God Is Moving in Skateboarding

You don't always see it coming, the season that open up like a new spot, smooth and waiting. This past stretch has been one of those seasons. Doors swinging open one after another, and behind each one, the same thing: skaters who are ready to talk, ready to connect, ready to connect with God.

Seven Saturdays with the World's Best

Earlier this year, I headed down to the LA area for one of the most unique opportunities I've had in chaplaincy: coaching the Los Santos team for the professional Street League Skateboarding circuit. For seven consecutive Saturdays, I got to skate alongside and build into the lives of some of the top professional skateboarders on the planet.

Not just showing up. Coaching. Skating together. Leading rider's meetings for the Los Santos team. Praying together. Getting into the real conversations that only happen when trust is built over time, and trust is built on consistent presence. Seven weeks of it. Every single Saturday.

What struck me most was the consistency. The caliber of skating in the room was remarkable, but what was even more remarkable was what happened when we slowed down, gathered up, and made space for something more than tricks and runs. These guys are human beings carrying real things — and they noticed when someone showed up to remind them of that.

Rider's Meeting at the Curb Show 

This past weekend I had the privilege of leading the rider's meeting before the Pro-Am contest at the Curb Show. These meetings set the tone, a moment to ground everything before the competition heat kicks in. The interactions throughout the day were rich. Praying for skaters on the sidelines. Conversations that started light and went deep fast.

The walls that normally come up around professional athletes, the image management, the performance pressure, they come down when you meet people where they are, on their turf, speaking their language.

The Monday morning call, Pros Being Bros, continues to be one of the most life-giving things happening in skateboard ministry right now. Week after week, anywhere from 20 to 35 guys jump on, pros, ams, skaters from multiple countries, and what happens is exactly what you'd hope for: testimonies, encouragement, real community.

This isn't a polished production. It's skaters sharing what God is doing in their lives. The kind of raw, honest, peer-to-peer faith conversation that can't be manufactured, it just grows when you keep showing up and creating the space. We've also been showing up in Shredder News for various things coming out of this ministry, which has been a real encouragement.

God has been opening doors. And doing a lot of great things in the skate community.

Support the Next Event

This ministry runs on relationship, and relationship requires presence. I'm fundraising to attend two major upcoming events where the doors are already open and the ground is ready: Jackalope at the end of May, and SLS Brasilia in August. If you want to support skateboard chaplaincy, now's a great time to get involved! 

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