Minutes, April 12, 2004
The meeting opened at 7:05 PM. John McGinn, Vice Cow, welcomed everyone and several new visitors were introduced. There were approximately 80 members and visitors at this meeting.
Although Chris Franklin was in attendance no specific B&F update was given. John encouraged everyone to attend the next MooCow meeting which will be at the B&F facility on May 10th.
Official MooCow rides for riding year 2004 is published on the website. Some highlights are listed below. If you have any suggested ride "ideas", provide the information to our Ride Captain, Leon West at mochrome@netzero.com.
April 17, "Challenged Child" Ride in North Georgia. This is an official "sponsored" MooCow ride. Erin Farmer gave us a brief overview of the Challenged Child school's purpose and what our sponsorship of this ride means. This is the third annual bike ride for Challenged Child and without our assistance and donations it would not have been possible. John McGinn indicated that the sponsorship funds came from MooCow dues.
May 1, Saturday is another opportunity for a group ride. Mike and Cynthia Davis are leading a dinner ride to Butler's Mill Seafood buffet restaurant in Graham, Alabama. The ride will leave the Chick-fil-A restaurant in Peachtree City at 3:30 PM. We will ride the back roads to the restaurant with a return trip at 7 PM. The restaurant is very busy and we must make reservations. Please get your reservations to Mike at mdavis@safetyhoist.com NLT April 21st.
May 8, is the Kyle Petty Ride Across America with a sponsored stop at the CFA Headquarters off Buffington Road. Moocows have been asked to volunteer at this event to host the riders at a breakfast. Our group will be allowed to ride the last leg of this ride to North Carolina also. Volunteers are needed to arrive at CFA Headquarters at 7:00 AM on Saturday, May 8th. Those wishing to volunteer should sign up with Jeff Pritchett. You can contact Jeff at jspritchett@mindspring.com.
The next meeting dates for CalendarYear 2004 are: May 10, and June 14, July 12, August 9, September 13, October 11, November 8, and December 13.
The minutes for March 2004 are posted on the website at http://www.moocowbikers.org.
a. Membership: : John Pekarskae is taking overdue membership dues for 2004 now. Dues are $15.00. New members can sign up for the same price; dues cover January to December yearly.
b. Budget/Funds: No budget update was given at this meeting.
Rider Training: Several ride re-caps were discussed and all had a good laugh at Charlie Sorrell's "turtle awards." Mark Trail gave us a good re-cap of his ride down the Natchez Trace over the Easter weekend. John McGinn indicated this might be a good MooCow destination in the near future.
Leon West talked about the recent group riding training held at CFA Headquarters. There were 25 members present and he hopes we can host another training session soon.
Auction: Several items were auctioned off this meeting, including a Harley Davidson Balloon ride provided by Dave Sullivan, which sold for a whopping $1,025.00! Members donated some great one-of-a-kind handmade items that sold well also. All auction proceeds go to B&F. The official "Randy Adams 50/50 Drawing" continues to provide exciting entertainment. This month the winner won $100.00 with an additional $100.00 going to B&F. Each month's winner is challenged to get the group to donate more then his or her winnings from previous month.
Ride Captains are reminded they are responsible for a safety brief before each scheduled group ride. Everyone should check out the website for safety information on riding in groups, hand signals, etc. http://www.moocowbikers.org/handsignals.htm
Dan Cathy gave a brief devotional from Philippians, Chapter 4. In this chapter the Apostle Paul is exhorting us to rejoice and not to worry. Dan read: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all." Dan said sometimes this verse had puzzled him, until he reminded himself "gentleness is not weakness, but controlled strength." "The Lord is at hand." Dan continued, by saying: "If we are conscious of the Lord being near at all times, just think of what a difference that would make in our attitudes and actions!" "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God." Dan stated that this verse is important, because it reminds us that "worry is a responsibility that God never intended us to have." As the verse reads, present all your petitions and worries to God. "And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Remember that prayer is "the vitamin for the attitude." Dan thanked everyone for attending and ended the meeting with a prayer.
_____________/signed/_________________
Dan Cathy, President