Tandem Radio on the Bridge FM Saturday, January 19th with our Featured Guest: Donna Russert of Branch of the Lord, Fitness & Wellness Centers, and Christian Academy of Shaolin Martial Arts.

How do Faith and Martial Arts intersect?  How can you use Martial Arts to serve God?  East meets West this week with Martial Arts expert, Donna Russert, who shares about how she is brings Martial Arts and her faith together.

Donna Russert – Born in Burlington County, NJ, Donna Russert has dedicated her life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  The conviction of the Holy Spirit began in 1998 and she has been experiencing the promises of His power ever since.  Donna has been diligently reading, studying and applying the revelation of God through His Holy Scriptures since 1999.  Since that time she has consistently assembled with others in the body of Christ for the purpose of worship, education, encouragement, prayer and correction.  She has also been educated through the teachings of local and distance Bible teachers.  She diligently seeks out the most sound teachers of the faith, always measuring their words against those of the Bible.  Having been given the gift of teaching and administration, Donna has worked in children’s, youth and women’s ministries, led Bible Studies, Workshops and Retreats.  She also currently manages an online ministry for Christian Education and is passionately focused on delivering the Gospel message at every opportunity and teaching others to obediently do the same.

Contending For Christ is a ministry that utilizes her extensive background in martial arts for the purpose of sharing the Gospel and understanding and engaging in Spiritual Warfare from a unique and Biblical perspective.

Martial Art Background: Donna was drawn to begin her martial art studies in 1994. She has studied a variety of styles including, but not limited to: Southern Shaolin Kung Fu, Five Animal / Five Family, Hung Gar, Taiji Quan (Traditional & Contemporary), Northern Wushu, Qin Na, Bagua Zhang & Wing Chun. Beginning later in life, her martial skills were honed by spending long hours with her instructors on a daily basis over the course of many years.  Her diligence, work ethic, study and training have proven her to be a well-rounded and skilled practitioner and teacher.

Donna Russert began her formal teaching career in 1998 and went through a rigorous training to first earn assistant instructor status.  While teaching hundreds of classes and gaining immeasurable experience as a teacher, she was also continuing to gain skill in the art itself.  Upon successfully completing an extremely rigorous Black Sash Testing Cycle which lasted 16 weeks, she passed the preliminary and final exams to achieve her advanced degree of Black Sash in 2002.  Upon earning her Advanced degree of Black Sash in Shihe Quan Kung Fu, the Grandmaster of that system awarded her the title of Sifu and Head Instructor.

Sifu Donna Russert, has trained extensively with her primary Shaolin teacher, Sifu Louis Diaz, with whom she has increased her skills in the traditional art of Five Animal/Five Family Kung Fu.  She has also trained extensively with her primary Taiji Quan Teacher, Sifu W.C. Bey, who provided ancillary training in Shaolin Body Mechanics and diverse methods of breathing and flexibility training.  Sifu Russert highly esteems the training provided by both of these men, having given her the opportunity to learn and grow, utilizing the most classical and effective methods of martial training.  She has continually expanded her scope of skill and knowledge through various seminar training with martial artists from many genres such as: Dixon Fung, Raul Ortiz, the late Zhang Luping, Norman Smith, Jamal El and Christopher Viggiano, to name a few.  Sifu Russert has also enjoyed the privilege of meeting both T.T. Liang and Master Jou Tsun Hwa at the original Tai Chi Farm, prior to their passing.
Competing in dozens of tournaments over her years on the competition circuit, she has given numerous gold-medal performances at both local and international tournaments. These include empty hand forms, fighting sets and weapon forms at some of the more renowned competitions, such as: The Wong Fei Hung Tournament and The US International Kuoshu Tournament.

She has also held membership in a number of professional organizations such as NAPMA (National Association of Professional Martial Artists) and ACMA (The Cooper Institute’s, American Council on Martial Arts).  Sifu Russert has been certified in a number of genres including CardioKick through NAPMA, Primary Group Fitness Instructor through AFAA, as well as advanced certifications in Taiji.  Sifu Russert has been certified in TaiChi for Arthritis through Master Paul Lam. She has also been certified as a Speaker and Level II Instructor with The Arthritis Foundation having delivered the Discoveries Program and The Tai Chi from the Arthritis Foundation Class as an outreach to hundreds of people in the community.  In 2010, Sifu Russert was inducted into the United Fellowship of Martial Artists (UFofMA) Hall of Fame and recognized as Southern Shaolin Instructor of the Year.

Sifu was co-founder of The Christian Academy of Shaolin Martial Arts.  During her tenure as Sifu & Head Instructor at the Academy, Sifu Donna was responsible for curriculum development and implementation, as well as maintaining instructional staff standards of proficiency.  Sifu has extensive teaching experience, having taught thousands of classes with students of  all ages and levels, from beginner through advanced ranks.  She also served as the primary coach to members of the school’s National Competition Team.  The academy also hosted the Annual Kung Fu Training Retreat, held at Wildwood Crest, NJ for 10 years.  The Academy has now been handed on to the next generation and is currently overseen by her highest ranking Black Sash student, Sibok, Michael Matlack.  He was awarded the title of Head Instructor by Sifu Russert in 2012.

Having handed off the duties of the Academy, Sifu now enjoys a new season of life that primarily includes living her life in obedience to Christ and His call to share the Gospel message.  Her current focus in the martial environment, is to utilize the years of training and expertise that the Lord has allowed in her life, to bring that Gospel message to everyone she can.  She has a unique access to an environment which is populated by many who are seeking truth and salvation, whether they know it or not.

Find out more about Donna Russert here.

ATTENTION IPHONE, ANDROID AND BLACKBERRY USERS!

Did you know that you can now listen to The Bridge FM anywhere at anytime?
For iPhone Users:Go to the iTunes App Store, search “The Bridge Christian Radio”
For Android Users: Go to the Android Market, search “The Bridge”
For Blackberry Users: Stream LIVE broadcasts by visiting radiotime.com/bb, search through stations listed for “The Bridge””