Grit to Grace: Pastor Buddy Osborn's Life Story

From the rough-and-tumble streets of Philadelphia to a symbol of unwavering hope, Pastor Buddy Osborn's journey is nothing short of a miracle. Beginning with a childhood marred by hardship and illness, he discovered his love for boxing at the age of 13 —a discipline that catapulted him to local fame and even a brush with Hollywood. His compelling testimony is a gritty narrative that doesn't pull punches when revealing the profound influence of his early years and the redemptive power of finding one's true calling.

Our conversation with Pastor Osborn takes a deeper turn as he recounts his days within the influential roofing union, Local 30, and the harrowing brush with the law that followed—an FBI investigation and a federal racketeering indictment that threatened his freedom. Yet, this man of faith stood at a crossroads and chose the path less traveled, turning down the glittering allure of a big-screen biopic to stay true to his convictions. 

Pastor Buddy's narrative crescendos with the heartwarming story of his romance with Lucille and his mission to found Rock Ministries, a unique blend of boxing and Bible study aimed at guiding at-risk youth away from crime. Join us as Pastor Buddy unveils his vision for the future and recounts the stories of the lives touched by The Rock ministry. 

Chapters

• 0:02 Pastor Buddy Osborne's Amazing Testimony
• 10:19 Boxer and Union Member Life
• 21:44 The Rocky Movie Producer Encounter
• 33:44 Life-Changing Journey to Love and Faith
• 39:30 Rock Ministry
• 48:18 Ministry, Sacrifice, and Accountability
• 1:00:35 Chaplain Squad and Rock Ministries
• 1:06:10 Real Fellowship at Calvary Chapel

Transcript

Tiffany: 0:02

You're tuned in to Friends and Family, a God's Way radio exclusive where we introduce you to some amazing people. In John 15, verse 15, jesus says I have called you friends for all things that I heard from my Father I have made known to you. That's our aim that God would be made known to you. Stay with us until the end of our conversation for more information on this program and other unique offerings from God's Way radio.

Buddy: 0:27

So if you were at the Men's Conference at Calvary Chapel, miami or at Sunday service on March 17th, you know a little bit about my guest here today, pastor Buddy Osborne. Thanks for coming, buddy.

Buddy: 0:40

My pleasure.

Buddy: 0:41

Awesome and I'm just so excited to get to sit down with you because you've been alluding to it over the last few days your testimony, the work that God has done at the Rock and the Rock A couple times at the Men's Conference, you know, I saw you would make a comment. Or, you know, I came from here I did this. Or Lake Plastid in New York and guys like really what you know, kind of trying to piece this story together. So I thought let's get the whole story, you know, let's see what God has done, the testimony you know, and I'm just looking forward to hear what God's done in your life, how he saved you.

Buddy: 1:17

Wow, Well, okay, Well, it's an honor to be here. My brother yes, sir, I mean it's. I'm here because of Christ, obviously, and it all starts many, many years ago, born and raised in the city of Philadelphia and single parent nine siblings, and so I was heading down the wrong track, the wrong road, so to speak. I didn't know about the broad road or the narrow road. I was on the broad road and I didn't know about that narrow road for sure, and so I lived out, you know, as a young kid in the inner city of Philadelphia I was.

Buddy: 2:02

I did things prior to 13 that most people wouldn't do in a lifetime, and that's, you know, that's, that's just the way it was. You know, I became a glue sniffer glue, I don't know whether you ever heard of glue snippers, but it was very. It became very prominent back in in, in, where I grew up, in Kensington, in a day, and. But at some point I, I was invited and my father at the time took me to a boxing match, and when I was 13, and it was at that point in time that my whole life changed, literally. I mean, I, I, I used to play different other sports, like basketball you know it's gotten too short football. You know, I wasn't feeling that because I had it. I actually had a at a young age of eight, seven or eight. I I come down with this, this bone disease called osteomomolitis. Wow, and it was very painful. I had five major operations. I was in the hospital for 18 months, one, one solid year, and then, and then you know, another eight months, and this is only seven or eight years old.

Buddy: 3:12

Yeah, yeah.

Buddy: 3:14

I mean, in six, six months of that time I was in isolation. You know you, you had to come in with a mask. It wasn't COVID, it was. I mean, you had to just put a mask on and you had to, you had to a gown and everything and so. So that's, that's kind of what happened. So I would always kind of limp when I walked. I had like a little limp and it took me a long time to learn how to walk again. But then when I did, you know, you know, I remember one one time a guy I'm walking and he called me a limpy lion and I got they used to make fun of me and I got so mad at him and I went over there and I I just hit him with like about 10 shots.

Buddy: 3:53

I was only maybe I was about 11 years old at the time and so forward, fast forward it. I was. My father took me to to boxing left or to a boxing match, because my, you know, I needed an outlet. My mom, my mom, needed me to do something. Like I said, my mom raised me. My mom and dad were separated at a young age. So I go to this boxing match and turns out to be that I like it. And from that pulling on, I became trained. I started to train. I was 126 pounds at the time and I really, really, really developed and I really, it really really was a fast. I was very fascinated by it.

Buddy: 4:39

You, you got good I did.

Buddy: 4:41

You know I got pretty good at it and I liked it. So now you know I had my first fight. I won. I believe I won my first 10 bouts and won. I won the I went to. I got a bronze medal in the junior Olympics and just Junior Olympics just means an age group. Yeah, it was an age group.

Buddy: 4:59

Yeah, yeah.

Buddy: 5:02

So it was like, I was like maybe 14 at the time. So and then what happened was I was just developing as a boxer and I would get trophies. And then it was a local newspaper like they had the Kendrick Tinkins that it was called, and I would be in that a lot you know. Up and coming, I was only a kid, a young teenager, and sure enough I, at 16, I, I'm number one in the city of Philadelphia, which, if you know anything about Philadelphia, it's, it's the, it's the fight capital of the world.

Buddy: 5:32

Well, I mean the Rocky movies, right?

Buddy: 5:34

Yes, yeah, that's right, the Rocky movies Yep Funny story the Rocky movies.

Buddy: 5:41

Oh wow, the first one. That's so cool. Yes, like in the background, I mean, were you one of the main guys? No, I had a. Yeah, I had a small part with. It's interesting.

Buddy: 5:52

So here I am, I. It was a 30, it was a Wednesday night, I had a fight and I had got a black eye. So I am. Then they knock on. I'm friends of mine come to my house and say they were making this movie. What about a box? If I have a box, I'm number one in the city when it what's up.

Buddy: 6:08

So I walked down the street with with my, with my friends, and we're going down like we're, like we are, we are we're boxers, yeah, making a little documentary about some boxer. Who is it? So they had it all roped off and it was interesting. They had like the, the, what was it like trailers there and they just they had the camera crew and so I saw this guy, this guy on the, on the, in the back there I jump over the rope. They had the streets looking like it was wet. It must have been, it wasn't raining, but they made it look like it. I say, and I started the shadow box. Hey, the guy said hey, come here, kate. So it was Burgess Meredith which was Rocky's trainer, you know.

