Skatepark Gospel Outreach: Focus on Those Who Come

Two days before the skatepark outreach on May 25th at Lauridsen Skate Park, Gabe, my friend and the organizer of the church event, contacted me with some disappointing news. He was going to postpone the outreach for Saturday to later on in the summer or fall because only three youth were able to make it because of graduation parties and ceremonies.

We both felt deflated, but I offered him some options and solutions to his situation. I suggested that we focus on the three youth and just go with tracts and share Jesus without the food giveaway. This way those three will be better prepared for the actual event later. He agreed that it was a good idea, and we shortened the time by two hours. Also, if the weather ended up being what it was supposed to be, we were looking at a high of 77 degrees! The event without food and snacks was back on for Saturday.

The Event

When everyone arrived at the skate park, we had a good group of kids and adults to share the gospel. All in all, we had 13 adults and about 11 kids. It was way bigger than we expected. A few guys from the men’s study I attend on Tuesday mornings came out with their wives, and Kasin showed up even after a long fishing trip he was away for. It was really cool. The weather was perfect, and couldn’t wait to see what God was going to do.

Encouraging the kids

Before we began, a level of encouragement needed to take place with the kids. They looked nervous, and I don’t know if they’ve ever done anything like this before. Children and teens don’t realize just how powerful they really are, and that they should use their youth to their advantage while they still have it. Kids can get into a conversation with anyone: younger and older kids, women, teens, and so on. They are unlimited as to who they can have a conversation with; whereas I can’t talk to children without being looked at as a predator.

Kasin and I showed them various tracts and booklets to use in sharing the gospel and how they worked. Along with the tracts Gabe bought, I brought along 20 Lifebooks, which are the Gospel of John for teens with commentary from kids around their age. These are little books created by Gideon’s International that Pastors and Youth Pastors can order for their teens free of charge to take into their schools to share with their friends. School staff and faculty want you to think that the Bible not allowed in public schools; but that’s not true. The mission field doors remain wide open to students reaching students. Nothng prohibits religious expression inside our public schools, and here are the documents to prove it!

Sent out

After we all prayed, we split up and the kids went with their parents. While I sat back to see if anyone needed help before I got into a conversation, I noticed something very important. The kids were a little apprehensive until they saw their parents hand out tracts and share the gospel. Once the kids saw that nothing bad was going to happen to them, they gave away their tracts and came back for more. They were so encouraged by their parent’s bravery, that they wanted to do it over again and again.

Some parents had some less than fortunate conversations and that was ok. We can’t control the situation or the conversation any more as humanly possible. But I was glad to see that most did not end the day with an unpleasant conversation. The boldness the parents showed was contagious, and therefore reciprocated seeing their children handing out gospel tracts and sharing Jesus with those around them. I was elated, and couldn’t stop talking to those around me, answering questions, and helping those around me, even getting into a few of my own.

Fish jump in the boat

About two hours into the event, I was sharing the gospel and passing out tracts when we realized that almost all of the people there got some. Things looked like they were winding down early. Someone in our group noticed a mob of people on scooters on their way to where we were. Tons of people. Jen, Ryan’s wife, grabbed a stack of million-dollar bills and started handing them out to the mob of skaters passing right in front of us. It couldn’t have been easier. Once she was done, she had a great one-on-one conversation with a young lady and prayed with her. You can tell it was a very special moment, and from the look on the girl’s face, she was feeling the weight of conviction and freedom in the gospel.

Being here today, seeing God move, and watching kids and adults overcome their fear and share their faith was a huge blessing to me. I was deeply encouraged and didn’t want the day to end. Gabe and I were so glad we continued with the event and focused on the ones that showed up. Just imagine when this church has their next scheduled event with food and drinks, these families will be more prepared than ever and show the newbies how it’s done.