God’s Pedal Power Ministry has been helping the community for over 14 years. The ministry has refurbished and given away over 3,000 bikes.
God’s Pedal Power Ministry’s motto is, “No one gets paid as a volunteer, no one ever gets a pay raise, but the retirement benefits are out of this world.” They’ll also tell you that faith has never failed them. The ministry is housed at University Baptist Church in Tampa.
The ministry operates with the help of its volunteers, donations from the community and the word of God.
Mike Olsen is part of the ministry and he said it has helped many people and many organizations within the Tampa Bay community.
The ministry recently helped repair some bikes belonging to some families in Riverview. “We had just returned from taking 50 bikes to a migrant camp to help children without bicycles,” Olsen said. “Our truck and trailer were empty, so we repaired several of the bikes.”
They also took five oversized bikes back to their building in Tampa for more difficult repairs. Bikes that are too damaged to be repaired are disassembled and the parts are saved to repair other bikes.
The ministry started in 1997 and has refurbished and given away more than 3,000 bikes to people who have been referred to their ministry.
They receive the names of people from various agencies and case workers in the area. As they receive bikes, volunteers refurbish them and a match is made to the number of children and adult bikes needed.
They also work in various neighborhoods two nights a week repairing bikes for those in need. University Baptist Church is located at 2121 131st St. in Tampa. For more information about the ministry or to make a donation, contact Olsen at 417-7077 or www.godspedalpower.org.
