They come for a workout and for the Word. They come to pump iron and to pray.

        On a weekday afternoon, a dozen men congregate in the Lord's Gym, a cramped weight room at Walnut and Liberty streets in Over-the-Rhine. Keenan Robbison, like many of the others, comes often to strengthen himself physically and spiritually.

FOCAS programs

Lord's Gym part of FOCAS    Dick Taylor, a retired GE Aircraft Engines executive, founded the Lord's Gym in 1993. He saw weight lifting as a way to connect with men in the city's urban core.     The gym is one of several ministries of FOCAS, the Foundation of Compassionate American Samaritans. Mr. Taylor started the Christian, nonprofit organization in 1986.     A glance at FOCAS programs:     • The Lord's Gym, 1447 Walnut St., Over-the-Rhine. A men's ministry open noon-7:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday; noon-5 p.m. (and a 7 p.m. Bible study) Friday and noon-3 p.m. Saturday.     • The Lord's Pantry, 1445 Walnut St., (next to Lord's Gym) a place for street people to receive prayer, light lunch and other assistance.     • Nicholas Hoyer Sportsclub, 64 E. McMicken St., Over-the-Rhine. A spinoff of the Lord's Gym aimed at youth.     • Haiti ministries consist of a Child Survival Project with goals of reducing disease and death and increasing access to health care; and a FOCAS Haiti Child Sponsorship program which provides food, Christian schooling and some medical care for Haitian children.     FOCAS relies on donations from individuals, churches and some corporations. Information: 621-5300 or www.FOCAS-US.org.

        “I lift,” the 38-year-old Roselawn man says, preparing to do a set of squats, “and I lift up the Lord.”

        Three years of workouts at the Lord's Gym have honed his strongman physique. And changed his life.

        “I was staying at homeless shelters, and this is a place where I could go and lift weights and hear the word of God.” It's also where he found the inner strength to overcome a 15-year cycle of alcohol abuse and crack cocaine use, he says.

        Now he's drug-free, employed, a part-time student at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College and a volunteer staffer at the Lord's Gym.

        The Lord's Gym has combined body building and Bible study since it was opened nine years ago by the Foundation of Compassionate American Samaritans (FOCAS), a non-profit Christian group. About 150 men come to the gym each month. A core group of about 40 use it most often.

        “Everybody here feels a closeness to each other, a brotherly love type thing,” says Rod Miller, 31, a staff volunteer from Colerain Township.

        Religion isn't forced on anyone using the gym, but reminders are scattered about the room. A portrait of Jesus hangs next to a shelf of Bibles. The Ten Commandments are posted near a chest press. A poster cites a verse from the book of Corinthians: “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.”

        Men can come as they please at the Lord's Gym, which is open six days a week. The gym requires no commitment. It charges no fee.

Bob Clarke, director of the men's program, Keenan Robbison, 38, of Roselawn, and Rodrick Miller, 31, of Coleraine Twp, take a moment to pray for Greg Mapp, 29, (with yellow shirt) of Western Hills, outside the Lord's Gym on Liberty and Walnut Ave. (Steven M. Herppich photo) | ZOOM |

        Some men come not because they're interested in God, but because they just want to work out, says Bob Clarke, FOCAS' director of men's programs. “The hope is, we can continue to impact guys so their lives change for the better.”

        As Mr. Clarke sits at the front desk, a newcomer approaches. He seems troubled.

        “Do you need some prayer?” Mr. Clarke says.

        Yes, the man says.

        He tells Mr. Clarke he was released from prison a couple of weeks ago. He wants prayer to help him steer clear of crack cocaine.

        They stand by a leg extension machine as Mr. Clarke thumbs through a Bible. He finds a verse, places one hand on the man's shoulder, dips a thumb in oil and makes the sign of the cross on his forehead.

        Tears trickle down the man's face.

        Mr. Robbison stops lifting weights to pray with them. “Oh Lord, keep him right now,” he says. “Hallelujah. Thank you Jesus. You are a merciful God. Thank you Jesus. Hallelujah. Thank you.”

        Before he leaves, the man gets hugs from several weight lifters.

