When Chris Ford received $500 from his church to “change his part of the world,” the Chicago real estate executive reeled his life’s tape back to a pivotal moment: when his high school football coaches bussed he and his teammates to FCA Camp in Estes Park, Colo. Sensing a need for male guidance in the inner city where he coached, Ford knew where the money would be best invested.
After working in real estate in Chicago for more than 20 years, Ford suffered a heart attack one year ago. The setback rescaled his life’s priorities and inspired him to become a stable presence for athletes in the city who were restless in a father’s absence. A need to give back nestled into his reshaped heart.
North Lawndale coach Chris Ford
As a former football player at Geneseo High School in Illinois and Augustana College, Ford was provided with a stable coaching staff which was paramount in his character and spiritual development.
He began coaching on the football field at North Lawndale College Preparatory High School in the inner city of Chicago, assisting linebackers and pouring into his athletes during the consistent time spent with them. Many of the kids come from homes without a father figure, so a coach evolves more into that role.
In the windfall of a real estate transaction, Lasalle Street Church had received a significant amount of money and decided to reverse tithe, giving $500 to each member to do good works in their sphere of influence—a Kingdom investment. When Ford—who’s attended for more than 20 years—received his portion, he went to the Lord in prayer. Through that and assessing his current role as a coach, he knew the best use of the money would be to start a Huddle at North Lawndale.
“It was one of those unique things that a church would give back to its members and challenge them to make a difference for the Kingdom,” Greater Chicago Area FCA Representative Jim Johanik said. “And that was Chris’s manifestation of that challenge, to invest in something that gave him the most degree of life change as a youth.”
Twelve students attended the inaugural meeting. Crossway Publishing donated ESV Study Bibles for the students, and the group dove into introductions to Christ and how He connects through athletics.
“It’s encouraging to see a revitalization of FCA in the inner city of Chicago, something that hasn’t taken place since its early formation in the 1980s,” disclosed Johanik.
With future meetings, Ford knows topics of discussion may prove more diverse than what he dealt with in his own FCA Huddles in the mid-1970s. Gangs, violence, abandonment and friend and family issues just scratch the surface, but Ford’s bridging a common ground, assuring that constant presence while building trust.
Members of the North Lawndale football team.
“They have to trust you that you’re going to be there, not interested in anything other than helping them,” Ford stated. “I found that through coaching, and I think that’s going to relate to FCA. I’m there to provide something that they might be looking for in their lives. Athletics and FCA provide an outlet that kids need growing up as a young person in today’s inner city.”
Johanik stresses the best investment is a spiritual one from those who commit to keep after their athletes.
“We always say true success is when you get the heart of a coach who invests in their athletes and share the most important message they have in their hearts—the gospel.”
It’s an investment transaction reaping multiple benefits, the payment being love.
“My mom was praying for me before the first Huddle and said, ‘Love the kids and God will take care of the rest.’” Ford shared. “That’s what I’m doing. I get ten times back what I put in.”
Photos courtesy of Chris Ford