tkdkarategirl Posted October 5, 2004 Posted October 5, 2004 Just curious if anyone here has any experience trying to get one of these off the ground...My husband and I are starting a 'club' at our church and want to eventually use it as an outreach, but we're having a hard time piquing interest at our Church (it's rather larte, 3000 members, about 1700 attending)...we want to do a demo to get people interested, but currently only have ourselves and 2 other students who are trained enough to do so... For those of you who have nothing but negatives to say in regards to Christianity and Martial Arts, I really don't need to hear it here, I've heard it all before...if there was no one who was going to say anything, I apologize, but it's been a hard row to hoe to get here... Anyway, I'd like to hear from anyone with any experience... https://www.karatebarn.com"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me..." Phil. 4:13
foreveryoung001 Posted October 5, 2004 Posted October 5, 2004 Through the organization I am affiliated with, The USCDKA, they have a program called the Christian Taekwondo University. It was specifically designed to use Tak Kwon Do as an evangelism tool. The roots of the USCDKA are very Christian, but the CTU was designed to used specifically in churches. I have quite seriously been considering begining a club such as that within my church, but have done nothing to pursue it at this time. There are quite a few CTU clubs up and running across the country, and the folks that run them might be able to give you some insight. I've found a bunch using google and just searching for Christian Tae Kwon Do University. Student: "Why did you hit that guy with a chair? Why didn't you use your karate?"Master: "Hitting him with a chair was the only karate I could think of at the time."Lesson: Practice until you don't have to think.
DD Posted October 6, 2004 Posted October 6, 2004 I really think you've got a great idea. Kids my age are interested in martial arts and if you can get a few kids to start classes regularly, they would probably start coming on Sunday mornings. As far as a demo goes, what I enjoy watching is when two people choreograph a fairly fast kata or form together. So if you don't have many people, then maybe this would work.
TheDevilAside Posted October 6, 2004 Posted October 6, 2004 Okay.. I'm just curious.. How exactly do you use martial arts as an evangelism tool? I mean, I can see the correlation between building homes for homeless people and teaching people about The Bible, but I don't really see how martial arts could be used in the same way. I'm Christian as well, again, I'm not instigating, I'm just wondering. "If you're going through hell, keep going." - Sir Winston Churchill
foreveryoung001 Posted October 6, 2004 Posted October 6, 2004 Okay.. I'm just curious.. How exactly do you use martial arts as an evangelism tool? I mean, I can see the correlation between building homes for homeless people and teaching people about The Bible, but I don't really see how martial arts could be used in the same way. I'm Christian as well, again, I'm not instigating, I'm just wondering. I can't speak for others, but I can speak for the effectiveness. I was not a Christian until my instructor gave his testimony during class one night. It took a long time for it to sink in, but even to this day, some 15 years later, I still remember that night and how I learned that Jesus was very real. I have seen and been involved with my Grand Master's demonstrations where he draws in large audiences, wows them with a great demo, and then gives all the glory to God. I have seen several people dedicate their lives to Christ at those events. I have seen youngsters, who would most likely have gotten involved with gangs, drugs, or who-knows-what, given a new passion and they were able to learn commitment and discipline from a Christian brother or sister who would otherwise not have had any impact on their lives. I know with some of the CTU programs, bible study, prayer, and ministry is a part of the class. Bible learning is a requisite for testing, and the program themselves have drawn kids into the church who might not otherwise have had any interest. These are just some of the ways I have seen it work. Some others who are currently involved with a Christian MA ministry might have some more insight for too. Student: "Why did you hit that guy with a chair? Why didn't you use your karate?"Master: "Hitting him with a chair was the only karate I could think of at the time."Lesson: Practice until you don't have to think.
tkdkarategirl Posted October 6, 2004 Author Posted October 6, 2004 Our biggest thought on it was..."How do we bring more teens/tweens into the church?" We wanted something to get them TO the church first, then minister to them later (we include a bible study in our classes...and plan on doing community activities once we get enough kids enrolled...) I guess it's like the Upward programs...I mean, how do you evangalize through basketball or soccer? It's basically the same concept...You bring them TO the church first, offer them great fellowship, Christian concepts (honor, integrity, perseverence, respect, discipline, etc), Christian love, and fun, and hope that your witness wins them over. My husband's big thing is he WANTS to teach TKD, and feels he's been called to...his attempts at having a BUSINESS failed because he wasn't willing to do what you have to do around here to succeed (the other karate schools in the area are ruthless...). So after church one night, he tells me...God doesn't want a business, he wants a ministry...So here we are. Foreveryoung...that's what we want...we want to be able to show someone what we can do, then be able to tell them WHY we can do it!! There is a kid enrolled in our class right now...he's 13, not really involved in anything else, he attends youth group outings at our church, but doesn't really seem to 'fit in' with them...we want kids like that, who don't really 'fit in' in any of the other (great) activities our church offers, to have a place in their church where they can use their talents to minister to other kids their age... OK, now I'm rambling..but thanks for the ideas/encouragement guys... As far as organizations go, I've not really been able to find too many I agree with...we looked at one where you had to be a pastor to be the instructor and be certified...we actually considered just joining the AAU and kind of forming our own little thing (we eventually want to take the program to other churches in the area)... Ok, enough rambling for now... https://www.karatebarn.com"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me..." Phil. 4:13
tommarker Posted October 6, 2004 Posted October 6, 2004 Have you considered a YMCA program? It's a good organization, and the commercial storefront studio problems don't apply. I'm not saying doing it at the church is a bad idea.. but if you have a successful program at the Y, it might make it easier to get people at the church involved too. Perhaps a few people from the congregation work at the Y, and share their positive experiences with the group. I'm no longer posting here. Adios.
