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When you first opened the Hang 10 Summer Reading Program this year, you might have noticed the new Hang 10 logo! This logo incorporates a life-preserver as the zero in the number 10. The idea was inspired by Dallas radio talk-show host Chris Krok during a speech he delivered at the 2016 Bibles for Beach Club Benefit Dinner. About kids who don't attend Beach Club or don’t already attend church, he said:

"These kids are not getting the truth at home. They're not seeing God or Christ in their homes. (KiDs Beach Club®) is your one shot. This is your chance to do something for them to bust the mold. What do you think this program is doing for this lost generation? What kind of life preserver is being thrown to them? You should consider re-naming this ministry 'Kids Life Preserver' or 'Kids Life Saver.'"

While we have not changed the name of our ministry, we have taken hold of this this idea, believing that if we can "save" a child, we can save his or her heart, which will then have a positive change in our schools and communities, and most importantly, for God's Kingdom. That is a theme we'll be sharing at the upcoming Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting next month in Dallas as we strive to help even more churches go outside their walls to share the gospel and have an impact in their communities.

The new logo will also appear on the weekly Hang 10 pages given to students in Beach Club during the school year to take home to study with their families.

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! Here are some simple tips to encourage your child to read God’s Word this summer.

• “Hang 10” – At KiDs Beach Club, kids are encouraged to “hang out with God” for 10 minutes each day through Bible reading and prayer. Set an alarm at the same time every day as a reminder that it’s time for “Hang 10.” When the alarm sounds, pause what you’re doing and devote 10 minutes to Bible reading and prayer.
  
  
• Hanging out with God may be a new concept for you and your child. Use the tip-in pages “Spending Time with God” in the KBC Study Bible (between pages 242-243) as a guide to help you understand when, where, what, and how. Make a family plan for spending time with God every day… and stick to it.
  
  
• Put a sticker on a calendar every day your child reads his or her Bible. At the end of the summer, count up the stickers and celebrate your child’s Bible reading success with a simple treat, like an ice cream cone or an afternoon in the park.
  
  
• Print out a copy of KBC’s “Hang 10: Summer Reading Program” and put it on your kitchen table. At breakfast or dinner, read that day’s assignment and talk about the Bible story or verses as a family. Take a look at the Bonus Reading and Challenges sections to dig deeper into the Bible.
  
  
• Taking a family road trip? Pack your Bibles and take the summer reading plan with you. Make the most of family time in the car by reading and discussing God’s Word. Email us a picture of your children with their Bible on vacation: photos@kbcmail.org, use hashtag #Hang10SRP or mention us on your social media posts @KiDsBeachClub.
  
  
• Help your child get comfortable with the Bible by practicing Bible skills. The tip-in page “The Bible is God’s Word… so LOVE IT! LEARN IT! LIVE IT! (just inside the back cover of the KBC Study Bible) contains five different activity options to help your child practice finding things in the Bible and memorize scripture. Use one or more of the activity options for a meaningful family game night.

There is no doubt that you have experienced someone trying to explain something to you that you just couldn’t wrap your head around, but after they used a visual aide, it made perfect sense.

That is exactly what the leaders at Southaven Intermediate School in Southaven, Miss., did to share the gospel with their club. 

Brown Missionary Baptist Church, which partners with KiDs Beach Club® to sponsor the club, has a Beach Club of more than 100 children, and club leaders and volunteers need to keep the kids engaged to ensure that Beach Club runs smoothly. This is especially necessary during the weekly Bible Story. 

In one of the last meetings before the Beach Club ended for the summer, the storyteller decided to try a new method of presenting the gospel, which he called “The Cover Up.” It was an extremely unique idea that included different colored t-shirts to tell the gospel through layering, modifying and removing them to show each colored shirt at the right time to better illustrate the gospel. 

He started in the beginning with the story of Adam and Eve. He had on a brown t-shirt representing the dust of the earth. He shared with the children how God's creation was perfect and good. 

He donned a white t-shirt next to represent pure and holy fellowship with God. Then he explained how sin entered the world through the serpent deceiving Adam and Eve in the garden and the two eating the forbidden fruit. 

Next, he put on a black t-shirt to represent sin. Explaining how this disappointed God and separated Adam and Eve from God, he told the children how much God loved them in spite of their sin and told them about Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross. 

He then donned a red t-shirt representing the blood of Christ that covered the sin. 

After further explaining the forgiveness of sin, he removed the red and black t-shirts, revealing the white shirt again. He explained how we still sin, which he demonstrated by putting black spots on the white t-shirt, but covered them with red (the blood of Jesus) spots to “remove” the black blemishes. 

After this, he covered the spotted shirt with a bright highlighter, neon yellow t-shirt representing that we are to let our "light" shining for Jesus. He used this time to review many of the character words they had learned this year and how those words could be applied to letting your light shine.

He then presented an invitation to any students who were still "dressed in the black t-shirt" to believe in the blood of Jesus and forgiveness of sin and invited them to "wear the white t-shirt.”

“I don't think I've ever heard a gospel presentation to kids that was as illustrative as this,” said Vickie Sneed, the KBC club relations specialist for Tennessee and Northern Mississippi. “He clearly painted a picture through the t-shirts that the kids could visualize and understand.”

The club leaders had the opportunity to counsel two students following this Gospel particular presentation, with one electing to make a profession of faith. 

School is almost out! But, did you know that you can still enjoy KiDs Beach Club® throughout the summer? With KBC Explorer’s Study Bibles in kids’ hands and in their homes, boys and girls can continue learning with Beach Club. Once again, this summer, KiDs Beach Club® is providing a summer Bible reading plan for kids and their families.

“Hang 10” is the phrase that KiDs Beach Club® uses to encourage kids to hang out with God for 10 minutes each day reading the Bible and in prayer. At the end of each club meeting, kids are given “Hang 10 Pages” to take home and use as a guide to spend time with God each day.

The Hang 10 Summer Reading Program continues building and strengthening these habits of daily Bible reading and prayer. This year’s Summer Reading Program focuses on walking kids through the Bible, using stories selected from each Bible book. Each week for 14 weeks, beginning the Sunday before Memorial Day and continuing through the Sunday before Labor Day, the plan will provide daily Bible readings designed to help kids dig deep into the Bible.

The featured stories include: creation (Genesis), David and Goliath (1 Samuel), Esther Becomes Queen (Esther), God’s Love for Jacob (Malachi), and Matthew Follows Jesus (Matthew).

Better yet, the Summer Reading Program isn’t just for kids! We are encouraging everyone to “Hang 10” this summer. Parents, teachers, volunteers and other Beach Club supporters can lead by example and spend at least 10 minutes each day with God through Bible reading and prayer.

We hope you will stay connected to KiDs Beach Club® during the summer. We would love to see you, your children and your grandchildren with their KBC Study Bible. Please follow us at @KiDsBeachClub on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and be sure to like, comment and share your own posts and photos by using the hashtag #Hang10SRP or #MyKBCBible.

Look for the Hang 10 Summer Reading Program in your inbox and on our website next week!

The Hang 10 Summer Reading Program has been written for best use with the KBC 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.

Giovanna Carrington agreed to volunteer for Beach Club at Woolmarket Elementary in Biloxi, Miss. this year. Although she did not attend Woolmarket Baptist Church, which partners with KiDs Beach Club® to sponsor the club, she was excited to fill the need the club had for surf team leaders.

By becoming a Beach Club volunteer, she has found out just what her calling is and that is sharing the gospel and loving children like Jesus does.

“God has used her to lead her entire surf team to Him,” said Missy Holaday, the KBC independent club relations specialist for Southern Mississippi. Holaday has had the great joy of watching Carrington share the gospel during Beach Club.

“What is so special about Carrington is the fact that she has now led 14 children to make a profession of faith while they were in her surf team,” Holaday said.

“Carrington fervently prays for the children in Beach Club, and specifically those in her surf team. She prays that they will know Jesus and accept Him.”

Earlier this school year, Carrington had a surf team of eight children. She shared the gospel with them in surf team time early on. She would ask them, “Do you love Jesus? Do you want Him in your heart? To be your best friend?”

The children responded to this invitation one or two at a time each week and would remind Carrington that it was their turn to accept Him. All the kids in her group responded except one.

This child did not desire to accept Jesus like the others in her group. But each week he would ask more questions and participate more. One morning, on the same day of Beach Club, Carrington heard the Lord tell her today would be the day for this child to accept Him and she should be ready. At Beach Club that day the boy made a profession of faith and Carrington was able to lead him through the ABCs and pray with him.

After each child in Carrington’s original surf team accepted Jesus, the club leader decided to rearrange surf teams to fix some behavioral issues. Although many were worried about children losing the connections and relationships with their surf team leaders, this change was used for good. Once the surf teams were rearranged, Carrington’s surf team had six new children, and they all, too, made professions of faith before the club finished meeting this year.

