An Appeal from ApologetiX
Tue., Jun. 30. 2009 1:30am EDT
Monday, June 29, was the second anniversary of the maiden voyage of the ApologetiX tour bus, something many fans can point to and say, "I was a part of that." We have raved to many people about how our fans were instrumental and vital in building our bus -- both with labor and with finances.
We've traveled many thousands of miles in the past two years, and those miles have taken a severe toll on our 1986 MCI bus -- structurally and mechanically, internally and externally. It has needed many repairs, and it still needs many more, as does our trailer. And those are only part of our financial needs.
The bus has been an unbelievable blessing to us, allowing us to play many places we wouldn't have been able to play otherwise. We can (and often do) even use it to power the sound and light system at the venues we play. But it costs an enormous amount of money to fuel, maintain, and insure -- let alone repair -- a 40-foot bus with a 16-foot trailer.
Just as the bus is much bigger than an ordinary vehicle, it costs much more to repair and to replace parts. Whenever possible, we've done it with used or reconditioned parts. And it only gets 5 miles per gallon. Last year when diesel fuel was about $5 per gallon, it was costing us a dollar a mile.
Those of you who were fans before the bus know we had many woes with our previous vehicle -- a 15-passenger van pulling that same big trailer. We had to replace numerous engines, transmissions, fuel pumps, etc. It's just a part of life when you're on the road as much as we are.
We've tried to avoid discussing anything negative about the bus over the past two years. We didn't want to trouble our fans with it after they gave so much to build it and get in on the road in the first place. In this economy, we know that everybody has their financial burdens to bear.
After our struggles this past weekend, however, we're really can't afford not to bring it up, because we really can't afford to continue to repair and refuel the bus on our own. Like you, we've had to cut corners in the past two years. We totally understand if you can't help us, and we never want our fans to feel pressured or "guilted" into helping us out. Please pray for us. We really do believe God hears and answers your prayers on our behalf.
With that having been said, we know that some fans have both the desire and the finances to help. If you are one of those fans, please consider giving a donation of any size. You can do so via PayPal, credit card, bank card or straight from your bank account by clicking the link below to our secure site:
http://www.apologetix.com/store/store-donate.php
If you wish to donate by check or money order, you can make them payable to "ApologetiX" and send them to ApologetiX, 208 Charlemma Drive, PIttsburgh PA 15214-1414. Thank you and God bless you.
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