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For the last 5 years, Theresa from Lakeside Baptist Church in Canton, TX was the KiDs Beach Club^® Bible Connection leader at Canton Intermediate School. As the Bible leader, she empowered students to live out the lessons she taught from her KBC Bible. Over time, she was instrumental in leading many of her students to make Jesus their Forever Friend. Her investment was their motivation to serve Christ.

Tragically, this past February, Theresa passed away after a brief illness. Her Kingdom Impact - her legacy of faith - still lives on within the hundreds of students she touched through KiDs Beach Club^®. Her love for God’s word was such that her family placed Theresa’s KiDs Beach Club^® Study Bible in her hands as she was laid to rest.

Karen from Cross City Church in Euless, TX shares the same passion that Theresa had in teaching God’s word. For the past 17 years, Karen has been volunteering in KiDs Beach Club^® schools. In 2011, one of her students was a 10-year-old girl looking to connect with other students. Her mom, Renee, enrolled Mandy in her school’s KiDs Beach Club^®. Soon Renee began volunteering, and on September 29, 2011, after Karen had shared the Bible story, Renee listened as Mandy asked Jesus to be her Forever Friend. Not long after, Mandy and Renee followed Christ in baptism. Together, they remained in Beach Club until Mandy went into Jr. High. End of story… right? No. Mandy’s story was just beginning.

Mandy grew up and became active in The Hills Church in North Richland Hills, TX where she taught Sunday School, distributed goods to people in need, and was active in the singles ministry. Each of the last three years, Mandy went to Brazil on mission trips, giving Brazilian children the same hope she had been given by Mrs. Karen at Beach Club back in 2011. On October 2 of this year, Mandy’s life was cut short in an automobile accident. At the young age of 20, she went home to be with the Lord and heard the words, “Well done my good and faithful servant.” Her joy of dancing is now being displayed on streets of gold and passion to praise her Savior is now enjoyed face to face. Mandy, from the age of 10, followed Jesus and reflected His excellence in her journey.

These stories are not about loss or defeat but about the triumph experienced once Christ followers align passion to God’s purpose. These stories tell of Kingdom builders who are God’s heavenly champions. Yes, they may be in glory, but their legacy continues. I suggest we listen to the thousands of students that are grateful for the lives of Theresa and Mandy, and the ongoing ministry of Karen.

Paul writes in I Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (NIV). Resting in the will of God, regardless of life’s events, plus giving thanks, requires believers to see life through the lens of the cross.

Looking back over the last 18 months, some would say, “Rejoice over what?” Others are asking, “What is God’s will in all of this?” If Paul were alive today, I believe he’d say, “Rejoice and give thanks for this new normal and see that it is the will of God in Christ Jesus. Now let’s roll-up our sleeves and help people discover God.” The question for us is what are we focusing on? Are we listening to people or to God? When was the last time you asked the Lord to realign your passion with His purpose for growing His Kingdom? Clearly, Theresa and Mandy did, and Karen continues as well.

More than ever before, our schools and communities need Godly servants looking to invest their passion toward a Kingdom impact. KiDs Beach Club is the vehicle that connects God’s servants to these needy communities. Your support of KBC by your giving allows other Theresas to make an impact and allows the Mandys of this world to discover salvation found only in Jesus. By God’s grace, Mandy is one of 9,468 who have trusted Christ as Savior. She is one of the 109,497 students who have attended a Beach Club and had their lives eternally impacted by God’s word. Thank you for your continued faithful and gracious stewardship. Together we are seeing lives eternally changed!

Whether it’s because your school district hasn’t opened back up yet or you’re playing it safe for health reasons, we know many of you aren’t as active with KiDs Beach Club^® as you were prior to the pandemic. We understand. We at KiDs Beach Club^® have been very deliberate about what to do with this ministry during the pandemic. So in the interest of helping you stay connected to KiDs Beach Club^®, we’re excited to offer seven different podcasts to keep you informed and inspire you through the ups and downs of daily life.

The Connecting Communities podcast features KBC President and Founder Jack Terrell helping pastors understand how having a KiDs Beach Club^® meet in their local school not only touches the lives of students in club, but it also has a greater impact on the community as a whole and can be a useful tool for growing the church. The KiDs Beach Club^® podcast focuses on discovering how to bring scripture back into public schools. The KBC Training Portal podcast is meant for volunteers to learn best practices for clubs. The CharacterLeads podcast includes information about and the science behind KBC’s new program teaching kids about character during the school day. The CharacterLeads Character Lessons podcast offers parents a short character lesson to help kids start their day on the path to success. The Beach P.A.T.R.O.L. podcast offers tips and encouragement for Beach P.A.T.R.O.L. members and information for those considering joining the team. The KBCTV podcast shares details about the growth and production of the show which is now showing in all 50 U.S. states and available in nearly 490 million homes around the world.

