COVID-19 Creates Opportunities and Needs
North Texas Giving Tuesday Now is rallying the community to aid non-profits including KiDs Beach Club® on the front lines of the COVID-19 response and will be held on Tuesday, May 5 from 6 a.m. - midnight. This is a special campaign of North Texas Giving Day, which is powered by Communities Foundation of Texas.
COVID-19 social distancing restrictions has created an urgent financial need after forcing the postponement of the KiDs Beach Club® Bibles for Beach Club Benefit Dinner at Texas Motor Speedway, originally scheduled for April 24. That event annually funds the purchase of Study Bibles that go to children who attend their after-school Bible clubs in public schools. Every one of the children in Beach Club get a study Bible and often it’s the first Bible in that family’s home.
It’s a tremendous need to get these Bibles ordered so the 10-thousand kids can get God’s Word in their schools and in their homes this fall. One Bible only costs $20. What an incredible impact you can make in a child’s life by giving this gift to a child. North Texas Giving Tuesday Now provides organizations such as KBC the opportunity to make up for the losses suffered by the pandemic. If you would like to participate, please click here to make your donation.
To minister in the wake of the pandemic, KBC filled the gap of school closures by providing Beach Club at HOME videos for families so that they could provide their children with a sense of normalcy during the school closures. Families throughout our community were equipped with opportunities to have spiritual conversations with their children through these resources.
“As we all struggle to adjust to the realities of ministry in the days of this overwhelming pandemic, we are reminded of the importance of looking ahead. Social distancing will pass, our churches will assemble again, and schools will resume classes,” said Jack Terrell, founder and president of KBC. “We are looking forward to Beach Club resuming as well—not just in our current 210 schools but hopefully many, many more.”
Click here to listen to an interview with Jack Terrell on The Chris Krok Show on WBAP Radio.
Published on May 04 @ 1:14 PM CDT
Sunshine, Vacations, and God’s Word
As parents are busy planning summer camps and vacations in the midst of all of the concerns of safety and closures, there is one thing that stands certain! The Hang 10 Summer Reading Program can definitely be a part of your summer plans!
The Hang 10 Summer Reading Program focuses on walking kids through the Bible, using stories selected from each Bible book. Each week for 14 weeks - beginning Sunday, May 24 and continuing through Saturday, August 29 - the plan will provide daily Bible readings and additional "bonus" content designed to help kids dig deeper into the Bible.
All 14 weeks of the program are now available on the KiDs BeachClub® website, featuring stories from:
- The Books the Law
- The Books of History
- The Books of Wisdom, Poetry and Praise
- The Major Prophets
- The Minor Prophets
- The Gospels
- Paul’s Letters (Epistles)
- Paul’s Pastoral Letters
- The General Letters
- Prophecy
The Hang 10 Summer Reading Program was designed to be used with theKBC Explorer's Study Bible, which is given to every child in every Beach Club. If you do not have the KBC Study Bible and would like one, it is available for only $20 in the Surf Shop. You can still participate in the Summer Reading Program without the KBC Study Bible, but you won't be able to read the bonus materials.
It’s no secret that teachers and parents want kids reading during the summer. It’s important for kids to keep practicing and improving their reading skills. God’s Word is the best book a kid can read. As a parent, you set the tone for making Bible reading important… and fun!
We are here to help ensure that the fun of Beach Club does not end with the school year. Please make sure to take a picture of your child reading their Bible and email it to us at photos@kbcmail.org so we can share it on our social media channels and encourage others to hang out with God 10 minutes a day throughout the summer.
Click here to download your summer reading program today.
Published on May 04 @ 12:59 PM CDT
Making Jesus Cool at HOME!
Nothing is impossible with God and that is exactly how His word continued to impact students and their families right in their homes during the COVID-19 school closures. KiDs Beach Club® did not allow empty classrooms to hinder making Jesus cool at school and even at home!
“As we were trying to navigate the uncharted waters of school cancellationsas a result of the Coronavirus, we decided to provide additional resources so that our Beach Clubbers could continue to enjoy all the fun elements of Beach Club right in their homes,” said Jack Terrell, Founder and President of KBC. In order to accomplish this, a team of Beach Club volunteers and staff partnered to compile six different lessons of Beach Club at HOME! a video version of what more than 10,000 kids experience in their after-school Bible clubs every week.
The team of Bible story, worship, and memory link leaders joined together in this exciting endeavor. The success was unprecedented, and the results are amazing. The Beach Club at Home! webpage has racked up more than 11,000 views and the videos also appeared on the social media pages of many of the KBC partnering churches and even schools!
During the six-week run, parents of Beach Club students shared stories and pictures of them having spiritual conversations with their kids while watching the programs. Several expressed their thankfulness for providing the club experience for their students that were looking for a sense of normalcy in all the chaos. “Laura loves the learning she is getting. Please know your work is touching our little one in these shelter days,” said Scott, Beach Club parent from Arlington, Texas.
While Beach Club at Home! has come to an end, KiDs Beach Club® is preparing to be back in the schools next year and club leaders from all of states are excited to reconnect with their kids and continue to once again, make Jesus cool in school!
