Ridgecrest Family Church uses soccer to teach teamwork, hard work and fancy footwork
Dubbed 'The Making of a Champion Soccer Clinic' parents and children had a ball.
The Ridgecrest Family Church congregation swapped the pews for the sports field on Saturday, July 30.
Arranged by Melissa Ayres and her colleagues, friends and family engaged in a soccer-themed fun day that aimed to teach teamwork, understanding and His message. The avid soccer fans used the cricket field of Allen Glen High School for outdoor activity, inner growth and outward pouring of praise.
Once registration was complete, the coaches and players warmed up before being divided into their teams for the day. Wearing coloured bandannas, six groups separated evenly across the ages of the children took turns at being tested on a range of skills by their coaches. The morning drill session featured each group rotating around the coaches where they participated in planned fitness and team-building exercises.
After recharging with some hot dogs at lunch, each group sat down for a prayer and reflection session known as devotions, where after players and coaches prepared for the final soccer showdowns. The enthusiasm from coaches and assistants mirrored the spirit of the six teams as the lively action between the goals ended with hugs, smiles and an appreciation of each other’s efforts.
All participants received a certificate, the three winning teams earned a small trophy to mark the occasion, and the team with the most spirit received a bonus floating trophy.
“At Ridgecrest Family Church part of our mission is to get to know, show love to and be a beacon of light within our community. One way of doing that is by engaging through sport, as we’ve seen how sport brings people together,” said Ridgecrest Family Church’s Pastor Ezra Karuppan.
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“The Making of a Champion Soccer Clinic was an effort to do just that. We saw over 40 primary school kids engaging with one another while the parents got to enjoy some family time and had lots of fun. As a church, we want to make Christ known in a world and in situations where people feel very hopeless. Our message is that Christ is our hope and we strive on a daily basis to show that to others,” added Pastor Ezra, recapping a day that built closer bonds between the congregation.