Buddy: 6:50

So what happened was I? I? They gave me a small part. I got my friend in it in the movie who happens to be a assistant pastor of Calvary Chapel, philly. So we grew up together, so we're in the Timmy Patrick, so we're, we're there, and and and Stallone was walking up the street and he said to us he said you know, where are you going? It wasn't a talking party. He said where are you going? He says well, should we're going to go in and get cigarettes? We said that for our mom, that's, that's what we said. And he's I go. And he turned around. We wanted they cut it and we did it again. Girl, I think I was looking at the camera and then we did it again. So come like when we, when we you know, the opening day.

Buddy: 7:27

They had right, so we all go. It was just like, yeah, this is it, Cause it was a silver bridge. Every year they cut us out.

Buddy: 7:34

Oh no.

Buddy: 7:37

So I got a chance to talk to Stallone about this 38 years later, wow. And the reason why I had a chance to talk to them about it because I was in the movie, I was cast it and I made for Creed and I played myself as a cut man for the champion is we were fighting Apollo Creed, son.

Buddy: 7:56

So, I was. I was the, I was the champion for the, for the, I was the cut man for the champion and I spent three weeks on the set with Stallone, you know, and I was one of. In fact, if you look at the movie, the credits on there, you see Buddy Osborn. It's pretty, pretty funny, you know, like as an actor. So if you go, if you put my name on here, they'll say I'm an actor and the great part about that story and I thank God for this is because my daughter at the time she was 18, she was getting ready to go to college and it's a house, it it paid for my daughter's college.

Buddy: 8:29

What a blessing.

Buddy: 8:29

Yeah, I had a small role in there in that as a cut man, and so I told Sly about what happened. He was. He was so sorry oh, I'm sorry about being cut out. But, yeah, interesting story, yeah, so that was so 16.

Buddy: 8:47

You were up and coming.

Buddy: 8:48

Yeah, 16 as a, as a boxer. And then by the time I was 19, I I was a state Golden Gloves champion, a city champion and also the regional champion. And so I went down to the nationals and I finished in the quarterfinals. I thought I I was, I thought I was robbed, I thought I should have won that fight but nevertheless. So I made top 10 in the country and in 1980, I was slated for the 1980 Olympic team, but at the time it was it was being, it was boycott it because it was in Russia.

Tiffany: 9:26

Okay.

Buddy: 9:28

So we, they boycotted us with they, they boycotted it and so they wouldn't. I was sponsored by a union, so they didn't want. They didn't want me to go to the, to the trials at all, so I didn't. And I want to go on touring all the Scandinavian countries. They made the USA Boxing team, finland, norway, denmark, holland, and it was a great experience. I fought the, the, the, the Irish team, puerto Rican team, I fought the Italy, you know, italian team. So but the age of 22, I, I pretty much retired. I had 90 fights and so what? I, I, I started to pursue a career as a roofing, as a roofer.

Buddy: 10:10

So I want to to an apprenticeship program and Now this whole time, this whole time cause you mentioned as a kid you had done things that people had never done. As a boxer you were pretty clean, healthy, oh yeah.

Buddy: 10:23

Well, let me just say this to you that's a great question, good question. Well, when I became a fighter boxer, I started to learn that I didn't know what I didn't have to, you know, get in trouble. I didn't have to do any of that and and I started to take care of myself, health wise, and I'm training and winning trophies my name's in the paper. I'm like, wow, this is amazing. Everybody knew who I was and and and I was. I was recognized in the community as like wow, he's doing something good with his life. So, yeah, that's a good question. So so fast forward it.

Buddy: 10:54

You know, I had a. I had a really good career. I had 90, 90 fights as a, as a in competition, and so what I did was I was roofing at the time and which was part of the roof reunion and if you look it up, local 30 roof reunion was probably one of, if not the strongest local union in the country at the time, and it was also known for its violence and it's. You know, the whole idea was to sign contractors up and I often said we would sign up one way or the other. It's just the way it was, you know.

Buddy: 11:33

So so then Now, why is that? I'm not familiar with unions per se. I mean, why, the why do you need a beat guys up to be in the union? What's the big deal?

Buddy: 11:43

Well, it wasn't, it wasn't necessary.

Buddy: 11:45

Forgive me for phrasing that no it wasn't necessarily.

Buddy: 11:48

Well, that's what would happen. You know people would get beat up. Yeah, well, the whole idea behind it was in my mind. You know when you're, when you're raised up as a worker, you know a worker, you know needs to have representation, and so the representation is, you know. So it has to be like. If you know, if you're working for somebody, you know you want to make sure you're being taken care of. You know so in my mind, you know you think about a hospitalization annuity, the pension. You know all the things that that, as workers, we want to have. You know, and and so Is it like a strength in numbers kind of thing.

Buddy: 12:27

Yeah, it is, it is and it also is a voting block.

Buddy: 12:30

I mean, when you got people that are coming together, you know, when you have a union of 50,000 people and they're working, you know, and they they sometimes can control a voting block, they become a voting block. You know, gotcha Okay and so right, wrong or indifferent, that's just the way it is.

Buddy: 12:48

Gotcha and you know it was a lot of pressure. They wanted that.

Buddy: 12:50

Those numbers, yeah yeah, and I think that and I believed in what I was doing. You know, I felt, I felt like that. I I believed in the working person. You know I need it, I know and even a contractor contractors is, you know they have to obviously make a living and they're entitled to, as a company owner, to, to, to, to, you know, receive the fruit of their benefit. You know what I mean. Yeah, yeah, but obviously in my mindset back then I didn't have the mindset like that, you know, but obviously it's changed over time.

Buddy: 13:21

But so, yeah, I mean I was, I was part of this, this organization. That was. That was really, really strong and I shared on at the men's conference. So when I left Miami, I went home, it was like this was like I don't know 38 years ago. Yeah, so I was, and I went home and I had a. I was a target. I had a target letter from the FBI, from the federal government, that I was, that I was a target of an investigation, and it turned out to be one of the biggest, biggest indictments in the history of Philadelphia. Wow.

Buddy: 14:01

And it was connected with the union stuff.

Buddy: 14:03

Yeah, it was connected with the Roovers Union because there was judges involved with it, lawyers and the mob Philadelphia. The mob was involved and then the union was involved, so it was pretty pretty. It was a huge case at the time. So so I go back and ultimately I was indicted on federal racketeering charges and so the time if I was convicted I would spend life in prison, and I was. If I was convicted on all counts then I would spend, and each count was 20 years. It came out to be 168 years. I would be convicted. I would be sentenced to if I was convicted. So, anyway, I go down, I'm a rain, you know I've indicted, and then I'm in rain which you go in front of the judges. It's just interesting.

Buddy: 14:56

It was a Friday night, friday afternoon, which we turned ourselves in because the feds had come to our houses, knocked some of our doors down. We nobody was there, we got, we got, we got when somebody had mentioned that there was going to be raids on our homes. So so everybody was up the mountains. I didn't go to the mountains, I'm the only one that stayed back because I had a wedding that I wanted to be in and I didn't want to. So I thought I'll go, I'll get indicted, I'll make bail. You know is you know I'll get bail. And then I'll go to the wedding which I had, my socks, I had everything for the next day. And so I go, and so I stand before the judge and he denies my bail Because I was a threat to the community and a menace of society. They thought if I was released that I would more likely harm somebody because of my. The tapes that they had on me were very violent and so it was out of 18 people. They kept three people pre-trial detention the boss of the union, another guy under him and then myself. Well, that, there you go. So now, now there goes the wedding and interesting, like so.

