Lehman-Idetown United Methodist Church event preps children for start of Sunday School

Members of unconventional percussion band This Way Up include, from left, Jax, Max and Carson Crull.

https://www.mydallaspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TDP-LehmanIdetown-UMC03.jpgMembers of unconventional percussion band This Way Up include, from left, Jax, Max and Carson Crull.

The youngest participant was Jayden Lyons, 3, of Harveys Lake, who rode his two-wheeler with training wheels during the parade.

https://www.mydallaspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TDP_LehmanIdetown-UMC01.jpgThe youngest participant was Jayden Lyons, 3, of Harveys Lake, who rode his two-wheeler with training wheels during the parade.

LEHMAN TWP. — Music, fun, food and worship were on the agenda Sunday at Lehman-Idetown United Methodist Church during the church’s annual “Riding for Jesus” Bike Parade.

The parade took place at 10 a.m., just before the church’s traditional worship service at 10:30 a.m. Once again this year, the service after the parade included a musical performance by This Way Up. After the service, members of the church were invited to enjoy a covered dish lunch.

This year’s service also included a blessing of backpacks for students going back to school.

More than 10 children took part in the yearly event on their bikes, on scooters and even on foot as they paraded around the church’s parking lot and along Mountain View Drive. Parents and other members of the congregation cheered the children on during the parade.

The “Riding for Jesus” Bike Parade is held every year to kick off the church’s Sunday School season, which begins Sept. 20. It was the first bike parade for the Rev. Lori Robinson, who became Lehman-Idetown United Methodist Church’s pastor in July.

“This is such a cute event, and it gets them excited to start coming to Sunday School,” Robinson said.

After the parade, members joined Robinson for church services as well as a musical treat from This Way Up. The band is comprised of the Crull family, who plays religious music using unconventional percussion instruments. The Crulls create sound by hitting vibrantly colored plastic tubes, which they call Boomwhackers, along with PVC and corrugated drain pipe. This Way Up’s website describes their sound as “a gigantic demented whacked out pipe organ.”

According to Danielle Crull, This Way Up plays all around the region, at churches of all denominations. The band has been playing music together for more than a decade. Members of the band include mother and father Danielle and Eric, daughter Jax, and sons Max and Carson. In addition to playing at worship services, This Way Up has also played at venues such as Creation Festival Northeast, an annual Christian music festival in south central Pennsylvania, as well as at the capitol rotunda in Harrisburg during Christmas season.

This Way Up had previously performed at the “Riding for Jesus” Bike Parade in 2011 and 2012.