Seventh-day Adventist Bikers in Brazil Join to Help Needy at Christmas

Although the motorcycle had a noble beginning as a way for messengers to bring information to and from frontline troops during World War II, their postwar reputation as a vehicle of choice for American gangs tarnished that image.

Today, Seventh-day Adventists in Brazil who are motorcycle enthusiasts have a “gang” of their own, but it’s a ministry focused on helping the needy in their communities. The annual Christmas Mutirão, a community drive led by Adventists across the South American nation, is the focal point for these bikers to help others.

In more recent years, the reputations of motorcyclists have improved, the “biker gang” image replaced by families sharing an interest in the two-wheeled machines. “Today, society does not distance itself from us, the family is integrated in the efforts we carry out,” said Luiz Santana, a member of the Feira de Santana Motorcyclists Association in the Brazilian state of Bahia.

Santana acknowledged the work of the Adventist Motorcyclist Ministry, whose members come together to serve their community. After this year of pandemic, where several actions were carried out, the group now turns to supporting the Christmas Mutirão, a food security initiative of the Seventh-day Adventist Church that takes place at the end of each year. For the group, it's time to help communities have food on the table this Christmas.

Solidarity Agenda

Washyngton Ferreira, an Adventist Motorcycle Ministry member known as “Ton,” explained the group was created with the aim of uniting two passions: motorcycles and Bible study. For this, the work is based on relationships and social interactions.

“Seventy percent of our work takes place outside the churches and begins with friendship,” said Viviane Ferreira, Ton's wife and part of a female contingent also passionate about motorcycles.

In the group's report, the group’s activities began right at the start of government decrees closing restaurants and fast-food providers during the pandemic. The bikers realized those who drive for a living would still have to eat.

“We ran a campaign of assistance for truck drivers, with support from the Federal Highway Police, to offer meals to these road warriors, who had nowhere to stop to eat,” said Santana. Some 210 truck drivers were fed by the program, he said. The satisfaction with the result of this initiative led the group to other projects.

"We saw that we needed to reach the poor population of Feira de Santana," said Ton. Always valuing friendly relationships, Ton and the ministry of motorcyclists used social media to start a food collection campaign. He got support from a businessman, who owns a shopping center in the city, who provided the proper structure for a drive thru collection point, netting nearly three tons of food. “Many families have benefited,” Ton said.

During Brazil’s winter, the bikers, restless, decided to do more. Homeless people, particularly, suffered during the rainy and cold weather, without having adequate covering to keep warm. Contacts and friendship once again were pivotal: more than 100 blankets were collected and distributed.

Christmas task force

Now, it's time for the Christmas Mutirão. Ton sees this mobilization as an opportunity to assist many families, once again. The idea is to gather friends, businessmen, traders, visit supermarkets, and expand the brand reached the beginning of the pandemic.

“Things have not returned to normal yet. You can be part of this, no matter if you are going to donate a kilo, a box or a ton, everyone is in a position to help anyone,” Ton said.

Certainly, these groceries will be a message received as a divine gift by many families still suffering from the problems of poverty, lack of food, and the pandemic.

This article was originally published on the South American Division’s Portuguese news site