Pioneer Clubs coordinators eNewsletter–Use special events to reach more kids

March 2006

Dear Pioneer Clubs Coordinator,

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 using special events to reach more kids—and their parents.

Using Special Events as Outreach

As spring arrives, Easter projects and award presentations probably figure into your plans for club fun. You can also use these and other special events as outreach events by reminding leaders to encourage their club members to bring family and friends.

Inviting family members and friends of your club members to join in special events clearly follows the Pioneer Clubs philosophy of enabling children to develop healthy relationships within their families as well as with peers. Including their families in a club event helps club members connect their families with the fun they have in club. Parents get to meet club friends and see club leaders in action. Families gain shared good memories to talk about.

But is this outreach? Yes, it is. Particularly for families of club members who do not attend any church, the idea of going to a church service may make them uncomfortable or nervous—but special club events let them get to know your church in a fun way. By taking part in their child’s club at a special meeting, they can:

learn more about what goes on in club
get to know their children’s leaders better

find out that the people at your church want to welcome them

Make time to introduce yourself to as many of the visitors as you can at special events. Encourage your leaders to talk with the people accompanying their club members. Find out how the adults are related to your club members. If members bring friends, let them know they’re welcome to come again. Visitors will feel welcomed by your attention to them.

Encourage visitors to write down their address and phone number by having a door-prize drawing, or offer to mail them an attractive but inexpensive gift, such as a Pioneer Clubs theme verse bookmark (Catalog #6692). This gives you the information you need to make those essential follow-up contacts. Order bookmarks at the following link: http://www.shoppioneerclubs.org/store/product.asp?ItemID=903&CategoryID=47&HeaderCategoryId=29&returnUrl=&RandomSeed=E6EC8.

Ask someone to take pictures of the event, including shots of club members with their family guests. After they’re developed, post these on a wall or bulletin board near your meeting rooms so that, as parents drop off and pick up their children, they can see how their presence was appreciated.

A key to successful outreach is follow-through. For parents of club members, you can find contact information in your registration materials; for others, use information gathered at the event. Call or send a Pioneer Clubs “Glad You Came” postcard (Catalog #6728) saying, “Thanks for coming to our ________ meeting!” Order at the following link: http://www.shoppioneerclubs.org/store/product.asp?ItemID=940&CategoryID=56&HeaderCategoryId=29&returnUrl=&RandomSeed=E6EC8. Include invitations to upcoming events such as a church picnic or vacation Bible school. Or use some of those photos you arranged to get taken at your event to make special thank-you cards. If someone came for whom you did not gather contact information—a grandparent, cousin or neighbor, for instance—send a note or postcard home with the club member.

This extra contact, a week or two after the event, serves to assure the visitors that your interest was more than just politeness at the party. You were genuinely glad to see them come to support their club members and friends, and would be glad to see them again.

Action Ideas for March

Call or e-mail your pastor every few weeks with an update about club activities: special meetings or outings, awards earned by the different age-groups, number of club members who come as friends of church members, or anything else your pastor might not know about.
Ask your pastor what opportunities exist for communicating club members’ achievements to the rest of the church.
Talk with your pastor or church leaders about approaching other groups within the church who might be interested in partnering with club in some way—a prayer circle who could be Pals*, or a Bible study whose members agree to take turns providing snacks.

*Pioneer Clubs Pals are adults in the church who are matched with club members for prayer and friendship. For more information, see Making Your Pal Program Work (Catalog #2600). Order at the following link: http://www.shoppioneerclubs.org/store/product.asp?ItemID=1185&CategoryID=185&HeaderCategoryId=29&returnUrl=&RandomSeed=E6EC8.

Ideas for Encouraging Leaders

Place articles in the church newsletter or bulletin recognizing the accomplishments of leaders and their participation in the club program.
Have each club member draw a picture or write a thank-you note to his or her leader. Put the pictures and notes in a scrapbook or notebook for the leader.

Changed Lives

“A few years ago, we started finding a fairly big project for the whole Club to take on as a Mission. This year we thought we’d visit a nearby Seniors’ home, maybe teach them some crafts and games. When we discovered that they had 80 residents who really wanted the kids to Perform something, we ‘bit the bullet’ and thought up some Bible story presentations. It was a hit of course, with the activity room at Shepherd Village packed with about 180 people. We filled up the time a the beginning and the end with old-time Sunday School songs ... and the old folks loved it, remembering days long ago. You know, it’s times like these that I say to myself, “I think I’ll do this FOREVER!” —Cathie Proulx, Good Shepherd Community Church, Scarborough, ON, Canada

Pioneer Clubs Announcements

Pioneer Clubs Sunday 2006: "Walk in His Ways"

Many thanks to all the clubs that participated in Pioneer Clubs Sunday on February 12! We'd like to know how your club celebrated. Please jot a note telling us about your Pioneer Clubs Sunday activities and e-mail it to Connie at cpowers@pioneerclubs.org. Or, write it on the form that accompanies your church's gift to the national work of Pioneer Clubs. Remember, if you haven't celebrated Pioneer Clubs Sunday yet this year, it's not too late! You can celebrate on any date that works well for your church.

Kids for Kids hike Countdown

The springtime Kids for Kids Hike is just around the corner: Saturday, April 22. Here are planning steps for this month:

Prepare adult hiker packets (see Kids for Kids Hike page at www.pioneerclubs.org) and give them to your adult helpers.
Arrange for someone to take photographs on hike day
Prepare a first aid kit to take along.

Annual Phonathon

We are grateful to all who responded to our Annual Phonathon last month. Thank you for your generous support! We will continue to contact our current leaders during the month of March to thank you for all you do for your own club and to invite you to reach kids for Christ beyond your community through a personal gift to the national Pioneer Clubs ministry. Please prayerfully consider a generous gift when we call.

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! Visit http://www.pioneerclubs.org/trainingwork.htm for the complete schedule and online registration forms. 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

Think about what kinds of impacts your clubs are having on your church and community: What is good? Where can you improve?

Lighter Side

A mother and 6-year-old child needed to dash from a building to their car during a raging thunderstorm. However, at every lighting flash the child stopped, turning with a big smile to look. Finally, the mother asked, “Why do you keep stopping?” The child’s answer: “God keeps taking pictures of me!”