Skateboarding in the Philippines: From Small Grants to Big Dreams

At JSAW, our vision and mission is to transform action sports culture by making riders into disciples of Jesus. One way we live this out globally is through the Action Sports Ministry Fund, which provides small grants to help partner ministries reach riders in their local communities.

Recently, we awarded a grant of $1,000 USD to our friends at Upland Cavite Skate Ministry in the Philippines—and the results have been nothing short of inspiring.

A Look at the Impact

With this grant, Upland Cavite Skate Ministry hosted skate outreaches, tutorials, and discipleship gatherings. Here’s what happened:

✅ 119 riders heard the gospel — from local skatepark visitors, to tutorial groups and skaters from different spots.

🙏 57 riders accepted Jesus as their Savior — including tutorial attendees, skate leaders, and even adult volunteers.

📖 25 riders entered into active discipleship — committing to ongoing Bible study and leadership development.

These numbers represent real lives: young people who not only learned new tricks on a board but also discovered hope, purpose, and belonging through faith in Christ.

What Made It Work

The ministry leader shared that much of their success came from:

• Gaining the trust of local riders and being seen as a caring leader.

• Strong teamwork and preparation with co-leaders and volunteers.

• Support from mentors and partner ministries like the Acts Network and Skate Ministry Asia, who helped guide and encourage them along the way.

Together, these efforts created a sense of unity and shared mission that resonated with the local skate community.

What’s Next

While the goals of sharing the gospel and starting discipleship were met, the team sees room to grow:

• Consistent follow-up: Building deeper relationships with riders and their families.

• Stronger discipleship: Providing ongoing leadership training and spiritual mentorship.

• Networking and learning: Attending international skate ministry gatherings to gain fresh ideas and partnerships.

The heart behind it all is clear: to keep the momentum going so that what began as a one-time outreach becomes a lasting, life-changing movement.

Why It Matters

At JSAW, we believe that even a small grant can become a spark that lights up an entire skate community. The story from Upland Cavite Skate Ministry shows that it’s not just about funding events—it’s about equipping local leaders, empowering riders to lead, and seeing real spiritual fruit that multiplies over time.

We’re grateful to play a part in this story and look forward to supporting more ministries that bring the love of Christ to action sports communities around the world.

If you would like to contribute toward the Action Sports Ministry Fund you can do so here: JSAW.org/worldwide

Together, we’re making riders into disciples—one skatepark at a time.