Blog

The new year brings with it new hopes, new dreams, and new opportunities. Though we were thrilled to have 57 clubs meeting in the fall of 2021, KiDs Beach Club is even more excited about the 10 clubs who have been cleared to meet for Spring 2022. It is great to see school districts recognizing the importance of social gathering opportunities for kids and allowing outside groups back into the school buildings.  

With the chaos and fear created by the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, kids need more than ever before to hear and know the hope that is offered to them through Jesus Christ. Western Elementary School Club Leader Luke Maynard from White Sulphur Baptist Church in Georgetown, Kentucky could not agree more. “I am so excited about being back on campus and sharing the gospel with kids. What I love about it the most is how the kids inspire me also, to be more like Christ every day. It's just a blessing for everyone."

KBC Club Relations Coordinator Tina Kimbro has been watching the roller coaster that started in March of 2020 and is blessed to witness the excitement of church partners and club leaders on a daily basis. “There is nothing comparable to the excitement I hear over the phone or on a Zoom call when I can share with a church partner that their district has ended restrictions after a long Covid delay and is allowing their club back on campus. It was a very sad day in the spring semester of 2020, when clubs were abruptly halted due to the pandemic. The realization that literally thousands of children would suddenly cease to be under the teaching and receiving of God's Word and hearing the Gospel was truly devastating to our club leaders and volunteers. However, with great excitement, that is not the case two years later going into our spring 2022 semester! We are nearly 70 clubs strong and growing! I sense a renewed spirit and urgency among church leadership and volunteers. In this present culture, they have a greater understanding of the importance of expressing love and being the voice of hope to the hearing and hearts of the boys and girls God entrusts to their discipleship through their Beach Clubs. It is a joy to be a witness to their loving, serving, and caring for their Beach Club kids and their schools. I view the 2021-2022 school/club year as a new beginning and know that God is doing and will continue doing great things, immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine." (Ephesians 3:20)

It is this excitement for a new beginning that we want to share with you. God is doing mighty things in Beach Clubs. 90 Beach Clubs kids have already asked Jesus to be their Forever Friend this school year, and with more clubs meeting this spring, the number of lives impacted through KiDs Beach Club can only grow. So we leave you with this encouragement from Philippians 4:6-7 as you consider new beginnings both at KiDs Beach Club and in your own life this year; “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

As the second semester of Beach Clubs are now underway, Keiton Brasher thinks back to the time that his club leader, Antwanette Taylor held up a KiDs Beach Club Study Bible at West Hurst Elementary school in Texas and said, "the winner of this race in the Make-It-Stick review game gets this!"  Keiton recalled how he saw his friends reading from their own KBC Bible and how he really wanted one too. "I said, I need to win this, not only for me, but for Jesus, so I can learn more about Him," said Keiton who won the race and the Bible.  That was at the time that each Beach Club handed out 24 Bibles per year, one year before the start of Great Treasure Day, where every student in every Beach Club now gets their own KBC Explorers Study Bible. 

Keiton joined Beach Club in the 6th grade and before making the step, asked his grandmother's advice. "She told me to follow your heart, and if your heart is telling you to go, then you should go." Brasher continued, "I remember those words forever now and I'm so glad I did follow my heart and decide to go.  I knew there was something more to life than just itself.  I wanted to learn about more than waking up, going to school, eating and then just going back to bed and that routine every day.  I wanted to add something more and thought, if Jesus is there and can help me out and ride along with me, that's something I needed to be a part of."

As Keiton went off to middle school he says he "regrettably" strayed away from the faith he had built up at Beach Club, but during his sophomore year, stumbled upon his KBC Study Bible. "I said, holy cow, I remember this Bible and I opened it and completely forgot what was in it and there was a card with an address to the KiDs Beach Club offices on it but again, I chose to set it aside." But God has a way of drawing His children back to Him. 

