From Drill Sergeant to Pastor

Photo By Cynthia McIntyre | Michael Weaks, Army Reserve Soldier and former drill sergeant (pictured), preaches at the Greater Mission Ministries in San Miguel, California. (Courtesy photo)  

CA, UNITED STATES

08.23.2018

Story by Cynthia McIntyre 

Fort Hunter Liggett Public Affairs Office

Michael Weaks has worn many hats in his life’s journey. Whether it was inspiring fear and discipline in Soldiers as a basic training drill sergeant, or as a preacher of the Gospel, helping people has always been a personal mission for Weaks.

Weaks is a civilian training instructor at the Fort Hunter Liggett Training Support Center and an Army Reserve Soldier with the 91st Training Division. He also spends a lot of time on the road as a referee for high school and college basketball conferences spanning the area between Fresno and Los Angeles.

“It’s my favorite hobby,” said Weaks, who has children in high school. He was also a referee for 15 years in his native North Carolina, and for the last five years in California.

Weaks first came to FHL as a Reserve Soldier in 2008 when the Army established a Reserve Training Center (RTC) here. His entire unit, consisting of 60 drill sergeants and 43 support Soldiers, was activated to train Soldiers of all ranks prior to their deployment to Iraq, Afghanistan or Kuwait.

“Our unit was pretty stellar,” he said, because of their expertise and ability to enforce discipline. They technically didn’t wear “the hat” as drill sergeants, but they trained more than 20,000 Soldiers, from privates to colonels.

“We even had six generals,” he said. “We had a good time with them. It was one of my most fun training times.”

The RTC proved its worth when a Fort Hood, Texas unit that had just completed training at the RTC in 2009 faced a shooting rampage soon after returning to home base. “They said the training they received at our shoot house allowed them to escape from that shooter,” said Weaks.

Helping others on their spiritual journeys has also been a big part of Weaks’ life. He received God’s call to be a pastor at his Baptist church in Kannapolis, North Carolina and was ordained in 2001. When he moved to California, he looked far and wide for a location to start a church. He found it in a former movie theater built in the 1950s for Soldiers stationed at Camp Roberts. As a sign of God’s favor, Weaks said the realtor handed him the keys rent-free for a year. On January 6, 2013, he started the Greater Mission Ministries in San Miguel, Calif. The congregation in the non-denominational church grew from 29 “very faithful” members to 60 today. Although they have yet to use the theater area as a sanctuary (they meet in the lobby), they have been remodeling it and other areas in the church in hopes of purchasing not just that space, but the entire 12,000 square foot building that now houses a laundromat and antique store. Weak’s vision for the church is to have more community and interfaith outreach.

“I believe God is getting ready for something special in San Miguel,” he said. “I believe the Lord wants me to create Christian fellowship with other ministries.”

So how does being a former drill sergeant square with being a pastor? He smiled.“I was one of the few drill sergeants that didn’t curse,” he said, “but I was just as loud as they were.” He knows that making Soldiers tough and resilient means they may have to face hardship and combat, yet find a way to keep their spiritual faith strong. “It’s like the Incredible Hulk. When I put my hat on I change, and when I take it off I change back.”

At the heart of it all is grace and love, both of which he tries to live as well as to preach.

• Date Taken: 08.23.2018
• Date Posted: 08.23.2018 16:55
• Story ID: 290058
• Location: CA, US