ANNVILLE, Pa. — From jiu-jitsu, to kickboxing, to wrestling, there are plenty of gyms in South Central Pa. that offer training, whether you're an amateur fighter, a pro, or someone who just wants to learn self defense. Travel to Annville, Lebanon County, and you'll find 5 Stones Fight Club, where all of these aspects are practiced, however, this gym operates for a different reason. In this week's installment of MMA in Pa., we look at how the gym gives back to communities near and far.
The goal at 5 Stones Fight Club isn't necessarily to train the world's toughest or strongest fighters, but rather to provide an outlet and introduction for those who might not have thought about martial arts in the first place.
They don't operate as a business, but rather a Christian ministry that gives back to the local community, and creates connections through intense physical activity.
"They kind of started the gym to have fellowship with other believers that were there of kind of the same mind,” Benjamin Green, a volunteer and athlete at 5 Stones told FOX43.
The name "5 Stones" comes from the story of the 5 stones of David in the Bible, where the text describes him fighting and beating Goliath against all odds.
Every Sunday morning, the gym holds a church service, right next to the cage, where they also host food drives and provide other services to local residents.
Over the years, they've also sent many of their volunteers overseas to Kurdistan and other war-torn areas in the world.
"There's an external mission here that is meant to love our neighbor as we love ourselves,” Green said. “Our neighbors are in Kurdistan and our neighbors are right here."
This summer, a group traveled to northern Iraq to provide humanitarian relief to refugees from Syria, and displaced people in Kurdistan.
"A lot of our work is over in Kurdistan, we go overseas and meet the needs of the people there," Green explained. "There's a lot of people that are displaced because of Isis and they're very, very poor so we go over there and try to provide relief for them."
While there, they train missionaries and the Kurdish military for tactical medical situations.
“Here we have a lot of security and we've had a lot of security for a long time," Green said. "They're coming out of a recent war, things here tend to be more focused towards saving up, building a career, and a lot of people because that family is split up over there, the only thing most people have is their families. If you start building a solidified life, you never know when war is going to come to your area again, and you could lose it all."
"Because of that, they are really receptive to the help they can receive," Green continued. "The people that we're helping were living in villages, in the mountains, where ISIS has now occupied so they can't go home, so they're kind of living in the cities."
From the cage, to the mats, to life in the real world, volunteers at the gym live by the phrase "iron sharpens iron,” believing relationships are strengthened and a family is created through hardship.
"Everybody's welcome, it's great to have a place like that where, again, the M.O. is not self, the M.O. is not building the institution, the kingdom, the budget, the M.O. is loving the people and everyone who walks through the door, that just creates a really great family," Green added.
The gym welcomes people from all walks of life, so next time you're in Annville and want to hit the bags, break a sweat, or see some friendly faces, they encourage you to stop by.
That concludes our four-part introduction to mixed martial arts in the region, but we'll be keeping a close eye on the latest MMA and combat sports news in the area, and are looking forward to the Oct. 29 fight card at the Lebanon Valley Expo Center, where local fighter and owner of Moser’s Mat Club, Ben Moser, will headline his 3rd professional fight.