Bringing Hope to Skateboarders
When I started at YFC Saskatoon a few years ago, I felt called to start a new skateboard ministry, and the name God gave me for this new program was Antioch.
But before any contests or lessons, even before Antioch had a name, I was fortunate enough to befriend and essentially partner with Derek Epp who has the fancy title of Western Regional Rep for an agency similar to YFC called Skatelife. In the beginning of this relationship, It was unclear what would become of our association but even a pandemic could not hold back God’s plans.
On October 27th of the past two years Derek and I, in partnership with The Lakeview Church started a weekly skateboard ministry night that we call “Skate Church”. Even though we had a minor COVID related setback in 2020, this past ‘21-22’ season has been constant and unmistakably blessed. Numbers grew quickly as word spread amongst the skateboard community that there was somewhere to skate in the winter. We regularly host about 40 skaters each week who range between 8 - 36 years old.
This all started when certain circumstance fell into place : Lakeview Church was excirted about this partnership, and decided to let a bunch of wild skaters loose upon their gymnasium floor. Their Gym is in fact built perfectly for our activity, the floor and walls are exceptionally tough! The only initial issue was that we needed a place to store all of our ramps and rails.
But low and behold, an amazing YFC resource no longer being used became something of great value. The Mobile Youth Centre (MYC), a converted RV trailer had been sitting in a farmer’s field. The MYC was just waiting for the call! In a hilarious plot twist, the MYC fit our ramps and rails perfectly, as if that was the exact purpose for which it had been created! God sometimes has an odd way of putting the puzzle together, but inevitably all things, even abandoned trailers work for His good.
Our MOBILE YOUTH CENTRE has found a new purpose: it is the perfect place to store and haul the ramps needed for Skate Church!
So each Wednesday Derek and I, along with several rag-tag volunteers meet just before 5pm, back the trailer up to the gym doors and unload the ramps. Set-up time takes about 15 minutes, we skate for about an hour and a half, we then take a break for snack and a fellowship time. We give the floor to each person to share a high and low point of their week. The leaders often use this time to shine a light on their faith or simply be honest and transparent about what life can feel like. This time of sharing always opens up lines of communication and further dialogue. It genuinely paves a road into a persons life. My relationship with many has deepened tremendously since this has started, God is planting seeds and I know this will bear good fruit.
What is often the “high” point of each persons week, is that they have somewhere to skateboard. There is nowhere else to do this and so for that reason alone we are providing a necessary service. Skateboarding is therapeutic in of itself and when you combine that with conversation and prayer it yields tremendous results. Generally during the highs and lows - I am awe struck with how much appreciation pours out of these young skaters and my high is often the same. God is moving and they can feel it.
The joy and camaraderie of these skaters is palpable and obvious. The gym is filled with yelps, happy screams, laughter and chatter. I have had several young men confide in me that they are in need of something deeper and are approaching me for this. I have had one gentlemen seek out a church based on these evenings and two others approach me in regards to a mentorship, recognizing their need to grow spiritually. It is an honour to have this happen and it always blindsides me… God is at work always and everywhere - it’s our job to host and facilitate and then let him do what He wills.