EFCA Today

“At First Free we have a permission/medical form for students to fill out annually. And if we are leaving home base, we take that information with us. We also have a ramp ministry at the church, where students ride BMX bikes and skateboards. Several have accepted Christ through the ramp ministry and are now involved in a small group that meets on Wednesday nights.

But of course, a ramp ministry brings a lot of liability, so students fill out a separate release form, signed by their parents if they are not 18, and they must wear a helmet at all times.

On one ordinary day in fall 2010, students were riding the ramps like normal, with several leaders watching. I was inside, where a visiting nurse practitioner was sharing with other students about drug and alcohol abuse (the ramp ministry is a rougher crowd).

Suddenly, one of the students came to me and said someone had fallen and was hurt. The student had hit a quarter and was going to go back over the spine. He did not land the quarter and fell over his handlebars, landing on his head and shoulder. He was knocked out for about a minute and broke his collarbone and top rib.

When I ran outside he was lying on the ground unconscious. There were leaders outside during all of this, but you can’t do much when someone is 10 feet in the air. The nurse practitioner stayed with him while I called 911. Then I retrieved his form and—with a sinking feeling in my chest—called his parents.

I told his mother exactly what had happened and asked what hospital she would prefer, so I could have the ambulance take him there.

The student fully recovered from his injuries and after three months was participating in the ramp ministry again. We continue to remind students that they must wear a helmet here and that skulls are not as hard as concrete.

It wasn’t fun to call a parent with that news, but I was glad I had the phone number to do so. It’s our responsibility when parents have entrusted their child to us.