When a 16-year-old boy told Freddy Lopez that his ministry had kept him off drugs, he knew he was doing the right thing.
"We live an exciting life. It’s God, the bottom line," said Lopez, 36. He and his wife, Tonie, are both youth pastors at Grace Point Fellowship at 2601 Bothwell Rd. They’re also sportsinstructors at the church’s Destiny Christian Academy, a private school. She also teaches Bible and history, while he teaches Spanish and keyboarding.
"This is how teenagers are going to come in to know God, because it’s a sports ministry, because basketball, volleyball, martial arts, all this stuff," he said. "They’re just tools to bring them in, to have fun, and then we share with them the love of Christ."
Freddie Lopez, a Roma native, and his wife operated a martial arts academy in Austin until about a year ago. The couple, who married 15 years ago after meeting at Texas Bible Institute in Columbus and now have two children, were happy where they lived and had no plans of leaving. However, they received a calling to take a new path in life.
The pastors at Grace Fellowship were looking for youth ministers. They knew of Freddy and Tonie Lopez and contacted Tonie Lopez’s mother, who contacted the couple.
"We came down, we talked with them, and they said, ‘We have this humongous gym,’" Freddy Lopez recalled.
"What is it being used for?" he asked them. The building wasn’t being used for anything, they said.
"We fainted," he recalled. "We couldn’t believe it was just a building sitting there. We really prayed about it, debated, talked about it, and then we said, ‘You know what? Let’s pack everything in a Penske truck and let’s go for it."
The rest is history. They enjoy their ministry here, which includes opening the gym on Wednesday after school.
"All these teenagers come almost straight from Harlingen South High School, and we feed them, too," he said. "We give ‘em hot dogs, or sometimes a parent might make some chili. They come over, they eat, they play, they get the word of God, and then they play a little bit more, and their parents come pick ‘em up. Give them an outlet or they’re gonna find something else."
Their outreach also includes the use of Dave’s Weight Club, 417 N. 1st St. The owner offered to let them use the space so local youth can have a place to study martial arts, and Freddy and his wife work with the children on Mondays and Fridays.
"What he did, he says, ‘I want to get the kids out, I don’t know how to teach this karate or martial arts or anything, but if you can teach them I’ll open the place," he said. "He invested some money on an octagon in there, and he’s looking for a 15-passenger van to pick up the kids, and he says, ‘If I bring ‘em in, you give ‘em God and martial arts, and I’ll help you.’"
On octagon is used the same way a boxing ring is used, to train people in boxing and martial arts, Lopez said.
For more information about these youth programs, call Freddy Lopez at 454-5036.
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