Fort Caroline United Methodist Church
Senior Pastor Curran Spottswood realized, "There were a lot of kids in this area that like to skate, and we were getting a message that skating somehow marked them."
Spottswood felt they should have a place to go where they could feel welcomed. The idea grew into a huge success.
"We put up some skate ramps and advertised that they could come," Spottswood explains, "and they’ve been coming ever since."
Many members at Fort Caroline are 70 and older, and the idea of having a skate park made them a little nervous. But over time the church realized that building the park was the right thing to do.
The ministry began when Brent Foucht, a skater at Fort Caroline, visited a church that had skate ramps. He felt that was a good idea; his church should get some, too. Anne McCrockin, a 60-something member, knew that if Brent would enjoy the park, other kids would as well, so she pushed the idea that Pastor Curran already thought was a good one, members built the ramps, and the rest is history.
Youth Pastor Brian Baggs is thrilled because most of the kids that come to skate don’t know Jesus.
"We’re totally hitting the audiences that we wanted: those who don’t know anything about Jesus Christ," says Baggs.
Pastor Curran wants to see other churches follow Fort Caroline’s example.
"Our hope is that this will inspire other churches to take a risk and try something new to reach out to a group of people in there that they’ve not traditionally reached out to," he says.
