(more photos and video coming soon!)
Last summer, while on vacation, I made the impulsive decision to purchase a skateboard I had always wanted as a child—the Steve Caballero “Chinese Dragon.” Little did I know that this purchase would send me down a path that resulted in the first ever FCA Skate Camp!
In the past year, I have ventured out to the area skate parks with my archaic skateboard and have truly developed a lot of respect and love for those I have met there. In the process, I crossed paths with several other men that shared a desire to see God work through skateboarding in Kentucky as well. David Wu, Bruce Spence, Chris Wise (Chris Wise had even began a “Love Skate Outreach” in Nicholasville over a year ago in which he and his wife were making dinner for a dozen or so skaters each week at their home near the Lake Minga Skate Park.) and I began to talk about how God could use us to have an influence on the skate community.
As we prayed and planned, we saw a lot of interest build in the idea of a skate camp during spring break. Two competing skate shops offered support and donated shirts and prizes. Brochures went out and registrations started coming in! We were thinking that if we had 20 skaters that would be a good start.
On Monday, March 29th 37 skaters showed up for the first ever FCA Skate Tour/Camp. Most campers were scholarshipped by individuals that they had never met. One skater was from Michigan and was a Guinness Book of World Records holder for the most consecutive kick-flips. One kid was a Muslim. Several kids were smokers and most were not involved with any church or had attended a Christian camp of any type.
Each day we headed out to different skate parks. We traveled to Louisville’s “Extreme Park” as well as parks in Frankfort, Georgetown, Dry Ridge, Florence, and Southern Indiana. We all bonded as we skated together and as I leaned heavy on the kids for advice about skating. In the mornings and evenings, Chris, Bruce, David and I shared our stories with them. The love of Christ was so thick and tangible during camp chapel meetings that you could almost see it. During the final evening at camp, we challenged the campers to surrender their lives to Christ. Ten or so responded in faith, expressing a desire to begin a relationship with Christ!
By then end of camp, much had transpired (unfortunately sleep did not). Injuries were few--one young man did break his ankle. Most had broken spirits and as a result tasted the abundant life Jesus offers. Strangely, even something about a “dragon” became one of the most referenced inside jokes among the campers.
Chinese mythology teaches that the dragon symbolized the Emperors of China themselves whom they believed possessed unrivaled wisdom and power. Of course these “powerful” leaders are all dead. But at skate camp, campers came to know the all knowing and infinitely powerful God who conquered death itself and still uses things like a skateboard to let people know that he is real and loves them.
I can’t thank all of you enough who helped make this camp possible. I can’t wait to see what God does through skating in Central Kentucky next!
Gavin
P.S. If you are a camper and you are reading this, I echo the words of Paul as he was writing to the believers in Philippi:
Philippians 1: 3I thank my God every time I remember you. 4In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 7It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. 8God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
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