South Africa is ranked as the most unequal country in the world. Those born in the thirty years since the nation’s first democratic elections currently face record high unemployment numbers. In poorer communities, young people hoping to climb out of poverty also face the destructive impacts of gangsterism and substance abuse.
But one ministry on Cape Town’s south peninsula is using fitness classes to witness to teenagers and young adults, mentoring them into a lifestyle of purpose and discipline. Mark Roughton dropped in on a training session.
Source: www.crossfitmasi.com
SCRIPT:
INTRO:
South Africa is ranked as the most unequal country in the world. Those born in the thirty years since the nation’s first democratic elections currently face record high unemployment numbers. In poorer communities, young people hoping to climb out of poverty also face the destructive impacts of gangsterism and substance abuse. But one ministry on Cape Town’s south peninsula is using fitness classes to witness to teenagers and young adults, mentoring them into a lifestyle of purpose and discipline. Mark Roughton dropped in on a training session.
TAKE PACKAGE
VIZ: GABRIEL COACHING AN L327 CLASS
VO1
Gabe Fisher was already working for a Non-governmental Organisation in South Africa when he felt the call to establish a ministry which could mentor young people through fitness. He began by developing his capacity as a coach and found a way to start running classes without owning a gym.
SOT: [SUPER] [GABRIEL FISHER, CO-FOUNDER & DIRECTOR, L327 FITNESS]
“I went to my local affiliate, that I had been attending for the last few years. And said ‘hey, I’d like to start coaching. In turn, can I run my outreach through you?’ And that was the birth of L327. It stands for Lamentations 3:27, which is ‘it is good for man to bear the yoke while he is young.’ And it was a personal verse that was very instrumental to me when I was a younger man.”
VIZ: GABRIEL LEADING DEVOTIONS, THEN COACHING YOUNGSTERS
VO 2
Over a three-year period, the ministry grew through donations of used equipment and athlete sponsorships. But when the host gym relocated to another suburb, transport became a costly and time-consuming challenge. In 2023, on their first visit to South Africa, American supporters Brian and Kristin Rappé felt God’s call to establish the gym that they were wanting to open, not in Indiana, but rather here in South Africa.
SOT: [SUPER] [KRISTIN RAPPÉ, DIRECTOR & COACH, L327 FITNESS]
“I truly believe that God wanted this. This was… this was His plan and we just were in the right place at the right time. So I just feel really, really lucky to be part of it.”
VIZ: VARIETY OF STUDENTS OF DIFFERENT AGES AND BACKGROUNDS
VO 3
The gym’s logo is a symbol of the Fisher family’s mission – to “care for the people in the shade of our tree”.
SOT: [SUPER] [LINDSEY FISHER, CO-FOUNDER, L327 FITNESS]
“The shade tree seemed appropriate. Because we’re not trying to change the whole world. We’re rather looking at who has God given us in our small circle here? And how can we work to introduce them to the Lord and improve their lives in the process? And let’s focus on that.“
VIZ: STUDENTS DOING DRILLS
VO 4
L327 Fitness does not discriminate in terms of who gets to join the programme. But the coaches could not have predicted how much of an influence these classes would have on the local community.
SOT: [SUPER] [KRISTIN RAPPÉ, DIRECTOR & COACH, L327 FITNESS]
“I didn’t ever expect to be able to… I’m gonna cry… um, didn’t ever expect to be able to have the impact that we have on the number of people that we have.”
SOT: [SUPER] [PASCAL BOERSMA, PROGRAMME GRADUATE & COACH, L327 FITNESS]
“The devotions have definitely kind of shaped me of who I am as a person. We have this thing called ‘live narrow’. And for us what ‘live narrow’ means is following that pathway that is not, you know, followed the most. You know, where least people go towards.”
VIZ: PASCAL COACHING
LEARNERS STRETCHING
VO 5
CrossFit Masiphumelele now operates in its own space, where paying gym members and sponsors help to fund the ministry of L327 Fitness. As a non-profit organisation, Gabe and his team are also reaching athletes who would otherwise not have access to such resources and professional coaching. He hopes to reach a stage where the regular classes are indistinguishable from the L327 sessions.
SOT: [SUPER] [GABRIEL FISHER, FOUNDER & DIRECTOR, L327 FITNESS]
“Our motto is ‘CrossFit is our passion, but people are our mission’.”
SOT: [SUPER] [LINDSEY FISHER, FOUNDER, L327 FITNESS]
“I say the gym supports the ministry. But what we’ve come to find out that actually the whole gym is our ministry. It’s not just the afternoons, because everybody has needs and everybody wants to belong.“
VIZ: STUDENTS AT END OF WORKOUT
NATSOUND BREAK: “High pull…” feet slamming on ground.
VO 6 & SIGN-OFF
Mark Roughton, in Cape Town, reporting for the Global News Alliance.
Story Provided By:
Mark Roughton
Producing Organization
www.crossfitmasi.com
Recording Location
Cape Town, South Africa
Reporter / Producer
Mark Roughton
Organization featured in this Story
www.crossfitmasi.com
People Interviewed and their Titles
GABRIEL FISHER, CO-FOUNDER & DIRECTOR, L327 FITNESS
KRISTIN RAPPÉ, DIRECTOR & COACH, L327 FITNESS
LINDSEY FISHER, CO-FOUNDER, L327 FITNESS
PASCAL BOERSMA, PROGRAMME GRADUATE & COACH, L327 FITNESS
GABRIEL FISHER, FOUNDER & DIRECTOR, L327 FITNESS
EN 
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