Pioneer Clubs coordinators eNewsletter–Attract more kids to your club!

November 2005

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 tips for attracting more children to your Pioneer Clubs program.

Promoting Club to Attract Kids

To attract more children to your club program, both from inside and outside your church, you need to “advertise.” Kids and parents need to know Pioneer Clubs is there and what it’s all about.

In your church, spotlight club as part of the overall children’s ministry. Consider a big sign in the entry or commons area that announces the weekly meeting time for Pioneer Clubs. Publish the meeting time, ideally with the age-groups and meeting locations, in the church bulletin—weekly if you can. Also announce upcoming special club activities through the bulletin.

Target Sunday school kids by giving flyers to the kids at church and mailing letters about club to their parents. Try the reproducible “Good Place to Be” flyer in the Promoting Your Club Program book (catalog #2771). Order at the following link: http://www.shoppioneerclubs.org/store/product.asp?ItemID=1192&CategoryID=192&HeaderCategoryId=29&returnUrl=&RandomSeed=T6EC4.

To catch the eye of community members, you could try a big sign outside the church, such as the Outdoor Welcome Banner (catalog #6700). List the age-groups, meeting day and time, and a phone number to call for more information. Or get together with the other children's ministries in your church and create a brochure telling about all the ways kids can be involved. Mail it to all the homes in the area of your church. Order the Outdoor Welcome Banner at the following link: http://www.shoppioneerclubs.org/store/product.asp?ItemID=1194&CategoryID=194&HeaderCategoryId=29&returnUrl=&RandomSeed=T6EC4.

Your best advertising may be word of mouth. Ask your pastor to remind the congregation to talk up Pioneer Clubs with children and parents in their neighborhoods. Give regular “ministry updates” from the pulpit, telling what God is doing in club, so church members can then pass along these tidbits to neighbors. Encourage club members' parents to share with other parents what club has done for their child.

When you have enthusiastic “promoters,” other kids and parents are likely to want to experience for themselves what everyone is talking about.

Action Ideas for November

Plan an all-club award ceremony in a church service one or more times a year. Besides being good promotion for club, this is sure to boost club members’ self-esteem and delight proud parents. Hand out the awards earned in the most recent unit, and read the names of awards already handed out at the end of earlier units.
Recruit a “parent greeter” to welcome and chat with parents as they drop off their kids for club. This person can provide beverages and updates on what each club group is working on. As parents make a connection with someone from club, they will be more likely to take the next step of getting involved.
Help your club leaders plan a “Bring a Friend” club meeting. You’ll find complete meeting plans with different fun themes under “Creative Meeting Ideas” in the Leader Resource Center (password: kids) at www.pioneerclubs.org. Or you could host an all-club “Bring a Friend” party.
Ask your pastoral staff to include stories about what's happening in Pioneer Clubs in sermons and prayer times.

Ideas for Encouraging Leaders

Take a group photo of each of your leaders' club groups. Have club members add their autographs, and present the photos to club leaders. Option: Put the photos in fun frames.
Decorate a shoebox as a “Thank-You Box.” Set it out with paper and pencils nearby. Encourage parents and club members to put in thank-you notes for the club leaders.

Changed Lives

“I just had to let you know that one of my Trailblazers asked me to pray the ‘sinner’s prayer’ with her! We [were] on the Joining God’s Kingdom unit, and she had just seen the movie The Passion of the Christ and had all kinds of questions. So we spent time discussing that, and one thing led to another (by the Holy Spirit). She said she had never prayed the ‘sinner's prayer’ and she’d been thinking about it for quite a while and she wanted to pray it. So we did. When we were done praying, she just beamed. Oh, what a delight it was to lead her to the Lord!”—Janice Knapp, Amherst Community Church, Massillon, Ohio

Pioneer Clubs Announcements

Autumn Kids for Kids Hike

Congratulations to the churches which participated in the Autumn Kids for Kids Hike! If you hiked and haven't contacted us yet, please complete a Hike Report (downloadable at www.pioneerclubs.org/lrc/HikeRpt.pdf) and send it with your Kids for Kids Hike contribution as soon as possible.

If you weren't able to participate in the autumn hike, make plans now to join us for the Spring Kids for Kids Hike on Saturday, April 22, 2006 (or whichever date best suits your church). Planning checklists, forms, and other downloadable hike resources are available at www.pioneerclubs.org.

Pioneer Clubs Sunday 2006

Pioneer Clubs Sunday is a chance for your club members to shine! This year’s theme is “Walk in His Ways.” For suggestions on how to celebrate, click on the “Pioneer Clubs Sunday” link at www.pioneerclubs.org. While the official date is February 12, 2006, you are welcome to celebrate Pioneer Clubs Sunday whenever you wish.

Reflections
Is your club program growing this year? What has helped your club attract new members in the past? If this is your first year as the coordinator, ask the previous coordinators for input.

Lighter Side
A minister is visiting his grown children to celebrate Christmas. When he walks into the house, he sees a beautiful nativity set. His granddaughter walks up to him, and he asks her if she knows what it is. She replies, “Yes...it’s breakable.”