TIFTON — A Tifton man is using his restored “Batmobile” to spread the word of salvation to people young and old.

Ray Metzger, 72, drag races motorcycles and owns Cycles Unlimited in Decatur, Ala. He decided recently to move to Tifton to be near his children.  

Metzger was in Huntsville, Ala., in 2005 when he had a winning weekend. At 68, he won the street bike class race and a raffle that he said started his journey to find a way to catch the attention of people so he could tell them how they could be saved according to the Christian faith.

Metzger said former professional football players Pat Sullivan and Terry Hendley had bought the then-worn and rusted 1960 Dodge Matador and donated it to the Mountain Brook High School in Birmingham 16 years before.

“They used it in parades for a while, but it got to where it wouldn’t run,” Metzger said.

At the Huntsville race track, raffle tickets were sold for the car and the proceeds went to the American Cancer Society. Metzger said he bought a $5 ticket and won the car.

“The brakes were bad and the steering was terrible,” Metzger said. “After two months, I got it running enough that I could drive it to my store.

“I just kept saying ‘Lord, why did you give me this car?’”

The attention the car received once parked at Cycles Unlimited began almost immediately.

“The car was there an hour and an employee said ‘Ray, come here and look at this,’” Metzger said. “Parents were taking pictures of their kids with the car.

“I said OK, Lord, you want me to use this for people to know about Jesus.”

Metzger began restoring the car, putting in Batman yellow and black leather seats and special gadgets in the dashboard to intrigue young people. The driver’s sun visor is personalized “Batman” and the passenger’s is personalized “Robin.” 

The refurbished car now gains more attention than before and Metzger, a Gideon, decided he needed brochures that would tell people the message of salvation. He called a friend of his from Promise Keepers and asked the man for ideas. Two months later, the friend, his wife and two daughters sat around their kitchen table and designed the brochures, which are filled with colored pictures and tell the tale of a man led to Jesus.

Once the brochures were printed, Metzger either handed them out to people personally or put a few of them under the windshield wipers of the car.

“It is a blessing,” Metzger said. “I’ve handed out over 3,000 brochures myself. I’ve had some real pleasures in my life and seen some wonderful things happen.”

Metzger, a friend and the friend’s 7-year-old son were riding around a Tifton neighborhood earlier this week. Metzger said he got out of the car once to talk with an older couple who wanted to hear about the car. Metzger said the boy, who was recently saved, saw a woman and two daughters and got excited. Metzger said the boy jumped out of the vehicle with a few brochures and a couple of Gideon Bibles and it alarmed the woman. The woman reported the incident to the Tift County Sheriff’s Department and Capt. Mike Walker investigated.

Metzger said Walker and another investigator came to his home and talked with him about what he was doing in the neighborhood. Metzger said he and the two investigators had a good conversation and he showed him the car, his 2006 Kawasaki 2X14 he had also had refurbished with bat wings and the brochures he uses in his ministry.

“Mike suggested I put something about the church I go to in the brochure,” Metzger said.

Walker said Wednesday that he had “no concerns with him (Metzger) and his ministry” and continues to encourage adults to report any activity they deem suspicious.

Craig Nalls with the Mell Baptist Association said he met Metzger at Brighton Road Baptist. Nalls said the woman’s caution was understandable in today’s time with reports of child abductions.

“We all need to be on guard because evil is all around us,” Nalls said. “What Ray is basically doing is catching people’s attention and pointing them to the gospel. Ray has learned through this.”

Metzger said he plans to try different avenues to spread the message of salvation. He said he plans to drive the car in the local Christmas parade and offer the vehicle to churches if they would like to use it to minister to young people.

Metzger said he believes things happen for a reason and welcomes the attention.

“It’s the Lord’s way of getting this story out,” Metzger said.