at your church

Host Spoke Folk

Spoke Folk has the privilege of partnering with local congregations in ministry each summer. Our tours are blessed by the hospitality and generosity of the churches they stay at each night. Simply by opening their doors to host a Spoke Folk tour, congregations get to be a part of equipping a group of young people to grow in faith. By providing a meal and spending time in fellowship, congregations tangibly demonstrate the love of the body of Christ.

The congregation is likewise blessed and encouraged by Spoke Folk. The tour leads an engaging hour-long program for the host congregation, which includes contemporary Christian music, puppets, skits and testimonies. As they interact with and are led in worship by youth from across the country that are excited about their faith in Jesus, members of your congregation of all ages will benefit from your church hosting Spoke Folk.

If you are interested in having your church partner with Spoke Folk on an upcoming tour, learn more about the roles of the home church and a host church on a Spoke Folk tour.

Host Spoke Folk Tues PM-Sunday AM

Sunday PM – Monday AM.

Monday PM – Tuesday AM.

Tuesday PM – Wednesday AM.

Wednesday PM – Thursday AM.

Thursday PM – Friday AM.

Friday PM – Saturday AM.

Saturday PM – Sunday AM.

Home Church.

Timeline
  • Arrive Tuesday evening
  • Practice Program
  • Practice bike rides
  • Discipleship Habits
  • Meals provided by Spoke Folk & Home Church
  • Commission Spoke Folk out during Sunday morning service
  • Arrive back to Home Church Saturday afternoon
  • Wrap up Spoke Folk
  • Full Spoke Folk Program during Sunday Service(s)

The home church plays a special role on a Spoke Folk tour, serving as both the location for initial training and the final, homecoming program. For the first four days of tour at the home church, the group practices music, prepares puppet shows and skits, takes training bike rides, and begins to bond as a group. After worshipping with your congregation on Sunday morning, the home church sends the tour on the road to share their program and ministry with other churches in the region. On Saturday evening, the Spoke Folk tour returns home to your church, typically enjoying fellowship and a meal provided by the congregation that evening. On Sunday morning, the tour will share their program during Sunday morning worship, before the members of the tour depart for their respective homes. If you would like to be a part of youth growing in faith and have space to allow up 40 people to train and sleep in your church for a few days, consider serving as a home church for a Spoke Folk tour.

Home Church Resources

Host Church.

Timeline
  • Arrive in afternoon
  • Set up for program
  • Hose showers
  • Dinner with congregation provided by Host Church
  • Spoke Folk Program for congregation
  • Spend the night
  • Breakfast provided by Host Church
  • Bike out after breakfast

Each Spoke Folk tour is hosted by six congregations during their week on the road, performing a program of contemporary Christian music, puppets, skits and testimonies each evening. Spoke Folk typically arrives to a host church by bicycle in late afternoon, providing time to unload equipment, set up for the program, and clean up before members of the congregation arrive for the evening. Host churches provide dinner of their choosing for the tour of up to 40 people, which can be a great opportunity for fellowship with your congregation. Following dinner, the tour will perform their hour-long program. We always enjoy getting to know the people at the churches we visit after the program as well. Later in the evening, Spoke Folk takes time for devotions, one-on-one discipleship relationship time, worship, and prayer to equip participants to live as disciples of Jesus after tour. After sleeping on your church floor for the night, the tour will pack up, eat a light breakfast provided by the church, and head out on their bicycles for the next host church. If you would like to be a part of youth growing in faith and would like to have a fun evening of worship and fellowship, consider hosting a Spoke Folk tour.

Host Church Resources

What to Provide

  • Sleeping area
  • Storage for bikes
  • Rehearsal space
  • Use of Kitchen Facilities
  • At least 2 restrooms
  • Hose for showers
more questions?

FAQs

The HOME church is where the tour starts and ends. A typical Spoke Folk tour will be at a home church Wednesday-Sunday morning and then begin their week-long tour before returning to the home church Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning. A HOST church houses Spoke Folk for one evening during the week long tour.

During training, Spoke Folk needs access to space that can be used for sleeping, changing, rehearsals, meals, and bike storage from Wednesday through Sunday morning. We also ask that your congregation consider helping out with a couple meals (lunch or dinner) throughout the training. We would love to spend time with your congregation; have a potluck or grill out and invite them to join us!

As a host church, Spoke Folk asks for space to be used for sleeping, changing, and bike storage. After the bike ride, we will need a way to clean up. Most often that looks like a garden hose and a patch of grass but it could include a trip to a nearby YMCA, pool, or host homes if time allows. We ask that your congregation provides dinner the night we arrive and a light breakfast in the morning before we hop on the bikes again. In the evening, we will share our program with your congregation and mingle afterward.

Spoke Folk has a handful of ways you can reach out to your congregation and community to encourage a successful event. Whether it’s a potluck dinner (who turns those down!?), and ice cream social, a multi-church event, or outdoor community concert at the park, we’ll work with you to brainstorm ideas that work for your congregation.

Tuesday evening – Counselors arrive

Wednesday afternoon – participants arrive & tour starts

Wednesday – Saturday evening – group building, training rides, program rehearsal

Sunday morning – commissioning from home church and then light lunch before riding to first host church


2:30-4pm – Spoke Folk tour arrives at your church, cleans up, setup up instruments for program, small group time

6pm (or similar) – Dinner provided by congregation. We would love for your congregation to join us for dinner

7pm (or similar) – Program, including music, personal sharing, skit, and puppet show

8:15pm – Mingle with congregation following program

9pm – Spoke Folk small group time, occasional ice cream run, devotions, sleep

7-9am (depending on length of day’s ride) – Light breakfast provided by congregation

8-10am (depending on length of day’s ride) – Spoke Folk departs

Dinner ideas: spaghetti, lasagna, pizza, sloppy joes, grill out, pot luck, taco bar, baked potato bar

Breakfast ideas: bagels, cereal, fruit, toast, juice, yogurt, muffins

Amount: A full tour consists of 40 people but some tours are not full. Feel free to contact Spoke Folk a couple weeks before their arrival to confirm the size of the group so you can plan accordingly but also keep in mind that bikers eat well!

TIPS

To Promote Program

Thank you for hosting Spoke Folk at your church. We want to bless your congregation and community as much as you’ve blessed us. Below is a link to some digital resources to help promote Spoke Folk’s arrival and make your event a success. We have included posters that you can print out and write in the details of your specific event, powerpoint slides to promote in your services, and graphic elements in case you want to design your own materials.

Consider making this a youth and/or community event. Invite other youth groups from the neighboring churches. Partner with the police & fire departments to host a bike safety event and outdoor concert with an ice cream social to follow. Encourage participation by making the dinner a potluck. Emphasize to your congregation that this program and ministry is for all people, ages, families.

If there’s something you’d like help with regarding the marketing materials provided, please contact us at info@SpokeFolk.org

Digital Media Kit