White Lake Gets a Kick Out of Innovative Ministry

While Pastor Ken Fouty is typically revered for his teachings of Christ at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church, on Thursday evenings he trades in his vestments for his blue belt in Taekwondo.

Martial Arts Night, a weekly class held in the fellowship hall at Calvary in White Lake, was developed by Fouty in spring 2010 and is taught by congregants Gary Montgomery and David Mills.

“Gary and David are both (Korean martial arts) black belts,” said Fouty, a longtime martial arts enthusiast and assistant instructor for the class. “I act as a Chaplin for the ministry. I help interweave the biblical aspect with the kids and we’re working to incorporate Bible stories that go along with martial arts themes.”

The instructors concentrate on a blend of Taekwondo, Karate, Jiu-Jitsu and Aikido.

“Anything I can do for the betterment of the community is great,” said Montgomery. “I’ve been in martial arts my entire life and it’s great to see people of all different ages getting involved.”

Angela Shay, a White Lake resident, enrolled her daughter Olivia Shay, 10, in the class four months ago and she has been pleased with Olivia’s progress.

“It builds focus, teamwork and self-esteem,” Angela said.

According to Fouty, the class applies the tenets of martial arts: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control and indomitable spirit.

“It’s about physical health, emotional health and spiritual health,” Fouty said. “It’s really focused on the mind, body and soul and pushing yourself to be self-disciplined.” Fouty started training in martial arts in middle school and continued through high school and seminary.

 “The motivation for me to start this ministry is that there are kids who can’t afford this in the community, so I thought why not offer it as a free ministry outreach.”

Thrivent Financials for Lutherans helped get the program started with an undesignated donation to the church that was used to purchase the padding needed for the class. Donations from the community are gladly accepted, but the class is free to participants. Many students decide to invest in the proper martial arts garb.

“From a martial arts beginner to an advanced student, it’s open to the public,” said Fouty. “That’s how we structure our ministry.” Fouty calls Calvary a come-as-you-really-are parish that opens its doors to everyone in the community, regardless of where they are in their life or on their faith journey. Classes are held Thursday evenings from 6:30 p.m.-7:15p.m for students ages five to 14-years-old and from 7:30 p.m.-8:30p.m for students ages 15 to senior citizens.

 “There are probably about 25 kids in the first class and eight to 10 students in the second class. It’s a good mix of men and women,” said Fouty.

“The thing I really enjoy is the community and the excitement in seeing people do things they didn’t think they could do,” Fouty said. “We watch their confidence grow. Kids are eager to learn and they want to be there to enjoy what we have to offer them.”