Team Kick is a cooperative ministry between North Louisiana Isshinryu Karate and Quitman Baptist Church. While Team Kick is not necessarily an “official” ministry of Quitman Baptist - it is very much supported by the Church.
Beginnings
Team Kick began several years ago though Sensei Rudd's inspiration by evangelism efforts at boxing tournaments in Louisiana. After seeing the effectiveness of just talking to people, with whom evangelists shared a common interest, Sensei Rudd was convinced that such a ministry was needed to the martial arts community.
With an idea, Sensei Rudd contacted the head of one of the tournament circuits in which he competes, and asked for permission to set up a simple table with free toys for children, and a book drawing for adults. Expecting this outreach experiment to make a not-so-stellar debut - He was surprised to find that the table was a hit. The Gospel had been shared with hundreds of people that day, and they wanted to the ministry back at future events. Sensei Rudd knew that he struck a nerve.
The Birth of Team Kick
Over time, while the tournament evangelism took off, another ministry was developing - the demonstrations. Sensei Rudd had been invited to do a few demonstrations in local schools with his daughter, Molly, but the summer of 2004 was a turning point. With local churches in the midst of LifeWay's oriental-themed vacation bible school curriculum, Rickshaw Rally, the demand for demonstrations skyrocketed, and the first Team Kick Demo team was assembled.
Team Kick Today
Now, more than three years later, Team Kick is growing rapidly. Starting with the first demonstration during Quitman Baptist 2004 VBS, the demo team is now traveling to Alabama, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and South Dakota for demonstrations. Every day, Sensei Rudd is integrating new elements and looking for ways to make Team Kick even more compelling and more interesting, so as to continue to enable them to fulfill their calling, to use the martial arts as a platform to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to encourage people to give their best.