Riding motorcycles since he was seven, David Bryant didn't feel he fit in with the church scene.

Jean jackets didn't mix with blazers and bandanas didn't mesh with handkerchiefs. Most of all, though, was the fact that the rumble of his beloved '64 Panhead Harley didn't exactly jive with the quaint hum of mini-vans and sedans.

His wife, Juanita, had a church background and was attempting to get her husband, known as "Dad" to other bikers, to attend a local church with her.

"I went to church as a youth, but as I got older, I went less and less," says 'Nita,' as she is known to her friends, "but Dad would never go."

That changed Aug. 25, 1999, when Bryant's daughter, Colie, was getting married at Meadowdale Baptist Church in Calhoun.

"We went to the rehearsal and in walked a guy with a Harley shirt on," remembers 'Nita. "Dad got to talking with him and told me we were going to start going to church there."

Turns out the man was Meadowdale's pastor, Steven Pearson. Incidentally, Pearson and deacon Travis Stephens, both bikers, were at the time starting a ministry focusing on motorcyclists.

Since that time the ministry has grown, evidenced most recently with the church's annual biker church day held April 17. The event was sponsored by the Meadowdale M.O.B. - Missionaries On Bikes.

It was then that more than half of the church's parking spaces were off limits to anything with four wheels, occupied instead by more than 300 motorcycles.

"At the beginning, we realized there was a great need for ministry in this area," says Pearson. "We wanted the bike world to know we love them."

After attending a meeting of the Christian Motorcyclists Association for ideas, Meadowdale organized its first Bike Night in 1999. Its first major all-day event, "Reason to Ride," came the next year with approximately 300 attending.

One aspect of motorcycle ministry not lost on Pearson is the need for authenticity.

"You don't pull out a tract and lead a biker to Christ," says Pearson. "This ministry is based on relationships."

That authenticity is critical to the growth of the ministry, says Pearson, and shown through the lives of those like Dad and 'Nita Bryant.

Juanita Bryant, M.O.B. coordinator, calls the motorcycle "the greatest marriage counselor ever created." She and her husband of 28 years still hit the road not only to go to rallies held throughout the Southeast but also when things get tense at home.

Stephens agrees with the assessment.

"Before riding became a ministry to other folks," he says, "it was a ministry to my wife and me. When times got tough, getting on the bike allowed our minds to take a break."

At the worship service, Pearson points out to the nearly 900 in attendance how Jesus created a stir and was considered to be a radical.

"He'd fit in pretty good here," he comments.

When a helmet is passed around for the offering, he instructs visitors to not give and, in fact, to take some money out "if [their] kids are going hungry."

Money raised through church-sponsored bike rides don't go to carpeting or new hymnals. Instead, those funds are directed toward children's charities.

"We've raised approximately $30,000 through this ministry," says Pearson. "Our events are geared to introduce bikers to the church and reach them eventually. We've seen many come to Christ.

"Bikers are some of the most giving people in the world. They have a strong sense of community and love people."

At the Brittany Ride - a fundraiser for 16-year-old church member Brittany Mincey - participants raised $22,000 for pediatric brain tumor research.

David Bryant, who by his estimation has ridden more than 300,000 miles and owns seven bikes, says the ministry is one where bikers can feel welcome and not judged.

"There will be people here today I've known for 30 years," he says. "This will be their first time in church."

Maintaining a connection with bikers beyond the church is important to the 50 or so M.O.B. members at Meadowdale. Members will take part in events such as the Hellion Tour Run, sponsored by the Hellion Motorcycle Club in Calhoun.

"One reason we've gotten so involved in the ministry is that Dad and I go to places others won't go," says Juanita Bryant. "Bikers see us there having fun and ask us to pray for them."

After the service, bikers participated in the "blessing of the bikes" where a sticker was placed on their motorcycle and Pearson prayed for riders.

Parker and Ginger Dobson were among those receiving stickers. The couple, visiting the church following the invitation of members, said they enjoyed the laid-back atmosphere.

"I like it," says Parker Dobson as he surveys the lot full of bikes, "I'm thinking about coming back."