The following is an extended version of an article from the latest edition of UMC's engage! Magazine
By Gary Engelstad, Director of Transformational Giving, UMC Foundation
Hurdles.
Everyone faces them in their lives. The question is, what do you do about them? Do you give up and accept being stuck, or do you conquer them and move on to the next challenge?
Bishop Taylor resident Robert Lewis has had more than his share of hurdles in life. And each one has been turned into a success story in his quest.
Athletics have been a big part of Robert's life almost since the beginning. At the very young age of 12, he was on the Asbury Park Freshman football team. He was by far the smallest player, a wingback. But that team still went on to win the state championship. Hurdle cleared.
Robert's next hurdle was dealing with the bullies on the block. He gravitated to the martial arts, particularly Judo. Learning Judo, with its grappling, wrestling, and takedowns, proved to have additional benefits in the neighborhood. "I had wonderful coaches", Robert said, "they taught us leadership, being tough, and acting like young men".
Robert credits sports with giving him such a strong foundation. "The leadership with your team, with a bunch of guys going up against the other school, showing up on the bus, the conversations when you lose, what we can do better, we're going to get them the next time!"
While life's other hurdles put Robert on a career path in the culinary arts at large restaurants and banquet facilities, he still made time for his true love: martial arts and a blossoming teaching career. He has had martial arts schools in Asbury Park, Perth Amboy, and most recently in Irvington and Newark.
Robert was able to blend his strong faith with his athletic passions when the United Methodist Church in Irvington sponsored a Saturday morning karate program for children, which became a great success thanks to Robert's business school marketing skills.
He estimates that he has taught thousands of young boys and girls the skills of this ancient practice. What exactly does he tell the kids? "We talk about courage and leadership roles. David and Goliath – not quitting. Some kids lost parents at an early age, like me. I knew how to talk to these kids, you know, 'They want you to get that green belt, get that black belt, so you gotta keep your chin up and keep coming back.' I focus on discipline and structure, and they call me Master Lewis." It's a title he wears quite proudly.
Despite the hurdle of being involved in a dangerous bus crash that necessitated major surgery, he is still going strong. "I'm now doing something for me. In 2019, I attended Samurai school in New York. That was for me to take a break from the kids and get away from the area. I got my certifications in Samurai at the New York Budo Association. I've been with them for 5 years, practicing Japanese discipline and character. It's the highest discipline in martial arts."
Robert has been a resident of Bishop Taylor, UMC's senior housing community in East Orange, for two years. "The staff is amazing. They are like sisters and brothers to me". Living in the community also keeps his cooking skills sharp. "I love cooking for community events," he shares. "I cook for Miss Tanya, making cornbread, beef, turkey..."
To visit Robert's apartment at Bishop Taylor is akin to visiting a martial arts hall of fame. There are countless belts, awards, and citations honoring Robert for both his own accomplishments and for what he has done to instruct and encourage so many others, especially kids.
Hurdles mean nothing to Robert. As he appropriately boasts - "I've just kept overachieving, overachieving, overachieving."
