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| May 2007 Vol. 2, No. 5 |
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Welcome  
The Best Year Yet?
Pioneer Clubs at our church wrapped up for the school year last week. The year zoomed past. It was a delight to see the kids in my Trailblazer Club grow, learn and live out their faith. I'm sure you're experiencing the same thoughts. As your club year draws to an end, I encourage you to step back and evaluate it. Even if your club runs through the summer, now is a good time to pause and take stock. What succeeded and what could use some fine-tuning for the coming club year? Our team of coordinators and leaders will gather for coffee and dessert or a potluck dinner in a few weeks. With the year fresh in our minds, we talk about procedures, look at changes we made from previous years to see if they worked or need rethinking, and do some preliminary planning for the upcoming year. In this issue of the Leadership eNewsletter, you'll find several helpful tools and hints on how to evaluate your club program. In addition, visit the Leader Resource Center for information on teleconferences on evaluating your club. I hope you can say you've had the best year yet with Pioneer Clubs. And may God bless your plans for the coming year as you help children learn to make Christ Lord in every aspect of life. 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 
Outreach can sometimes come in the
least-expected ways, as club members at
Leesburg United Methodist Church discovered.
Club members designed a shirt using the
symbol method to teach the Pioneer Clubs
theme verse: "Thy word is a lamp unto my
feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalm
119:105, KJV.) According to Pastor Mike
Lyons, when the kids wore the shirts outside
of club time, other kids came up to them
asking what the shirts said. "It has been a
great outreach tool," says Pastor Lyons.
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? 
This year marks the 30th year that Hixson
Presbyterian Church in Hixson, TN, has run a
Pioneer Clubs program. "In conjunction with
our 30th anniversary activities, we hosted a
night to encourage club members and leaders
to wear the oldest Pioneer Clubs T-shirt they
had. One first grader still had his shirt
from when he was a 2-year-old Skipper."
Pictured are club members and a leader with
retro Pioneer Clubs T-shirts.
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. What Worked? Reviewing Your Club Year Taking time to think and reflect seems like a
luxury in today's hurry-up world. However,
making time to take stock can pay big
dividends. Pausing to think of ways to make
your crazy schedule less insane often leads
to an epiphany that radically changes your life.
More than your daily life can benefit from
taking time to evaluate and reflect. Before
you pack up your Pioneer Clubs program for
the school year, make time to assess the
year. If your program runs year-round, now is
also a natural break for a time of
evaluation. Why should we evaluate? Evaluating your Pioneer Clubs program offers several benefits. You get to appreciate your many accomplishments in the past year; you can identify areas that need improvement; you can assess the needs of both club members and adult leaders; and finally, you can remember why what you are doing is important. New Voyager Curriculum Ready for Fall 2007 
The finishing touches are complete and it's
off to the printer shortly for the new
Voyager curriculum. Starting in fall 2007,
1st and 2nd graders will explore the Bible
and learn about their faith in new and
inspiring ways. Pioneer Clubs is committed to
updating curriculum because kids and culture
change. While the message of Pioneer Clubs
remains the same, it must be communicated in
relevant and effective ways. "There's a lot to be excited about," says Publications Manager Susan Price. "My senior editor and I have worked closely with seven writers, three artists, and two graphic designers to come up with all-new approaches and activities for Voyager Club leaders and club members." Using questions that involve more than a simple "yes" or "no" to answer, the new curriculum encourages early elementary children dig into their Bibles to think more deeply about the God's Word and understand how it applies in their own lives. What Do You Think? We want to hear from you about Pioneer Clubs
curriculum and the kids in your club. Take a
minute to share your insights and stories.
Your opinions help us continue to create a
program that meets leaders' needs and helps
children make Christ Lord in every aspect of
life. New Pathfinder Curriculum Have you told us what you think about the new Pathfinder leader plan books and club members handbooks yet? If not, click here to complete a brief electronic survey. Calling All Scooter Leaders The Scooter (Pre-K to Kindergarten) curriculum will be revised in the coming year. If you're a Scooter leader, tell us what you like, what you wish were changed or what additions you feel would make this curriculum even better. Click here to complete an electronic survey. What Did Your Club Members Learn This Year? Recently a leader sent in the responses she heard when club members were asked, "What did you learn this year in club?" The answers ranged from memorizing John 3:16 to "I learned I should try to be a peacemaker." Click here to send in your own club members' responses. Please include the child's age, club level, your name and your church's name. Games: Relay Races We want to hear from you! What games
do your
club members really love? Send us your
favorites at newsletter@pioneerclubs.org.
Please indicate your
club size, how many kids can play the game
and the age level for the game. Also include
your name and church. We look forward to
hearing from you! Box Run Place six to eight boxes in front of each team. Runners may step only in the boxes. Runners who miss and touch the floor with a foot (or hand) go back and start over. Variation 1: Have only two boxes per team. The runner steps in box #1 and then in box #2. The runner reaches back, picks up box #1, places it in front of box #2, steps into box #1, and so on. On reaching the goal line, the runner picks up both boxes and runs back to tag the second player, who repeats the process. Variation 2: Instead of boxes, use two squares of cardboard and run the relay the same way as Variation 1. News from Pioneer Clubs Headquarters Support Pioneer Clubs with a Click
Goodsearch, an Internet search engine, is a quick and easy way to support a not-for-profit organization or ministry such as Pioneer Clubs. That's right-with a click you can help Pioneer Clubs reach more kids for Christ. Just go to http://www.goodsearch.com/ and choose Pioneer Clubs in Carol Stream, IL, as your charity of choice. All you have to do is use Goodsearch when you are searching the Internet. You can even add Goodsearch to your computer toolbar so it is always available and ready for your search activities. Goodsearch will give the not-for-profit of your choice (Pioneer Clubs) about one cent every time someone uses it to search the Internet. While this may not seem like much, it does add up quickly. Thank you for supporting Pioneer Clubs! |
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