Pioneer Clubs eNewsletter Printer-Friendly

April 2003

Dear Christian Leader,

Welcome to the latest edition of the Pioneer Clubs^® eNewsletter, where we provide resources to help you build your Pioneer Clubs ministry. Don’t forget to honor your helpers later this month! Volunteer Appreciation Week is April 28 to May 2.

With this edition of the eNewsletter, we want to provide fun and helpful tips for memorizing Scripture. In a post-Christian culture, memorization helps children and youth keep their thoughts on God and his character. Bible memory is also a weapon against temptation.

To help your club members reap these benefits, use creative memory techniques to make learning easier for them. Make sure they understand the verse, so that they’re memorizing more than just words. Also, use a variety of memory techniques to help club members who have different learning styles. Check your leader plan book for more techniques in the Bible Memory section of each unit.

20 Ways to Make Bible Memory Fun

1. Cover with Coins. On a piece of paper, write each word or phrase of the verse inside a circle about the size of a penny. Work in twos–one club member covers some circles with pennies while the other says the verse.

2. Singing. Put the verse to a tune club members know (e.g., “Mary Had a Little Lamb”). Or have them compose their own tune.

3. Puzzle. Print words on a sheet of paper and cut into puzzle shapes. Club members then put the verse back together.

4. Pantomime. Have club members act out the verse without saying words aloud.

5. Erasing. Write the verse on an overhead or board. Erase one word or phrase at a time until all know it by heart.

6. Balloons. Write the verse on several balloons. Give one balloon to each child. Have the rest of the group say the verse while reading balloons. Pop one balloon at a time and say the verse until all the balloons are popped. (for Voyagers and older)

7. Flip a Coin. Divide into pairs. Give each pair a penny to flip for heads or tails. The winner of the toss says the verse while the other checks for accuracy.

8. Symbols. Have kids come up with symbols or pictures to represent key words in the passage. The erasing method could be used here, too.

9. Ask Questions. Read the verse together, and then ask questions about it. Read the verse together again. Keep repeating until it’s memorized.

10. Mix and Order. Write the verse on slips of paper or cards. Mix them up. Have club members put the words in the correct order.

11. Drawing. Have children draw a picture to represent the verse.

12. Fill in the Blank. Write out the verse with key words missing. Have children fill them in.

13. Paraphrase. Ask children to paraphrase the verse.

14. Projects. Woodburn or cross-stitch a verse. Make a mobile, poster, or banner.

15. Group Response. Split into two groups. Lead the first group in saying the first part of the verse. Have the second group respond with the rest of the verse. After a few times, have the groups switch phrases. After a few more times, have the children say the whole verse.

16. Hot Potato. Have club members stand in a circle, with someone in the center. The person in the middle tosses a ball to someone. The catcher must say the verse. If the catcher says it correctly, he or she tosses the ball back to the center. If not, he or she trades places with the player in the center.

17. Motions. Make up motions for key words. Say the verse with the motions several times. Then try motions only, verse only, and verse with motions again.

18. Verse Starter. The leader starts saying the verse, stops partway through, and points to someone to finish the verse. Do this a few times, stopping at different places. Then let volunteers take turns being the verse starter.

19. Correction. The leader tells club members that he or she will recite the verse but will change a word. Club members raise their hand when they hear the wrong word. After several turns, let club members take turns saying the verse on their own.

20. Timer. Sit in a circle and set a timer. Pass a marker (or other object) around the circle. Whoever is holding the marker when the timer goes off must say the verse. Play until all members have said the verse.

Changed Lives
“Andy grew up in a home that didn’t attend church regularly. He began attending Pioneer Clubs at New Monmouth Baptist Church where he responded to an invitation to place his trust in Jesus. Andy has since graduated to the church’s youth group and recently was baptized. Pioneer Clubs was the start of a journey of faith for Andy. Pioneer Clubs provides opportunities for us to work alongside God, as he moves hearts towards faith.”
--New Monmouth Baptist Church, New Monmouth, New Jersey

Today’s Kids...
...vary widely in their exposure to God and spirituality. Living in a postmodern world, they tend to be comfortable with diverse viewpoints, even ones that contradict each other. When memorizing Scripture, kids need to understand that the Bible is not just another option, but that it is God’s true Word and that he is the authority we can always trust and believe.

Pioneer Clubs Announcements

For U.S. Pioneer Clubs

Pioneer Clubs is looking for experienced club coordinators to participate in the new mentoring program. We will have over 750 new coordinators who could greatly benefit from the support, guidance, and encouragement of an experienced coordinator. Correspondence is done through e-mail, and your time commitment is minimal per month. We would like mentors to work with new coordinators over the summer months, helping them prepare for the start of the program year in the fall. For more information, or to sign up, contact Carlene Smith, mentoring coordinator, at csmith@pioneerclubs.org or 800-694-CLUB (2582) ext. 5731.

For U.S. and Canadian Pioneer Clubs-

Kids for Kids Hike

You’ve been planning for months, and now hike day—April 26—is just around the corner! Here’s what to do during the remaining days before your hike:

Collect all sponsor forms and sponsors’ money from participants.
Hand out Kids for Kids Hike T-shirts to participants.
Divide adults and children into hike groups, keeping a ratio of 1 adult for every 6 to 8 children.
Call adult helpers to review responsibilities and check on supplies they are assigned to bring.
Prepare a certificate for each participant in the hike. Certificates can be downloaded from the Kids for Kids Hike section at Pioneer Clubs’ Web site: http://www.pioneerclubs.org/lrc/hikebook-index.asp. (Click on “Planning Your Kids for Kids Hike.”)
On hike day, follow your personalized Hike Day Plan (also available on our Web site). Be sure to take pictures!

Happy Hiking!

Reflections

“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up”
--Deuteronomy 11:18-19 (NIV).

Lighter Side

One youthful Bible “scholar” wrote, “Jesus enunciated the Golden Rule, which says to do one to others before they do one to you.” –from a compilation by Richard Lederer, National Review