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Chris Howard, who has served in non-profit organizations for more than a decade, joined the KiDs Beach Club® corporate staff last month.

As program director, Howard will manage all things that happen during a one-hour, one-day-per-week Beach Club program. This includes all aspects of curriculum, training of volunteers and staff, verification of background checks and program quality control. He will assist in the leadership of the KBC coordinator and specialist staff and will serve on the senior executive leadership team.

He most recently served with the Vernon Wells’ PERFECT 10 Charity as executive director. Howard graduated from Baylor University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, and from Dallas Theological Seminary with a certificate of graduate studies. Howard brings a variety of skills to KiDs Beach Club®, including development, fundraising and grant writing, computer systems and administration.

He is married to Jessica and father to Clara. Chris and his family are members of 121 Community Church in Grapevine, Texas, where he serves as a men’s life group leader. He enjoys time with his family, friends, reading and traveling, especially when it involves the beach.

Interested in joining the KiDs Beach Club® team? We currently have staffing needs in Arkansas, Florida and Tennessee as well as at the corporate office in Bedford, Texas. Check out the complete list of available positions on the employment opportunities page of our website.

Think about your Bible. What does the cover look like? Is the print inside large or small? Are there notes and highlighting that you have added?

Now, imagine not being able to see your Bible. You can feel the texture of the cover. You can turn the pages. However, you cannot see the scriptures it contains. Does this make your Bible any less important?

A recent experience by Kerri Nelson assures us that it does not. Nelson, a KBC club relations specialist, recently made a routine visit to a club at Austin Elementary in Grand Prairie. As staff members often do when making these visits, Nelson sat with the kids. In doing so, she met a girl named Ydie and assisted her with the day’s activities.

While learning the memory link, Ydie opened her KBC Study Bible and began turning pages. This may sound unremarkable; however, Ydie is blind. So, Nelson offered to help Ydie locate the scripture. Ydie accepted and explained that she also wanted to highlight it.

“I put her hands where the verse was and told her which direction to go until it was highlighted, Nelson said. “She just knew that highlighting was good to do for important things.”

The partnering church for the Austin Elementary Beach Club is St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Grand Prairie, Texas. According to Father Andy Powell, the church pastor and Beach Club leader, Ydie “received her new Bible on Great Treasure Day, and she was very happy to have received it. She brought it with her every week thereafter.”

Despite her inability to physically see, Ydie understands the importance of God’s word and desires to interact with it. Ydie is able to do this because of donors like you who make it possible to provide each child their own KBC Study Bible at no cost to our church partners.

In Matthew 11:3-5, John the Baptist sent two men to ask Jesus if He was indeed the Messiah. Jesus replied, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.”

Jesus came to make the blind see. The reality is that we are all spiritually blind, but God gave us His word so that we can see. Our goal is to put a KBC Study Bible into every child’s hands so that they can experience this gift. Your generous donations have so far helped us give Bibles to more than 55,000 kids, and we look forward to providing many more Bibles in the years to come.

The next time you pick up your Bible, take a moment to thank God for giving you the ability to see – spiritually as well as physically.

We hope you and your kids are enjoying the "Hang 10" Summer Reading Program. These first five weeks have gone by quickly. So far, we've studied the Books of the Law, the Books of History, the Books of Wisdom, Poetry and Praise, and the Major Prophets.

As with the June plan, the July plan will continue to walk you and your child through the Bible, book by book. These daily readings help kids continue the habit of daily Bible reading and prayer. 

During the next five weeks, we'll explore:

• The Minor Prophets
• The Gospels
• A Book of History
• Paul's Letters 

Another way you can participate is by sending us photos of your children or grandchildren doing the Summer Reading Plan with their KBC Study Bible. Follow us at @KiDsBeachClub on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and share your posts by mentioning us or using the hashtag #Hang10SRP. Remember the Summer Reading Program isn't just for kids! We are encouraging everyone to "Hang 10" this summer. Parents, teachers and Beach Club volunteers can lead by example and spend at least 10 minutes each day with God through Bible reading and prayer.

With every photo you share beginning July 1 and continuing through the end of the Summer Reading Program, you will be entered in a drawing for a 20 oz. Bison tumbler branded with the KBC logo.

Following our social media accounts is also a great way to receive daily reminders about the Summer Reading Program. We'd love for you to share the reminders with your friends using your own social media accounts.

Memorial Day weekend is here once again! As the unofficial start of summer, this is the time when we kickoff the Hang 10 Summer Reading Program.

"Hang 10" is the phrase we use to encourage kids to hang out with God for 10 minutes every day through Bible reading and prayer. 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 this Sunday and continuing through the Saturday before Labor Day - the plan will provide daily Bible readings and additional "bonus" content designed to help kids dig deeper into the Bible.

The first eight weeks of the program are now available on the KiDs Beach Club® 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

We will continue to add more weekly content as the summer progresses.

LINK:
Hang 10 Summer Reading Program

RELATED:
Tips for Getting Kids into God's Word this Summer
New 'Hang 10' logo

As always, 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.

Follow our social media accounts where we'll post each week's Summer Reading Program along with daily reminders for your kids and your family to read the Bible and pray. We encourage you to share them with your friends and family who may not yet participate in Beach Club or who are looking for a summer devotional activity.

Please follow us at @KiDsBeachClub on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and be sure to share your posts by mentioning us or using the hashtag #Hang10SRP. We would love to see photos of your children or grandchildren with their KBC Study Bible. 

This summer's Hang 10 Summer Reading Program was designed to be used 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. 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.

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.