Chester Diocese
News Item – 12/08/2004
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Priestly pedal power and a mysterious quest for the Ark
A RETIRED diocesan priest, the Revd Canon John Bowers, returned this summer from a 1,100-mile solo quest to find – among other things – the mysterious remains that are claimed to be Noah’s Ark. Canon John cycled right across Turkey - from west to east, from Istanbul to Mount Ararat – and in the process raised more than £6,400 the Barnabas Fund’s project in south Sudan to educate and feeds displaced and orphan children. The Barnabas Fund is a national charity which assists persecuted Christians around the world and carries out humanitarian projects. Canon John, who was an Honorary Canon of Chester Cathedral for 21 years, is now retired to West Kirby, Wirral, but the 72-year-old remains very active in local churches - and as a cyclist. He said: “I am exceedingly grateful to all the people who sponsored me. I finished without an ache or a pain and didn’t have a single puncture, even through the road conditions were horrendous.” He pedalled his lightweight racer for 13 days, sometimes covering more than 100 miles a day. He stayed overnight in working men’s hostels, receiving much hospitality on the way from the Turkish people, including lots of glasses of tea. As well as raising funds to help children afflicted by Sudan’s civil war, he achieved two other personal objectives. One was to view a rock-like formation in the Ararat mountain range that is in the shape of a boat with the same dimensions of Noah’s Ark as given in Genesis. Many people believe the fossilised feature is the Ark. The Canon said: “The jury is still out on whether these remains really are the Ark, but I would say that it is a real possibility. And we are reminded in the Noah’s Ark story of God’s mercy to a righteous man and his family in spite of judgement on a wicked world.” Mr Bowers also succeeded in a second aim – to visit the remains of churches at the site of the ancient city of Ani. Most of the city was destroyed city by an earthquake in the 11th century. Incredibly, however, its five churches and cathedral, along with the city walls, survived. The Canon celebrated his 72nd birthday in Ani.
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PEDAL AID: The Revd Canon John Bowers
INSPIRING: the Ark-shaped feature in the Ararat mountains
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