Meet Sami Hagar | Operations Manager- Troy Skate Church

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sami Hagar and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sami, the decisions we make often shape our story in profound ways. What was one of the most difficult decisions you’ve had to make?
My husband and I were doing amazing. We had the American dream, a nice house, a great career, the kids and a dog. We were set financially and physically we were well taken care of, we had more then we needed and then some. But one day, we came to one of the hardest decisions of our life. One that makes your insides twist and your heart beat rapidly. We had to decide if God was our sufficiency.

Though our life has always been a crazy adventure from living in an RV and traveling through almost all 50 states, to living in a ski town and spending times on the slopes and river, this next chapter would be something completely different if we decided to turn that page and trust in God with our whole hearts, which we did. My husband quit his job and we put our faith in God as we drove head first into ministry. Since then, we’ve seen doors that would have never been opened open, joy in places that it shouldn’t exist, and hearts so hurt and broken be healed and brought back to life; life more abundantly!

That small decision to put God as our sufficiency, to trust Him with our whole hearts, was the most difficult decision we ever had to make. We were already Christians, but choosing Him as our financial sufficiency and trusting that He would provide for all our needs was so nerve wreaking. But the craziest thing happened, He provided! God’s shown up again and again, over and over through finances and friends, through joy and gladness, and through love for and from the community. It was one of the most difficult decisions, but it’s also been the most amazing we’ve ever had to make.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
In August 2021, we felt the Lord’s call to love on the skateboarding community in our town of Troy. We began heading out to the local skatepark to feed the community there every Friday night and learn their stories. This expanded into a full blown 501c3 non-profit serving 20-50 teens and young adults every week. Over the past 3 years we have met hundreds of at-risk teens and young adults. In the winter, we offer an indoor space where they can skateboard, enjoy a meal and a Christ centered message and be welcomed by stable adults who care. We take them on snowboarding trips and field trips to the indoor skatepark in Columbus, we keep shoes and skateboarding parts available to those in need and more importantly, our team of volunteers meets with many of them one on one throughout the week to be a helping hand, teach them to drive, help them find a job and be a listening ear. When we set out to love on some skater kids, we knew nothing about the non-profit world and didn’t intend to “found” anything. It has been a challenging journey with many ups and downs. It is not easy but we just keep showing up. The biggest lessons we have learned is the power of persistency and setting your own selfish desires aside to just keep showing up over and over again. We are currently in the process of raising funding to build an indoor park so we can meet indoors year round along with our weekly cookouts in the summer. It is an exciting challenge! I wish I could tell you to follow your heart, to pursue your own goals, dreams and desires. But I can’t because unless you are saying yes to God’s call on your life- you can have it all and still be unfulfilled. So even if it’s hard, even if it doesn’t look like what you want to do. Say yes, keep showing up and see Him work in unbelievable ways in your life and in the lives of those you serve.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Welcome to the cozy little town of Troy! First stop would be RedBerry for breakfast then for a walk at Brukner Nature preserve. I love to go inside all the way up to the bird watch where you can sit among the treetops and watch dozens of different types of birds come and go. After that, I would head downtown to grab a coffee at Purebred then walk around and check out all the cute little boutiques. ReU Juicery is my favorite spot for a light lunch. I love the healthy Colorado vibes in there. My other must do spots for the week would include a hike at Charleston Falls, lunch at Haren’s Market, Dinner at The Boathouse, ice cream at Ducky’s and my all time favorite local spot for a night cap- Crafter & Cured! And of course, if you happen to be in town on a Friday night, stop by our weekly cookout at the local skatepark and say hi to the Troy Skate Church team!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
God gets the glory! God has always been and will always be the keeper of our story. Followed by our children who are along for the ride weather they want to be or not and our local friends and partners in ministry who have said “yes” alongside us to God’s call; specifically Brandon Ike & Michael Burrows and their families.

Website: https://troyskate.church

Instagram: https://troyskate.church

Facebook: Troy Skate Church

Image Credits
Maiya Lynn Photography

Bonnie Hill Photography