Just Fun

Faith & Values: Grace Chapel invites teens to take it to extreme [Excerpts]

Grace Chapel has a sign reading "First Century Living in the Twenty-first Century" at its entrance.

"Our church is about how we love kids. We particularly felt we needed to have an outreach to those kids who are tattooed, pierced, who think nobody cares about them, nobody understands them. That is the heart of our program. That's why GraceXtreme started," [program manager Holly] Givens said.

The program began with opening a skateboard park and paintball park three years ago on the church property along Southall Road. The paintball portion has two fields -- one is 100 feet by 200 feet and the other is 125 feet by 150 feet. The skateboard section is 60 feet by 100 feet and has quarter ramps, a fun box and grinding rails.

The parks are open each Saturday during the season. About 40 came to the paintball field season opening last Saturday, and 25 or so attended a skateboard clinic.

There is no Bible study or opening devotions. It's fun, pure and simple. These Christians are evangelizing by example only, Givens said.

"It's like a stealth ministry. We go in under their radar. We don't preach to the kids. We try to love on them. Through just being nice and loving, we hope for an opportunity to introduce them to Jesus Christ," she said.

The program is working, she said, not only in giving youth a safe and loving place to hang out, but also in showing them a bit about Christianity. Several teens have begun coming to church youth meetings after playing at the parks, she said.

"If we have any kids who are won over to Christ through this, that would be awesome. If all we do is plant seeds, that is our main goal. We want these kids to know they are loved and accepted. They're used to being rejected. We're not going to reject them. Come with your baggage. That's OK. We love you, and we accept you," Givens said.

http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060407/COUNTY090101/604070362/1356/COUNTY09

[TBC: Director Givens says "The program is working . . . " Apparently her criteria for success is someone showing up. The criteria should be whether or not kids are saved. To Givens, however, that possibility is only an "If we have any kids who are won over to Christ through this, that would be awesome."]