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| March 2007 Vol. 2, No. 3 |
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Welcome  
Get Connected!
Pioneer Clubs is about connections. I’m sure you’ve seen what I’m talking about—those friendships that form between the kids and between leaders and club members. Each week club members experience firsthand what it means to be part of a community of believers. And meeting a child’s elemental need to belong couldn’t be more timely. A report from the U.S. Commission on Children at Risk concludes that a lack of connectedness is creating a crisis for children of today. Many children lack both a close connection to other people and a deep connection to moral and spiritual meaning. God created us, young or old, to be in relationship with others. We need to belong to groups and to feel our contributions are important. Sometimes, in the routine of leading club, we forget about the bigger picture. A child doesn’t go home and say, “Mom, I’m feeling so connected.” Instead, a child says, “Mom, is it Pioneer Clubs night yet?” In this issue of the Leadership eNewsletter we highlight some ways to make your Pioneer Clubs “the” place to be—where kids can learn about God and experience that special sense of belonging. 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 Heather Ramsdell, club coordinator at New
Testament Church in Massena, New York,
discovered an unexpected way to recruit
volunteers and children to club.
Their club holds two award ceremonies a year, one at the end of each semester (December and May). In December, rather than hold the ceremony during club time, they presented awards during the Sunday morning service. Heather shared her testimony and vision for children’s ministry, and then club members shared their stories and received their awards. As a result, the club program gained new club members and adult volunteers, many of whom had not previously known about the Pioneer Clubs program at their church. What's Up at Club? 
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.
The Pioneer Girls® Club from Bethel Bible Fellowship Church in Emmaus, PA, hosted a mother/daughter fellowship night on Friday, February 9, to celebrate Pioneer Clubs across North America. The theme for the night was “Candy Land” so decorations and activities were modeled after the popular board game. More than 70 mothers and daughters celebrated the event. A special speaker presented a program which encouraged mother/daughter relationships. Chocolate-covered strawberries, cream puffs, and gumdrops were enjoyed by all. Life Savers® candies and gummy bears were smartly crafted into jewelry. It was a fun and exciting evening for mothers and daughters alike. Secrets to Keep Kids Coming Back to Club Does the attendance at your club meetings
fluctuate? Are there several children who
come faithfully, week in and week out? And
yet others who faithfully drop in and drop
out? Running a meeting is much easier when you know how many children you’ll have each week. Going from 5 kids one week to 15 the next makes everything from planning supplies to leading the Bible Exploration more challenging. Here are four ways you can improve the likelihood of kids coming back each week. Keep them informed. Make sure club members (and parents) know what time club starts, where it meets, what room it meets in, and even the ages or grade levels in each group. 10th Annual Kids for Kids Hike 
Lace up your hiking boots for the 10th
anniversary of the Kids for Kids Hike. The
hike, which started in April 1997, was
created to give club members an opportunity
for mission outreach—specifically by raising
funds to expand the reach of Pioneer Clubs to
even more churches so new churches can start
a life-transforming ministry for their kids.
Besides being fun, the hike serves as a way
to increase the visibility of Pioneer Clubs
in your church and community and builds unity
among club members, parents and leaders.
Plus, the hike helps your club members and
leaders understand they are part of something
bigger—the North American Pioneer Clubs family.
In the past decade, churches from coast to coast have made these hikes an annual event. The creativity each club brings to its hike is amazing. Over the years, clubs have taken advantage of nearby surroundings to hike along the Savannah Rapids and the Appalachian Trail. International Games Beret (France) Divide into two teams. Teams stand facing each other at opposite ends of the room. Count off players on each team, so that both teams have the same numbers but so that the numbering starts on opposite ends. Put a beret (or other hat) exactly in the middle. The leader calls out a number. Players who have that number try to snatch the beret and run back to their team without being tagged by the other player. Training Teleconferences Coming Soon! 
Participate from any location! Register today for a Pioneer Clubs training teleconference. Whether you’ve been leading club for a number of years or are new to Pioneer Clubs this year, this convenient training is right for you. Session scheduled for March: Evaluating Your Club Program (Click here to register.) Learn how to evaluate your club year, make improvements, and plan ahead. Monday, March 26, 2007 7:00 p.m. (CST) The registration fee for each session is only $20 US/$25 Canadian per telephone line. Once you’re registered, we’ll email you instructions on how to dial in from any location. Additional dates for Evaluating Your Club Program as well as other topics (including Group Discipline and Promoting Your Club Program) are posted on our training Web site. News from Pioneer Clubs Headquarters 10th Annual Kids for Kids Hike Mark your calendar for the springtime Kids for Kids Hike: Saturday, April 21! For information on the Kids for Kids Hike, including forms you can download, go to Pioneer Clubs’ Web site at www.pioneerclubs.org. Time to Start Thinking About Summer Camp Summer will be here before you know it. Why not consider a Camp Cherith® experience this summer? For camp information, visit www.pioneerclubs.org and click on Camp Cherith. Honor Someone Special Honor gifts are a wonderful way to acknowledge club leaders, coordinators, pastors, and others who have touched the lives of children in a special way. |
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| Copyright (c) 2006 Pioneer Clubs All rights reserved. PO Box 788 Wheaton IL 60189-0788 | ||||||||||||
