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TEAM COMMA RIDES RAGBRAI
First Congregational United Church of Christ members
Donna Martin and Sarah Reckmeyer of Ottawa, Illinois,
take their commas seriously. Martin and Reckmeyer
rode their bicycles across Iowa in July with commas
plastered on their backs. Their mission was to spread
the good news that "God is still speaking," to fellow
cyclists as they pedaled from LeMars to Guttenberg,
Iowa as part of RAGBRAI (Register's Annual Great Bike
Ride Across Iowa.)
Each year over 10,000 cycling enthusiasts converge on
Iowa to enjoy the beautiful scenery of America's
heartland and bask in the hospitality extended from
the towns along the route. 2005 marked the 33rd
annual RAGBRAI, a 500-mile week-long trek from the
Missouri to Mississippi Rivers. The cyclists range in
age from toddlers being pulled in trailers to a few
hardy octogenarians. Many cyclists form teams with
clever names proclaiming a variety of messages.
Team Comma was the name chosen by Martin and Reckmeyer
for their team of two. They made t-shirts with the
Stillspeaking comma emblazoned on the back, and their
team name and Stillspeaking.com web site address on
the front.
As they hoped it would, the comma generated much
interest from cyclists as they approached Team Comma
along the route. The most common question was, "Is
that a comma or an apostrophe?" Some delved further,
inquiring about the significance of the comma. These
questions gave Martin and Reckmeyer the chance to
share information about The United Church of Christ
and the Stillspeaking initiative. The message they
emphasized was that of the extravagant welcome
extended to all people by The United Church of Christ.
The ladies from Ottawa, Illinois, were also recipients
of the UCC's extravagant welcome. On several
occasions, Team Comma was cheered on by fellow UCC
members as they rode by. Their shirts received
special attention from members of the First
Congregational United Church of Christ in Algona,
Iowa. Martin and Reckmeyer even happened upon another
Team Comma from Middleton, Wisconsin.
Overall, Martin and Reckmeyer were pleased with the
positive responses they received about the
Stillspeaking initiative. They are hopeful those who
were curious about the commas will visit the web site
and find a home with a UCC congregation. Most of all,
they were energized by the enthusiasm they shared with
fellow UCC members about the message, "God is still speaking."
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