Cybercolumn by Berry D. Simpson: Skating the issue_71204

Posted: 7/09/04

CYBERCOLUMN:
Skating the issue

By Berry D. Simpson

The vote was 14 in favor of installing signs around the church property that said, “No Skateboarding,” and 17 against. I was one of the 17 who voted against the recommendation, and I have been wondering since if I did the right thing.

Earlier that same night, we voted unanimously to create a new worship service on Sunday evenings, a seeker service aimed at people unlikely to join one of our regular worship services. I couldn’t square a vote in favor of reaching unchurched people with a vote to tell young skateboarders, “Go away.” Not in the same night. Maybe I’ll change my vote next time it comes up, but I don’t know.

This skateboarding issue is a hard decision. Is it about accepting people who are not like us and who don’t seem to know how to behave properly around others, or is it about being good stewards and protecting church property and church members from damage and injury?

It’s a hard decision, because I don’t feel comfortable saying, “People who need Jesus, go away.” Yet if those same people were spraying graffiti on the building or playing strip poker in the parking lot, I wouldn’t hesitate to send them away.

It’s a hard decision, because it strikes at the heart of the role of the church.

Jesus lived his life in such a way that sinners ran toward him. yet we spend much of our time finding ways to protect ourselves from sinners. We complain that public schools have turned away from God, yet we add to the problem by removing our own kids and the Holy Spirit that lives within them. We complain that the skaters who hurl curse words at the men assigned to police the parking lot don’t know how to behave and don’t show respect, yet we want them to learn behavior and respect somewhere else.

It’s a hard decision, because most of the skateboarders have no intention of following any rules or guidelines we may lay down.

One of our parking lot monitors said, “Even quiet obedient kids change personalities with a skateboard under their feet.” Who am I to say we should tolerate them when I’m not one of the men who’ve stood out in the heat and cold for the past two years trying to protect skaters and church members and minister to these kids?

It’s a hard decision, because these skateboarders often ride directly in front of moving cars, cut in front of SUVs full of young families, and are often verbally abusive to church members who dare to walk in their skating path.

It can be very frustrating, and I’ll admit I might not hesitate to drive my Jeep over the top of a stray skateboard that happened to role in my path, taking at least one board out of action. Yet I wonder, are we so determined to park in our favorite places week after week, use our favorite entrances year after year, that we can’t move around to the other side of the building and avoid the confrontations?

It’s a hard decision, because if we allow them to skate, we could be legally liable should a skater get injured.

What if their parents, who probably don’t care where the kids are or what they are doing, decide to take advantage of our benevolence and sue us? Are we willing to risk our substantial missions budget to pay off a frivolous law suit? Yet surely our church has a higher calling than mere risk containment. Surely we live in a bigger story than that. Surely we aren’t like Jonah, who was afraid to minister to scary people not like him, afraid he would get hurt.

It’s a hard decision, because while I may argue we should let them skate and treat this like a serious ministry, I won’t be out on the parking lot watching after them.

I will be teaching classes, actually two classes, and going to rehearsal. It’s easy for me to tell someone else to minister to those pesky kids. Easy to be generous with someone else’s time.

I’m sure we are not finished with this issue, and I don’t know how I’ll vote next time. I don’t know the right answer. I’m a pilgrim in search of answers, not a prophet with a message to proclaim. I want to learn. Living this Christian life is more messy and unpredictable than we usually make it out to be. It’s full of hard decisions.

Berry Simpson, a Sunday school teacher at First Baptist Church in Midland, is a petroleum engineer, writer, runner and member of the city council in Midland.