Mark's Notebook

Missouri church ministers to skaters

Lawrence Journal World

By Lisa Horn - St. Joseph News-Press

Calvary Chapel is the only place in Maryville where skaters can ride their boards legally. It provides an option for young people who otherwise would face a summer of boredom in the small northwest Missouri town.

Of the 20 to 30 skaters who show up every night between 4 and 8 p.m., the majority of them don’t go to church.

Chance Allen, 11, started coming to the skate park when it opened about a year and a half ago. He and his family attended their first Bible study at the church, and have since found it a home. “We liked it a lot better than our own church,” he said, adding there’s no reason that skateboarders can’t be good Christians.

“When we first opened (the kids) wouldn’t even look at me,” the Rev. Dirks said. “But every once in a while, they’d land a good move, I’d catch them glancing at me, like ‘Did you see that? Did you catch that?’ And I’d look at them and smile and say, ‘Good.”’

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2006/aug/13/missouri_church_ministers_skaters/

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Last updated Tuesday 13 May 2008