Yesha Ministries began as a single Tae Kwon Do class at Neptune Baptist Church, Neptune Beach, Florida on June 13, 1983. Classes began with 5 to 7 students and continued to grow rapidly. Within a few years, the classes enlarged to forty. Soon branches in other churches and/or community centers were established.

General Information

• The non-profit was founded by Charles W. Coker. He is the father of 9 children and a graduate of Luther Rice. He is a 6th Degree Black Belt and two time USA silver medalist.
• 14 different locations and one college have been home to our schools.
• Over 2,500 students have been taught during the 24 years.
• Over 200 Black Belts certified.
• One Olympic and 7 Junior Olympic qualifiers, plus 24 US National Medalists trained.

Structure

Charles W. Coker, 6^th Dan Black Belt, is President and Founder. Each individual location functions under the direction of a 1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd Degree Black Belt. That Black Belt is familiar with the style, forms, techniques, and other aspects of Olympic Tae Kwon Do.

It is his/her responsibility to be the leader of the class as well as set the example for those people he/she is training. Black belt instruction will be given by Mr. Coker at specifically assigned times and locations. It is his job to assist the leaders in each location to perform their function in a satisfactory manner.

Status

We are incorporated according to the Laws and Statutes of the State of Florida. We are a non-profit ministry supported by tax deductible contributions and prayer. Working with churches and other non-profit organizations, we provide certification, administrative packages, support materials and instruction necessary for those interested in the Olympic martial art/sport of Tae Kwon Do.

Focus

It is our desire to make the training completely balanced. Many times we find in martial arts schools physical and mental training but rarely is spiritual training available. This leads to an imbalanced individual. An individual cannot perform at their peak efficiency if they do not have balance and the peace of God in their life.

• Physical Training - for the healthy conditioning of our bodies as the very best temple for the Holy Spirit.
• Mental Training - for the discipline of our minds and lifestyles to better serve our brothers and sisters throughout the world.
• Spiritual Training - for the strengthening and enlightenment of the individual to better enable him/her to achieve completeness in the Kingdom of God. (Hebrews 12:13).
• I Corinthians 9:24-27, illustrates that we should maintain balance in training the whole individual.

Board of Directors

Ken Garretson - Entrepreneur
Steve Hamilton - Contractor
Larry Wang - Attorney
David Clowe - CPA
Charles L. Davis – Educator/Coach

Memberships

Yesha is a member of several different organizations. Each organization provides a unique function to insure the achievement of goals we have set forth.

• Amateur Athletic Union - The AAU (founded in 1888) is one of the largest, non-profit, volunteer, sports organizations in the United States and is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It established the standards and uniformity in amateur sport.
• USA Tae Kwon Do Association - This organization is our liaison to the United States Olympic Committee.
• The World Tae Kwon Do Federation - They are the largest certifying organization in the world. They have also implemented the format for Tae Kwon Do's place in the Olympics.
• Coker Tae Kwon Do - Coker Tae Kwon Do has been in existence since 1963. It is the instructional body which founded the present Tae Kwon Do system for our schools. The founder was the late James R. Coker, 7th Dan Black Belt.