Shortly thereafter, Keiton started driving and got his first speeding ticket which resulted community service at 6 Stones Mission Network. Who did he see when arriving there?  None other than his Beach Club leader, Antwanette Taylor.  "I was like, do I know you?  I do, you did Beach Club at West Hills Elementary, and her face lit up because she remembered me!"  He knew that the seeds of his faith were planted at Beach Club and being reconnected with his leader like this had to mean something.

Then, during his final two years of high school, Keiton met a couple when he started a part-time job that invited him to visit their church's youth group, which eventually led to him attending their church. "I remember walking in that Sunday, and it just felt like a reoccurring event, and it was like, yeah, I belong here."  A few months later, Keiton said he had a "tingling feeling" in his chest and knew it was God, calling him to make a deeper commitment.  He then asked Jesus into his life, was baptized, and started living for the Lord.

During that period of his life, Keiton's mom, Christy, had been compiling a box for him to open upon graduation from high school containing special mementos from his childhood.  Some boxes say DO NOT OPEN UNTIL CHRISTMAS.  This one was DO NOT OPEN UNTIL GRADUATION.  Among the items inside the box, his KiDs Beach Club Study Bible, which was a reminder to him that God will do whatever it takes to reach and stay with you. 

Keiton is about to start his college education studying nursing with plans to eventually be a neurosurgeon.

If you'd like to listen to our interview with Keiton, here is the podcast. 

KiDs Beach Club® is thrilled to welcome Steve Brines to the corporate team as Operations Coordinator. Steve will manage the many projects across the ministry and provide general Human Resources assistance.

Steve comes to us from the Phoenix, Arizona area after spending the last 16 years serving as a Pastor in California and Arizona. Most recently, Steve was the Kids Pastor of Rock Point Church, which averages nearly 4,000 people in weekly attendance. Under his leadership, the kids ministry grew at a 20% clip, and he oversaw scheduling nearly 250 volunteers to serve in that ministry per week. Prior to that, Steve was the Associate Campus Pastor leading the Junior High and High School ministry for the Ahwatukee Campus of Central Christian Church in Arizona.

Steve enjoys speaking at multiple camps where he gets the opportunity to share the Gospel with kids which fuels his passion to impact kids and families for Christ. "That is one of the reasons I am so excited about serving on the KBC team," said Brines.

Steve graduated from Biola University in Southern California with a bachelor’s degree in Children's Ministry. He minored in Biblical Studies, with an emphasis on Children and family.

Steve and his wife, Amy, have been married since 2007 and have three incredible kids. If you would like to welcome Steve and his family to the KBC family, his email is sbrines@kbcmail.org.

My Dearest Friends,

As I reflect over 2021 and in anticipation 2022, it is clear how much greater God’s plans were for KiDs Beach Club in 2021, and I can only imagine His plans for 2022 to be far greater than anything we have ever seen.

When everything shut down in 2020, KBC definitely had a, “What will we do now?” moment. I’d been praying the prayer of Jabez from 1 Chronicles 4:10 where, “Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me and keep me from harm, so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request. So, even during the uncertainty of last year, seeking God’s blessing to continue was clearly needed, but I was not as confident about the “enlarging my territory” part.

God knew that it was time for us to explore other possibilities of Mobilizing and Multiplying in order to reach more kids for Christ. He knew it would require us letting go in order for KBC to be totally in His hands.

It started with a simple streaming of a Beach Club TV program for our KBC kids to watch at home on their computers called Beach Club at Home! Our church partners were able to share access to the weekly videos with the students in their Beach Clubs and to our delight, the kids loved it.

But God had far greater plans to bless and enlarge KBC’s territory! Soon we were being approached by a streaming television network who wanted to partner with us and use our video club for their children’s programming.

Through numerous God-connections this summer, that one TV partnership has grown into partnerships representing more than 500 broadcast, cable, and satellite TV channels. In August, the show aired for the first time on broadcast TV in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Today, it is airing each week across all 50 states, the Caribbean, and Africa. And we have more partnerships in the works which will place the show on cable systems across all of Europe, and satellite channels that touch almost every corner of the world. Right now, our potential reach is 490 million homes. You need to know that these stations don’t pay us to air an episode, but in turn they give us free air and advertising time to promote KiDs Beach Club. Clearly, God is not finished enlarging our territory.

