They're biking for Jesus

Priest, a violent, drug-addicted outlaw biker, wouldn't have been widely missed if his 1980 suicide attempt in Texas had been successful.

Instead, Jesus appeared to him, Priest began speaking in tongues and devoted his life to serving the Lord. A year later, the Tribe of Judah Motorcycle Ministry was born, eventually spreading around the world, including a chapter in Dartmouth founded by Pastor Hooper.

"We had Ben Priest come to the church a few times to speak because he's a colourful character. It was probably the third time he was here, he said, 'You know, we're in Australia, we're in Denmark,' he listed all the countries and said, 'We need to start some chapters here, and I'd like you to start a chapter and help us spread it right across Canada,'" said Hooper, who looks as if he could bench-press his Harley Davidson Heritage Softail.

That was four years ago, and the Dartmouth chapter of Tribe of Judah is now a dozen strong, a group that includes business owners and a land developer.

And Hooper, the pastor at New Covenant Ministries in Burnside.

"The way that the Tribe of Judah gathers memberships, they do it the same way the one per center clubs do it. They prospect individuals. If you're an outlaw biker and want to become a Hells Angel or whatever, you start out by hanging around. The next event that takes place is that you get a prospect patch, which means that you're trying out for the club. It's a process that could take a year, 18 months, it could take five years, but the process is to get you to the place where you are selfless, where you're living for the club, totally sold out to the club," said the pastor.

"Because Ben Priest is a former Bandido, the process is exactly the same, to gain the respect of the outlaw clubs so it gives us access to help them when they want help. Some people you can help and some people you can't, but at least when we're a presence all the time, it gives us an opportunity."

Hooper grew up in Dartmouth and was ordained as a minister 15 years ago, after "a 12-year bout" with alcohol and drugs, followed by a stint in the business world.

He's had motorcycles since he was a boy but was never a member of a club. As a pastor, he does weddings and funerals and Sunday services, and in his office is a pair of motorcycle boots and a denim vest with the colours of the Tribe of Judah slung over the back of a chair.

"When we started it here, we didn't have any problem getting their respect because the Tribe of Judah already had that internationally. I had one fella come up to me and say, 'I know who you are, I know all about you, I've seen you at (biker gatherings at) Sturges, I've seen you at Daytona, at Laconia.' So the respect was already there, we just had to carry it on," said Hooper, who refuses to divulge details of the motorcycle ministry because of the potential danger.

"One time this fella, who was claiming to be a Christian biker, was invited to one of their clubs -- which happens with us a lot, we get invited there. We don't necessarily partake of what they're doing, but we'll go there and hang out with them, it gives us an opportunity to minister the Gospel to them -- but this one guy, he went in and he started partying with their girls. So what they did was they took him outside and they beat him severely with a pipe. They didn't beat him because he was messing with the girls. They beat him because he wasn't honouring the patch that was on his back."

The primary focus of the Tribe of Judah ministry is the one per center, so called because of all motorcyclists, one per cent are thought to be responsible for the crime commonly associated with bikers.

"This is why on some patches, they'll have that number one on it," said Hooper. "What I tell these fellas is that if they're doing their drugs, doing their alcohol, having a good time, it's none of my business, I'm not here to interfere, I'm not here to preach to you, but I'm your brake specialist. If you find that your life is out of control, I've been where you are and I can help you to get out of that mess. If you happen to go away on an extended vacation in one of the local penitentiaries, we'll be there and we'll support your family to some degree while you're inside, again to show the love of God to you."

When Mike Roach, owner of Toad's Cycle Works, died of cancer in 2007, more than 1,000 bikers from all over North America came to Hooper's church for the service, where special biker services are also held. His congregation of about 300 people has adjusted to the occasional presence of bikers in the pews.

"I had one guy come up to me and he said, 'Hey, pastor, that was one hell of a service,' then this other guy comes up to me, and this is what he said: 'Hey, 'effin Pastor Gary, I want you to meet my 'effin wife and kids.' But that's his language, and I condition people for that. We talk Christian-ese with people -- 'Praise the Lord' or 'Bless it,' that sounds as foreign to them as what they're saying sounds to you.

"We're just talking a language here and the message is that God so loved the world that He gave his Son. That's the message and that's the only message we preach. We say, 'God loves you and he's not mad at you,' and that's our message."

-- The Canadian Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 20, 2009 B4