Cassiel

I'm trying to go seriously car-lite these days. Mostly, this is pretty convenient, but I've found one place for which it isn't yet - church. Here's the thing: it's 5 miles to one parish, including two significant hills just before I arrive. It's closer to 8 miles to the other, and once again it's hilly. I don't want to be all disgusting when I get there, and frequently it rains, but for a one-hour Mass it seems sort of overkill to drag along a whole change of clothes, get there early enough to change into it, then change again and go home. On the other hand, it seems highly inappropriate to wear spandex in church! Does anyone else bike to church? How do you make it work?

Sir Lunch-a-lot

Well, I'm going to let you in on a secret. Jesus probably would have been much more sweaty and stinky coming to the temple or synagogue than you are, and I really doubt that he would take an extra change of clothes with him (heck, he probably didn't even have an extra change of clothes). The whole idea of having to wear your Sunday best and attract the right people to church is waaay over rated. You certainly won't be offending God in the least showing up at church wearing spandex or slightly sweaty clothing. (Heck, at my church, we often have a police officer show up in full uniform, gun and all).

I will raise the one issue I would have with someone wearing spandex in church: If you are a woman (which your user name suggests you may be), wearing spandex will emphasize your curves, and as a man, I can tell you it would likely be difficult for other men not to stare and lust and maintain a sexually pure mind. So in this situation, it wouldn't be a bad idea to bring a casual set of clothes that you can slip overtop upon arrival. That is my only issue. Even then, spandex probably won't be any worse than what many women wear to church in this regards.

But yeah, as for being sweaty or any of that, I don't think it matters. Some people might be mildly offended, but if you look in the New Testament, Jesus' seemingly irreverant attitudes and actions towards religious establishments and the like regularly offended the religious folk. So I would try not to worry about it. Bike to church to your hearts content!

rajman

I always thought it was strange how everyone seems to drive to church, even in a densely populated area (i.e. lots of people within walking distance), with good transit/subway access, park everywhere (blocking motor traffic on a public road - the churches I'm thinking of are relatively large and have less than ten parking spaces). I can see how it would be unpopular for the city to issue tickets (they could probably get dozens, if not hundreds every sunday), but given fair warning that might be okay.

Is there some rule in the Christian Bible that says you must drive to church?

wahoonc

The main problem with a lot of the downtown churches is that they were built waaay before the motor car became popular, hence the shortage of available parking. People USED to walk to church. I went to the old downtown Episcopal church where I lived for years. The church was founded in the late 1700s and the current building was built in the 1860s...kind of predates the car
As far as the OP question...dunno what your solution is, ride slower and wear less conspicuous clothing? FWIW I rode to church for many, many years and still do on occasion. Fortunately the ones I rode to were fairly close to my home and on relatively flat ground. I also ride upright style commuters not road bikes. YMMV

Aaron

Slow Train

[QUOTE=CassielHere's the thing: it's 5 miles to one parish, including two significant hills just before I arrive.[/QUOTE]

You don't have to go at a time-trial pace. Just soft pedaling the bike should keep you from sweating. If you have to - simply walk up the hills. For such a short distance there would be much of a time penalty for doing so.

treehugger

I have ridden to synagogue before. Once I had a wrap around skirt that I put on over my bike shorts when I got there. It wasn't very inconvenient. Othere times I just wore normal, respectalb-eish, pants-type clothes without any problems. Any silliness I felt about having to do something with my neon yellow jacket or bike helmet was overwhelmed by the high from the ride and the joy of showcasing bicycling-as-transportation in an unexpected place.

Wogster

I read this and thought of St Pauls on Bloor, holds about 3000 people, and has NO parking whatsoever, but is on a subway line, with a stop nearby. I live near Dowsview Park, and I BIKED to St Pauls last summer, parked against the construction fence.... We went in in our biking togs, and everyone we talked to was impressed, including the Rector! The age of the congregation has a lot to do with it, congregations that are prmarily older folks, will tend to frown if your not wearing your going-to-church suit. Congregations that consist of mostly younger folk, are much more lenient, and churches that are not air conditioned, also tend to be more lenient, despite age especially in summer.

Considering that the Bible pre-dates the automobile by some 1900 years, no, there is no commandment to drive a car to church. In fact we would be better off to follow the Orthodox Jew, and live within walking distance of our place of worship, we would have a much better sense of community. The worst thing Christians ever invented was the commuter church.

donnamb 

Since the OP is female, I'm going to tailor my suggestion accordingly. If you do wear bike-specific clothes riding, just get one of those pull-over, loose, hippy-type dresses. They roll up for wrinkle-free transport, and they tend to be long and very covering, so you don't have to worry about any modesty issues in church. There are some pretty ones out there.