A longtime friend challenged me to think beyond the after-school environment and see if there was a way to develop our character words into a curriculum that could be taught by classroom teachers. From that challenge, we developed a new curriculum called CharacterLeads™, and an unexpected new door of partnership is emerging. God has enlarged our programming to now include a secular character education program that can be taught in public schools during school hours. Take a look at the curriculum at CharacterLeads.com and pass it on to any educator you know!

God is opening so many opportunities up for us to Mobilize and Multiply to reach countless thousands of kids for Christ. You may be asking, “How is this possible?” Largely because of YOU! KBC is blessed to be part of a generous community of supporters that give and that giving has allowed us to capitalize on the possibilities before us. 

For example, with KBC-TV being such a huge success, we get to continue to create original programming. Each episode costs approximately $11,000 to produce, and that is funded entirely through generous donations from our generous community of supporters. We’ve produced 35 episodes at a cost, well, you can do the math… It’s a lot!

KBC has invested nearly $20,000 to create the CharacterLeads™ program. And of course, as we Multiply exponentially in schools with our after-school KiDs Beach Clubs®, there are costs associated with materials for those, most especially the Great Treasure Days where every child receives – a new KBC study Bible, and our annual cost to provide a Bible to every 3^rd – 6^th grade child is approximately $50,000 per year. 

It’s been a HUGE year for KiDs Beach Club. God is enlarging our territory with so many great opportunities, and it’s our responsibility to steward His given possibilities wisely and that’s why your continued support is needed.

So, I’m asking that as we enter into 2022 that you would join Tammy and me by making a monthly gift or simply by making a gift that represents Father’s blessing upon you. Click here to give your gift today!

In closing I pray as we start 2022, Father’s blessing as explained to Moses in Numbers 6.

“May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord show you his kindness. May he have mercy on you. May the Lord watch over you and give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26 (ICB) International Children’s Bible

On behalf of the entire KBC family, thank you and may God bless you in 2022!

Planning and pre-production for Season 3 of KBC-TV is underway. That means more characters and more shows to help teach kids about the hope offered in the Gospel message. But to determine who will play our new characters, we needed to find some new child actors. And that’s where studio auditions for Season 3 came in. On January 15, 11 amazing young actors attended the live studio audition round at CRM Studios in Las Colinas. They were joined by three returning cast members so that Executive Producer Frank Banfill, Show Writer Beth Banfill, and Director/Producer John McGlothlin could see their chemistry. According to John, “The auditions went incredibly well. It was by far the hardest selection process we have been through because every kid was so good.” Frank Banfill shared, “Wow! All of these kids are good! I can hardly wait to start filming in March!”

Show Writer Beth Banfill talked about the need to add more characters as KBC-TV moves closer to airing around the globe. “We have greatly expanded our cast of Clubhouse Kids this year. With God allowing KiDs Beach Club television to “go global,” we are very conscious of our expanding audience and the need to resonate with more backgrounds and cultures. Little by little, we are doing that. This season, you’ll meet Saanvi, played by one of our new cast members. You will also meet Kai, Eliana, Lucas, Nicholas, and Maisy. You’ll have to watch to find out more details!”

When asked what he was most looking forward to in Season 3, John McGlothlin responded, “Seeing these new characters and their story lines. Can’t wait to see what Beth has up her sleeve.”

As John mentioned, Season 3 will see not only new characters, but also new storylines based around real-life situations in which preteens find themselves questioning how they should react or handle difficult situations. Beth offered this peek behind the curtain. “Last season dealt a lot with the home lives of the Clubhouse Kids as they dealt with divorce, death, and difficulty. This season, we’ll deal more with some of the real-life issues they face while at school. We’ll explore cyber-bullying, drug use, cheating, body image, race relations, and there may even be a few big surprises along the way. While I love creating these storylines, I’m most excited about the underlying theme of every character word that we explore: Jesus is the answer to all of life’s problems, and He is waiting for you to choose Him as your Forever Friend.“

Season 3, which will include 20 episodes, begins filming in March, with an expected premiere in late 2022. This will bring our show total to 55 episodes full of entertainment, character lessons, and the reminder that no kid should ever feel alone. God calls us to spread His message of hope and that is what we intend to continue doing… even we begin to look ahead to Season 4!  

