11/13/2003 News media contact: Linda Green · (615) 742-5470 · Nashville, Tenn
By Fran Coode Walsh*
Skateboarding Spirituality, Photo number W03097, Accompanies UMNS #555
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"It looks painful, but they bounce back up." Youth pastor Jack Weber, Photo number W03098, Accompanies UMNS #555
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Brent Foucht convinced his church to build skateboard ramps. Photo number W03096, Accompanies UMNS #555
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"It
would keep kids off the streets and out of trouble." Ann McCrocklin,
Fort Caroline United Methodist Church, Photo number W03099, Accompanies
UMNS #555
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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (UMNS)-The popularity of
skateboarding has provided a Florida church with a new way to reach
young people in the community.
Brent Foucht, a 16-year old member
of Fort Caroline United Methodist Church, is an avid skateboarder. A
little more than a year ago, he convinced his congregation to build
ramps for kids in the area to use.
Skateboarding is off-limits in
many public areas so this was a rare chance to be welcomed. As Foucht
noted, "People will come up and yell at them (skateboarders)…because
they're supposedly messing up their curbs or doing something that's
destructive …We opened this up so they can come here and not have
anything to worry about."
Some people were worried, though.
Many
members at Fort Caroline are 70 years and older and there was concern
about liability for accidents. "They were worried about being sued. They
were worried about the clientele that we would draw in. And they were
not at all in favor of it," explained Ann McCrocklin, a member.
But
McCrocklin, who is in her 60s, pushed for the park, because she wanted
more young people to visit the church. "They could bring their friends,"
she said. "It would keep kids off the street and out of trouble . . . a
lot of these people have never been in church. And just getting them
on church grounds is a start."
The Rev. Eric Young, pastor of the
Fort Caroline church, echoed those sentiments, "If we're not being in
some relevant ministry in our community, what are we doing? Why are we
here?"
On a typical Friday evening, two-dozen young people use
the church's skateboarding area, and enjoy free hot dogs and Kool-Aid.
After skating, they end the evening with about 10 minutes of Bible
study. Foucht appreciates the comfort level for kids. "I hope they've
found that Christians are actually nice guys," he said. "We can come out
here and have fun and talk about God a little bit in between the
cracks."
Two of the skateboarders have been baptized and
others have shown interest in the church, so McCrocklin feels her
efforts have paid off.
Despite the fact that the boarders are
plunging down plywood ramps, whipping across asphalt and launching into
the air, there have been no serious injuries to date. The church
requires the skaters to wear helmets.
Youth pastor Jack Weber
admits it's a little hard to watch, "It looks painful to me but they
always bounce back up. One thing I've learned about skateboarders is
that they're very persistent."
Seventeen-year-old Josh Stefanf
says skateboarding and spirituality have much in common. "You have to
have a lot of dedication to do skating. It's the same thing with
church…You have to believe. You have to keep going to it. You have to
continue doing it. And, the more you do it, the better you feel about
it."
Fort Caroline has plans to appeal to young people who don't skate by building a miniature golf course.
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**Walsh is coordinating producer of UMTV, a unit of United Methodist News Service.