The state of the Temple–Rolling forward into our second year

Greetings Bicycle Believers!

What a year it has been! Since our first official meetings in March of 2009 we have seen the Bike Temple grow and involve itself in some very great ways. The clergy here have brought you on 3 Joy of Sects Rides, helped organize 7 other group rides, built the city's first bicycle shrine, hosted or participated in over 25 community events, and opened up a community bicycle healing workshop with worship and event facilities attached!

While our main mission has always been to deepen people's relationship with their bicycles, the folks at the temple have also set their sights on higher plains. Here are a few things that make the Bike Temple unique and valuable to its congregation...

• Our group and its members are involved in activism, advocacy, and education within the community in a wide variety of ways.
• Our events and facilities exist to help the community provide for those in need of bicycles or services that could not otherwise afford them.
• Our Joy of Sects guided religion tours and similar events are designed to help those who believe in the power of the bicycle find an organized religion that suits them, and learn more about the area's spiritual assets.
• We are a negative-profit group, sustained by the sacrifices of a handful of individuals who ask for nothing in return.

Our goals for 2010 are to continue and mature our current path, as well as expand our shop services and hours, event calendar, community outreach. We would like to make the Bike Temple a known and valuable asset to the bicycling community. We have no doubt that all of this and more will be possible.

Our current financial obligations are not large, but we are still personally burdened with them, and in order to sustain and expand it will be necessary to find more people in the community who believe in our cause and actions to help contribute in any way possible. We have a solid obligation of $150 each month to our landlords, and while a few gracious individuals have stepped up to help meet that obligation from time to time, we still find that sum coming from the pockets of 2-5 of us a majority of the time.

We hope to find more people in the community who are willing to pitch in a one-time or small monthly contribution. The monetary burden on just a few people can be uncomfortable, but spread across many supporters it is easy.

If you would like to make a regular or one-time contribution to the Bike Temple, please contact us using this form or drop it by our shop during open hours. We do not currently have the capability to process online payments, but we are more than happy to provide you with a mailing address or come and pick up your contribution personally. Please note that because we are not a legally a non-profit organization (yet) your donation will not be tax deductible, but it will be put to great work.

We wish to express our humble thanks to everyone who has contributed their time, services, donations, and presence this year. We expect 2010 to be even better!

In the name of the wheel, the chain, and the hollow frame,
Let us ride.

-The Bike Temple

A Home for the Temple

The Bike Temple founders have been constantly scouting and searching for a place to call their own since day one. We set out to find a place that would accommodate a small bike shop facility, as well as provide the members of the Bike Temple a safe haven to practice and promote religion and cycling.

How does something like this look?

Yes, our friends at the Lotus Seed Ashram, located in a massive and beautiful old church building on NE 9th and Going have offered us a space in the basement with just enough room and and outside access door for the Bike Temple to call home. The Bike Temple would also have access to the sanctuary, meeting spaces, and outside yard of the building on a scheduled bases, giving us ample space to hold bicycle services and other events.

In order for the Bike Temple to be able to accept the offer and move in on August 1st, we are actively seeking members and supporters of our project. Any tithes from you will go directly toward monthly rent, tools, and supplies for the shop.

Membership includes access to the Bike Temple shop and facilities during open hours and use of community tools and parts. And because this is a new venture for the Bike Temple, becoming a member now will allow you to help shape and form this new project. A member should be able to tithe at least $10 for each month of membership, but no strict requirements will be made as long as they have the intention of helping out. To become a member email us at biketemple@gmail.com

If you are not interested in a membership but would like to donate to the Bike Temple simply send a check in any amount to the Lotus Seed. This will literally be helping to pay our rent at this building. Be sure to reference that your donation is going toward Bike Temple Rent. The Lotus Seed is a 501(c)(3) non-profit.

The Lotus Seed Ashram

4635 NE 9th Avenue

Portland, OR 97211

To help us track and thank you for donations, please let us know if you have sent a donation in and how much you have contributed by emailing us at biketemple@gmail.com

We are all very excited about the prospects of moving in. With your help we can finally have a place for the Bike Temple to call it's own. We will be sure to announce when things have been made official. Thank you in advance for your support!

Give Us Your De-Tired, Your Poor Quality, Your Huffy Masses

The Bike Temple is seeking any and all beater bikes and bike frames to be used in the construction of Mobile Religious Equipment (MR. E) . We will be constructing various pieces of functional bike trailer art in the next week to be used for our Pedalpalooza ride and future missions of the Bike Temple.

Do you have a crap bike or two rusting away in your back yard? Have you graduated from that huffy your mom gave you on your 16th birthday? Donate them to the Bike Temple and good karma will be yours forever (at least intermittently.)

Contact us at biketemple@gmail.com and we will arrange for pickup.

Thank you in advance for your generosity.