YORK, Pennsylvania (BRN) — Black paint cascades the ceiling tiles, and stretches its dark-stained touch to a back cemented brick wall. The dark dye then seeps down the crevasse of each block and extends itself to an open platform, a stage. The walls lining the stage are detailed with two thick lines, one bright orange and the other black. They resemble something of an open road, two paths side-by-side, one light, one dark.
The two lanes greet all who enter the spacious room, guiding their boot-laced feet to an open, folded down seat, and their leather-jacket covered arms to a friendly embrace from a brother or sister. Chatters of welcome bounce off the dark back wall and the mural that overlaps its blackened base. A bolt of lightning, a jolting blue jacket, an extended hand gripping a throttle, and a clear blue cross leading the way.
“It’s very different than you would expect, but it’s church. There’s a lot of black and there’s a lot of orange in our church…it’s a place where when a biker walks into it they say, ‘Okay, this looks a little bit more like what I’m use to,’” said Freedom Biker Church Pastor Jim Quoss.
Freedom is located in York, Pennsylvania, and was planted there by Quoss, his wife, and their Core Team five years ago. The church’s mission focuses on reaching unreached and unchurched bikers by giving them a community and home built upon the foundation of Christ.
“Here in York, there’s a lot of people who went to church when they were young – there’s a lot of churches here in this part of Pennsylvania – but a lot of them have moved away from God and moved away from church. So, those are people we try to reach for the Gospel, and also people who just don’t know anything about church or have never had any interest in going to church,” said Quoss.
“So, we planted the church, my wife and I, and our team – we call them our Core Team – [and] we have three other couples that have been with us since the beginning. They are people that God has brought together to fulfill this vision of unsaved, unchurched bikers.”
Quoss shared that he did not grow up going to church and was saved in his mid-to-late 30s, but has been riding motorcycles since he was 16 years old.
“I got involved in ministry when we moved to Pennsylvania, not long after I had been saved, and I got involved with a group called Christian Motorcycle Association. It was pretty good fit, because I was a biker and I loved to ride motorcycles so it worked out pretty well..[as] it [the Bible] says, ‘God gives you the desires of your heart,’” stated Quoss.
Quoss’ involvement in ministry continued after he visited his first biker church in North Carolina and met Mike Beasley, the lead pastor for both the Freedom Biker Church in Clayton, N.C., and the Freedom Biker Church Network.
“I met Mike and he told me he had been praying for a church in York, Pennsylvania, for five years and, frankly, I told him, ‘I’m not your guy.’ But as it turned out, God had other plans for me, so here I am.”
Quoss shared that the goal of Freedom is to provide more than just a church to the biker community, but a home where they feel welcomed and the love of Christ.
“Bikers in general, we’re very individual type of people, so we’re kind of already on the outside a little bit of society, culture, whatever…then you add in the church and the religious type of attitude, and they kind of feel on the outside.”
Quoss continued: “So, Freedom is a place where we can all feel like we’re at home and we can feel like, ‘This is our community; we fit in.’ I hear so many people say when they come to our church that, ‘Wow, I feel like I’m home.’ They’re so filled with joy because they finally have a place where they can feel comfortable, and they feel like they belong…that’s what church is and should be.”
Part of creating such a community, has led Quoss to take his ministry to some uncommon settings.
“As a ministry, what I do as a pastor…it’s unusual in our church today, but I spend a lot of time in bars and going to bike events, where you would not ordinarily see a pastor.”
Prior to planting Freedom, Quoss was not always encouraged to go to these out-of-the-ordinary places to share the Gospel.
“I have been told by some more religious people in my past that bars were not places to evangelize, and I could tell you from first-hand experience that’s just opposite the case. The people there are just as hungry for Jesus…or even hungrier for Jesus…they recognize the light when they see it.”
Continuing, Quoss stated: “It’s great to be in a place where they don’t normally see a pastor. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard, ‘I’ve never seen a pastor in a bar before,’ to which my response usually is, ‘Well maybe it’s about time you do.’”
Along with taking the Gospel to atypical places, Quoss and his church family have created a number of their own ministries, as well as doing outreach within the community.
“It’s really cool because we, again, we have sort of a different plan, a different vision than some churches. We have built relationships with some of the – they call them MCs, Motorcycle Clubs – in the area. And these, again, are groups that you didn’t really find churches associated with,” said Quoss.
Quoss also shared that his church frequently ministers to veterans through a program they created and call Cover Six Canines, which provides service dogs free of charge to veterans or first responders. The church also supports a number of recovery houses in the area and holds services for individuals recovering from drugs and alcohol.
“Recovery is very much at the heart of our church. Drugs and alcohol – it’s a thing everywhere – but it’s very prominent in our community, so we do Celebrate Recovery out of our church every Friday night,” said Quoss.
Reflecting on these ongoing ministries, Quoss expressed how proud he is of his church and the community God has created within it.
“I’m very proud of our church for our people…believe me, when I say our church, it is our people. God has blessed us and brought people to us…It’s a different crowd, but it’s the same God.”
Find out more about Freedom Biker Church, York, at www.freedombikerchurchyorkpa.com.
Listen to the podcast interview:
The “50 Stories of Transformation” series, told in honor of the Baptist Resource Network’s 50th anniversary, highlights the many ways God has moved throughout Pennsylvania, South Jersey and beyond. Your generous support of the Cooperative Program makes this ministry possible and fuels evangelism and outreach in our local churches and all over the world! Thank you!
