WORCESTER, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Worcester County skaters looking to shred half-pipes during the winter may not have to look far for a venue.
Vessel Skatepark in Worcester was created to offer a free winter indoor skating experience for kids of all ages, while stopping from time to time to share the Gospel.
WBZ's Matt Shearer spoke to the President of Vessel Skatepark Steven Shoge about the park's melding of church and skate.
According to Vessel Skatepark, the vision for the 8,000 square foot park was to have summer skate camps, competitions, workshops, and community nights while inspiring hope and freedom among other virtues.
"God and skateboarding, what could be better than that? We'll have a couple nights a week where we stop skating for fifteen minutes and share what we believe," Shoge said. The non-profit's officials said that parents can drop off their kids to spend the day skating.
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Shoge said that the park is waiting to receive a permit from the City to open their doors to the public. The Vessel Park team said that skaters just have to listen, and don't necessarily need to be converted to grind the rails.
"There was a point where I didn't have hope, joy, and peace- I do now, but it's just because of Jesus. It's like any other gift, if you don't want the gift then you don't take it," Shoge said.
WBZ's Matt Shearer (@MattWBZ) reports.