Pioneer Clubs coordinators eNewsletter–Recognize your club volunteers!

February 2006

Dear Christian Leader,

Welcome to the latest edition of the Pioneer Clubs^® Coordinator’s eNewsletter, where we provide resources to assist you as you plan, recruit, and train—enabling others to share God’s Word with children. This month we would like to give you ideas for recognizing your club volunteers in front of the church.

Giving Needed Recognition

Everyone needs recognition. Giving your leaders and other club volunteers recognition is a key element in keeping them satisfied in their work and wanting to return year after year.

Spotlighting your leaders and their work in front of the church will also give church members more of a sense of ownership of the club program. They will be more likely to get behind club financially, in prayer, and in other ways.

This winter and spring will provide you with many opportunities to spotlight your leaders before parents and the rest of the church. Get the pastor involved whenever possible; church members need to see that church leadership is sold on Pioneer Clubs.

During a worship service or other all-church gathering:

Have the pastor rededicate leaders and their club ministry.
Have the pastor hand out customized service certificates (catalog #2761) or service pins to Pioneer Clubs leaders.

Order customized service certificates at the following link: http://www.shoppioneerclubs.org/store/product.asp?ItemID=597&CategoryID=148&HeaderCategoryId=76&returnUrl=&RandomSeed=T6EC7. Be sure to include your church name, your leader’s name and number of years involved in club.

Order service pins at the following link: http://www.shoppioneerclubs.org/store/product.asp?ItemID=592&CategoryID=6&HeaderCategoryId=76&returnUrl=&RandomSeed=T6EC7.

Make trophies out of foil-covered bottles for as many other club volunteers as you can think of—snack providers, drivers, “gofers,” greeters, music helpers, cooks, prayer partners, and so on. Explain to the congregation what a difference these people make in your club. Or download free Club Participation Certificates for them. See if you can amaze the congregation by how many people are actually involved.

Download Club Participation Certificates at the following link: http://www.pioneerclubs.org/images/second/clipart/ParticipationCertificate.jpg.

This spring:

Solicit thank-you’s to leaders from parents, children, coleaders, church members, and so on, and print these in the church bulletin.
Invite the church to a recognition luncheon for your club leaders and helpers.
Make a video of your club leaders (and kids) in action to show to the church. Club scenes could be interspersed with comments from the kids on how club has affected them or from the leaders on how they have seen God at work. You might call the video “Leaving a Legacy” and use the song “Legacy” by Nichole Nordeman.

Action Ideas for February

To assess your club leaders’ level of satisfaction and their support needs, ask them to fill out this brief questionnaire at the following link: http://www.pioneerclubs.org/lrc/howsclubgoing.pdf.
Assign experienced leaders to mentor new leaders. Some ideas of what mentoring might consist of: helping brainstorm ways to draw quiet club members into discussions, sharing group management tips from their own experience, and standing alongside new leaders in prayer.
Ask club leaders about unusual supplies they will need in the upcoming months. Put a request for these in the church bulletin so that leaders don’t have to collect or buy them all themselves.

Ideas for Encouraging Leaders

Pass on compliments about club leaders that you hear from parents or club members.
Have coffee with one or two club leaders each week before or after club just to see how things are going and to show interest in the leaders as people.

Changed Lives

“When our club wanted to find a way to help a Pioneer Clubs program hit by Katrina, we contacted Pioneer Clubs headquarters and got the name of a church in Mississippi. Last year, our club raised under $100 for a missionary for the entire year. When we told the kids about the church in Biloxi and how they lost everything, we were able to send them a Christmas check for $100, and that is in only four months. Our children are learning about kids like themselves who went through this hurricane and they want to help with prayer and support.” —Peggy LeSuer, Lockport Christian and Missionary Alliance, Lockport, NY

We’d love to hear testimonies of how your club has seen God at work. Please e-mail Becky at ballenpowell@pioneerclubs.org with your name, church name, and how you’ve seen God at work in your club.

Pioneer Clubs Announcements

Annual Phonathon

Pioneer Clubs staff, board members, and volunteers will be calling our current leaders and donors during the months of February and March to thank you for your partnership, let you know what’s happening in the national ministry, and ask for your financial support. Please prayerfully consider a generous gift when we call.

Pioneer Clubs Sunday

We hope you celebrated Pioneer Clubs Sunday with us on February 12! If not, you haven’t missed out—your church can still participate on any Sunday that works for you. Visit www.pioneerclubs.org and go to the Leader Resource Center (password: kids) for ideas on how to share with your congregation the exciting things that are happening in your club. Whenever your church celebrates Pioneer Clubs Sunday, be sure to let us know what you did by sending an e-mail to info@pioneerclubs.org.

Kids for Kids Hike Countdown

The spring Kids for Kids Hike is coming up on Saturday, April 22 (or any date that best suits your church). Planning steps for this month are located on Pioneer Clubs’ Web site at www.pioneerclubs.org. Just click on Kids for Kids Hike. Be sure to let us know your hike plans!

Special Events

Are you having a club Valentine party, Pal party, or other special event this month? If so, we’d love to hear about it! Please send photos and a brief summary of your event to Connie Powers at cpowers@pioneerclubs.org. (The photos and stories we receive become the property of Pioneer Clubs^®. Receiving them indicates your permission to print them in our publications, advertising, and Web site.)

Join us for a Pioneer Clubs^® training teleconference!
You may participate in these sessions from any location that has a telephone for only $20 per telephone line. These teleconferences are scheduled throughout the year. Upcoming topics are:

Basic Training
Evaluating Your Club Program
Leader Recruitment and Retention

Pioneer Clubs training teleconferences will benefit every club coordinator and leader—and it’s easy to register today! For a complete schedule and online registration forms, visit http://www.pioneerclubs.org/trainingwork.htm. We hope you can join us!

Camp Cherith

Schedule a Camp Cherith Theme Night for your Pioneer Clubs! Camp Cherith^® is the official camping ministry of Pioneer Clubs. Do your clubs know about this camping opportunity? A Camp Cherith Theme Night is a great way to tell them all about it! Contact your local camp representative and schedule a visit during your regular club time. He or she will make a brief presentation of what a Camp Cherith experience is like and why your club members would want to go. If you like, serve s’mores or trail mix as a snack, and encourage club members and leaders to dress in camp clothing (hiking boots, bandanas, etc.)

The 23 Cherith^® camps in North America all provide Christ-centered, Bible-based outdoor programs designed to help children and youth learn about Jesus Christ and how to make Christ Lord in every aspect of life. Camp Cherith provides a unique setting away from normal activities where kids learn Christian values and life-skills, and can experience genuine life-change. Camp Cherith has proven to be a mountaintop experience for thousands of young people over the past 60-plus years. Cherith is Christian camping at its best.

If you’ve not yet contacted your local Camp Cherith’s director, do so right away! You’ll want to book your clubs’ Camp Cherith Theme Night before the representative’s time is committed!

To find your local Pioneer Clubs Camp Cherith, visit the following link: http://www.pioneerclubs.org/campcherith_locations.htm.

Reflections

Get your leaders excited about returning next year. Take the time to meet with all of them individually and remind them what a difference they make in the lives of the kids in their clubs.

Lighter Side

From a church bulletin: The 8th graders will be presenting Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” in the church basement Friday at 7 p.m. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.