        Devotional breaks are held three times a day for 10 to 20 minutes. Everyone stops lifting and the music — typically urban contemporary Christian — is silenced. Anyone who is uncomfortable can leave.

Jeff Famble, 43, of Avondale, does squat thrusts with a barbell on his back. (Steven M. Herppich photo) | ZOOM |

        This day, no one does.

        Jerry Dubose, the 53-year-old gym manager, begins with a mini-sermon. Change is possible through prayer, he tells the men. But it should not be a one-time thing. Keep talking to God, and you'll get answers.

        “Somebody say thank you, Jesus!” Mr. Dubose says loudly.

        “Thank you, Jesus!” the men shout.

        “C'mon, we gettin' ready to pray,” Mr. Dubose says, and the men gather in a circle, some kneeling beside weight benches.

        “Anybody got any prayer in their heart, speak out,” Mr. Dubose says. Many do. But his voice can be heard above them all.

        “Now God, we come together right now,” he says, “and ask for you to touch each man here, in his mind, his heart, his spirit and his soul. Father God I pray that you hear every man here as they cry out to the Lord. Oh Father they pray that you will bring them closer to you. God, touch every man here.”

        The devotions end with applause.

        Mr. Dubose, a slender man who wears a goatee, firmly believes his life has been touched by God. For many years, though, he says he was in the devil's grip.

        He began recreational drug use after graduating from Hughes High, he says. That led to heroin and cocaine addictions. He says he learned to forge checks, steal diamonds, play con games, pick pockets.

        “I went to the penitentiary nine times,” he says.

Rodrick Miller, 31, of Coleraine Twp, greets Christopher Rozier, 18, of Over-the-Rhine. (Steven M. Herppich photo) | ZOOM |

        Then about seven years ago, he says, he had a religious experience at his mother's home, where he'd been using drugs. He prayed, and felt the power of God free him from his addictions.

        He needed a place to go. Not just church, which he says is important, but somewhere to go every day. A friend told him about the Lord's Gym. Mr. Dubose immediately felt at home.

        “These guys in here talk about God the way guys at the bar talk about a football game,” he says.

        He came regularly. Got more involved. Six months ago he was named gym manager. Now for Mr. Dubose, teaching about God is a full-time ministry.

        “Guys come in and act like they're not paying attention. But that Word is gettin' in their ear. The next thing you know, when they used to leave (during) Bible study, they'll have a seat.

        “It's like this kid right here,” Mr. Dubose says, pointing to 21-year-old Cameron Crow. “He thinks he comes here just to lose weight. What he don't know is, God got a plan for his life.”

        Mr. Crow has been coming to the gym for a few months.

        “I ain't here just for the weights,” he says. “I believe in God. I'm just not all the way saved yet. I'm still a sinner.”

        “God is about to transform this man,” says Mr. Miller, the volunteer helping coach Mr. Crow. “It's a matter of time now.”

        Mr. Miller knows something about being transformed.

        When he first came to the gym a few years ago, “I was doing some things, smoking weed and drinking. The more I got into (the gym), the stronger I became, physically, mentally, spiritually.”

        His body is chiseled, muscular. His attitude is in good shape, too.

        He credits Mr. Dubose with helping him “break away from the negativity.” Mr. Miller has a steady job, his own apartment, and a desire to help others.

        “I feel like a leader now. I got to make like a good role model. I got to get these guys together.”

        Many men gathered at the Lord's Gym a year ago, while Cincinnati's worst rioting in more than 30 years raged in the neighborhood. The gym stayed open.

        “A lot of people wanted answers,” Mr. Dubose says. “We left the door open on purpose. People would come by and hear the word of God coming out.”

        The gym's popularity doesn't surprise Scott Bowers, the FOCAS director of development and administration. He calls it a “a safe haven where any of these guys can come off the street and just relax. Even if they don't want to be prayed for, they can say whatever's on their mind.”

        And they can find someone willing to listen.

        That's what Brian Haysbert needed. The 36-year-old from College Hill was one of the first to use the gym.

        “I was hooked on crack cocaine and alcohol,” he says. “When I met these guys, they let me know there was a way out.”

        The way out, for some, passes through the Lord's Gym. “This,” he says, “is a God-sent place.”

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