Buddy: 16:06

So I was held in and back in a cell. You know when they, when they they, we turn ourselves in. All of us was in it and back in the in the Fed building and all we were all in cells, like four or five of us at the time, and so they would take a couple out at a time. So when I go out, right, I would go out. But when I came back in, they took, when everybody went out, they went in front of the judge. They left. So I said, okay, it's my turn to go out.

Buddy: 16:31

So then they brought me back in and the guy that I went to school with, he was a marshal, fedger Marshal. He had a handcuff me, yep. So he said to me I said, steve, he says, but I don't have to do it. I said, steve, do your job, just do your job, man. So he became the marshal, so here he handcuffs me, and then finally they took all the news media. He was found that the, the, the marshal's vans that were taking us out. And then he was, he was, he was guarding. You know, that was his job.

Tiffany: 17:00

Yeah.

Buddy: 17:00

So so that's pretty much it. And then and then, ultimately I did get bail with the stipulation that I remain under house arrest, which I did for 15 months up until my incarceration.

Buddy: 17:14

So ultimately I was convicted, sentenced to eight years and did five years in the feds, and and that's cause the eight years was all other stuff they didn't go through or whatever the hundred plus years you said.

Buddy: 17:28

Oh yeah, oh okay, that's a great, great job. That's great You're you're, you're listening. I didn't think you're a smart guy.

Buddy: 17:33

I try.

Buddy: 17:34

So what happened was great question. I was indicted prior to 1991, which which is the old law. It's kind of like the old law, so that's Old Testament the old law. But the new law was if I was convicted after 1991, you and I wouldn't be having this conversation, cause I would have to do two thirds of my, of all of my, of my sentence would have been, you know, could have been 40, 50 years, 60 years, you know Wow.

Buddy: 18:06

What happened.

Buddy: 18:07

So the judge can deviate from the sentence and guidelines he can, he can give you.

Buddy: 18:10

Three 1991.

Buddy: 18:11

Prior to 1991. Gotcha, but so I go in, I check in the prison. It's interesting right now, I am, I am, I am. When I talked about Lake Placid, you know, I turned myself in the Lake Placid, new York Interesting. This is interesting. I didn't, I didn't talk to you guys about this.

Buddy: 18:30

Okay, see, this is what this is what we did the interview for.

Buddy: 18:32

So just think, just think with me here. Okay, I'm a boxer and I'm I'm desiring it Like I want to be the best at it. Like I want, I want to go to the Olympics, I would love to be able to compete in the Olympics. Well, that didn't happen. I was 1980. Okay, well, seven years later, I would end up sleeping in prison and I would turn myself in the prison. Lake Placid, new York, which was this prison, was built to house the Olympic athletes. That is great.

Buddy: 19:08

Well, well it's the winter Olympic athletes, but I would have been in the summer, but it's still like that is crazy.

Buddy: 19:16

So they made it so when they built this, you know, cause they needed all that security at the time for the prison. So when they built this, they built it for in the hindsight, well, we're going to build a secure facility, cause at the time there was a lot of terrorists going on. So so they, they, they made it with the stipulation that it's going to be a FCI, a federal correctional institute. When it's done, you know, wow, yeah, man, so that's something. So you know, I turn it, I turn in there, and then, ultimately, I wound up in five different prisons around the country.

Buddy: 19:49

I went during those eight years, yeah, five years.

Buddy: 19:52

So I went. I went from from from Lake Placid, and then I went to McKeen FCI, which is in Bradford, pennsylvania, and then I went to Lewisburg Penitentiary, which was a that's like that's the prison, that's where everybody I mean it's a bad place to go. And I was in a hole there for three months and because I was traveling and nobody could be a no, you couldn't, you couldn't do time together. On my case it was. It was because there was a separation. They didn't want us together.

Tiffany: 20:23

And.

Buddy: 20:23

I think they feared organizing food strikes and and violence, that's what they they said they want us all separated. So I went from Lewisburg and then I went from I, I, I went to Otisville, new York, back to Lewisburg, and then they put me on a plane, hancock and Shackle, that was called Con Air. They called it you know. So here I am, like the other movie.

Buddy: 20:48

Yeah, Right, right right.

Buddy: 20:49

So then I flew into El Reno, oklahoma, and I got on a bus 2.30 more and I pull up and the guards we call them hacks they were waiting. They had two by fours, like standing like on the fence. There was really I'm getting off like man. Man was this? This was a prison, I mean where there was gates, you know all steel. And so I say this to you because for five years I wrote every, just about every day, and now and now, now, over the last several months, I've been taking everything that I wrote by hand and putting it on a computer. I'm up to like almost 300,000 words, you know, I mean it is.

Tiffany: 21:30

I don't have a-. You plan to publish it.

Buddy: 21:32

No, I don't at this point, I don't. Well, I had an offer to have my story done by and I didn't ask for this. This was a guy by the name of Urban Winkler and he was a producer of all the Rocky movies, creed. He did a lot. He was an Academy Award winner, I mean just a very powerful director, producer, but those movies alone, yeah, yeah so he heard and he did some history.

Buddy: 22:00

He got wind of what happened. So what he did was he tried. He contacted the Rock. He wanted to speak with me. I talked with him. I'm thinking, oh man.

Buddy: 22:09

Now, this is not the Rock the actor. There's a ministry called the Rock. We're gonna get to the Rock the actor.

Buddy: 22:16

So he says to me, he talks to me, he says hey, we would like to buy the rights to your movie to do your story. You know, I said, well, gee whiz, I'm thinking I was sharing this with Zach, you know, with Zach and his father. I'm like man, I can just see him making all this money have to move and all this fame. I'm thinking man, I was like a heaviness for me, like what is this? I'm nobody. First of all, I'm zero, I'm nobody. But for some reason they probably at the time they looked at all the mob stuff, the union stuff, and it could have been a pretty good story. So I had to get, finally I get to Laura. So pass her, joe Foster and Philly. He recommended me getting Laura, which I did, from California. He represented me through the whole negotiation and it basically all boiled down to three points, 13 bait pages of a contract, three points. I was getting ready to sign. It would have been substantial money. They would have gave me up front and then residuals on the back end of how well the movie did, and so they were in budget on this one part which was my faith. And so my Laura said talk to him. So I said Mr Winkler, I'm honored to be, to be even considered for a movie. He says yeah, we know we can make you a superhero.

Buddy: 23:34

I said oh, mr Winkler, I'm no superhero man, I'm a sinner saved by grace and Jewish fellow. I believe he was, you know, I don't know if you know. So he says to me well, I said it's about Jesus, my man. I said listen, you can embellish anything you want from. You can tell them that you know that I was involved in and I killed Jimmy Hoffer, I buried him, I know where he lives. I mean, you can say anything you want, but the truth of the matter is, when it comes to everyone has a story, but at some point there has to be a period and becomes a testimony. The testimony is my life is in Christ, it's not in what this world has to offer. I says so you can embellish my story as much as you want, it's a matter of public record anyway, what I did. I said but at some point there's gotta be a conversion there. Whether I'm kneeling at the cross, you know, or forgot some of the world that he gave me.

