The peoplePaul Anderson and Clint Bidleman became inseparable friends in the eighth grade. Paul, a skater since age 11, and Clint, since age 14, grew up in the San Luis Obispo, California skate culture in the late 70's and early 80's. Fellow teammates on the Central Coast Surfboards skate team, they both emerged as top freestyle competitors.
Skating, drugs, alcohol, stealing wood to build skateboard ramps - it all went together. But at age 17, they both underwent a radical lifestyle change when they individually came to know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord through the bold witness of obedient Christians.
In 1987, the 23-year-olds were sponsored amateur freestyle skaters attending a Portland Oregon Bible College, and informally skateboarding with local neighborhood skaters. One night while studying, Paul met some skaters on campus who had wandered away from a gym night at nearby Central Bible Church. Returning the skaters to the gym, Paul was encouraged by Central Bible Youth Intern John Stone to come weekly and minister to skaters who didn't fit in. Determined to follow the path Jesus had for them, Paul and Clint then joined forces with Youth Pastor Mark DeYmaz and founded Skatechurch in the Central Bible parking lot.
Tragically, Clint passed away in 1993 from the AIDS virus after contracting HIV in 1983 through a blood transfusion he received following a near fatal motorcycle accident. His famous 180 tracts remain on the merch page of the website as a memorial to his faithful service to Christ and the skaters of the world.
The place
The Skatechurch building was completed and dedicated in 1996, through a sizeable donation from a member of Central Bible Church.
The ministry
The past 24 years have been a testimony to answered prayer and God's power to save souls and change lives. Paul and his staff affirm with wholehearted zeal, "The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes" (Romans 1: 16), that prayer is the backbone of spiritual ministry, and that one plants, another waters, but it is God who causes the increase (see 1 Corinthians 3:5, 6).
- Over 11,000 skaters in the greater Portland area have heard the Gospel through Skatechurch.
- Skatechurch has held three skate camps.
- 1,240 people locally have claimed Christ as Savior and Lord.
- 20 Skatechurch students have gone on to Bible College in some capacity.
- After getting saved, one skater went on to teach Bible Study Methods and Biblical Hebrew at the Bible college and seminary level.
- Skatechurch has assisted many other skate ministries in getting started and maintaining their own skateboard ministries throughout the US, Canada, Australia, Europe and Africa.
- In 1998, Skatechurch produced a 29-minute video to help other ministries start and run ministries to skaters. The latest version of the "How To" Video, produced in 2007, can now be viewed online for free. 651 DVD's of the video have been distributed worldwide.
- The skateboard demonstration team has preached the Gospel to approximately 17,710 people throughout California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Arkansas, Canada and Ireland.
- Gerald Griffin, Skatechurch pastor from 1999-2002, and Ben Thomas, Skatechurch pastor from 2003-2005, led a team of skaters to France and Ireland in the summer of 2002. Joel Coombs led Skatechurch mission teams to Ireland in 2004 and 2005.
- 694 people have professed faith in Christ through the witness of the demo team.
- In addition to these demos, from 2000 to 2004 Skatechurch partnered
with the Luis Palau Evangelistic Association to do 11 demos at Palau
Festivals in the U.S. and Europe. These festivals included:
- building 4,500 to 9,000-square-foot skate parks.
- organizing teams of professional Christian skaters.
- preaching the Gospel to the large crowds that attend the skateboard demonstrations, resulting in 1849 decisions or rededications.
- Paul Anderson, a partner evangelist to Luis Palau, and Skatechurch's involvement in these festivals became the seedbed for Palau's ongoing Livin' It Action Sports Ministries.
