Forged Through Struggle Destined to Protect and Serve

A Life Transformed by Combat Ministries

Some people find martial arts. Others are rescued by martial arts, when it finds them.

For one longtime student, now an instructor, at Combat Ministries, this isn’t just a training facility. It’s the place that helped shape him into the man he is today. He is a father, a husband, a police officer, a leader, and part of our family.

And it all started in a church basement.

From Skateboarding the Streets to Protecting Them

Officer Isaiah Thomas is a true testament to how a good mentor can redirect the course of your life. He understands that his most formative years would likely have been full of mistakes and heartaches had he not committed to an offer to train with Gene Fletcher, director of Combat Ministries.

As a middle schooler growing up in Anderson, life wasn’t easy. He was the oldest of four kids, raised by a single mom who worked nights just to keep the bills paid. “Our home life was rough,” he says. “I took care of my brothers and sisters.”

“I was 12 years old when I met Gene,” he says. “We were at South Meridian Church of God in the basement. So yeah, I’ve been here since pretty much the beginning.”

For roughly 18 years, he has received not just mentoring and martial arts training, but also a deep connection with Gene and Tabitha Fletcher. That relationship made him want more for his life than his circumstances predicted.

“I was skateboarding around town all the time. I could’ve very well ended up going a different direction in my life had I not met Gene. And now I’m a cop,” he says. “I wouldn’t be surprised if I had been one of the people that I’ve arrested multiple times.”

With no father figure in his life, and too much freedom, Isaiah was on a path to trouble. Gene stepped in at just the right time to build this young man into something remarkable.

The Fletcher family poured their best into young Isaiah. “I ended up moving in with Gene and Tab at one point during my high school years. I lived with them until I moved out on my own.” They coached, encouraged, laughed and cried with him. They taught him how to be a good man, and to serve others first. The things his own father wasn’t there to teach him, Gene built up in Isaiah when he needed it most.

Even now, Gene’s number is saved in Isaiah’s phone as “Dad.” His respect and appreciation for Gene and his family runs deeper than any of them could have imagined.

Training For Life

As Combat Ministries grew, so did our list of programs. Isaiah Thomas has been here for all of it. Over the years, he’s been involved in nearly every program Combat Ministries has offered.

Isaiah said “We’ve had MMA programs, strictly jiu-jitsu, boxing, kickboxing, judo. I’ve done different styles of karate. Basically, if it’s been here, I’ve been part of it.”

But this wasn’t just about learning to fight. It was about learning to live.

Combat Ministries has always been focused on building character, not just skills. For Isaiah, that brought out attributes in him he didn’t know he was capable of. That respect, discipline, and selflessness fueled countless decisions through his life. From high school to the army, from the police academy to his wife and kids, Isaiah credits so much of his success to Combat Ministries. The relationships he has built are far more valuable than the training itself.

“This place has always been a light in my world, especially now as a police officer,” he says. “We go to everybody’s worst moments. So, when I get to come here to be with the kids, the adults, and the leadership team, it gives me something to look forward to that’s not some giant problem I’ve got to go fix.”

All that time here definitely built great martial arts skills. As a black belt in Taekwondo he doesn’t just train, he teaches. He mentors other black belts to be the best instructors they can be for the newer students. He pours into students the way Gene, Tabitha, and other mentors have poured into him. Isaiah’s personal transformation is part of what makes him so passionate about reaching others, especially young people.

“If I could grab all the juveniles in the city and make them come train, I would. Just because I know it would change their life.”

Why He Stays

There are many places around central Indiana to train martial arts. There are many great coaches and mentors. Still, Isaiah Thomas remains loyal to Combat Ministries.

Why?

The simplest answer: people.

“Gene and Tabitha are like parents to me,” he says. “My kids will be here. Once they’re old enough, they’ll train.”

Isaiah knows the value of personal connections. The depth of growth that can happen with 1-on-1 conversations can be enough to change a life forever. Hope, healing, forgiveness, encouragement, and just plain fun are all found here. Whether on or off the mat, we go farther together. God put Isaiah here, not just to improve himself, but to pass these lessons on to others. He does just that every day.

Isaiah is a member of the local SWAT team, a police K9 handler, and a field training officer, Officer Isaiah Thomas attributes much of his professional success directly to what he learned through Combat Ministries. In fact, when he joined the military, he was already prepared with most of the character traits the army works to instill in new recruits.

“I wouldn’t be this person without this place. I already had discipline. I had expectations. I had respect. The military was easy for me. I skated under the radar and did well.”

And now, as a police officer, he still leans on what he learned on the mats.

“I’d recommend this place to anybody I know. Not just because of the training, but because of the people.” He says, “There are people here who genuinely care, and they’ll go out of their way to help you with anything.”

Helping someone become the best version of themselves is never easy. The impact Combat Ministries has had on just this one man, makes it all worth it. We are here to change lives and help people truly thrive. Isaiah is reaping the benefits of those beliefs, and he is spreading the word as often as he can.

“I always invite my coworkers. There’s trauma that those guys deal with daily, and nobody’s walking through it with them. This place? It walks through things with you.”

Never Stop Moving

Where will we be in 5 years? 10 years? We don’t know, but we are sure Isaiah will be there too. This dear friend has been here since our earliest days and plans to be with Combat Ministries for many more.

If there were anything he could improve about Combat Ministries, it would simply be our visibility. We do a lot toward community involvement, yet we want more than Anderson to know about this humble space on the edge of town. We want the world to know the transformations that happen at Combat Ministries. So does Isaiah.

Most of all, he wants to see more kids, especially those like him, walk through these doors. The troubled, confused, misguided, and misinformed youth like himself can find more than just another teacher here. They can find a place to truly belong. They can be family.

“My kids will be here. Hopefully, my grandkids will be here.” he says. The plan is to keep Combat Ministries going for future generations to enjoy.

Isaiah is already seeing the fruits of that effort. People he has helped in the past stop him to show how well they’re doing, because of what he did for them.

“Now they come walking up to me—teenagers, almost adults—I don’t recognize them, but they know exactly who I am,” he says. That’s impressive, given the number of students who have been on our mats through the years. No student is just a number, just a member. Every person God gives us is here by divine appointment, and we invest in them equally.

He’s seen students with Down syndrome and autism become black belts. He’s seen “terrible behavior” transform in just six months. He’s seen how the structure and expectations of Combat Ministries help kids succeed in life—not just in the dojo.

“We love with an expectation that you’re going to do better,” he says. “And we hold that expectation.”

The greatest outcome is always the goal. Potential is always there. Sometimes you just have to feed it.

A Light in the Darkness

“For as dark as the world is, this place has a light in it, for sure,” he says. “I’ve been around other places. I haven’t felt it like I feel it here.”

It’s more than martial arts.

It’s more than a gym.

It’s a ministry.

It’s a family.

It’s home.

And it’s a place where one young man’s life was changed forever, so he could help change others.