Buddy: 24:30

They wanna put it on the screen, yeah, yeah, so as long as there's redemption.

Buddy: 24:34

And he said, well, unfortunately, he said it's gonna cost about $40 million, $45 million, to do something like this. I said, mr Winkler, I can't do it. And it's interesting, when I hung the phone up, me and my wife and my daughter, they were all there, I had them on speakerphone, I cried and we prayed, man, and it was. I felt the weight off my shoulders and we wanted to buy the building. There's another building for our church and it was a substantial amount of money, you know, and because we were renting it at the time and so I was gonna use because I told him I didn't wanna make one cent from this all that funds can go to the rock rock ministries. I don't want anything, you know. I didn't want people to think that I'm benefiting by this.

Buddy: 25:15

I don't want that. So he said, well, that's your choice. He said, you know? He thought that was weird but, anyway. But so when I turned that down, well, two weeks later we got an anonymous check in the mail and we were able to purchase our building. And then, and then, amazing, yeah, but then ultimately, I would be in the Creed movie which paid for my daughter's college.

Buddy: 25:38

I'm gonna look that up later. I wanna look. I love the Creed movie. Oh, now it's in the first one. Yeah, the first one. I loved it too. It was really good. I don't know if I've seen the other two. Yeah, I didn't see it. Yeah.

Buddy: 25:48

But it was good. Yeah, it was good. I liked it. We went out and saw it. I believe was it Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve. It wasn't one of either. Christmas when it first came out. And we're sitting in the movie and all of a sudden, ah, there it is that's cool?

Buddy: 26:02

Yeah, I have not that God has to do this, but has there been any God moments, even with the movie, where I don't know somebody recognizes you from the movie or you talk about the movie and you're able to share the love with them? Well, here's the thing.

Buddy: 26:13

It's so funny, joe. I said what happened was Joe, it was my. I didn't wanna be in this movie.

Buddy: 26:20

Yeah.

Buddy: 26:20

They took. Like I remember when somebody they were taking, they were looking for extras. I didn't know what an extra was. So I'm leaving one night, about seven o'clock at night, they're rockin' and he's like come here, I gotta take your picture, bro, right? So I took the picture, so they turned that picture and it's an extra. So they called me. So anyway, I go in the movie. I said, oh yeah, they pay it.

Buddy: 26:41

So I went and I had to wait like eight hours Wow, be hot, like at this scene until they used me. Now this was a Tuesday, I had to work. I was a cut man at the time, so I had to work a real fight in Connecticut on a Wednesday. And I'm like, hey, are you kidding me? Let me get this over with. So I go for it. It was like two seconds, wow. And then I said I gotta get out of this place, man. Luckily it was a Tuesday night, so I'm studying for a Sunday service and all. But I finally got out of there. But here's my point. I said I went home. I said I'll never do that as long as I live, spend eight, 10 hours of my life for one second.

Buddy: 27:18

Well, a month later I got another call and they said and I'm like, here we go again. And they said, listen, we want you to consider you for this part. It's a substantial part and it's a pain part. I said, wow, principle of a role was, they said. So I wound up going into this room kind of a room like this so they said can you tell me how you would close a cut on a guy? So I had a Jeff hat on right. I'm thinking how do I get it closed, a cut? So I said, all right. So she's standing there, I guess. And they had a little camera. I stand up and I take my hat off and I throw the hat down and I pretend. So I said come here, kid, I got you, let's watch this boom. And I said, okay, thank you so much. I went home, I said to my daughter, because she's a theater person, and she does it as a hobby.

Buddy: 28:10

I said what is that all about? She said, dad, they're casting you. I said, what does that mean? They're? I'm a competitive guy. So once I figured out it was like they're casting me, like they're gonna pick. I said, lord, if you get that, if I get that part, I'm gonna honor you and I've always, every chance I can, I'll use it to fish somebody. Praise the Lord.

Buddy: 28:33

You know what I mean. Now jumping to no.

Buddy: 28:35

No no, it's amazing.

Buddy: 28:37

We're gonna jump around a little bit, but you don't just play the part. You are currently training young men to compete in boxing.

Buddy: 28:49

Yes, well, okay. So here's what happened, how that happened, because that's the story, that's the meat of the story right there.

Buddy: 28:58

You hold on, bro. Yeah, so I get out of prison. I'm out for a couple of years and now a lady wrote me a letter in prison. She says to me buddy, jesus has you in the palm of His hand and she would write me verses. And she would write me just amazing, encouraging words based on God's word. Are you? You're still single at this point? I'm still single, but I'm man, bro. Let me shake your hand, good man.

Buddy: 29:32

Well, I've seen the ring all weekend. You would be like an investigator. It's like I work in radio. Yeah right, yeah, yeah.

Buddy: 29:40

No, but this girl, this is amazing. So her name was Linda and I dated this girl. Okay, and I'll be honest with you, brother, I had, I loved her, but I didn't understand what a godly love was. I loved her in a worldly way. So I met her neighbor, who was named Lucille. The whole of the net, Her neighbor was Lucille.

Buddy: 30:06

She was a charismatic Catholic at the time, you know, and she had a love for the Lord and I didn't know that until I was in prison and I was desperate because Linda would leave me while I was in prison and it was devastating for me and I wrote about her just about every day when I was in there. And but it's all good, because God gave me the desires of my heart and he and it was through Lucille, who would write me. The letters constantly say, mark, god's gonna use you. And I remember in my memoirs I wrote that I wanna work with the underprivileged, I wanna work with the addicted, I wanna work with the homeless, I wanna help anybody that I can in the streets. I didn't know where the streets were and then and then I maybe trained kids at that time. So so this, this lady, lucille, was so instrumental in me and then and really helping me, because I can look at my writings and I can see, you know, in the beginning I'm like a, I got that little gangster mentality.

Buddy: 31:06

And then when I get this letter she writes and then I'm reading, I'm reading her, her, her letters, and then I'm going to church as a Catholic there and I'm and I'm, and I went to a bot, like Bible study, like the Protestants, would come in, and I never thought that I would ever like sit at a Bible study at Protestant. That just wasn't who we. I wasn't raised that way. I didn't have Protestant friends. You know what I mean. So, so, so we. So what happens is my faith. I could see it in my writings. It's developing, it's growing and when I got out I didn't have that foundation, I didn't have that, that disciple, what that I needed. And then, ultimately, I was invited to a men's breakfast and I think you know, and and I was a Baptist church, I was the only white guy in the place. And I say that for a reason, because the guy who led me through the Lord ultimately, he said he always wanted to lead a white, white, white boy to the Lord.

Buddy: 32:02

That's awesome man that he did. God gives us the desires of our heart, yeah yeah.

Buddy: 32:06

So. So I could say December 31st 1995 at 830 at night on the telephone and six months later December 31st, yeah, 1995 at 830. And this was before the men's breakfast or after. No, this was after. So September, so you're good, joey. So September was the breakfast December. He was a pit bulldog, he was relentless, he was calm.

