By Rev. Dr. Sunny Farley

Ashford United Methodist Church is one of several hosts for the Fun, Fair, Positive Soccer (FFPS) program, founded and directed by Jack Hendrie.

Hendrie came up with the idea for the program about 30 years ago after witnessing as a parent and coach the lack of fairness and harsh language in some of the competitive leagues in the city.

He said he designed FFPS to give every participant equal time on the field. Parents are asked to encourage the children. Every player gets a small trophy to serve as a memory of the experience. Fees are less than other leagues and scholarships are available.

“We just let the kids play – and they need this. They need social interactions. They need exercise. They need to get out of the house,” Hendrie said. “It’s not about winning, cheating, quitting, yelling, etc. It’s about having fun.”

He said his program also aligns with the Christian faith in many ways. “Part of what the church is about is connecting people. Christianity is about building relationships. This is a good way to do that.”

Hendrie said he wears his FFPS shirt and hat around town and is continually approached by those who either are or have participating in the program.

“The number one reason people talk about loving the program is that the parents and players make life-long friends,” Hendrie said.

Today, the program has thousands of participants and Ashland has around a hundred youth who come to the church grounds to play.

“It’s our honor to host the Fun Fair Positive Soccer program’s West Houston league,” said Ashford UMC pastor Irv White. “We think it’s a great program that gives every player a chance to participate in a meaningful way.”

The soccer program helps Ashford in its mission to be a church “for the community and not simply a church in a community,” according to White, who says the church adopted this ethos from Thom Rainer’s book The Post-Quarantine Church.

“We think hosting FFPS is the fruit of that aspect of our mission,” he said. “We like being a destination point for our community, whether it’s FFPS, Scouts, Harris County, Council District G, Houston Humane Society, or others.” For more information about FFPS, go to ffps.org or call 281-347-KICK (5425).