So you want to help build a public park or start a skate ministry, but you can not get the support of those in the community? Check out these answers to common concerns.

FICTION: Skaters are just degenerate kids.
TRUTH: Skaters are among the most diverse recreational groups. The average age is 14, (National Sporting Goods Association, 2000) but some of us start as young as 5 and continue into our 40s and beyond. Some of us own homes and businesses.  Check out 1 Samuel 16:7
 
FICTION: Skaters like to harm other people's property.
TRUTH: Skaters like to skate. We would love to be provided safe, legal, sufficient facilities to call our own. We have had no choice but to skate on sidewalks and other locations. Consider that skateboarding today, with 16 million enthusiasts nationwide, is more popular than baseball for kids ages 6-17 (National Sporting Goods Association, 2000). Most cities offer municipally supported baseball fields and few quality skateparks. Where are we to skate? (Sometimes to share Christ we must first meet needs. Check out Matthew 28:16-20)
 
FICTION: Skateparks are a civic menace and communities are not supporting them.
TRUTH: Skateboarding is the nation's fastest growing sport (Sporting Goods Manufacturing Association, 2000) and there are between 1000 and 1200 municipal skateparks in the USA, with approximately 3 new skateparks opening each week (USA Today, July 30, 2002). Check out Luke 10:2
 
FICTION: Skateparks are unpleasantly loud.
TRUTH: From 100 feet directly away, the single loudest, instantaneous skatepark sound level is 65 decibels, "comparable to the level of a moderate conversation between two individuals." (Noise Control Office, City of Portland Office of Planning and Development Review, 2001).
 
FICTION: Skateboarding is dangerous.
TRUTH: Injuries/100 participants:
Hockey 2.7
Football 2.2
Baseball 1.8
Basketball 1.6
Bicycling 1.1
Skateboarding* 0.7
*Skateboarders skating for less than a week account for 1/3 of all injuries (US Consumer Product Safety Commission 2002; American Sports Data Inc. 2002).
 
FICTION: Only males skate and therefore public money shouldn't be spent for just males.
TRUTH: 15% of all skaters are female (National Sporting Goods Association, 2000). How many females play football? How many municipal dollars and square feet in public parks are dedicated to football?

We hope these answers help you as you share your vision!

It's official! Christian Skaters UK has launched their new website. Check them out! www.ChristianSkaters.co.uk


South Africa-SonSk8
Stellenbosch started with Skate Church this month and it was awesome. They're going to have skate church every Friday now at the skate park. They also started with giving skate classes at the park. A school booked like 26 kids on the one day.
The skate shop is really looking great so far and we sprayed The Shed outside the park and some other stuff in the park. Looks cool!

Edenvale bible studies are in full swing and going strong. They have been organizing road trips out to a park in Pretoria which is about an hours drive from town, for a couple of the groms from our park to come hang out and chill and connect with other skaters from around their area.

Sarepta Sk8 Church: "February has all but come and gone, and true to ANY outreach to the somewhat marginalised youth, it has passed WITH its usual dose of oddities and unsurprising surprises. SO far our greatest feat yet, by the Grace of God alone, has been to get the youth to understand that Friday nights are a time for connecting and fellowship. The blessing is that now that we have a group of leaders and people to just do life with the youth, we don't feel like glorified baby sitters or policemen. No time can be taken to build relationships with those who are willing and available. Praise God! Are we not called to mirror our relationship with God through to the lost?So, in closing, and with the promise that the report backs would never be novelistic by nature God is moving, slowly. Just as we cannot rush our relationship with our Saviour, so too can we not rush this ministry to the lost. Wild horses will always bolt, we are just working on the which way part."

Egypt - Shawn Mandoli's Testimony for BFC
"Whenever I travel, especially for missions work, God always ministers to me on a personal level. We went to Egypt with the purpose of ministering to others, but the Lord ministered to me personally as well. It was a blessing to speak after our demos and see how open the Egyptians were to our testimonies. As we prayed for people and learned about their needs the Lord showed me that the problems in my life don't amount to what they have to go through every day. After one of the demos we sat in our hotel room listening to Jonathan Edward tell us about the persecution that happens in Egypt. I was amazed at what some Christians have to go through. He explained to us that if a Muslim converts to Christianity the convert can be legally killed. If Muslim parents find out that their sons are Christian they chop their heads off. If a daughter gives her life to Jesus they have legal grounds to bury her alive. We all have struggles in life, but this is not something we have to deal with in the United States. After hearing these stories it opened my eyes to how valuable the Gospel is. People are willing to die and some are dieing for the sake of Christ in the 21st century. During my trip to Egypt I acquired a greater awareness of how precious the Gospel of Jesus Christ really is.

Peace,
M to the dizzo"