IMPACT on L.A.

Black History Month: Bishop Donnie Williams

Among the many communities of Los Angeles is a thriving body of Christ, led by Bishop Donnie Williams, serving in the Valley, Pasadena, Riverside and four other church plants from Vegas to Africa. The church, called The Family Church International, began in Donnie’s home in 1984 with an attendance of 8. Almost forty years later the church has grown in count, spirit, and especially through the pandemic season, a people with abundant hope who no longer ‘know faith’ but practice it. 

Bishop Donnie Williams is a passionate leader whose impact on Los Angeles began in his career as a black karate martial artist, to World Champion, to actor, to Bishop. Williams not only paved the path for other young African Americans to learn Karate by co-founding the Black Karate Foundation(BKF) in 1969, giving lessons to those who couldn’t afford it and a voice for African American fighters on the tournament circuit, but also, broke into the film industry as a martial arts actor alongside big names such as Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris.  

But Williams greatest achievement for creating lasting impact comes from his own personal testimony of breaking down barriers. Starting out, karate was an outlet for his hatred for the white man, but God changedhis heart. In a life altering karate match Donnie finally let the Lord all the way in and committed himself to serving the Lord and years later he made good on that promise and became a Bishop, marrying his passion for karate to his passion for the Lord.

We asked Bishop Donnie Williams about his journey bringing change to his community through karate and his church.

Q. As a World Champion, Grandmaster, co-founder of Black Karate Foundation, actor in martial arts films, do you have any distinct memories of noticing ‘hey I’m making a difference, doors are opening for other African Americans in the world of Karate because of the road I’ve paved?’

A. Last year, I directed my first film called ‘Brothers by Choice’ dealing with racism and Christianity. Because of my past I was able to do this film, I produced and directed it, and I feel that opened the door for other black martial artists to know that they can also accomplish something. I don’t want to do anything that is not pleasing to God, I don’t have a desire to just go out and just do something. All my projects have to be God centered, and I want to reach black kids specifically. That’s why we still have the BKF the Black Karate Federation so we can help black kids because they didn’t have any foundation in the art or organization to lean on. 

Q. What would be your greatest passion, in general, and in the sport of karate?

A. I think my biggest passion is hopefully, I’m not sure if I’ve accomplished it yet, but my desire, my strong desire is to be a person of integrity and also my passion is to not only teach martial arts but to incorporate the Bible in the art. To not be a Bible thumper but to identify David was a warrior in the Bible, that the Bible tells us to fight the good fight and things like that. 

Q. When you were starting out in karate you were really paving a path and you had to break down a lot of racial barriers. What would you say to people today who are trying to go after something and they’re the minority or breaking down some racial barrier? How would you encourage them?

A. Well I think racism is— we’ll have an issue the rest of our lives. People will be prejudice about something it’s the color of your skin, it’s the size of your lips or the size of your nose or your height or this or that. So, we’re going to have that. But my issue was that I was a racist when I started off in martial arts, I wasn’t a person that was serving the Lord or doing the right thing. I was a racist. I hated white people, I fought to show white people they couldn’t beat me. I said bad things to people about their momma and daddy, I was a bad person. And I think my greatest contribution was that the Lord changed my life and now I’m out to help people that was like me. I don’t find fault with them as much as I’ll find a way to encourage them to make a change in their life because they already know they’re doing the wrong thing; they just need someone to encourage them to do the right thing. I think my contribution now, helping modern day 2021, is to help people see that they can make a change in their life. But they have to want to do it. And that’s my ultimate goal right now to help people who are racist, who are prejudice, who are evil and doing bad.

Q. And you are also a Bishop serving in the Valley at The Family Church International, for almost 40 years, right? Would you say during the pandemic there was something that was unique or different that happened that brought an unforeseen blessing from it? 

A. Yes. I have not been sick one day and God has blessed me at the age of 74. The blessing is that god kept us through this. You know we, no member of our church died, it’s just been a blessing. So that’s one. The other thing is it changed the faith of the people. The faith of the people had to be proven.  They proved their faith. They practiced their faith. One of the problems is this; if you were in medicine, you’d never become a doctor, in reality you keep practicing medicine. You practice it. That’s why it’s called, why most people who claim the title of doctor, they practice it. They don’t know medicine. They practice it. A lawyer, he don’t really know law, he practice law. Christians need to practice their faith. A lot of Christians they just know their faith, but this pandemic made them practice their faith. We all have faith that we can make it, until the trial comes, and we have to be tested. 

Q. So would you say that there is a certain richness in your body of people, in the body of Christ now that wasn’t there before?

A. Absolutely. A unity, a love, and a togetherness that we didn’t have in the same manor that we have now. The world got the saying “We’re all in this Together.” Well guess what? The church now has that saying, “We’re all in this Together.”  

Q. How would you encourage the hearts of the people in the Los Angeles community? What would you say to them to encourage their hearts?

A. L.A. is a beautiful city, California is a wonderful state, I would say this to them, to the citizens of L.A.: that hope, the acronym of hope is heavenly opportunity processed eternally. Hope is God’s way of stripping us when there is nothing else to lean on. It’s a heavenly opportunity processed eternally. It’s God doing it, that’s why we have hope. So, L.A. hang on in there. Don’t give up hope.