Craig was born and raised in Burlingame/Hillsborough and was lucky to have been hired by the City of Hillsborough in the Public Works Department right out of high school at 19. This was a job that spelled out security for life, and for 23 years it was just that – a great career that Craig loved where he could make a good living and take care of his wife and two daughters. But then in 2013 he got laid off leading to a period where he was unemployed for the first time in his life, and one in which he and his wife Nicole depleted their savings and retirement making ends meet.
Craig grew up going to church when he was a child but when his parents divorced at age 8 they stopped attending. It took another 36 years for Craig to come back to the church, thanks to Debbie Gehret’s persistent encouragement. Craig met Debbie while working at a job with the City of Pacifica Wastewater Treatment Plant after being laid off from his job at Hillsborough. During that time Debbie brought him a Bible, CDs of sermons, and consistently invited him time and time again to come to church. During a time he describes as one of the most difficult times in his life, with feelings of despair, hurt, anger, and resentment, he and his wife Nicole decided it was time to seek out what was missing in their lives…their relationship with God. He remembers the exact day, April 1, 2014, he and his family first attended Mariners Community Church and says that within “seven minutes, we felt welcomed, loved, and surrounded by a family and community that we were yearning for” in Mariners.
That very next day, he lost his job in Pacifica. Now with time on his hands and even more despair and “why is this happening to me” questions flooding his thoughts, he felt as if God was telling him “now I have you where I want you.” Craig describes it as a time when his faith was tested to the limits – where he was invited into “spiritual boot camp,” as he described it and saying “no” wasn’t an option. Craig immersed himself in Mariners activities, LifeGroups, connected with men at Mariners, and was also asked to be a group leader in the church’s Breakout kids program, mentoring 3rd to 5th grade boys. At this point it seemed to Craig that God was guiding him where he wanted him to be, and at a time where Craig was trying to find his purpose in the church, God’s plan was unfolding.
In his early 20s, Craig took up weightlifting and powerlifting, which eventually led into competitive bodybuilding; guided by his father and other mentors he had built relationships with throughout those years of his life. He considered the gym his church and sanctuary and over the years it has been a positive outlet for him, all leading him to adopt a healthy lifestyle that was positive and kept Craig out of trouble. When he had lost his job with Pacifica, his wife Nicole kept telling him “this is a sign, you need to follow your passion to open a gym and do what you love!” She keeps drilling that into him even to this day.
Craig’s dream is to one day open a gym in Half Moon Bay and have it as their family business. A few months after being let go from Pacifica, he was offered a gym full of bodybuilding equipment from a friend for $3,000. There was only one hitch – this bounty of $10,000 worth of equipment would need to be taken by him within two days. So Craig and his wife rustled up the money, a trailer from a close friend, and his truck to pick up this equipment to build a little gym in their garage. Pastor Paul and Brandon Read came by and blessed the gym and asked if Craig would be willing to work with the teens at Mariners who were interested in weight training, using the gym as a ministry, and of course he said yes. Craig started to work helping a couple teens find a positive outlet to build self-esteem and self-worth. Craig wanted to pay it forward from what others had done for him in his 20-30s, so he feels that God wants to use him for this purpose to connect with kids and teens, as well as others to bring them to Christ and help them grow in their faith. Craig’s plan is to follow these youth he’d started working with in the Breakout program, who will now be entering middle school, and continue mentoring these kids as they grow with the church, giving them someone to look up to in times of need. If they want to learn weightlifting and strength training that option is available too.
Craig landed a job with the City of Belmont Public Works Department in 2016, just a month or so away from their savings and retirement running out. As Craig explains it “this was a God-given job,” a way for him to have the security and means to support his family, but his dream and passion remains to establish a gym on the coastside where he can work full-time with youth and adults.
Reflecting on the past 23 years, Craig realized he had gotten “too big for his britches,” providing well for his family, raising two beautiful daughters with his wife, and thinking he had his life all under control. He didn’t realize it was the illusion of control and that when he lost his jobs in Hillsborough and again in Pacifica, God was telling him “you’ve done it your way for awhile, now it’s my way.”
In his 20s and 30s, one of Craig’s mentors from a gym he belonged to would gently poke his finger at his muscled chest and tell him “bodybuilding was his way of building his armor around his heart.” The work of working out rips you down and builds you back up and it is hard work, but Craig is up for the challenge, for himself and for others. Craig is convinced now his purpose, God’s purpose for him, is to teach strength training and personal fitness in a way that slowly plants seeds inside youth, as well as adults, to find themselves and God. Through his work with the help of his wife Nicole, he hopes people who come to his gym will find salvation, a place that is a positive outlet, one where they can learn to adopt a healthy lifestyle and steer away from the temptations that surround youth in our society. Craig hopes to be the mentor who will help them along this path with his gym here on the Coastside. God has his back.
By Laura McHugh, Volunteer Storyteller