In the meantime, KiDs Beach Club® is providing a way for everyone to stay connected with the Lord during the summer months through the Hang 10 Summer Reading Program. Click here to find out more about the reading plan which starts on May 24 and runs through August 29
Published on May 04 @ 12:58 PM CDT
Back Into The Fold
Jana and I were attending a church in west Fort Worth when we had first become a couple. While I enjoyed the church, Jana did not. Admittedly, the church was a bit overbearing and one Sunday someone had gotten onto our 3-year-old, Timothy, for dancing in the church. That was our limit, and we did not return. We just drifted away from church altogether until... the same dancing toddler reached third grade and came home with an information/permission slip about KiDs Beach Club®. He attended Beach Club every week and apparently loved the program. He would memorize the scripture given to him every week and just would not stop talking about Ms. Janet.
One day after Beach Club, Tim had come outside with Ms. Janet in tow and she invited the family to Center Point Church. We were invited a few times, and we came to the Easter egg hunt and had a bit of an eye opener. We found an inviting atmosphere, relaxed and eager to share the Gospel without the pushiness of a used car salesman. We attended services the next day and were VERY happy that we did.
Our lives have changed from there. We finally saw that God is with us as a family. Jana and I have found out what it’s like to be part of a church family, and most importantly HOW TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WTH GOD. The relationship part seemed to be missing before. Church attendance seemed more robotic than anything else. Here we have found a church family. I know this is not huge to some families, but one change I have really enjoyed is our family prays and gives thanks before dinner now. That did not happen before, ever. Now we are all calling out dibs on prayer, the same way someone would call shotgun on a ride to the store. We share what we are thankful for, and I am very thankful for all the things that my children have to be thankful for, even if supper is getting cold. We are truly blessed.
Our children have given their life to Christ and share the gospel with anyone that will listen. Timothy, the one who went to Beach Club all 3 years and badgered us almost daily about going to church, gave his life to Christ in the 3rd grade. Ms. Janet and Pastor Jay baptized him soon afterward.
Every bit of this started with KiDs Beach Club®. We weren't getting off of our backsides and God used Beach Club and an 8 year old to get us back in the fold.
Click here to listen to an interview from Pastor Jay Bruner as he talks about the Lowery family during The Chris Krok Show on WBAP Radio.
Published on May 04 @ 12:34 PM CDT
Big Impacts That Make It All Worthwhile
“I was about eight years old and after I prayed to receive Christ at KiDs Beach Club®, I began attending church,” said Timothy Lowery, a former Beach Club student and current volunteer. “I would come into Beach Club every week and ask if I could have a part in the Bible story.”
Timothy is a student at the Richland High School and walks about a mile to Holiday Heights Elementary school each week to volunteer at the Beach Club and because he also once sat in the same gymnasium to hear these stories just a few years ago, he has a special connection to the volunteers and students at the club.
“It’s fun to see these kids here each week and to know that I was once sitting here not too long ago myself. By volunteering with Beach Club the last two years, I’ve realized that I would love to work in kids ministry someday,” said Timothy. “KiDs Beach Club® provides a great opportunity for kids to learn and grow in Christ outside of church each week.”
When Timothy began attending Beach Club as a child, he did not have a church home. During one of the gospel presentations, he prayed to receive Christ and asked the Bible teacher, Janet Bruner, if she would come out to the car to invite his dad to church.
“I walked out to the car to talk to Timothy’s dad and he was hesitant at first, but I would invite him every so often to come to church and finally he did,” said Janet Bruner. “They ended up coming to our Easter Eggsperiance at Center Point Church and over time his entire family came to Christ.”
“We finally saw that God is with us as a family. Jana (Timothy’s mom) and I have found out what it’s like to be part of a church family, and most importantly HOW TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WTH GOD,” said Terry Lowery, Timothy’s father. “Every bit of this started with KiDs Beach Club®. We weren't getting off of our backsides and God used Beach Club and an 8-year old to get us back in the fold.”
“Now when I see Timothy’s dad, I can see the love of Christ all over his face,” said Janet. “When you see the impact that KBC can make on a family, it makes it all worthwhile.”
Read a letter from Timothy's dad on just how much KBC and Center Point Church impacted the family here.
Published on May 04 @ 12:29 PM CDT
It Starts With Children
“It starts with children. When we change the heart, mind, and souls of children, that is when we change America. It is more important than who is in the White House or the head of Disney. We need a 2-3 generation turnaround and it must begin today,” said George Barna, founder of The Barna Group, an evangelical Christian polling research firm.
The worldview of children is being changed through KiDs Beach Club® and we are thrilled to have George Barna as our keynote speaker for our Bibles for Beach Club Benefit Dinner on Saturday, July 11 at 6:00 pm. Come enjoy dinner and hear the results of Barna’s research on what it will take to reclaim the Christian worldview of families in America.
“There are three big players that are shaping the worldview of children in America. They are family, government, and media. The government and media are not going to help us, but the families, ministries, churches, and Christian schools have an opportunity, but we must have a plan,” said Barna.
The philosophy of many ministries is often to reach and change the hearts of adults, but the fight is being waged in the hearts and minds of kids. KBC is dedicated to reaching the hearts of children and connecting them and their families to churches. We have seen clubs where 62% of those that indicated they did not have a church affiliation at the beginning of the club year, then indicated at the end of the year that they have united with a church.
Join us on Saturday, July 11 at 6 p.m. for the Bibles for Beach Club Benefit Dinner at the Texas Motor Speedway. This benefit dinner directly funds the Bibles for our KBC clubs throughout the country.
“What are you going to do to change the worldview of children in America? We cannot rely on anyone else,” said Barna. Click here to reserve your tickets today.
Published on May 04 @ 12:25 PM CDT