Buddy: 32:27

Now I want to ask you this, because we heard part of the story at the men's conference, but for those that didn't hear it, at the men's breakfast, this is your first kind of gathering like this ever and he asked you. He asked right, that's when he asked you the question.

Buddy: 32:39

Yeah, he asked me where would I go when I died. I'm like, oh dude, that's heavy man.

Buddy: 32:45

I just was like Now, the reason I wanted to pause on that is because I want to encourage anyone that's listening. I mean don't be nervous, don't be scared to if the Lord's leading you right. I mean, pastor Buddy, could you elaborate on that? I mean, if not for that question that day, who knows?

Buddy: 33:01

Yeah, I mean, I think that I think, as we're soul winners for Christ, I think there's opportunities that will always present yourself and we have to be bold in that and ask in that, because we're going to have to answer to the Lord at some point. So anytime you get an opportunity, I mean, listen, you can only talk about fishing for so long, you can only talk about boxing for so long, you can only talk about this world for so long until you figure out that if Jesus isn't a part of that, it's just a story, it's no testimony. So, yes, I would encourage anybody that's solid, that understands the redent of power of Christ, to be ready in season and out of season to give an answer to the hope that's within you. Amen awesome.

Buddy: 33:44

Yeah, so he was doing that. A soldier for the Lord, and it's interesting. Every time he comes to church I always point him out and there's often times I bring him up and I pray. He's like almost 80 now, you know, yeah. So what happened was Joey we?

Buddy: 34:02

yeah, so now you got saved over the phone. It was with him on the phone, or?

Buddy: 34:05

someone else. Yes, it was him. He led me in his prayer. So the girl was I was dating. I met another girl. She was beeping horn. I said I'm a born and gang Christian. She said you're nuts.

Buddy: 34:14

So we were going to church and at that point in time it was midnight mass. You know, on Christmas Eve maybe it was 10 o'clock midnight or Christmas Eve. So you know, like there's a thing with Catholicism, when you're in church and you're in a you know where, they say it's a beautiful thing. You know you stand up and you say this prayer to your father. Well, I had my hands up, both hands up in the air, like it was, almost like I was. I won the championship of the world, thinking back, and I was saying our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, with my, and I didn't care who was looking, and it was at that point in time.

Buddy: 34:51

Six months later, this guy came to Calvary Chapel, philly, and he was looking for people to go over to Siberia and into the Russian gulangs for kids that were locked in prison. I said, man, that's my guy. I was in the top of the spritz of this country. So in the meantime, pastor Joe Foch had he knew about the case through the paper and all. So one day he would bring. He brought me in, I met with him and he spent a couple of hours with me this one day, years ago, you know, and he said to me you know, it's funny.

Buddy: 35:24

He said hey, he said maybe one day you'll be in Kensington preaching the gospel. I couldn't believe he prophesied that. And I said I said, and myself I didn't tell him. Then I said this guy's crazy, but sure enough. Like about five months after that meeting he took me over to this guy who was leading the mission team to say over into the Far East and parts of Russia, and he left. I talked to the guy. Anyway, I want to go on a mission trip and it was on that mission trip that I was able to-.

Buddy: 35:54

How'd you connect with Calvary? Philly?

Buddy: 35:56

Joe sought you out, oh so oh, no, no, I needed to get a Bible church. Apparently that's what my the guy who led me to the Lord. And something somebody told me about Calvary Philly and I heard about this guy, joe Fochan, and I like when I went in there I liked him. You know what I mean as a person. I just you know he's real and that's a whole nother, that's a whole to talk about. That. There's another show for another time. But he's been. It's been a very interesting thing.

Buddy: 36:28

So what happened was I am, I'm in Russia and they finally they say, listen, you need to meet a Christian girl. I'm like, yeah, I'm trying to. You know, I really am. I mean I went out on, I was telling the guys at Raza. I said I was going out on a with the singles at Calvary Philly at the time I don't know anybody, they're on a bus, I'm on a bus. The last time I was on a bus I'm shackled by feet, I got a black box on me. I'm like I'm a prisoner and everybody now is on this bus singing kubayam, my Lord, kumbaya. I'm like this is weird man. So then we're, then I go on this, this, this, this Rafton trip, right, and they bang into somebody, somebody, oh. And then, all of a sudden, the whole people in their laying hands are praying. I'm like what is going on here? They were praying for the people who were that they crashed in.

Buddy: 37:15

I'm like this is different for me, you know so. But lo and behold, they were telling me about this girl, this girl who's Italian, which you know, that was fine with me, and she was a good cook. That was another bonus and, lord willing, you know, eventually I would finally meet her and her name was Lucille and, like the lady who led me, kind of, really, I think, I really think that I was, I had a conversion in prison. I really do think that.

Buddy: 37:44

Especially as you read back on it.

Buddy: 37:45

Yeah, oh yeah. Now that I read I can see the change. Man and the Lord, you know, and you know I went from. I went from always talking about the creator, higher power, God, because I made a comment in there that I don't want to talk about like Jesus, because not everybody will I remember. But then the Nще辛 carrcado, I must. Somehow I changed that, because that rhetoric changed. Then I started to say Jesus, holy Spirit, you know, father of God, you know, yeah.

Buddy: 38:13

So, so I met. I was introduced to this girl, loose Lucille. She had a dinner at her house for ten single people. I was one, she was one and and I knew right then, and there that that was. You know, I Don't know, man, I just said I like her. The next day we went to. The next weekend we got together, went to a church. Within three months I asked her to marry me. Within nine months we were married and it was Joe married, joe married me.

Buddy: 38:37

You know it was a marriage where you at the time I was. When I got married, I was 38.

Buddy: 38:43

Wow, yeah, you know, I love that and you know that. When you know, you know, you know and, and especially, as you know, I was thinking about this this weekend just some, some of the older guys you know, and they're 30, not older, I'm 32, but not kids anymore, right, and how I think a woman appreciates it, a Single woman in her 30s. You know when a man is serious, you know direct, does that that kind of connect with you? You think that's something that that men need to know. That man, you know be, be prayerful, be serious. You know kind of like not leading people on. I Don't know anything that comes to your mind on that.

Buddy: 39:30

Yeah, I think that one of the things, joey, is that you have to be real With your life and you got to be real with your faith.

Buddy: 39:39

You know I often say you can't have no pepperoni in your life as a believer, I mean, and pepperoni is a kind where for saying you can't have no, you can't have a lying tongue, you can't, you can't. You know you can't be a faggazi, you know. I mean you got to be straight up, you got to be real, your yes, sbs and as a man, you know it's important that you display that in your actions and and and, and I think that I think too often, I think now, even now, I mean with the social media that's out there, I mean, and how people meet, now you got to be really, really careful because people portray someone who they're not. You know, and that's why it's it's nice to have that fellowship, that you have a pat, you're under a pastor or you're under protection of the church. You, you have that body, you know. I mean it's there's something about that, joey, you know yeah yeah, so yeah, I mean we, I.

