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Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4 

We can all agree that the last several months have felt like one trial after another, and for those of us who’ve been planning, postponing, and re-imagining the KiDs Beach Club® annual Bibles for Beach Club Benefit dinner, this verse resonates especially well.

However, as James urges, we are persevering and innovating, driven by the passion for reaching the hearts of children and connecting them and their families to churches. 

Today we are excited to share that we have overcome the many obstacles to our yearly Bible fundraiser and are poised to deliver a top-notch, engaging, and empowering virtual experience that will allow us to bring everyone together. 

This time it will not only be for those who would have physically joined us in Texas, but for Christians from around the country and the world whose support makes it possible for us to put Bibles in the hands of so many children every year!

COVID-19 concerns prevented a physical gathering, so we are pleased to invite you to join us for the first-ever Rise UP 4 KiDs, a virtual fundraising event to be held on Sunday, August 30, 2020, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Central Time.

Why have we decided to host a virtual event, rather than canceling our twice-rescheduled event altogether?  

First and foremost, we absolutely must raise funds for Bibles to put into the hands of kids this fall. And we need the funds by October. 

Now, more than ever, given the current atmosphere of unrest and anxiety in our country, KBC is a way for churches, volunteers, and parents to impact their community and help kids feel more connected to God and His Word. 

Bible and Character Education transforms kids and schools, fostering life change in the hearts of children. And make no mistake: we are at a critical juncture. Our future as a nation depends on the faith formation of today’s youth. 

Our Rise UP 4 KiDs event will feature keynote speaker George Barna, bestselling author and founder of The Barna Group, an evangelical Christian polling research firm. 

“There are three big players that are shaping the worldview of children in America,” according to Mr. Barna. “They are family, government, and media. The government and media are not going to help us, but the families, ministries, and churches have an opportunity—but we must have a plan. 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 to 3 generation turnaround and it must begin today!”

KiDs Beach Club® stands ready to empower churches to lead this turnaround! Our four primary objectives include:

• Impacting Communities for the Kingdom
• Sharing Christ in Public Schools 
• Fostering Life Change in the Hearts of Children 
• Connecting Families to a Church Family

But what if our present trials continue and the pandemic lingers well into the school year? Still, we will persist and innovate!

Right now our field teams are talking to the various school districts and exploring creative alternatives. We’re providing our partnering churches with curricular material and working with them to explore where else they might hold gatherings, such as at a park, at a YMCA, or in an apartment complex. The ministry will go forward regardless of circumstances because the Father has called us to reach these children.

But none of this will happen without the support of our partnering churches and schools, our more than 2,600 volunteers, and the rest of the KiDs Beach Club® community at large, including our newest supporters just coming on board this year. 

So save the date, August 30th, at 6:00 pm CT, and plan to meet us online as we come together for a powerful hour of advancing the Kingdom.

“What are you going to do to change the worldview of children in America?” Mr. Barna asks. “We cannot rely on anyone else.” 

Turning Point Church, in Fort Worth, Texas had a problem. Like a lot of churches, they wanted to engage the public schools to deepen connection with the local community. But in spite of repeated attempts to reach out to the schools, they kept hearing, “We’ll call you if we need anything.” But the calls never came.

For Children’s Pastors Ray and Nancy Baldwin, the closed doors were especially painful. The couple has always had a vibrant children’s ministry wherever they served. They even developed a robust discipleship program for children of all ages called the Knights of God. 

As they led the growing children’s ministry at the church, they tried everything to engage the local schools. Finally, they forged a friendship with a local elementary principal. 

And then a call came from a KiDs Beach Club® field representative: “Are you interested in serving in the local public school?” Ray and Nancy jumped at the opportunity!

As the club neared its debut meeting, they set up a Beach Club table to register kids on the Meet the Teacher Day. “We had about thirty kids sign up that day,” Ray recalls, “and over the months that followed, we had well over eighty kids who signed up and came to join us! And over the six years since we began, our numbers have grown to over a hundred. It's been crazy!”

And that was just the beginning. Many of the children have professed faith in Christ, and their families began attending church events and services. As a result, unchurched, Hindu, Muslim, and even atheist families have trusted Christ and are now part of Turning Point Church. 

The connection between church, school, and families has only deepened over time. Kids from Beach Club and their families can be seen at every Turning Point Church event.

