SAN ANTONIO – Community Bible Church is a congregation known throughout San Antonio, but one thing you might not know is their faith has also been fueling their fitness for years.
Desiree Jenson started the church's fitness class seven years ago. Jenson comes from a fitness background and wanted to find a way to serve her community and her church.
The program started with just one class, a few pieces of equipment and a handful of women. Since then, it's grown into a community full of strength, motivation and special relationships.
Vanessa Wilson met her husband during a workout class. Wilson said that's just one reason she returns every week.
"At any ... gym, it's just it feels like you're just you, yourself and I. But when you step foot here, you just feel very welcome. Then you have smiley faces everywhere, and you feel like you want to come here every time, Wilson said."
Esther Makau is from Kenya. The military brought her to San Antonio. Being so far from home, Makau said CBC Fitness for Christ has become her family. Workouts and worship are two things that go hand-in-hand for her.
"Being fit is having energy to do what I'm supposed to do in my life, taking care of my kids and all that is part of my faith," Makau said "My body is a temple of God. And if I take care of my body, it's a way of worshiping God."
While the classes are good for the soul, they also put the body to work, too. Fitness for Christ is a full-body circuit class made up of kettle bells, battle ropes and high-intensity body weight exercises. It can be as challenging as you make it, but it's the sense of community that pushes people to finish strong.
"It's just about the strength and empowerment that people can get. You know, they start out not even being able to do a pushup, and then they can they can do 10, 15, 20 pushups after that. It's just the little goals the little accomplishments that means so much here," Jenson said.
You don't have to be a member of the church to attend the classes. Atheists and agnostics are also welcome. The classes, which are free and open to the public, are held Mondays and Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and Thursdays at 9:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.
For more information, visit CBC’s Fitness for Christ’s Facebook page.