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We hope that you have been enjoying your summer and have found some time to take advantage of the children being off school to relax and spend some quality time with them.

For KiDs Beach Club®, the summer is all about setting up Beach Clubs for the next school year and we are excited to say that our team of 14 club relations specialists along with the corporate staff have experienced God’s blessing of multiple new Beach Clubs for the fall semester.

“KiDs Beach Club® is quickly approaching another major milestone,” said Jack Terrell, the KBC founder and president. “Our team is committed and focused to the securing of additional church partners and schools to meet our goal of 200 Beach Clubs. I’m confident of Father’s favor to allow us to achieve this milestone this October. “This amazing accomplishment of 200 clubs represents an estimated 12,000 pre-teen students in weekly Bible study on elementary school campuses in 11 different states.

“That is an estimated increase of 28 percent from the 9,313 students enrolled last school year in 169 Clubs. I’m overwhelmed by His goodness and favor upon us.”

Leading the charge from the KBC corporate office is Suzanne Massey, the organization’s strategic growth director, whose team has utilized events such as the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Dallas and each of the Texas district assemblies of the Church of the Nazarene to tell the KBC story to numerous church leaders and staff.

“We were excited to be able to visit with pastors and church staff members from across the country who have a passion to reach the lost for Jesus Christ,” Massey said. “Our field staff utilized events like this to reach out en masse this summer, but our group has firmly grasped the concept of 1 Corinthians 3:6 which says, ‘I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.’

“Our staff has been working tirelessly to, one by one, plant and water seeds about this ministry to hundreds of church leaders. I believe God is honoring their labor with a fruitful increase in Beach Clubs.”

One of the areas that KiDs Beach Club® has seen significant growth is in Arkansas. Grand Avenue Baptist Church in Fort Smith started the state’s first Beach Club at Albert Pike Elementary last fall and when school kicks off this fall, there will be seven Beach Clubs in Fort Smith public schools.

Paul McCollum, the chief operating officer for KiDs Beach Club®, joins Terrell and Massey in giving God all the glory for the growth.

“When I consider how the Lord has blessed our ministry during the last several months, 2 Timothy 2:2 comes to mind.” McCollum said. “In that passage, the Apostle Paul instructs Timothy to take what has been learned and ‘entrust those things to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.’

“Our success is not about great strategic growth strategies, sales charisma, or even KiDs Beach Club® as an organization. What God has required of the church is to ‘go and make disciples.’”

The KBC mission is to help the church do just that. When individuals in the church, whether it is a local body, or the church at large, take hold of their God-given calling and begin to not only fulfill their part, but teach others to do the same, God goes before them.

That has been our experience during the last few months.

Jeff Thompson, director of missions for the Arkansas Concord Baptist Association, understood the call, saw opportunity within KiDs Beach Club® and not only shared that opportunity, but also helped empower the churches within his influence join him missionally by partnering with KiDs Beach Club®.

In Arkansas alone, KiDs Beach Club® has grown from one club to seven clubs this summer “through the effort of one faithful man who heard and understood God’s call and taught others,” McCollum said. “It really makes you wonder what could be accomplished if we all faithfully responded and empowered our circles of influence. My prayer is that many others will hear and respond. To God be the glory!”