to attempt this ride all on my own. When you're riding on a long, hot day and there's a three-mile hill, that's when you need other people to come up alongside of you and hear them say, let's do this together," said Stevens. "That's the essence of the church -- let's do this together."

Togetherness, small-scale intimacy, informality and the picturesque, semi-rural setting are aspects that the congregation at Chatsworth Lake Community Church appreciate about their church.

"Some people want anonymity, but others want to feel like their lives are important. Coming to church is not impersonal," Stevens said. "It's being in a community and experiencing life together and getting encouragement from each other."

The church has somewhat of a low profile, except to commuters rushing by from Topanga Canyon or Valley Circle boulevards. The congregation's main community outreach to attract new members has been its annual spring music festival. The church cyclists hope their ride will raise the church's profile, too.

"I was looking for a nonjudgmental church. This one is comfortable, supportive and family-oriented," said Richard Fleetwood, who will join the bike team in Santa Cruz. "Jesse is a very good speaker. You won't fall asleep when he's speaking. I like the way he takes Scripture and fits it in for today's situations. The bike ride is a good way for us to outreach. It's amazing to run into other bikers and have a conversation. Bikers are very friendly."

The Rev. Jesse Stevens will lead the 9:30 a.m. Sunday service, Chatsworth Lake Community Church, 23449 Lake Manor Drive. Pledge contributions to various charities at www.bike4christ.com. Call [phone] or see www.chatsworthlakecommunitychurch.com.

holly.andres(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

The Rev. Jesse Stevens, Jeff Schwimer, Jeremy Rainey, Mary Schwimer, Richard Fleetwood and Kimberly Mejerski, from left, are part of a group of cyclists who will participate in a ride from Canada to Mexico starting Sept. 22.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer