Chapter Brother Organizes First Conference for Unique "2-Wheelers" Ministries

Brother  Don Norwood (center, wearing vest)) and Anointed Horsemen

When you draw attention from The Washington Post, you've truly done something of note. Gamma Pi's Brother Don Norwood (Spring 2011) was the subject of a lengthy feature in the legendary newspaper recently after organizing a successful conference of bikers for God. What kind of bikers are we talking about? Bikers as in the motorized kind -- motorcyclists. The ones with the loud engines and long tailpipes and big spoke wheels. That is not normally a culture associated with church ministry. But as a member of the Anointed Horsemen of Ebenezer AME Zion Church (pastored by Brother Rev. Grainger Browning), Brother Norwood and his churchgoing riding partners see their motorcycles as just another "vehicle" for spreading The Word.

As a co-founder of Anointed Horsemen, Brother Norwood helped bring the first-ever conference to life. It attracted Christian riding groups from throughout the state to Ebenezer AME in Fort Washington, Md. The Anointed Horsemen participated in Gamma Pi's Que Kidz Day program for underprivileged children in 2012 by sponsoring a bike safety seminar for the youth during one of the monthly Que Kidz Dayz sessions.

Brothers Clint Green and Terry Rogers with their bikes

Norwood is among a number of Gamma Pi Brothers who ride for the thrill of it. Among Gamma Pi men often seen "on twos" are Eric Konohia, Clinton Green, Terry Rogers, Gregory Gaines, Lucious Toney, Woodrow Grant and the Rev. Rodney Barnes, who is also a Montgomery County police officer and pastor. Bro. Rev. Barnes, who co-pastors Gethsemane AME Church in Landover along with his wife,  Kimberly, participated in the ministerial conference. Of course, all the participants came from around the region "on twos'" as the bikers like to say about their mode of transportation.

Click here to see The Washington Post story about Brother Norwood and the Anointed Horsemen.

Click here to see the blog post about the Bike Safety Event with Que Kidz Dayz.

Gamma Pi Uses Que Kidz Daze to Demonstrate Motorcycle and Bike Safety

Bro. Norwood and Anointed Horsemen Motorcycle Ministry

On Saturday morning, July 21, the raindrops were falling hard in the metro area as a week of off-and-on storms were cooling down recent extreme heat. In the spirit of true Omega men, the Brothers of Gamma Pi chapter effortlessly turned to "Plan B" when a steady downpour put a damper on a live demonstration of motorcycle and bicycle safety rules using real motorcycles. The bikes would have been driven to the Kentland Community Center where the Que Kidz Daze meets.

"Plan B" was an indoor interactive safety lecture that turned out to be just as much fun to the more than 30 young boys and girls gathered for the July session of Que Kidz Daze. Only one motorcycle (instead of several) was brought to the premises due to the weather, but the kids still had big fun as they always do on Que Kidz Saturdays. Brother Orlando McDowell leads Que Kidz Daz which provides monthly enrichment activities for underprivileged youth in the Kentland area on Saturday mornings.

Youth tries on a motorcycle helmet

Brother Don Norwood, a motorcycle enthusiast and president of the Ebenezer AME Church's Anointed Horsemen Motorcycle Ministry (Fort Washington, MD.), led the presentation. "Show me a left hand turned, everybody...Now how do you signal a right-hand turn,?" Brother Norwood said during his talk, as the kids extended their arms all the way out to signal the left hand turn, but some of them missed the ":trick"of the right hand signal by extending their arms all the way to the right rather than the "L"-shaped signal with the left hand to indicate right turns.

Brother Green's souped-up Harley

The Brothers used motorcycle safety laws as a context to discuss bike safety laws with the youth. For example, other topics included what side of thee road to ride on, what age to be on the sidewalk instead of in traffic, how to properly wear protective gear like a helmet and padding, the ABC's of safety checklist and traffic laws.

Brother Clint Green, who is not a member of the Anointed Horsemen,  was the only one to brave the elements and maneuver his bike to the event (see photo). And just as soon as it appeared the rain had stopped, as the kids prepared to head outside to examine Brother Green's bike as part of the safety lecture, the downpour returned and the Que Kidz Daze contingent remained inside. Read more about Que Kidz Daze on Gamma Pi's web site. Below are some video clips from Saturday: