Blog

Darell Wickert has always desired to minister to and serve children. But he never could have imagined the impact he would have on the hearts and souls of his community through KiDs Beach Club®. 

Following the vision of his Senior Pastor at Mercygate Church in Mont Belvieu, Texas, Darell serves as the family and children’s pastor. He knew he wanted to spread the gospel into the community, but how?  

In Mont Belvieu, nearly 5,000 children attend public schools along a single one-mile stretch of road. Darrell wanted to get the gospel into the school system. But how could he do it when God isn’t welcome in public schools? 

That's when Darell received a call asking if Mercygate would like to lead a Beach Club in North Barbers Hill Elementary School. Darell had only just begun his ministry and hadn’t dreamed of getting into the school system so swiftly, but he seized the opportunity to lead the new club. 

After some preparation, they were ready to begin registration. Darell had heard from others that he should only expect thirty, or at most forty, children to attend the first week.

But while on his way back from a mission trip, Darell received some surprising news—over 130 children had registered on the first day. 

Darell and his team were amazed and thrilled at the prospect of ministering to so many children, and got right to work once he returned from abroad.

The kids quickly fell in love with the program and completed their first semester.

After finishing that first semester strong, they took some time off around Christmas and early January due to previous church commitments.

After a few weeks without KiDs Beach Club®, Darell began to see some of the Club students coming to Mercygate’s Sunday services. One student's mother said her daughter missed Beach Club and wanted to hear Pastor Darell's lessons again on Sundays, too!

When the Club started up again, Darell realized the impact they were having on these kids. He realized that they were not only listening but also understanding the life-changing message that was shared with them. 

Every week Darell would ask the kids if they were ready to take the next step and make Jesus their forever friend. One week, he got an overwhelming response: “Half of our group just raised their hands and made that commitment!” The response blew Darell and his team away! 

Darell has seen the great potential KiDs Beach Club® can have in a community, as well as for himself and the other volunteers. From children coming into the church family, to the many professions of faith, this team has witnessed the power of this ministry to make a difference. 

It is rare these days to see “win-win” scenarios, but as Darell puts it, “KiDs Beach Club® makes it super simple for me as a pastor to have a win in so many different ways.” 

To discover how KiDs Beach Club® can benefit your church, click here.

Debbie Alsup, Surf Team Leader at Bartlett Elementary in Tennessee, has seen how the impact of KiDs Beach Club® creates a ripple effect in the families and communities it touches. Like a stone tossed into a pond, the impact spreads outside the club to touch the lives of so many others.  

After being started in partnership with Faith Baptist Church, Debbie’s club has had a phenomenal impact on the more than ninety kids who attend regularly. The ripple effect happens because kids are engaging with God’s Word.

On one occasion, as Debbie was collecting supplies from the school to be ready for the club, she came across a lost Bible from one of the boys named Jack. Upon opening it, she saw an inscription declaring the book belonged to Jack and was written by “God and Jesus.”  “I thought it was very intelligent of him and encouraging,” Debbie said, “He got it!” 

Every Beach Club has its own stories from making Jesus cool in school to ministering to the community. But the entirety of this ministry could possibly be summed up in the words of one little girl: “I’m ready.”

Debbie has seen many children come to Christ through KiDs Beach Club®, but when one little girl walked right up to her and made that statement, she didn’t know what to make of it. “I thought, ‘Do you need to go to the restroom? Do you need some water?’” Debbie recalled, “I didn't know what she was going to say. And that's when she told me that she was ready to accept Jesus!” 

It wasn’t until a few months later that Debbie learned the young girl had often been asked by her mother, “Are you ready to follow Jesus?” To which her daughter would always reply, “Not yet.” So when she was finally ready to call on Jesus as her Savior, she marched right up to Debbie and proclaimed, “I’m ready!”

The ripple effect could be seen when another young lady asked her Surf Team Leader if her mother could also read from her KiDs Beach Club® Bible... an innocent question with incredible implications! Thanks to our generous donors and volunteers, her family now has their own Bible in the house to cherish as their own Great Treasure. 

When connecting with kids, KiDs Beach Club® becomes more than just a ministry. One team leader in Debbie’s Beach Club sent postcards to her students whenever they missed a club meeting. When one fourth grade student missed a few club meetings, the leader sent him a postcard letting him know he was missed and that she was praying for him. 

His appreciative mother reported later that her son saved the card and posted it on his bulletin board. His mom thanked the leaders for caring so much as she saw the love of Christ displayed. This seemingly small gesture showed how the Clubs become more than ministry. As Debbie puts it, “It’s like a second family.”

Debbie and her team saw the ripple effect when one young girl took the gospel message to heart—and to her neighbors, as well. Her faith resulted in her ministering to her unchurched neighbors. 

“The girl visited another child in the neighbor’s home, Debbie said, “but she also talked to the parents because they're interested in listening to see what the lesson was for this week. She didn't encourage them to go to church or anything. She just shared the Bible lesson they had that week.” 

But after witnessing this little girl's unwavering faith, the family began coming to weekly services at Faith Baptist Church. She knew that Jesus would want her to share the faith she found in Beach Club with every person she meets! 

What a wonderful example of what the Apostle Paul tells Timothy: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12 NIV)

These stories and countless others taking place throughout the year at Beach Clubs across the nation show the widespread impact as the Word of God spreads through the children and into the hearts and lives of others. The great commission is being fulfilled to every boy and girl—and their friends and family. And with hundreds of clubs and counting, we’re looking forward to celebrating even more stories of the ripple effect of KiDs Beach Club® for years to come! Click to give in support of the mission!

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.

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.

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

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.