Cassiel

Thanks for the input, everybody.
Good Lord, don't get me started on the Commuter Church. The first one I've ever seen here in Oregon was built about three? years ago, and it's the most atrocious thing I've ever seen. The parking lot is bigger than Costco's, and it actually has "street" signs named "Corinthians" and "Thessalonians." :-p It is a ginormous edifice. As a Catholic, I have nothing against ginormous edifi, but I do demand that they be tasteful and not look like some kind of WASP-only shopping mall. }:-|
Wogsterca has a great point about the potential community value of religious meeting-places. The expansion trend has really impoverished the community aspect of faith.
As far as no one caring that I smell, I find that related to the point about wearing spandex. I don't want to be a distraction. I'm sure I wouldn't be for very long; the novelty of a neon jacket and a bike helmet would probably wear off quickly. You're probably right about soft pedaling to keep the sweat off, and a little wrap skirt might just do the trick. Thanks again, everybody.

donnamb 

Portland? Catholic? Which church?

Cassiel

Sometimes St John the Apostle, sometimes St John the Baptist, sometimes the Cathedral...do I detect a fellow Catholic? :-)

Wogster

I was going to go to evening service, and just remembered to check the time, it starts at 7:00PM, D'oh

My wife, who is out of town, and I attend a kinda downtownish Baptist Church, that holds about 2500, the parking lot, holds maybe 40 cars, it's also near a subway stop. From home it's ~12km each way, I plan on trying it, at least once this summer. Across from my work is a huge commuter church, Pentacostal, seats about 2000, has a parking lot big enough for about 700 SUVs..... It's near a highway, and on the other side of that highway, is one of the poorest, crime ridden areas, in the city.

As for the neon jacket and helmet, leave your helmet and jacket in the cloakroom. If you have a bike rack, use a large bag on the rack with the skirt and whatever else you need. Maybe use a cologne spray to ward off the sweat demon.

derath

Yep,

14 miles each way. But church is very casual. I wear a respectable looking pair of Mtn bike shorts. My biggest peeve is not in how I look, but sitting for an hour in padded bike shorts.

-D

MarkS

When you ride your bike to church, where do you lock it?

As for driving to church, doesn't the Bible say to be in one Accord?

bragi

I go to mass by bike all the time, because I have no car, and it's pretty hilly where I live, too. I just wear a pair of jeans and ride a hybrid and show up as I am. (Personally, I think the whole spandex thing is sort of silly, it's a bike, not the friggin' Olympics.) Somehow, I don't think God minds jeans all that much, and no one else, not even the ladies clutching rosaries, has called me on it, so I guess it's okay...

wheel

Maybe you can get a bike gang together and all ride in, I sense being the only might make you stick out.
I get that all the time since I live in an autocentric sity.

stormchaser

This is a strange read for me seing all of your locations. I live in Alabama and I thought the Southern Baptists invented the 'commuter church'. Interesting name for it BTW, we just refer to them as Six Flags Over Jesus or when there are two close together, The Immaculate Intersection.

I heard an interview this AM on Interfaith Voices (NPR) with a guy who wrote a book about the evangelical movement, comparing it to fascism, he made several interesting points, about these churches being about a cult of personality centered around the preachers and how they indoctrinate new members much like cults do. Very interesting stuff, i may go to their site and get the name of that book.

DevilsGT2

Biking is church.

Cassiel

"Six Flags Over Jesus" is excellent!

deputyjones

I ride my bike to several churches actually. My wife and I are looking for a new one since we moved recently, but they are all within 2 miles with no hills.

Roody

Many of the churches around here have shuttle buses or vans that pick people up at home. But I think riding would be more convenient and more fun. "The Lord won't mind."

You can always ride in street clothes. many of us do it all the time. See the Attire thread.

cooperwx

When the wife and kids take the car out of town for the weekend, I bike a couple of miles to attend church. (Our usual church is about four times further away.) I ride in suit pants, dress shirt and tennis shoes. I put on the coat, tie & dress shoes when I arrive.

fat_bike_nut

I'm an atheist. Don't go to church (or mosque, or synagogue, or temple, for that matter)

dingster1

No Way!! I have to be in a dress to go to church! And a car!!

Sir Lunch-a-lot

Actually, at my church (a Mennonite Church) there is a guy who preaches there from time to time, and every time he is at church (pretty much every Sunday) he is wearing his leather biker (motorcycle) gear, even when he preaches (he's got his beard shaved like one of them walrus mustaches, like the Kind Paul Sr. has on American chopper). Nobody seems to mind him dressing like this at all. He may have drawn some stares at first (It sticks in my mind he used to dress more cowboy like when I was a wee boy), but it probably didn't take long for people to get used to him. Heck, I'm pretty sure his wife dresses similarly at church as well.

This fellow is also part of a Christian Motorcycle Gang/Club/Whatever-its-called (he may be the guy in charge. I don't know). Comes to church on his Harley...

So, yeah. I don't think that you can really be irreverent in what you wear coming to church (well, maybe you can be if you really try). Yeah. Just my two cents worth.