Christian-themed skateboarding event set for Saturday

Easter celebrations are not the only event happening at Ian Deutch Memorial Park this weekend.

On Saturday, the entire community is invited to take part in what could be called a multi-generational gathering of “spiritual-minded” families and individuals.

Taking place at the skate park section will be a skate contest and demo beginning at 12 p.m.

Skaters of Christ Skate Board Ministry is a nonprofit organization that travels around the world extoling the gospel of Jesus Christ though skateboarding and other action sports.

Member Nathaniel Muench said he founded the group more than six years ago in Wisconsin.

“In 2008, God put upon my heart to start a Christian skateboard team. At the time, I didn’t skate and coming from a small town in Wisconsin and being super shy, I really didn’t know where to start. I talked to my brother Zac and we prayed about it. Within three months, we had five guys on the team,” he said.

Not long after organizing the ministry, Muench said more and more individuals became interested in coming on board.

One such person was a professional bicycle motocross rider who was also a devout Christian.

“In 2009 we started going to the local parks and telling skaters about Jesus. Thinking back, God did some amazing stuff. We were skating at a local park and this BMXer comes ripping down the path, I recognized him ... We told him about what we do and he was stoked,” he said.

Saturday’s event is sponsored by New Hope Fellowship Ministries.

For more than a year, Susan Harms and other New Hope Fellowship members have spent their Saturdays at Ian Deutch Park talking to teens about religion.

She said she was guided there by her spirituality.

“He kept leading us to go to the skate park and there were kids getting healed. There were kids asking Jesus to come into their hearts. Amazing things have happened since we first started doing this. The glory and love of God has been shown though because Pizza Hut is donating pizza every Saturday for the kids. McDonald’s has been giving 25 cheeseburgers every other Saturday and now they have donated over $400 worth of free food,” she said.

Harms noted that the teens were quite receptive to the message, all the while providing their respective message back to her group in regards to local teen recreational needs.

“They tell me that the town has nothing for them. They are very disappointed and sad because they think this is only a retirement community,” she said.

The evangelist also said she experienced what she termed a “divine appointment” when she found Muench’s ministry online.

Harms also said it took a little convincing to get Muench into Pahrump.

“I could not have found him any other way nor did I know there was a ministry that had skateboarders who skated for the Lord.

“The Lord showed me Nathanial’s group and they spread the gospel around the world. When I saw him online I connected with him. I prayed and asked to God move on his heart and the next day I got an email saying he was coming,” she said.

Saturday’s free skate contest and demonstration will include food, prizes and more.

The event will run from noon to 3 p.m.