Pastor’s Bike Ride To Benefit LCLC

By NICHOLAS L. DEAN

7/4/2006 - BEMUS POINT — By car, the 40 or so miles around Chautauqua Lake might fly by in as many minutes. But as Pastor Randy Milleville knows, the route takes much longer when its ridden by bicycle.“This will be the second time we’ve tried this,” Milleville said Monday of the fund-raiser, which two years ago raised roughly $25,000 for Lake Chautauqua Lutheran Center.Though open year-round, Lake Chautauqua Lutheran Center holds extensive camp programs for young people in the summertime and is currently in its second week of one such group. As a new maintenance building is needed for the Center’s site manager and as Milleville, a pastor at Zion Lutheran in Clarence Center, has been coming to the Center’s camp for the last 14 years, today’s event just made sense to organizers.‘“It’s a wonderful way for us to be able to build an adequate maintenance building and facility for our site director to work in throughout the year,” said Lee Lindeman, executive director of the Center. “Currently he works in an old barn that’s not heated and has numerous problems. So, with Randy’s ride around the lake, we’re able to provide an adequate facility for our site director to work in.”Admitting the first bike ride was ambitious in its goal of $50,000, Milleville and Lindeman explained that the hope of today’s event is to raise enough money to fully fund the construction of the maintenance building.“It will be much nicer and safer to work in year-round and this event enables us to do something we probably couldn’t do within our normal operating budget. So it’s a real blessing,” Lindeman said. “We hope to be starting construction in August and work through September with work crews from Zion Lutheran Church and other volunteers as able. We hope to have a new building up and functional before the snow flies this October.’’Proceeds from the first bike event were spit equally between the Center’s operating and endowment funds.Campers will line up today at 7:45 a.m. at the Center’s entrance on Route 430 in Bemus Point for an opening devotion and to cheer on the riders as they start the bike event. The dozen riders will then proceed through Mayville and make the five-hour-long trek around Chautauqua Lake.“A lot of the folks who rode two years ago are riding again this year,” said Milleville, who cited anywhere the road is flat or goes downhill as being his favorite part of the route to ride. “There was a little drizzle starting out last year and it was a little bit colder temperature than what we’ve got now. I’m just hoping there isn’t this thunderstorm they’re talking about.”The idea for the bicycle ride came a few years back when Milleville’s wife challenged him, on his 50th birthday, to do something physical and charitable.“She said ‘Why don’t you ride your bike around the lake,’” Milleville explained. “And then this year, there is a need for a new maintenance building and we decided, heck, let’s do it again. It seemed to work last time.”Before taking pledges from his congregation, Milleville said that anyone who donates $500 or more would be treated to a home-cooked steak dinner.“I’ve gotten about $9,000 in pledges so far,” Milleville said Monday. “So, there are a lot of steaks I’m going to be grilling.”Lake Chautauqua Lutheran Center’s Mission Statement is to provide opportunity for spiritual growth, renewal and Christ-centered community in the wonder of God’s creation. Not just for Lutherans, Milleville and Lindeman stress that the Center is open to everybody in the area. Anyone wanting to donate or in need of more information should call the Center at 386-4125.


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