It was a small crowd that showed up at the First Congregational Church of Wareham Sunday afternoon for the first annual Blessing of the Bicycles.

Reverend Katherine Schofield said she originally got the idea from Bertell Ellis, a church member, who mentioned he used to go to motorcycle blessings when he rode a motorcycle.

Schofield, who started with the church in October 2014, said the event was part of a larger effort to do what she terms “community ministry.”

“My goal in coming here is to do community ministry, but in a new way that meets people where they are and tries to bring the sacred into our everyday lives,” Schofield said. “A blessing of the bicycles seemed like a great fit as a way to recognize that we are blessed to have the chance to bicycle.”

The blessings Schofield recited that day focused on safety for the bikers present, and gave thanks for the chance to be outdoors and enjoy nature.

“All too often, there are accidents,” Schofield said. “We ask for the safety of not just kids, but all people who ride their bikes.”

Schofield said her research into bicycle blessings has revealed that there have been blessings of the bicycles since the late 1990s, and that they started in New York City at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

Though the turnout for Wareham’s bicycle blessing was small, by comparison, to the annual New York City event -- 12 people with eight bicycles attended the Wareham blessing; the New York City cathedral saw more than 300 cyclists in 2013 -- Schofield said she hopes there will be more people next year.

Charity Cunningham, 9, of Wareham, said she enjoyed the event.

"I love to bike, and I love this church, so I feel like I should have come, because it was a good thing to do for the church," Cunningham said.