Buddy: 40:34

Finally I get married, and and it was at that point in time that I was I was actually had a, I was managing an auto body shop and then, ultimately, I became an insurance appraiser. Where I would? I would, because I was barred for life in the in the construction. I was never, I wasn't allowed, I was never allowed to go back into that because of my crimes. But isn't it interesting, though, thirty-some years later, I Would start the chaplaincy for all the unions in the city of Philadelphia, so 60,000 people. The Lord placed it on my heart to develop a chaplaincy program, which I'm the chat, the Lee chaplain of that, all the union. So they, they. I took me out in shackles and now I'm the chaplain.

Buddy: 41:21

It's only the grace of God, right, yeah, yeah.

Buddy: 41:24

Yeah, so we. So what happened was when I, when I, I met my wife, I get married and then I became an insurance appraiser and and they found out. Well, I found out, they, they and I was doing great, making an honest living. I had a company name, I was a, I was a Subcontract, I worked for a lot of the major companies, so if you got in the car, I would come out and I would write the estimate, turn it in and get paid by the cars. I was doing well, and then they said they were going to take my license away Because of my past conviction. I fought it, but what happened was it made me open up a collision shop, so I became an owner of of Osborn collision and but God allowed that to happen to fund the rock ministries.

Buddy: 42:11

Okay, because at that point in time I'm training kids to be champions of the world, and this one kid that I was training named Henry. He went to the nationals of the of the junior Olympics and he lost a controversial decision. I Didn't see him in two weeks, I think. I mentioned to it at the retreat and then, sure enough, I see him. I'm on a prison block teaching a Bible study for young kids between the ages of 14 and 17, 70% of women, for homicide. He walks in with a prison student. When he killed somebody you did, I don't think you mentioned.

Tiffany: 42:44

No.

Buddy: 42:45

I didn't. Okay, yeah, he killed somebody. I was devastated, devastated, and I grabbed him and I hugged him and I cried and all the guys are looking at me like what is going on here? You know, like all the kids, and I didn't care. But I felt so bad because I never shared my faith with any of these kids and and and I just never did. I never openly share my faith, but I stopped training kids.

Buddy: 43:11

But two years later it's like the Lord hit me with his thunderbolt, says you know, I don't. I didn't hear an audible voice, but I knew that. I said how can I do something that's more effective on the city block than the prison block? And that that's the whole concept of the rock, and I believe it was got, certainly got ordained and sitting under Joe Foes and just Knowing that.

Buddy: 43:34

But I can't just be a hero of the word that, I have to be a doer of the word for me, and and one of them was to Use the gifts that God's given me through boxing. And now he set me up with a collision shop, making tons of money that I would at the time and I would use that to funnel in legally into making, you know, purchase in a building, and you know, because property was so cheap down there. You know at the time, and that's the whole, that's how rock ministry started, so we would bring the kids in. Yeah, with this stipulation, we'll teach you how to box and we'll teach you good. Yeah, you gotta come to a Bible study.

Buddy: 44:10

So I want to pause right there because I Want to. I want to emphasize on this year. You're married. You're serving the Lord. It's not like you're Just going out on vacations and buying expensive things with your collision shop money. You're serving the Lord.

Buddy: 44:26

You just said you were doing a Bible study in a prison right Yep yeah, well, you know, obviously this question is a little bit sarcastic, but but it's to try to emphasize this point. I don't want anybody to miss it. I mean, what would you go? Have to go and do more for you? You're doing enough, aren't you? You're serving your teaching, what, why? Why'd you go and start this whole new ministry? What? Why didn't you just settle where you were at you?

Tiffany: 44:47

know you got the money.

Buddy: 44:48

You teaching, your serving, you're going to a great church.

Tiffany: 44:51

Why'd you leave CC Philly?

Buddy: 44:53

Right Nobody leaves CC Philly. What are you doing?

Buddy: 44:55

Wow, yeah, yeah, man, you know, I think about that more now than you know, then I like this man that is a great question.

Buddy: 45:04

Well, listen, you know, one of the things I think that for me, from what I'm told, is that I'm a kind of a visionary guy, you know, and, and I kind of think that you know, but everything that I did To put myself in prison, I Love what I did. I love organizing, I love signing you up one way or the other, you know, and, and it didn't matter, we want it, I, we got you eventually. I Loved what I did. I love my boss.

Buddy: 45:35

In fact, you know he was, he was a man's man. I watched how he walked, how he talked, the way he combed his hair, the glasses he wore, the way he spoke, the way he was a field field general. I never had a father that I could emulate. He was the closest thing to a father and he was my and he became my boxing trainer. So he had, he had a. You know, we had a connection. In fact. He said on four occasions that I was the pick and he had all the sons, that I was the pick to run the union. One day, you know, I said, wow, that's pretty, that's pretty, that's pretty impressive. Because he had, he had tremendous respect for me and but yeah, I mean.

Buddy: 46:18

Yeah, I know what thought there for a minute to. I was just wanting to emphasize why a person would leave and shake up.

Buddy: 46:25

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So here's my, my point. So the tenacity that the Lord let that I had for the world, he, he, he, he brought that back in me as a Christian, you know. So, everything that I would, I saw that I learned from my, my boss, and all the way, think days in the world, god turned that around and use it for good. Mm-hmm, that's same boldness that take a shot, put your house up. I mean and, and and, really never turned back, and, and, you know, and today, I mean we've, we've, we've, we've ministered to thousands and thousands of kids over the years that heard, heard the gospel. I mean, it's not my responsibility to see somebody saved. My responsibility is to give the gospel. That that is is Understandable. Yeah, and so is everyone else. Who, who's? Who's on the rock team? Yeah, you know, we're a soup kitchen, for Jesus is what it is. But no, we opened that place up, man, and it was like wow, I mean what, what year did rock start?

Buddy: 47:31

Well, technically, it started at a place named Johans Jim in 2003 so you were doing ministry out of that gym. We started there in May of 2003 and then a Year later, 2004, december 31st, we purchased the building that we're in now. The first building we purchased was was the. That's kind of like our headquarters down you know if you will yeah and yeah, I mean it's been, it's been just Wow, and so we weren't it sure we were 20 plus years.

Buddy: 48:09

Yeah, we weren't a cow, we weren't a Calvary Chapel Like we were, we were. We called it the rock.

Buddy: 48:15

It was a ministry and you were still attending your rock mission, philadelphia.

Buddy: 48:18

So I was attending Philly, for you know for well, let me see, about nine years, eight, nine, eight, nine years, mm-hmm. And then all of a sudden, I get this, this, I don't know, it was such a strong Urge and to do something for the glory of God. And I told Joe, and he, he, he said yeah, man, yeah. I said, listen, that sounds like a plan. So I, I got about ten people together and I said, and I got Pete's and I said, listen, talk me out of this, talk me out of this. Is there anything that don't make sense here?

Buddy: 48:52

I love that.

Buddy: 48:52

Yeah, and then what happened was no one can talk me out of it and then we had nothing.

Buddy: 48:58

And then the Lord, just he would, he would develop it over the years you know again, and something else I want to pause on, because I look at Men, ladies I mean anybody listening that we make decisions, and I've seen this a lot. Maybe you've seen this in ministry or in life. People go to people to hear what they want to hear. You know, I'm gonna make a decision, I'm gonna buy that car, I'm gonna leave this church, I'm gonna start this thing, I'm gonna do this and and and. You know, ask someone well, brother, you know, I think I don't know, pray about, let me go. And finally, three or four people down the line yeah, oh, yeah, yeah, I told him. Yeah, he prayed with me. You know I'm accountable and how important is it to to have that. You know, people challenge you, people keep you accountable. Wisdom, right, the Bible says a multitude of counselors. There's wisdom. How important is that in a person's life?

