Boxing Ministry Redirects Gang Members - By Alanna Davis

Photography by Amber Dalgleish-Beaman.

Posing for a group photo, Agape boxing ministry participants hold up one finger to symbolize “unity,” but they mean more than team unity. “That’s our sign for spiritual unity,” explained Coach Ed Tijerina. “God bestows blessings when Christians have spiritual unity with each other. Most of the kids don’t know the Lord when they start coming. But they do when they leave!”

In the last year and a half, over 200 participants have gone through the certified Golden Gloves training center to live radically changed lives with better grades in school and better values in life. The ministry was started over six years ago by Coach Ed and Coach Michael Lopez in a garage with one punching bag and one pair of gloves. Today, the ministry meets four nights a week at Agape Christian Ministries and serves up to 40 participants each night.

The evening session starts with laps around the campus, followed by homework with volunteer tutors. Students must finish their homework before moving to the boxing area. The group “prays in” to begin the evening workout and warms up with calisthenics, punching bags and individual training routines. Three U.S. Amateur Boxing Commission LBC1-certified coaches provide guidance to each participant. One-minute sparring rounds prepare competitors for tournament wins against other boxing centers. The highlight of the evening is Coach Ed’s encouraging words about character, integrity and leadership. Participants remember the counsel, apply it to their lives and easily repeat it to this reporter: “A champion keeps his word, finishes strong and follows through. If someone gets in trouble, it affects the whole team. We help each other be responsible and mature. What you do in boxing is what you do in life – don’t be lazy, do your schoolwork with excellence, respect your parents and do what they say. Replace ‘I’ with ‘we’. Help others be winners. What you do makes a difference. We’re champions in boxing and in life!”
The ministry is open to everyone regardless of church affiliation or no affiliation. Many are from single-parent homes and are considered “at-risk” because of their troubled start in life and ongoing influence from gangs, drugs and related violence. They see the boxing ministry as a haven of stability and opportunity for a better life.

Students are driven home after training, both as a safety measure and to ease the burden on parents who sign permission forms for their kids to attend. After receiving salvation, many participants invite their parents to church and they, in turn, have received salvation. The boxing ministry has been a bridge to introduce entire families to salvation through Jesus Christ.

Coach Ed Tijerina and Gerri, his wife of 22 years, have opened their home to kids in need of transition homes and in-depth mentoring. The day starts at 5:00 A.M. for prayer, followed by household chores and prompt departures for school or work. In the last five years, twenty “sons and daughters” have lived with the Tijerinas before going on to lead successful lives, and they’re eager to share their testimonies. The son of Mormon parents, John Pearce needed another place to live when he became a Christian. His easy smile is evidence of the Tijerinas’ successful mentoring for the social needs he says he once had. Jessica Moreno was a troubled teen, but is now finishing college and working with young women in the boxing ministry. “It’s all about relationships and passing it on,” she said. Coach Mike Lopez agrees. He came from a rough upbringing with a drug-addicted mother. “We give back out of the conviction of our hearts,” he added.

Today, Tijerina teaches Sunday School and demonstrates integrity and a Godly love for others, but he had an early life like those described by his students. Coming from a single-parent home, influenced by gangs and the drug culture, he was living on the street by age 14. By age 31, he and his extended family were consumed with drugs and street life, and he was “sick and tired of being sick and tired.” He turned his life over to God. Tijerina says only by divine intervention was he transformed and delivered from his former life. Now the owner of Capstone General Contractors, Tijerina provides construction jobs to older participants and financial support to the ministry. “The boxing ministry is an extension of the vision God has given Bishop Wilkerson to serve the community,” he explained. “Until you’re faithful to help another man build his vision, God won’t build yours!” Tijerina is applying for grants to fulfill his vision of a 300-bed facility offering sports, dance and Tae Kwan Do under 8th degree black belt Grandmaster Abel Villareal.

Coach Ed welcomes volunteers who want to make a difference in the lives of students. A 16-passenger van is needed, as well as boxing gear, uniforms, and scholarship monies to enable students to move forward with their education.

For more information, see www.myspace.com/agapeboxing or

e-mail capstonegc@yahoo.com.