History

Galatians 5:13 (NIV)

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. 

Started in 2004 as a men's small group. Shortly after the purchase of his motorcycle Dave Bartlett and Sam Kloberdanz started talking about starting a men's small group ministry. Feeling the way to knock down some of the barriers that keep men from involvement was to look for a common thread that would and could tie the group together. Sam was an avid motorcycle rider and a salesman at the local Harley dealer. Dave was a recent entry into motorcycling himself and already was hooked by the passion that riding and ownership foster. Together they felt most men have a passion for motorcycles and riding, and that common interest would be the catalyst to keeping the group together. The next step was "what would we study?" Dave was familiar with a book titled Wild at Heart and the group's basis was born. Eight other men ( Moses Carlson, Joe Stellwagon, Jim Daugherty, Brad Carroll, Allen Smith, Stan Muhr, Morty Seikert, and Mike Bell) were asked to join this small group. The common thread, they were all motorcycle riders and passionate about motorcycles. We met and began our study of Wild at Heart. In the next couple of months we added a couple more men and embarked on a journey that would forever change our lives.

We found our hearts. Discovering we have good hearts designed to fellowship with God, created in his image, a warrior God who invited us into an adventure with him. We found true friendship, love for one another, purpose for our lives and the purpose of this life. We found a Band of Brothers. Soon the Band of Brothers Motorcycle Ministry was born. The vision "To grow an honor bound Band of Brothers committed to helping men discover their hearts, sharing their faith through servant evangelism, mentoring, education, accountability, and encouragement." Our mission "To disciple men, to be followers of Jesus Christ and answer the call of our King." As a group we wanted to help men find their hearts and are in the process of growing this ministry, reaching out to other men inviting them to join our Band of Brothers. By going through Wild at Heart as a small group of 6 to 12 men they become a chapter of the Band of Brothers. Collectively we are the Band of Brothers Motorcycle Ministry, Honor Bound to our chapter brothers and a part of Gods plan for us as a group, and as individuals, with a shared purpose and vision.

We started riding together, praying for each other, holding each other accountable and as Stan Muhr says "helping one another move forward". We believe God is calling men back to their designed roll as leaders in the church, heads of their families and warriors in the fight to advance the kingdom. Together we're stronger then standing separately. We can't do it alone!

After a little over 2 1/2 years we have seen some growth in our size, near 30 men strong now, in our faith and in our service. We are a work in progress trusting in the Lord for our strength. Annual rides to Mesquite, for In N Out burgers, an annual fall retreat and weekly ongoing studies anchor the ministry right now. We look for areas to serve and continue seeking God's hand in this ministry and our lives. Together we're Brothers with Christ, Brothers in Christ, Brothers forever.

We started Canyon Cruisers Motorcycle Fellowship this spring (2007) as a ministry outreach of the Band of Brothers. Our purpose is to promote Christian fellowship through our common interest in motorcycles and motorcycle rides. We ride once a month on the third Saturday meeting at 9:00AM in Canyon View Parks parking lot. Ready to include our wives in the adventure we start a couples study going thru Epic and Love and Respect. The study is met with enthusiasm and has been near 24 to 28 people every week. Both the men and their wives were ready for the adventure together. Fridays have become our prayer warriors morning to seek the Lords will. Meeting at 6:00am these men do battle on our behalf. All riders are welcome in the Band of Brothers ministry.

July 2007 we incorporate. We incorporated as Band of Brothers Ministries July 2007 and started the process to receive a 501c3 from the IRS. These steps will be important in the future for Band of Brothers in our outreach and growth as a Christian non-profit ministry. We have plans for 2 major projects in 2008 that we hope will become annual events. June will be our Rider down run with proceeds going to minister to motorcycle accident victims and their families meeting some of their needs in their time of crisis during the emergency room and hospital stays. Our second event will be the Annual HOG Club Toy Run. Besides coffee and hot chocolate we plan to offer Wild at Heart and Captivating books free of charge to all who are interested.

August 2008 we hold our first patch ceremony. 2 chapters have completed Wild at Heart and are ready to join the Band of Brothers ministry. A big step for the ministry as we watch Gods hand in the lives of men when they discover their hearts and as he increases our number. Each man is challenged to Answer the Call of our King Jesus Christ. Challenged to become watchmen, standing the wall, shouting to the enemy "not on my watch".

New chapters start. October 2007 we see new chapters stating in Fruita. We also start looking for a meeting place we can lease so we can establish a club house type set-up.

It's offical we're a 501c3 non-profit corporation. 2008 we receive our non-profit status from the IRS. We enter into a contract to buy 13 acres of property to build a multi-purpose building on and begin plans to for the design.