Half pipe, full truth

Evangelism | Skateboard enthusiasts put the true Christ in Christ air | Rachel Houston

Astrip of wood fastened onto wheels is sport for some and transportation for others, but those who combine skateboarding with Christian teaching claim it can also serve as a vehicle for evangelism.

"Christ met physical needs," 43-year-old skateboarder Tom Fain says. "When He healed [people], it was for a physical need. But in that moment, He was able to speak to them in a spiritual aspect. That's what we're doing, using a physical thing to draw them in."

Mr. Fain, a youth pastor at Ventura First Assembly of God in California, uses his skateboarding skills to teach teens across America. After performing a series of "old school" skateboarding stunts, many of which incorporate handstands, Mr. Fain tells how he moved from professional skateboarder at age 16 to alcoholic, criminal, and drug abuser two years later: "I looked in a mirror and hated the person I had become. I prayed, 'God if You're real, end my life tonight.' What I wanted Him to do was let me die. I wanted to go to sleep and not wake up again."