Buddy: 49:52

Well, one of the things you want to be very, very careful in ministry is that you don't become a lone ranger. A lone ranger Christian, you have to be accountable and it could never be about you. You know, I know that there's a quote where you know there's there's a man, there's a Movement, there's a machine, and then there's a monument, there's a mausoleum, I think a Chuck Smith would say, but that's the truth. When it's of man, but what it's not of man, it's organic, it happens and it's building blocks, you know, and and then when you, when it develops, people, people will grab ahold of it. And same thing you have going here. I can see, it's the same principle here. When I look at, when I see your, this fellowship here, I I see, especially like with it, with a Conference of persons, are the men's retreat.

Tiffany: 50:49

Oh man, I mean yeah it's incredible.

Buddy: 50:51

I mean, you got a bunch of men here who love the Lord and man. It's, it's you, it's powerful, like you know, and I can only see it. And it's not looking. It's not about the building, it's not about the program, it's about Jesus, amen. You know, if Jesus says is it the forefront of your church, well then you're not. You're not going to fail, and if you have trials, be joyful.

Buddy: 51:17

Yeah. Let me ask you this, pastor Buddy. Would you say that any? This is an honest question. Maybe you say yes, maybe you say no that anything you're going to do for the Lord is going to involve some level sacrifice or dying to yourself? And if a yes, how have you seen that in your own life or in the Rock Ministries?

Buddy: 51:43

Well, that's a good question, and I think everything you do for the Lord, you're going to, you're going to have pushback and but, like the Apostle Paul, what a great example to follow. John is even a I mean, a greater example. My man was was called the sons of thunder to the apostle of love. He weathered every storm and at the end of his life he's incarcerated on on pathmos. And what does he do? He sees, you know, christ in his glorified body. When you think about his, his, his eyes were like like fire and his, his, his, his hair was white. And I get this.

Buddy: 52:33

I see like a man, like a solid, strong, you know man, saying to John you know, john, you did it, man, in a sense, in paraphrase you did it, john, and John's crippled up, he's on this island, surrounded by water. You know what I mean? No amenities, no, nothing. And yet he comes at the end of his life and he sees his friend, his God, his savior and and Christ. What does he? What does he? What does he say? He, he, you know he, he.

Buddy: 53:03

He says John, get a pen and a pencil. He says man blesses the person who reads and listens and does what I tell you when I tell them and he talks about the seven churches, and you know, and it's interesting, we're in Revelation now and to me, like we need to be very, very careful as a ministry, I'll say for the rock that we, we don't become the church of Ephesus where we, we, we left our first love. We're all about because, because Christ, what did he say? He says, man, your works, your patience, everything you did was spot on, like, and you look, when you look at that, that it looks like a good church, like it's like, yeah, I want, like, this is what I want to be.

Buddy: 53:46

You know what I mean. And then all of a sudden he says but he says, unfortunately, this is what I don't like. You've, you've left me, you know, and, man, in ministry, we have to be real careful about that, because, man, we have to be careful about that and for me, like that's my biggest prayer for the rock, you know, we do so much like you guys, I mean we, we, we, we were in outreach to the prostitutes for the addicts. We have chaplain squad, we have a sports ministry, we have a, you know, an intern program, a school, a verbal ministry. We got, you know, we there's and homeless coffee house. We have a. We have a pregnancy.

Buddy: 54:24

Homeless coffee house. That's interesting. So it's just free coffee for whoever yeah.

Buddy: 54:28

Yeah, they come in on the street, yeah, and we have a. We have a women's um um pregnancy center where they were like we're, we're the fourth in the city of a million people where you know. I mean, think about, in the state of Pennsylvania there was 30, over 33,000 abortions last year, 16,000 in the city, and there's only three centers in the city that that that are Christian. We're going to be the fourth.

Buddy: 54:54

Awesome.

Buddy: 54:54

And so there were 16,000, over 16,000 abortions last year and so anyway. So all this to be said, it's great, right, I mean, and it goes on, there's more. We have near my house. We have kids 18 to 30 years old that can reside there, get the cycled great stuff. But let me tell you we need to be careful because we have never forget why we're there and for what reason. Amen, we got to stay humble, and that goes here too. You guys have to stay humble because you got a good thing here, man.

Tiffany: 55:27

Amen.

Buddy: 55:28

And I think, listen, you guys are. I feel, I feel good about you. You guys are, you guys are good.

Buddy: 55:35

We're blessed.

Buddy: 55:36

Yeah, you are blessed, you have an incredible foundation and heritage yeah you do, you do, man. Yeah, and I'm really really I hear this word super a lot here Super, yeah, yeah super. I'm going to take that back. I'm super blessed, super.

Buddy: 55:50

Yeah, you're going to start sounding, my amy, I want to sound like I want to.

Buddy: 55:53

Not only I don't want to sound, I want to sound Cuban. All right, Super blessed, that's good.

Buddy: 55:59

That's everybody. We've heard about what the Lord saved you from. We've heard about how man he takes you know, things that that you wouldn't, you couldn't even plan. Man, this, this movie thing provided for for your child's college. Then saying no to fame and money for the sake of the Lord. About how the Lord led you to to your spouse, how the Lord you got kids. One child, one child, yeah. How?

Buddy: 56:27

about how old are they. She's 24. Awesome, and but I have tons of kids. I was going to say, yeah, I have a lot of, I have a lot of yeah, but yes, so one child awesome and and so many kids that you've poured into over the years and about the rock ministries, right?

Buddy: 56:42

So in case anybody is kind of having trouble putting the pieces together, the rock ministries is a church in Kensington.

Buddy: 56:49

Yes, okay. So it started out rock ministers of Philadelphia and it was primary. It was a sports ministry Okay, boxing grapple, and there was this boxing. We had weights and then we added grapple into it and then we have, you know, we added homework club. That's the ministry. Then, in 2009, I went to Joe Pastor, joe Foch, and I said listen, we're, we're, we're praying about starting one day. I got this thought man, we need to get a church and we're reaching the kids. What about the parents? So he said something so interesting. He says I've been waiting for this. Wow, like what, man? So so it was official, 2009,. We started Calvary Chapel, kensington.

Tiffany: 57:33

Oh, okay.

Buddy: 57:34

So we are at Calvary Chapel, kensington Awesome. But we are so used to call the rock the rock, calvary Chapel, kensington, everything that's kind of our name the rock. Because when you think of the rock, what do you think of Rocky Jesus?

Buddy: 57:47

Yeah, okay, okay, I'm like wait. Is this a trick question?

Buddy: 57:49

No, yeah, Well, you think of the rock you think of Christ Jesus?

Buddy: 57:52

Because? Because?

Buddy: 57:52

because to me, like I failed the test, question no, you didn't.

Buddy: 57:55

No, you, you, you, you.