KBC VP of Marketing and Communications Dave Crome talked about his vision and reason for creating the podcasts. “With our after-school Bible clubs slowly returning from the pandemic, the KBC podcasts are such a great way to stay connected to our Beach Club kids and their parents as well as with our donors and volunteers. Hopefully there’s a podcast for everyone to be entertained and inspired with how God used the pandemic to strengthen and bolster this ministry with exciting new products like KBC-TV and Character Leads, for years to come.”

Jack Terrell offered this bit of encouragement for those considering a listen to our podcasts. “So, why not give us a listen? Let us ride along with you in life. Who knows, you may even come to love Jesus like never before!” Couldn’t we all come to love Jesus like never before?

To listen to any of the podcasts or to read more about them, you can visit our podcast page or search for Kids Beach Club on your favorite podcast app.

Everybody needs a champion. For KiDs Beach Club^® our number one champion is Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose from the dead to give us eternal life. That is the exact same champion that Dallas/Fort Worth radio personality Chris Krok credits for turning his life around and giving him the passion to make a difference in this world. 

"When I was working in Atlanta 15 years ago, my job at WSB became my idol to the detriment  of my faith and my marriage. Our neighbors two doors down were committed Christians, walking closely with the Lord. Jim and Lori just sat, listened, and loved us. I saw what they had in their home, and I wanted what they had. The way they raised their children, the way they ran their home, they had peace. They led both my wife and me to the Lord."

Chris then made the commitment to live his life and use his platform on the radio for the Lord, and he has a very powerful platform. News Talk 820 WBAP Radio is a secular station heard in 48 states at night, which happens to be during Chris' 8pm - midnight shift during the week. "Over the years, God has sanded me down, refined me, to tell the stories, and instead of beating people over the head with something, I just do the show. People hear the values, and my faith will come out at the right times when God is prompting and leading. So, it's organic and natural."

In 2014, Chris heard about KiDs Beach Club^®, which was part of his church's ministry. "I thought it was beautiful when I heard about it," Krok said. After being amazed that volunteers from his church were able to teach character education through the lens of scripture to 3rd - 6th grade kids in public schools, share the Gospel with them, and give each child a Bible, he made telling the story of this ministry a priority. KBC purchased two weeks worth of ads on Chris' show leading up to North Texas Giving Day, a philanthropic day for many non-profits based in the DFW metroplex. Then on the actual day of giving, Chris basically turned his entire show into a four-hour radio-thon to help raise money to purchase Bibles for the kids in public schools, which has totaled nearly $100,000 and ultimately put more than 5,000 Bibles into the hands of these children.

"When you really know it's of God, everything aligns. KiDs Beach Club^® has been the way for me to help. It's amazing that we can share the Gospel in a public school. I actually get angry when people lazily say they have taken God out of the schools. We all used to say that, but it's not true anymore. I like to say to my audience, instead of spreading this false information, how about you help put God back into the school and praise the Lord, they have responded."

Part of the way Chris tells the story every year is by inviting KBC Founder and President Jack Terrell on his program for one or two segments as well as other friends of the ministry. This year's interview can be heard on the KiDs Beach Club podcast on our website, KiDsBeachClub.org/podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Chris is one of many examples of dedicated donors using their business platforms to grow God's Kingdom by promoting KBC, and the results are blessed by God. "My advice is to start praying for God to show you how and when to use your platform and influence to benefit this ministry," said Krok. "If you consistently pray about it and ask Him to show you opportunities, He will."

KBC-TV becomes appointment programming on Saturday mornings, thanks to new partnerships with TCT Television Network and CTN (Christian Television Network). Both stations are available on DIRECTV making it possible for more than 89 million households around the United States to laugh, learn, and be inspired by the clubhouse kids and Surf Team leaders Jason and Jordan.

TCT Today Co-Host Judge Brown shared his excitement for the new partnership. “We’re just so thrilled to have this program come to the TCT Network to be able to inspire and encourage young people. I’m so thankful that God is raising up organizations to continue to build materials and programs to reach young people right where they are to touch their lives.”

KBC VP of Outreach and Growth Dr. Frank Banfill recently joined TCT Today to give more details about what viewers can expect from the show. “We are very, very excited to be on TCT, and we just can’t wait for the viewers to be able to catch this brand-new show, KiDs Beach Club^®. We take some of the elements we do in club, which is emphasis on the Bible and character, scripture memorization, small group time. But then we put a story around that with characters we think viewers and kids at home are really going to fall in love with. These are preteenagers who are going through life experiencing things that preteenagers experience, but then they bring that into the KiDs Beach Club^® clubhouse. They get to sort through those things. They play a lot of games, have a lot of fun, but come through in the end with a very good understanding of God’s word and how to apply it to real things happening in their lives.”

