By Shavonne Potts
spotts@salisburypost.com
The Family Crisis Council of Rowan County is offering a self defense class taught by Livingstone Police Officer Sgt. William Moody.
The class, free to the public, will feature two one-hour sessions on Monday at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Parrish Hall, 131 W. Council St., Salisbury.
The first class is 6-7 p.m. and the second class is from 7-8 p.m.
The class will feature basic grabs, pushes and chokes.
The event is sponsored by the Family Crisis Council of Rowan, a Rowan County United Way member agency.
Moody specializes in Chung Do Kwan, a style of Tae Kwon Do, a Korean martial arts.
He is also a personal trainer and pastor of Bread of Life Ministries in Landis. He has been a minister for 25 years.
He instructs people through repetitive maneuvers and hands-on practice, he said.
“I want it to become second nature,” he said.
Moody had been looking for ways his church to get involved in the community and he had always wanted to work with the Family Crisis Council.
Many in his congregation have expressed an interest in volunteering with the agency.
As a church, “we should be able to lead them to somewhere to get them help,” Moody said.
Moody also holds programs at churches and other businesses and organizations about health and fitness.
“I care about people and I care about how people feel about themselves,” Moody said.
The goal of the Family Crisis Council is to help empower victims of rape, incest, sexual assault and domestic violence take back their lives. Also to eliminate violence in the community by awareness, prevention activities, court advocacy, emergency shelter, 24-hour crisis support, information/referral services and individual and group counseling services.
For more information about the Family Crisis Council visit www.familycrisiscouncil.org and for more information about setting up a self defense class or health and fitness class, call Moody at 704-706-0538.