God's Pedal Power Ministry (GPPM), is a faith based, non-profit organization in partnership with St. James United Methodist of New Tampa and University Baptist Church. Our group of volunteers are dedicated to helping people in the community that have fallen on tough times. Starting in 1997, GPPM has refurbished and given away over 3,000 bicycles to people who have been referred to our ministry. We help children, people who are recovering, challenged, or who are just trying to find transportation for work. We are located at University Baptist Church in the University Community Area of Tampa. Our first official home was in a Sunday school room at the church. As our mission expanded, we moved from the Sunday school room to two small donated portable buildings. We stored the bikes and parts in the buildings, and volunteers would work under street lights in the parking lot of the church. When it was cold, we would be cold, when it was wet, we would be wet, but we held together. Many people were moved by our efforts, and helped us start a building fund for a permanent building. In December of 2002, we had our Christmas give-away in our new building. Since then, others have stepped forward to help us wire in electricity, fans and lights. We now have a wonderful facility for our volunteers to work in. GPPM receives names of people from referral agencies and case workers. As we receive bicycles, volunteers refurbish them and a match is made for the number of children and adult bikes needed. Each new owner is notified, and on a selected morning, we meet the recipients at the church. You should see the smiles! Along with the bike, the new owner is given a positive message, a bike safety lesson, a new safety helmet, and a Bible. While we are working on bikes, we encourage kids from the neighborhood to join us to learn how they can fix their own bikes. This gives volunteers an opportunity to encourage kids to set goals, make good grades, and to be good citizens in their own community. We strive to make a difference in the lives of the children that we come in contact with.