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| April 2007 Vol. 2, No. 4 |
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Welcome  
Fun with a Purpose
Pioneer Clubs talent night is something you don’t want to miss at our church. This year’s show was filled with guitar, piano and vocal solos; magic tricks; jokes and skits. One young artist described her creations and another club member brought his dog to do tricks. A few weeks later, club members gave drama a try. Have you ever watched a pantomime of a ship sinking in slow motion? The kids loved it. The leaders laughed. For the kids the events were pure fun. However, if you scratch the surface, you’ll see it was fun with a purpose. On both nights, the kids were fulfilling one of three main goals of Pioneer Clubs’ curriculum—they were growing as whole persons. Specifically, the kids were learning through creative activities that they are wonderful, unique beings created in God’s image. I encourage you to take a moment this week or next to look at the Pioneer Clubs curriculum goals located in the front of any leader plan book. Consider the many levels at work in a Pioneer Clubs program—all with the goal of helping children grow in every area of their lives. And this spring, may you look forward to more “fun with a purpose.” Blessings!  Judy Bryson President, Pioneer Clubs® P.S. Are all the people on your Pioneer Clubs leadership team signed up for this newsletter? If not, encourage them to go to www.pioneerclubs.org today to subscribe. It Worked at Our Club 
Two Skipper leaders at North Point Free
Will Baptist Church in Conroe, Texas came up
with a clever idea to help their club members
get seated without arguing. According to Club
Coordinator Sally Wilcox, the children
naturally had preferences regarding where
they wanted to sit and by whom, which caused
some problems.
Leaders Eva Conteras and Rose Hamblin created a “helper” chart featuring jobs suitable for preschoolers. They made a photo name card for each child and then glued that to a clothespin. Next to each name card was a simple shape. A matching shape was taped to the floor and the table. Each week, children sat at their designated shape. The name cards rotated to new jobs (and shapes) each week. The result: No more arguing about who sat where! If you have ideas that you’d like to share, please send them to Louise Ferrebee at lferrebee@pioneerclubs.org. What's Up at Club? 
Who said kids are the only ones who get to
have fun at Pioneer Clubs! Pictured this
month are Claudia Hewes (left), a.k.a. The
Purple Pioneer, Club Coordinator at Shafter
Free Will Baptist Church in Shafter, CA, and
Toni Russell, a.k.a The Pink Pioneer. Kids
from all club levels meet in the church
auditorium and join these women in praise and
song before being dismissed to individual
club meetings. The kids love this energetic
start to club, reports Claudia.
Bibles are being studied. Club members are busy with activities. Awards are being earned. Kids are laughing and making new friends. But don’t keep the fun to yourself! To send us your stories and digital photos, click here. Nine Reasons Volunteers Stay Committed Club leaders and volunteers are the valuable
“people-power” that keeps a Pioneer Clubs
program running. The key to keeping your
volunteers (and having to recruit fewer new
people each year) is creating an environment
that is volunteer-friendly and fosters a
sense of loyalty and commitment.
Meeting several of the nine basic needs listed below will help you keep volunteers coming back year after year. Creating this positive environment, however, isn’t the job of a single person. Club coordinators, leaders, volunteers and parents all play a role in helping make Pioneer Clubs a place where adults want to spend their time. “I feel needed and successful.” Are volunteers greeted with enthusiasm and told they are appreciated? Something as simple as a smile and the words “I’m so glad you’re here today” or “It’s fun working with you” go a long way. Can adults see the tangible results of a weekly program where children are learning about themselves and God? Give Awards the Fanfare They Deserve 
Recognizing children’s achievements and
building self-esteem are key objectives in
Pioneer Clubs. Bible awards and activity
awards help you meet these goals. As
important as awards are, though, how you
present them may be equally important. Club
members need to feel special for what they
have learned and done, not for the fact that
they have another badge to add to their
collection. Here are several good ways to
present awards.
Award Celebrations Pioneer Clubs recommends that Bible awards and activity awards be presented at the end of each four-meeting unit. Presenting awards frequently means children get more timely positive feedback about their achievements. Immediate recognition also helps club members connect what they have been doing in club with the tangible award they receive. Games: Off to the Races Guess Race The goal of this game isn’t to be the fastest, but to finish right on time—your time. Each player guesses how long he or she will take to complete the race. Then players try to run the race to finish as close as possible to the time they estimated. Share Your Ideas and Needs 
That’s right! The next time a special event
idea turns out well, spread the news through
the Pioneer Clubs Bulletin Board so other
club leaders can benefit. Or if you want to
find out how others leaders have dealt with
discipline issues or displaying awards, send
your question out through the Bulletin Board.
This communication forum is available to all leaders, club coordinators and Pioneer Clubs volunteers. To access it, go to www.pioneerclubs.org. Click on Leader Resource Center and then type in the password: kids. Finally, click on Bulletin Board to post your idea or check others! News from Pioneer Clubs Headquarters Pioneer Clubs Offers College and CILT
Scholarships Do you know a college-bound high school senior who has participated in Pioneer Clubs and/or Camp Cherith? He or she may be interested in applying for a scholarship through the Virginia C. Patterson Continuing Education Fund. College scholarships are awarded based on the applicant’s participation in Pioneer Clubs and Camp Cherith programs; involvement in church, school, and community activities; future plans; letters of recommendation; and financial need. Scholarships to young people interested in applying for a Campers in Leadership Training (CILT) program at any Camp Cherith are also available. Click here for a downloadable scholarship application and instructions. |
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| Copyright (c) 2006 Pioneer Clubs All rights reserved. PO Box 788 Wheaton IL 60189-0788 | ||||||||||||
