Karate for Christ Canada

Recently at a Fellowship Chaplaincy training event on “Apologetic Dialogue” with Reverend Dr Joe Boot, I was sitting with our President Steve Jones when he posed the question, “What are the obstacles that exist in our current ministries?”

When it was my turn to share, I expressed that one of my biggest obstacles in ministry is getting Fellowship Baptist churches to open their doors to our Karate for Christ Ministry. Our start-up location at Cedar Creek Church, a Fellowship Church in Cambridge, ON, is still operating but all our other locations meet in AGC, PAOC and Christian Reformed Churches. My mentor, Reverend Gervis Black, always said, “The church exists for those who aren’t in it.”

Karate for Christ Canada is a para-church organization that comes alongside the local church to reach youth with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, through teaching Karate. We have had great success in reaching youth that otherwise would never step foot into a church. At some of our locations the classes are made up of 95% unchurched and unsaved youth from the surrounding community. At every class we teach a Bible lesson on topics like who God is, who Jesus is, who the Holy Spirit is, the authority of Scripture, and prayer. Along with Bible lessons, we require scripture memory work for each belt level and present certificates and a wooden sword to students who read the entire Bible. Please take advantage of the synergy afforded by church and para-church partnerships. We exist to serve the church — Fellowship churches included!

— Neil McGillivray is a Fellowship Chaplain and Executive Director/Senior Instructor at Karate For Christ Canada.