Buddy: 57:56

So so I think that, like when people think of of the rock, like I never, I know, I know what he's allowed me to do, but you know, I want them to think about Jesus. Yeah, like I like when they think of rock ministry, I know my, my, my, what, I, what I can, but you know what it's I want to. I want them to think about Jesus.

Tiffany: 58:18

Amen.

Buddy: 58:19

To me. That's more important to to me than anything. So so we are. Right now we are. We purchased another building. Miracle Story. We didn't have the money to buy it because we have so many kids.

Buddy: 58:35

Yeah.

Buddy: 58:36

Most of our kids in that neighborhood are living under, you know, post stress disorder. I mean like, like, like they are definitely definitely post dramatic stress disorder because of everything that goes on the gun violence, the drugs, everything. Now that the city is doing this initiative now coming down from the new mayor, the rock ministries, is in partnership. In a sense, we're doing exactly what we do, but we're doing it every day. On steroids, which we're the outreach, helping the people that find the homeless get them a house. The addicted get them long term care, whatever it's necessary wound care, we do that now.

Buddy: 59:24

It would be safe to say that you're doing what you've always been doing, but now you have the support of the government, they're helping Well, no, no.

Buddy: 59:33

I think they're asking for us because we've been doing it for years now and it's working, and it's working and now, in the name of Christ, we're able to continue to do this with the government and whatever they. We're not going to change what we're doing, but they're going to add. So it's really, really fascinating. So, that being said, we need more room because we believe that this is going to be cleaned up. I think it's going to be a model for the country. That's my thought, I believe, because you can see Kensington on the news all the time the world news and national news.

Buddy: 1:00:09

I was going to ask you, in case people are listening, they're not familiar with Kensington what's the deal, what's so bad, what you mentioned, a couple of things, well, Kensington, kensington.

Buddy: 1:00:16

if you go on and you look at Kensington, you know Kensington what it stands for. I mean, it's an open air drug market right now and it's allowed. But they're all over the country now and it's tragic. But we believe that this. Rather than talk about the problem, let's come up with a solution. We know what the solution is. The solution is Christ, and so we have our chaplain squad that goes out. We have a chaplain corps that meets every single week. Now, it's just about every day, are these?

Buddy: 1:00:52

folks from the church or other churches.

Buddy: 1:00:54

We put it out there. It's from all over the Tri-County area. So we had our first chaplain outreach. We had 102 come and they were. They were assistant to our chaplain squad. So we sent out teams of 15 with one solid or Dane chaplain, and then you know, they all have their vests, their credentials, and then they're out there and, man, it is amazing, it says rock ministries.

Buddy: 1:01:24

When you think about rock ministries, who do you think about? Jesus, amen. So that's my point. So he's going to get all the glory and I believe we're going to be successful. So to say that is that we believe that there's going to be such an opportunity to reach into the community more now than ever before. So we're going to need a space. So we purchased one of the.

Buddy: 1:01:46

It was the oldest boxing venue in America, from 1917 to 1963. Every single week there was box, professional boxing. It was called the blood pit and it was the Cambria. In fact, the movie Rocky, that's the move that's they used. They were going to use the building but they used the, the name of it in the in the movie. So it's kind of interesting. But it was called the Cambria, aka the blood pit. We own it now and we're going to turn it into the to the rock youth factory, you know, and it's going to rock climbing wall, basketball, all offices, no, you know, classrooms for school for, and we're just praying that God would provide everything that's needed for this amazing opportunity to reach these kids, through no fault of their own, have been subjected to this type of lifestyle in Kensington, you know so.

Buddy: 1:02:43

Man, I'm excited. I'm so excited for you guys and I pray that anyone listening to our conversations going to be just praying and praying, caring you guys in prayer. I want to ask one thing before we start to kind of close and land the plane Is there a? I mean, I'm sure you have so many stories, god stories and testimonies, but is there one that comes to mind now because, right, all this, all this, all these big initiatives, right, it's about that one person, right? Is there a testimony, a story that comes to your mind that you want to share with, with our listeners?

Buddy: 1:03:15

OK, so what we do is every five, six weeks, we like, we teach the Bible expository, we go verse by verse, chapter by chapter, book by book, we go through the Bible, you know. So about a year ago I said, all right, let's bring three couples up there. So we brought the three couples up there, married couples. I had the women sit down and the men they stand behind them, and each one of them it's just crazy I had married them within the last eight years, you know. But the three women in the front were all former prostitutes. They were all former, you know. They were hooked up with drugs.

Buddy: 1:03:54

The one, the one girl, was picked up by her John and and health captive for a year, ok. The other one, multiple, multiple times. Just, you know, it's just things that were heart wrenching. You know their husbands, all of them, were former drug dealers, drug users. One of the guys who is was locked up 49 times. He oversees our men's ministry. But I say this for this reason, those three couples today love Jesus. Each one of them had their own, they have their own testimony, but now the Lord has has blessed them immensely and and that's and we see that throughout the rock, with not only couples, but young kids coming to know Christ and and, and you know, people becoming Christians, becoming over, overcomers, you know, and so we're very happy, we're very, very blessed by that, joey.

Buddy: 1:05:00

Man, that's. That's exactly what I was hoping for. Just you know, because, again, we don't want to glorify or waste time with with the BC and all the details. But, man, the the after Christ, right though, what God has done, so, so awesome. I just wanted to look where people could get more information. It looks like the Rockfillyorg yes, that right. So if you guys want more information, the Rockfillyorg, you can read up and look up everything that they're doing there, contact them talking about different ministries. But, Pastor Buddy, anything that you know, we've been together for about an hour now. Again, thank you so much for your time. Anything that we didn't cover that you want to mention? Anything that we did cover that you want to go back to before we conclude?

Buddy: 1:05:49

Well, I'm going to say this to you. I don't want you to take this personal. Yes, sir, I'm not going to talk about anything else. The reason why is because, if you want to know more, you got to bring me back. Yes, sir.

Buddy: 1:06:03

I like it. I like it.

Buddy: 1:06:05

So you have to tell your pastor that.

Buddy: 1:06:07

I will take that deal. I will take that deal this way.

Buddy: 1:06:10

But no, let me just say this it is, you know, I feel like I had an opportunity to speak at several churches around the country, you know, and this fellowship here, this group, is really neat because it's real. I sense the, the realness in it and that's what we're looked at. I remember I asked Pastor Dave Guzik, you know. I said, dave, you know, if you had to say one word about the rock and the fellowship, because he's been there several times, I said he's, I said what would it be? He was, and he said one word real. And I think, and that's what I see here, I see real. So keep on doing what you're doing, my brother, awesome. And then, if you want to know something more, tell your pastor to hook it up, got it, guys, if you're listening to this, start sending emails to Calvary Chapel, miami.

Buddy: 1:07:05

We want Pastor.

Buddy: 1:07:06

Buddy back.

Buddy: 1:07:07

We want to hear from him again. Oh man, guys, thank you so much again. The website if you want to learn more about the church, the ministry, you want to read pray I'm going to get in trouble with Pastor Buddy. If you want to give somehow, god put something on your heart therockfillyorg Grace and peace to you. It's been an awesome time. God bless you.

Tiffany: 1:07:50

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