Judge Brown went on to talk about why having quality kids programming on TCT is a priority. “It is very near and dear to our founder’s heart to be able to reach all the generations, especially the young generations.  It’s very vital. It’s very important. Because you know it’s in those childhood days of their life where most people will receive Christ. There’s some statistics out, I know the Barna Group and other groups have put out statistics. This one, children between the age of 5 and 13 have a 32% probability of accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior. The probability of accepting Christ drops to 4% for those who are between the ages of 14 and 18. Those older than 18 have a 6% probability of accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior. You know that is it very vital and very important to reach these young people at these very early ages. And that’s one thing that I love that we offer here at TCT is having a Saturday morning children’s block full of great programming for children that’s specifically geared for their attention spans; the creativity, the color.”

KBC-TV is available on TCT (DIRECTV channel 377) Saturday mornings at 7 a.m. CT or on their livestream. KBC-TV is also available on CTN (DIRECTV channel 376) Saturday mornings at 8:30 a.m. CT or on their livestream. To learn where to watch KBC-TV in your area, please visit kidsbeachclub.org/tv-stations.

Thanks to so many school districts around the country allowing clubs to meet again in schools, Great Treasure Days are back! We’re excited to share that with 62 clubs now meeting, there are over 1,800 more kids with their very own KiDs Beach Club^® Study Bible.

Woodland Heights Baptist Church Pastor Michael Cosgrove talked about the excitement of seeing kids with smiles walking away dancing after receiving their very own Bible. “It’s exciting. It’s electric. It’s what we do. That’s the greatest treasure we truly can give. As the scripture says, we would do everything to buy that field where the treasure is that we can get it and we can put it in the right people’s hands. And the children need God’s word at the earliest point. To hear. To have their own copy. To be able to have someone lead them through it. It’s critical. And it’s exciting to see the kids when they get their own Bible.”

Cosgrove went on to share why this is exciting not only for the kids but also for their families. “Mom and dad, in many cases I’ve heard, the first time that they’ve seen a copy of God’s word is when their child brings it home. You never know what God’s going to do. It’s miraculous. It is a treasure. And it is a treasure that, no matters how many times that tattered Bible changes hands, it’s going to change someone’s life.”

Since 2003, KiDs Beach Club^® has been blessed to be able to give out over 70,000 Bibles. But that opportunity is only possible because of generous donors who see the eternal value in the KiDs Beach Club^® mission of connecting churches to their local community.

And with the recent COVID-19 Pandemic, the impact KiDs Beach Club^® can make is even greater than ever. Rugel Elementary Principal Dr. Amanda Walker talked about why she thinks KiDs Beach Club^® is so important right now. “I believe that KiDs Beach Club^® is more important now than ever. Our students need that mentorship from the community. They need to dig deep into those character traits and those character words. And the stories that are in the Bible open up their minds and open up their hearts to the truth. Now, more than ever, we need the truth.”

And we here at KiDs Beach Club^® have no interest in slowing down. 22 returning clubs who were not able to begin meeting this fall are already planning to meet in the spring. Also, with KBC-TV being available in over 81 million households worldwide, it’s only a matter of time before parents and church leaders start to see with their own eyes the impact a local Beach Club could have not only on their church or school but on the community as a whole. Just imagine how many Bibles we’ll be able to hand out and how many lives can be changed through future Great Treasure Days! 

For the 8th straight year, KiDs Beach Club® (KBC) is excited to be a part of the largest community fundraising day in the United States.  North Texas Giving Day is Thursday, September 23, 2021.  Last year, $58.8 million was raised through 106,000 donors benefiting over 3,200 nonprofits in North Texas including KBC.

During this 18-hour online giving event, donors are encouraged through several media and social media outlets to give back to their community by supporting nonprofit organizations based in North Texas that help make this area a better place to live.  KiDs Beach Club® has not only benefited financially from this philanthropic effort but it has raised significant awareness to what our ministry is all about. 

It has provided KBC an opportunity to team up with Chris Krok, a fellow believer and talk show host on WBAP Radio 820-AM in Dallas/Fort Worth.  Chris' show airs weeknights from 8 p.m. to 12 midnight.  In addition to promoting KBC for the entire week leading up to the event, on North Texas Giving Day, Chris features KBC for most of his four-hour program, encouraging his loyal listeners to support us by purchasing Bibles for the 10,000+ students in our Beach Clubs in Texas and around the nation.  He also conducts live interviews with KBC staff, partnering school district superintendents and partnering church pastors who explain how having Jesus in the public schools, through the after-school Bible clubs, is changing the culture of those schools.  

Please be a part of supporting KBC on North Texas Giving Day by providing a generous gift on or before September 23rd.  You can text keyword KBCBible to 91999 or click here to give on the North Texas Giving Day website.