Imagine being an after-school club leader or volunteer and having all the tools you need for club right in the palm of your hand. Imagine watching KBC-TV and wondering, “how can I find Hang 10 pages and Bible conversation starters for my family?” Imagine being a school district administrator and needing a new character curriculum to meet statewide standards. Now imagine that these things no longer must exist just in your imagination. They’re all coming in 2022 with the development of 3 unique KiDs Beach Club apps!

KBC After-School Bible Club App

Though still early in the process, we at KiDs Beach Club® expect to roll out all three apps by summer 2022. The first app will focus on our After-School Clubs. Volunteers will be able to take attendance, pull up curriculum and videos, and find training tools. Parents will be able to register their kids for club, keep track of Hang 10 pages, and watch KBC-TV videos with their family. Kids will find information about what it means to make Jesus their Forever Friend and play fun games to help remember what they’ve learned in club. Even Beach P.A.T.R.O.L. members will be able to keep up to date with prayer lists, important tasks, and informational updates. We really think this app will make life simpler for club leaders and volunteers, while helping parents and students stay engaged.

"We love our volunteers," said KBC Founder and President Jack Terrell. "We've had close to 23,000 men and women serve the Lord by making Him famous in public schools since we started in 2003.  Anything we can do at the corporate level to help them with their calling as great commission disciples, we are excited to do," said Terrell.  "We really believe this app will not only provide fingertip access to everything a volunteer needs in club, but will also provide parents what they need to have spiritual conversations in their homes, which is desperately needed in our communities today."

KBC-TV App

As KBC-TV becomes more accessible not only in the United States but all around the world, our hope is that viewers want to learn more and find additional ways to engage their families. That’s what the KBC-TV app will bring. Besides being able to watch TV episodes whenever they want, those who download the KBC-TV app will also be able to find Hang 10 pages, learn how to form a club at their local school, and play games to help remember the lessons taught on each episode of KiDs Beach Club TV.

"The Lord has opened up so many doors for us to Christian TV networks, not just across the United States but all around the world," said Dave Crome, KBC's VP of Marketing and Communications.  "With a potential viewing audience expected to surpass 500 million, for us to have a simple app to point kids and parents to with fun ways for families to engage in gospel conversations is a no brainer. We can't wait to see what the Lord will do with this!"

CharacterLeads™ App

Finally, our CharacterLeads app will make it easier for counselors and school administrators to start using the CharacterLeads curriculum in their districts. As a reminder, CharacterLeads™ is a new program for public elementary schools to use in their assemblies and classrooms to develop tomorrow’s leaders by building character in children today. CharacterLeads™ uses video segments from the multi award-winning KiDs Beach Club TV as part of a new robust, non-religious, curriculum for teachers and school counselors to educate children around key character words--character concepts that link directly to effective leadership.

"Our elementary school teachers and counselors are already overloaded in their day-to-day responsibilities," said KBC Executive VP, Dr. Frank Banfill.  "The more convenient we can make it for them to stream our videos to their screens, via the app, is a game changer.  No other character education program out there provides 18 weeks of curriculum, with kids talking about application of each week's character word," says Banfill. "When the students in the classroom see kids on the video wrestling with applications of the character trait of the week, there is instant connection, which is invaluable to our educators today."

With easier accessibility and more opportunities to connect and engage, these apps will allow us to continue to mobilize and multiply the ministry of KiDs Beach Club in 2022.

If you would like to learn more about all three of these areas, check out the following websites.

After-School Bible Clubs - www.KiDsBeachClub.org

KiDs Beach Club TV - www.KiDsBeachClub.TV

CharacterLeads™ - www.CharacterLeads.com

If you have any schools or Christian TV stations you would like us to reach out to, please send us an email at info@kbcmail.org.