Rock Hill man rides again, thanks to his biker church and Bikes 4 Blessings

After nearly one year in the making, a custom Harley-Davidson motorcycle “trike” was ready for RJ Lewis on Saturday in Rock Hill.

Lewis parked his wheelchair next to the blue Harley – formerly a Sportster – and he climbed in the seat and started his new bike for the first time outside the Riders of Faith Biker Church at Sylvia Circle Baptist Church. He raised his right hand, looked up, and said, “Praise God.”

Friends, fellow motorcycle lovers, and members of the Virginia and South Carolina Bikes 4 Blessings chapters erupted in praise along with Lewis.

The gift to ride again – made possible by Riders of Faith and Bikes 4 Blessings – is a true blessing, Lewis said. He once had a modified three-wheeled trike, but the machine had mechanical problems and was unsafe to ride.

Lewis, a Chester and Rock Hill resident for most of his life, lost his left leg in a motorcycle accident about 20 years ago.

“I thanked God that he took my leg instead of my life,” he said.

At the hospital, doctors weren’t sure he would survive after going through 22 pints of blood and having his heart stop on the operating table, Lewis said. He believes he lived because of “divine intervention.”

Lewis, an Army veteran, is one of the many people that Bikes 4 Blessings has helped over the past several years. The group uses donations to rebuild, customize, and repair motorcycles.

They have built bikes for injured military veterans through the Wounded Warriors program. They visit fellow bikers in the hospital. They donate motorcycles to Christian pastors who can’t afford transportation.

While Bikes 4 Blessings ministers through motorcycles and the motorcycle community Mikel Daugherty, of York, says, “We’re about one thing first: God.”

Daugherty, chairman of the South Carolina Bikes 4 Blessings chapter, was the first person to receive a motorcycle from the group about three years ago. His uncle Don Lauzon from Virginia handed him the keys and the title to a Harley when his father was dying of cancer.

“It touched my heart and I wanted to share that,” Daugherty said.

Daugherty works from his home garage in York. Motorcycle parts, labor, and money are donated for the Bikes 4 Blessings ministry. Lauzon leads another Bikes 4 Blessings chapter in Virginia Beach, Va.

Lewis is the latest recipient of the ministry’s work. On Saturday, he said he believes God saved his life after his motorcycle wreck so that he could witness to others and bring them closer to Jesus.

Like many of the people who attended Saturday’s event, Lewis wears Christian patches on his motorcycle jacket including, “I ride for Jesus.”

Daugherty said before Lewis can ride his motorcycle Bikes 4 Blessings needs to fix the trike’s shift kit and replace its master rear cylinder.

The group is accepting donations to complete Lewis’ trike and help others in South Carolina. For more information and to donate, call Vernon Samuelson at 803-328-0748 and mention Bikes 4 Blessings.

This story was originally published June 28, 2015 at 2:51 PM with the headline "Rock Hill man rides again, thanks to his biker church and Bikes 4 Blessings."