Living and working in a state with four distinct seasons gives Pennsylvania residents not only a chance to enjoy all types of weather but also the opportunity for a variety of landscapes when they head outdoors.
Because May 19 is National Bike to Work Day, Lancaster Bible College is checking in with a few employees who either bike or walk to their offices on our Lancaster campus. See why these LBC team members enjoy their time outside before the workday begins.
Dr. Ed Scheuerman, here in his Intercultural Studies office, walks to and around campus frequently—sometimes barefoot.
Dr. Ed Sheuerman
Intercultural Studies Program Director, Church & Ministry Leadership Department
“Dr. Ed,” as he’s affectionately known on campus, walks about .4 miles to work—“I’ve counted off about 770 steps from my front door to the Charles Frey Academic Center,” he says—and he travels on foot year-round, “except on very bad weather days.” Dr. Ed is also known for being barefoot much of the time while on campus, including in class and in his office, but he does wear sandals for his short commute.
Read more about why Dr. Ed chooses to go barefoot in this 2021 ECHO magazine article.
Men’s Soccer Head Coach Tommy Ardt, back in black jersey, gives pointers to the Chargers.
Tommy Ardt
Head Coach, Men’s Soccer
As if he doesn’t get in enough steps during soccer practice and games at Donald H. Funk Field at Willis & Martha Herr Stadium, Coach Ardt chooses to walk about 100 yards from home to work each day, year-round.
“It’s convenient and allows me to drop in at home often if I need to!” he says of the short jaunt from his house to the Horst Athletic Center.
College Pastor Timothy Torres cruises past Herr Stadium on his bike.
Rev. Timothy Torres
College Pastor
Pastor Torres is an avid biker and rides about a half-mile from his home to his office in the Student Center. Relatively new to Lancaster County, he’s enjoyed discovering the beauty of the area.
“It’s a great way to get my day started,” he says. “It gets my adrenaline and endorphins pumping. At the end of the day, I often ride along the bike path at the back of the school. Dr. (Mark) Draper introduced me to some great trails in Lancaster. There’s some beautiful scenery along the Susquehanna River.”
Torres biked to work during the entire 2022-23 school year, except for the one day of snowfall during an unusually mild, record-setting winter. That day, he chose to walk through the winter wonderland instead.
Dr. Mark Draper safely takes a selfie while biking to the Charles & Gloria Jones Library on LBC’s main campus.
Dr. Mark Draper
Director of Library Services and Associate Professor
Draper certainly knows his stuff when it comes to biking in the area, which is why he was able to provide Torres with such great information. With the longest ride of his co-workers, Draper bikes 42 miles roundtrip from his home in Mt. Gretna to Lancaster.
“I started commuting to work on my bicycle when we lived in Philadelphia to avoid traffic during a public transportation strike and kept doing it after the strike was resolved,” Draper shares. “I could not commute this way when we lived in Chicago, but when we moved back east, I mapped out a way to ride to LBC.”
Even though Draper is passionate about biking to work, he’s created one guideline for himself—call it perhaps the “30-Degree Rule.” Draper says, “I will not bike outside if the temperature is below 30 degrees.”
Dr. Gordon Gregory (’82) teaches a class in the Bible & Theology Department.
Dr. Gordon Gregory (’82)
Bible & Theology Professor/Faculty Athletic Representative
A college alumnus and faculty member, Dr. Gregory switches between two routes when walking to work—one along Eden Road that is 1.25 miles long and a second through the Oak Lane neighborhood, which is just over 1.5 miles.
“This gives me an opportunity to get some exercise into my day, plus the walk gives me a chance to listen to some podcasts or just plan for (on the way to work) or debrief (on the way home) my day,” Gordon says.
And he’s committed to this walk, too. “The only time I don’t walk is if there is heavy enough precipitation to get me wet or if I have a need to go off campus during the day.”
Director of Discipleship Dwight Shelly (’13) shares a selfie on his walk to work.
Dwight Shelly (’13)
Director of Discipleship, Student Affairs
One of Gordon’s fellow alumni employees, Shelly walks most of the year about a quarter of a mile to his alma mater for his work on LBC’s Student Affairs team.
“Since I live so close to work, walking gives me a couple minutes to wrap up my workday mentally and engage with my family when I get home,” he says.
Whether to improve their mental health, meet some exercise goals or take in God’s creation, these LBC | Capital family members are just a few who add biking and walking to work to their daily routine. Keep it up, team!