A Cochrane minister is taking his sabbatical to a new level this month. Rev. Ray Goodship, 58, cycled through town yesterday as part of his 94-day cycling trek across the country. He started near Vancouver at the start of June – his tires dipped partially in the Pacific Ocean – with the hopes he can make it coast-to-coast. The minister, who has been at St. Andrew's for the last six years, intends on making 13 visits across the country to preach at various churches. Yesterday, a dozen of St. Andrew's church members gathered at the Township Road 252 and Highway 22 intersection, brandishing flags and tooting trumpet-like noisemakers to give him a Cochrane send off. Goodships' wife, Chris, and dog, Hanna, are following along in their truck and trailer. Each morning Ray will head out biking, while Chris will drive straight on to their next stop to set up camp for the night Before this trip, Chris had never driven an RV before, said Steve Clement, a member of the church out supporting Ray at the Cochrane send off. "If she backs up five times at each stop, she'll have backed up 450 times," Clement quipped. The group has come up with other quirky fun-facts they made which are displayed on supportive posters at the church. "Ray's a really awesome individual, he just exemplifies sharing the spirit. He's just a good man, a good friend," Clement said. "It moves me because he takes care of everyone in our community, so to be able to do something that he loves that will move him to fill him up again so he can continue to support us, that's what strikes me," said Lori-Anne Eklund-Forbes, another church member.
