Local News

Joshua Church Offers Women’s Self Defense Class

Dixil Rodriguez

August 9, 2018

On Sunday, July 29, 2018, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, the Joshua Seventh-day Adventist Church offered a Self-Defense Class. It was listed as an interactive class that would provide “introductory information on how to protect yourself . . . avoid being a target.” The course was promoted well. However, the question still lingered among some: how would the church community respond to a potentially "violent" self-defense course?

As additional chairs were placed in the gymnasium to accommodate the audience, women of all ages (both members and friends of Joshua church), demonstrated the urgency within a church community to come together and learn self-defense. It was a full-house event. Observing the instructors line up to teach the first “basic” module, familiar faces are spotted. Julianna Ho, Joshua church secretary/clerk, wears a black belt and participates in the interactive workshops. Next to her several community members, and one other church member (the pastor’s son, Andrew) are ready to assist wearing black, brown, and blue belts.

“It’s about protecting yourself against the possibility of violence” said Joshua church Pastor Austin. “We observe in our society how violence is increasing. This is not a violent form of defense. It’s a way to build the confidence to not become a target.”

In 2017, US News[1] reported that in Texas an average of 20 women are physically assaulted every minute. Considering the assaults mentioned do not occur in one location, but several, in five minutes one hundred women are assaulted. The outlook is grim as the 2018 statistics are only climbing. By participating in community outreach programs, Joshua Church Pastor Austin has consistently found proactive ways to engage the church in community programs that promote awareness. This effort is bringing church and community members together in efforts to improve the locality we share.

On Sunday, as I walked into the gymnasium, one of the teenagers attending the course confided, “I am looking forward to this. Do you know that in the last month three of my friends were mugged and in two of the incidents my friends ended up in the hospital? Is that not horrible? I wish the small local newspaper would report on that, but they don’t. Violence against women seems to increase, even in our small community of Christian schools and universities.”

After two hours of training, the group took a lunch break and gathered together to share experiences from the morning class. Billy Smith, owner and instructor at Billy Smith American Karate,[2] usually teaches Self-Defense courses for women on Saturday. A friend and colleague of Austin, Billy donated his Sunday (bringing instructors along!) to accommodate the Sabbath schedule for Joshua church.

“Women do not want to hurt anyone. Once we show them some different defensive moves, this program becomes life-saving. What we are teaching is practical defense,” said Billy. “These ladies are not apprehensive at all, they are ready to learn and become accountable for learning how to defend themselves. Even by improving the tone of their voice they can become assertive and intimidate their assailants. I am glad to see young people learning defense skills to avoid becoming a statistic!”

Sitting down with new friends for lunch, I had the opportunity to converse with mothers who brought their daughters to the course. “We were always encouraged to ‘be sweet and people will be sweet back to you.’ Young people need to be ready to get out of bad situations. Sometimes all you need is a few seconds to get ahead of the danger” said Melinda Prater, Joshua church member who brought her daughters to the class. “I do not see this as violent or aggressive. What we are learning is that ‘you can take care of yourself’ and ‘here are some tools.’ It’s a positive lesson to teach, learn, and practice.”

“I believe it is bold move for any church to promote and deliver this course,” says June, a community member who brought her two daughters to the class. “As a parent you worry about safety. My generation was taught to never speak of violent acts. We pray for our children and God keeps them safe. I am very impressed that Joshua chose to offer the program. Look at how many women showed up! The respect taught in this course, it’s a different yet positive way to observe the golden rule.”