For example, the church hosts a harvest festival every year complete with bounce houses, food, and fun of all sorts.

It's become a huge event in the community, bringing unchurched families into contact with the good news of Christ. 

Many of Ray’s and Nancy’s church students, Knights in their discipleship program, help at the KiDs Beach Club®. And some of the students at the Beach Club who came to the church with their families ended up joining the Knights at Turning Point Church.

And the relationship with the local schools has deepened, answering the church’s prayers. The church is now an integrated part of the local school, celebrating and supporting the teachers and staff. 

As a result of their partnership with KiDs Beach Club®, not only has Jesus been brought into the local school, but the children and teachers at the local school are actually welcomed into the church building.

The Church hosts a “Math-a-ween” event for the local school in the church's own building each fall. The church provides snacks and games for the school children to enjoy, complete with artificial “campfires.” 

To this day, Ray and Nancy greet every student when they enter the club and cherish every moment they spend with their new family. Meanwhile, attendance at Turning Point Church has continued to grow in the past six years since the Club began.

Thanks to its partnership with KiDs Beach Club®, the church was able to get outside the walls of the church and into the hearts of the students and the surrounding community.

At KiDs Beach Club®, we’ve always endeavored to impact families and communities with the love of Christ. As we’ve grown, the impact of our ministry has extended.

We’ve seen numbers grow, but our greatest achievements go well beyond statistics. They are found in the powerful and moving testimonies of those whose lives we’ve affected. 

And it’s not just kids who are impacted! Parents, grandparents, siblings, extended family—many families have come to find a church home via KiDs Beach Club®. 

We recently asked for input from parents about the impact of KiDs Beach Club®, and we were overwhelmed with all of the positive comments.

Here are just a few of the hundreds of positive things parents told us about KiDs Beach Club®:

• “My daughter loves the Godly relationships and the influences her Beach Club teachers have on her life. In fact, everything now revolves around, ‘does it interfere with Beach Club?’ I love it!”
• “We love KiDs Beach Club®. My son enjoys going each week, and the lessons that they discuss reinforce qualities and characteristics taught in our home. Nowhere else in the public school system will they be exposed to the things they learn in Beach Club. As a parent, I love the weekly emails informing me of their topic for the week so we can discuss together when my child comes home. Can't emphasize enough how much we LOVE Beach Club!” 
• “KiDs Beach Club® is a wonderful opportunity for children to receive the love of Jesus at their school. The volunteers are all-in. It is evident that they love God, and through the love of God, they love our children and show it. They send letters and cards in the mailbox. KiDs Beach Club® is a great opportunity for your children to learn who Christ is. I wish that KiDs Beach Club® could spread to every elementary school in the nation!” 
• “I am so glad that the Bible gets to be opened in schools; every child needs a chance to read and learn about it.” 
• “Thanks for ALL you are doing for our children! Y’all are a great team that really cares about the children and are always looking for ways to make a great impact in the community!”
• “KiDs Beach Club® is an awesome program.  My children love it!” 
• “It's a good way for our children to focus on the principles of being a Christian, not just on Sunday!” 
• “My child has had a wonderful time at Beach Club. He's been memorizing verses and getting to learn more about the Bible. He truly looks forward to it every week!”
• “My child loves going and learning more about Jesus on her level!”

These are just a few of the amazing replies we got from parents across the nation about the impact of KiDs Beach Club®.

Thanks to our generous donors, volunteers, and church leaders, the ripple effects of this ministry continue to spread throughout the hearts and homes of so many children and their families. 

In a world of upheaval and uncertainty, God’s word is forever constant and unchanging. That’s why one volunteer described the impact this way:

The world has changed drastically in the past 30 years. The children of today are facing a world full of turmoil. In order to survive as they grow older, they need God in their lives to guide and direct them and give them the love and comfort they will so desperately need.

Through Beach Club, we can share God's word, His joy and love, and make them hungry to know more about our Lord and Savior.

The credit doesn’t belong to us. After all, we are only living out Christ’s command to his disciples: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Luke 18:16 (NIV)

Thank you for standing with us in this ministry as a lighthouse in the sea of the public school system. Without the guiding light, these children could potentially wander into dangerous waters in life. 

Click here to give in support of the mission. 

And please pray for all our parents and rejoice with us that we can be a blessing to thousands of them and that our contribution to the Kingdom of God will only grow as we move forward!

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!