“God is amazing and so wonderful,” Carrington said. “These kids’ personalities are formed. They know how to memorize verses in the Bible and they know what they are saying. I want to make sure it is coming from their heart because they love Jesus. They have to put forth the desire.”

KiDs Beach Club® has helped Carrington find her calling. For years she was trying to validate her degree. Then she thought she needed to be teaching Spanish, but really it was Jesus she needed to be teaching others.

“It is the best thing that’s happened to me,” Carrington said. “Everything was turning around in my life, to have time to teach and to be at Beach Club. God told me to do this and I am going to do it.”

Paul McCollum has been promoted to chief operating officer for KiDs Beach Club®. McCollum has been a member of the KBC corporate staff since 2014 and has served as vice president for school relations, strategic growth and development during his time at KiDs Beach Club®.

As chief operating officer, McCollum will continue to oversee these areas as well as all of the day-to-day operations including staffing and programming. McCollum served 34 years in public school administration prior to coming to KiDs Beach Club®. He has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Stephen F. Austin State University and a master’s degree in education administration from the University of Houston.

He and his wife, Laurie, have four grown children and are members of Countryside Bible Church in Southlake, Texas where they both teach children’s Sunday school. McCollum enjoys being in the outdoors hunting, fishing and playing golf and using those activities as opportunities to share with others what the Lord is doing in the ministry of KiDs Beach Club®.

Other additions to the KBC team include Glenna Hockensmith as an independent club relations specialist, Michele Bryan as a club relations specialist, Kylie Badgley as ministry assistant and Samuel Dale as marketing and communications intern.

Hockensmith takes a new role with KiDs Beach Club® after serving as the Beach Club leader at Peaks Mill Elementary in Frankfort, Ky. The club is sponsored by Peaks Mill Christian Church, where Glenna and her family are active members. Hockensmith is the worship leader and her husband teaches Sunday school. She has a bachelor’s degree in human services from Carson Newman University. She has worked in the mental health field for more than 15 years. Hockensmith owns Charis Case Management, an agency which advocates for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

She and her husband, Michael, have been married for 15 years. They have two children: Kaylee and Koleman. Glenna homeschools her children which are currently in fifth and seventh grades. She also enjoys her German Shepherds, sitting on her porch swing, and quiet early mornings with a cup of coffee.

Bryan is excited to join the KiDs Beach Club® team as the club relations specialist for East Texas. Bryan holds a bachelor’s of science in mathematics education, as well as a master’s of arts in both Christian Education and ministry-based evangelism. She has worked as an administrative assistant, a stay-at-home mom and as a paraprofessional for Kaufman ISD. She previously served as a US/C2 missionary with the North American Mission Board at Mission Odessa, in Odessa, Texas.

Bryan is very active in her church, First Baptist Kemp, where her husband Russell serves as pastor. She teaches children in Sunday school and Cubbies and enjoys singing in the choir. She and her husband have one son, Baron, who is 8 years old. When she is not busy with ministry, she enjoys gardening and spending time with her family.

Badgley has joined KiDs Beach Club® as the ministry assistant at the organization’s corporate office in Bedford, Texas. She will receive a bachelor’s of journalism degree with a focus in broadcast from the University of Texas at Austin this month. She has been a member at First Euless since 2003 where she helps with high school camps. She also attends the young adults service at Watermark Church in Dallas. She is filled with love and encouragement from her parents Kristy and Larry and has a 19-year-old brother Landon. 

Badgley played college volleyball for two years at Pensacola State College before transferring to Texas and still enjoys playing, as well as, photography, decorating and cooking.

Dale joins the KiDs Beach Club® marketing and communications staff this month as a summer intern. He is alumnus of Covenant Christian Academy in Colleyville, Texas and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in advertising from the University of Oklahoma. With KiDs Beach Club®, he will primarily be writing articles for ministry’s monthly newsletters, assisting daily with social media and helping to promote the “Hang 10” Summer Reading Program.

Dale is a member of Brothers Under Christ national fraternity at OU and attends Summit Church in southern Oklahoma City. His parents Duane and Dawn Dale have been involved with KiDs Beach Club® for several years and are members of Center Point Church in North Richland Hills, Texas. He hopes to complete his degree at OU by 2020 and aspires to begin a career in advertising upon graduation.

If you are interested in joining the KiDs Beach Club staff, check out our employment opportunities.