Published: Thursday, 14th August, 2008 08:40
Dunfermline dad hits out at Christian group's skate demo event
By Siew Peng Lee
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DEMO VENUE: The skate park near the Carnegie Hall where last week’s event was held
A WEST FIFE parent is concerned that youngsters are being attracted to religious-themed events following a “skate demo” in a Dunfermline skate park.
Derek Jackson (44), of Wedderburn Crescent, Dunfermline, had taken his 11-year-old son to the skate park near the Carnegie Hall last Thursday after hearing that a “skate demo” would be held that afternoon.
Mr Jackson, a youth worker, called Fife Council for details about the event, sponsored by the Calvary Christian Fellowship, but was told there was nothing scheduled.
Mr Jackson explained, “The council said they had no knowledge of it but I told my son we would go up anyway.
“When we got there, there was somebody handing out fliers saying it was a skate demo and my son got quite excited.
“I didn’t pay much attention at first – my son was listening to them talk about scootering and skateboarding, and how cool it was.
“But then they got the amplifiers out, got everybody together and sat them down and told them God did not like the world any more, the world was going to die and only those who loved Jesus would be saved.
“At this point we left and I went straight home and phoned the police, council and the Press.”
Mr Jackson said he had “no problem with religious beliefs” but was angry that children were being subjected to it without their or parental consent.
He said, “They should be not wandering around playgrounds corralling children and telling them that the end of the world is coming.
“I don’t care what they believe but how dare they do this to my children in a public place without the knowledge of the parents or the local authorities.”
Mr Jackson questioned why children at the skate park were targeted and raised issues about child safety.
He added, “I’m amazed at the gall of these people.
“I’m flabbergasted and gobsmacked that there’s a group of people who appear to have no problem wandering about children’s parks talking about adult themes.
“They are obviously predators seeking to proselytise.
“If you want to put forward your views to people, then find a situation where people have volunteered their participation.
“My son was made to feel fearful and I’m not letting him go to the park on his own for a very long time.”
Mr Jackson suggested notices be put up in places where children congregated to encourage them to call the police if strangers tried to contact them, or if they felt threatened by an adult.
The police said it was a peaceful gathering and no crime had been committed.
Ken Scott, pastor of the Calvary Christian Fellowship, said the skate demo was a Christian outreach event and that they had not breached any laws.
He explained, “We did exactly what we said on the ad. A professional skater came to do a demonstration and gave away hundreds of pounds worth of skating paraphernalia.
“We gave it all away before even a word was said – we didn’t make anyone sit through it to get the stuff. The skater is doing a tour all over Scotland and nobody has said a word.
“People could walk away at any time, there wasn’t anything holding them back.
“There were other adults there with kids and they never said anything. There was not one other adult there who raised any kind of concern.”
Mr Scott underlined that the Calvary Christian Fellowship was a charity and had received disclosure.
He added, “We have the right by law to say what we believe, it’s as simple as that. There are people who don’t like what we’re doing, but we’re fine with that.”
Jim Hooton, Fife Council service manager for parks and countryside, said, “The skate park is a public place and as long as no-one is committing a criminal offence, they have the same right to be there as anyone else.
“However, we will be in touch with the Calvary Christian Fellowship to ask that if they are planning any further demonstrations at our parks, they let us know beforehand.”
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