Church Army Resource Showcases Skateboarding Evangelist

Church Army will release a new DVD to inspire outreach groups with its focus on an innovative youth project in Bradford led by a skateboarding evangelist.

The project features skateboarder Andy Milne and the Sorted team who work on housing estates and schools to reach out to the youths in four parishes across the city.

Using skateboarding as a focus, Milne works with some 55 young people aged 11-17 every week - in their schools, homes, in the park or on the streets.

"Sorted is trying to reach people where they are and we're creating a Christian community, we're being family to those that have difficult families at home," says Milne. "We aim to change hearts and attitudes by enabling young people to worship and serve God in a way that they can understand and relate to."

The Sorted project has strong links with the local church secondary school and is engaged in detached youth work on the housing estates in north Bradford. Together with youth worker Tony Brown, Milne runs a Rock Solid Club at Immanuel Christian Community College in north Bradford.

Milne adds: "Sorted helps break down some barriers and the young people can see that we are really concerned about them and the issues they face. Fewer people than ever before have any meaningful links with the church and its culture so it's up to people like us to be out there meeting people where they are at rather than expecting them to come to church."