gheinisch Posted October 6, 2004 Posted October 6, 2004 A great idea! Our school is the U.S. Academy of Martial Arts and we have been around for six years. Our Hanshi felt a calling as well. He had been out of teaching for a few years and started the school by simply putting a note in the Sunday bulletin. He doesn't charge anything for teaching and has actually spent his own money on epuipment and supplies. We as students help with buying stuff when we know in advance but he never asks us to do so. You didn't mention if you guys charge a fee or not. People can be more willing to try something for free. We have a large church as well and had a large number of students to show up on the first night. Of course some didn't come back and some will and have dropped out over the years. But new students come all the time and we now hold classes three times a week. One of those days are for the three of us who are getting close to black belt to work one on one with Hanshi. Do the leaders of your church approve or disapprove of your efforts? Ours were a little apprehensive before Hanshi explained to them what he wanted to do. It has been a great tool for getting some of the young kids into church and teaching them the word of God as well as self defence, confidence and attitude. One thing you may want to consider is limiting the age of the kids who are allowed to attend class. You must be at least 12 to participate in ours. We have other support groups going on at the same time as our class and didn't want our class to become a drop off point for parents while they went to others classes. We have a Martial Arts link on the churches web site if you want to check it out for some ideas on how we combine Martial Arts and Christianity. http://www.crossroadsnewnan.org/default.asp Click on the Martial Arts link on the left. Good luck with your efforts and I hope you guys are successful. God Bless, Greg "If your hand goes forth withhold your temper""If your temper goes forth withold your hand"-Gichin Funakoshi
tkdkarategirl Posted October 6, 2004 Author Posted October 6, 2004 Greg, We don't plan on charging a flat fee...we do ask for a $1 donation per class to be used for equipment (unfortunately, we are not financially able to fund our efforts as much as we'd like), but nothing required, nothing officially recognized (we have a jar we put out at the front of the gym and they can drop something in as they come in if they're able...)...We use our website for everyone to buy their gear (my husband was working a second job in the afternoons to make ends meet, so that is kind of our way of making sure we don't lose all of that income...we'd sink!! Also, any extra from that will be put right back into the school for whatever needs we may have), but it's at a huge discount, and we're working on getting sponsors for the ones who can't afford to pay, and we also told them that if they're not able to buy something they absolutely need, that they need to come see us and we'll do what we can to get it for them...(if God wants us to do this completely, he'll give us a way) The pastor was REALLY receptive, he actually took akido not too long ago....there is one lady in the church concerned with "mysticism" who has been calling trying to meet with us, but she just mostly has a problem not understanding the yin-yang we plan on using when we start kendo, etc...(she thinks b/c it has been used for Cults and stuff, we can't use it to glorify God...and I know the whole meaning behind it is kind of iffy, but that's another post...) Right now we're targeting the 10-14 age group, the youth (14+) have their programs, the younger kids have the Upward basketball, soccer, and cheerleading, and it just kind of seemed the "tweens" were left out. We eventually would like to be able to open it up to all ages (5+), but we're not sure when that will be able to happen. We'd have to have 2 classes each time we met (5-12, and 12+) and we don't have time for that right now. Right now we've got all the beginning white belts, my husband (3rd degree black) myself(red...I've been in tkd for 3 years now, but had a baby when I was supossed to be testing for my black and I'm working on getting back in shape!!), and 2 red belts...so we're all reviewing the basics for 50 minutes, then the higher ranks spar for the last 30 minutes of class... Anyway, I've started rambling, but I sure will check out your website...I'll probably be back with more questions, too... https://www.karatebarn.com"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me..." Phil. 4:13
cathal Posted October 6, 2004 Posted October 6, 2004 How do you plan on integrating the concepts of ki and budo into your evangelical aspect? .The best victory is when the opponent surrendersof its own accord before there are any actualhostilities...It is best to win without fighting.- Sun-tzu
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