Pioneer Clubs eNewsletter Printer-Friendly

April 2004

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.

This month we want to give you tips for finding fresh, innovative ideas for your Pioneer Clubs program through evaluating what you're currently doing and where you could go from there. Club leaders, parents, and children can all have great input, so here are some ways to get all three groups involved in your evaluation process.
Tips on Evaluating Club with Kids, Parents, and Leaders

Evaluating with Club Members

1. Schedule a special club "prayer meeting" as a part of a club meeting or as a separate event. Discuss and take requests about the current club year and the next. Pray about what club members like and what they hope for regarding school and summer activities.

2. Help club members choose a familiar tune and create a song about what they learned in club this year. Have them sing it for parents or the whole congregation.

3. Make an audio or videotape of club members completing sentences such as these:

"This year in club, I learned _________________ about Jesus."
"One thing I learned that made a difference for me was ________________."
"When I learned ______________ from the Bible, I decided to ____________."
"Next year in club, I would like to ____________________."

4. Turn sentences such as the ones above into a colorful, kid-friendly questionnaire for club members to fill out.

Evaluating with Parents

1. Set out a "club suggestion box" in a prominent spot at church.

2. Send thank-you's to parents for what they've done this year (even if it was just letting their child attend club). Promoting Your Club Program (catalog #2771) provides a sample Year-End Thank-You Letter to give you ideas. Include a Parent Feedback form (http://www.pioneerclubs.org/lrc/03_tools.asp) for parents to fill out and return. A stamped, self-addressed envelope may increase your chances of getting the forms returned!

Evaluating with All Leaders (tips for coordinators)

Schedule an evaluation meeting with leaders from all club age levels.

1. Look back to the goals set at the beginning of the year. How well have they been met? What strategies could be put in place to better meet the goals this year or next?

2. Look back at Pioneer Clubs' goals (p. 4 in leader plan books), and ask similar questions. Go through the goals one by one and ask leaders how they've seen the goals working out in club members' and leaders' lives.

3. Discuss comments you've heard from parents and kids. These are good indicators of what's going well and what's not.

4. Encourage leaders to toss out problems so others can give input. Perhaps a veteran leader in another age level will have just the right solution.

5. Encourage leaders to toss out praises, too, so everyone can be uplifted.

6. Discuss the changing needs of your club and what new resource materials you might need. Let leaders look through the Pioneer Clubs catalog and make suggestions.

7. Find out which leaders will be returning next year and how many spots you'll need to fill. Get suggestions of potential volunteers.

8. Pray together for personal and club concerns and joys.

Evaluating with Coleaders (tips for leaders)

1. Fill out an Evaluating Our Club questionnaire (below) on your own.

2. Meet with your coleader(s) to discuss your answers and brainstorm together. Be sure to pray together.

3. Get a veteran leader or your club coordinator involved if you need help coming up with solutions or direction for your club.

4. If one of you won’t be returning to club next year, brainstorm possible replacements. Plan how you could start introducing one or more of them to club now and training them.

Evaluating Our Club

What are some joys and concerns I have experienced in the last few months?
What goals have I set and achieved in club?
How have I seen Pioneer Clubs' goals (plan book p. 4) being met in kids' and leaders' lives?

How are things going? (1 is lowest; 5 means “Great!”)

Award Activity	1	2	3	4	5
Bible Exploration	1	2	3	4	5
Bible Memory	1	2	3	4	5
Club Discipline	1	2	3	4	5
Special Events	1	2	3	4	5
Helping Club Members Understand Memory Verses	1	2	3	4	5
Working with Coleaders	1	2	3	4	5
Communicating Regularly with Parents about Club Events	1	2	3	4	5

How are club members responding to Bible Exploration?
What signs of growth have I seen in club members?
How could we get parents more involved?
What answers to prayer have I seen in club?
Are there enough leaders to allow time to build relationships with the kids?
What support would help me serve better?
How would I evaluate my communication with my co-workers (or coordinator)?

"If you strive for excellence instead of mediocrity, taking a good, hard, objective look at your club is a great place to start. –Jackie Pinard, club coordinator, Lifegate, Windsor, Ontario

Changed Lives
"In the past, our Pathfinder group had been chaotic. So last year we made a goal to split the group, dividing up the girls and boys. We prayed and prayed for leaders for the Pathfinder boys, and a man stepped forward to lead the group. God also provided three other men to assist with the boys. The group is very hands-on, keeping the boys moving. The boys love it. Their attendance is consistent and club is special for them, especially since some of the boys don't have dads in their lives." --Nancy Durang, Free Evangelical Fellowship Church, Easton, Massachusetts

We'd love to hear testimonies of how your club has seen God at work. Please e-mail hwilley@pioneerclubs.org with your name, church name, and how you've seen God at work in your club.
Today’s Kids...
. . .may have heard, in our postmodern culture, many differing ideas of what God is like. As you discuss Bible stories in Bible Exploration times, look for opportunities to ask, “What could this tell us about what God is like?” Point children to the Bible’s descriptions of God. Use great sensitivity if you need to correct any misinformation from parents or other important people in the children’s lives.

Announcements

You've been planning for months, and now hike day—April 24—is just around the corner! Here's what you can 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 http://www.pioneerclubs.org/lrc/CertApp.pdf. (You must have Adobe Acrobat to open the file.)

On hike day, follow your personalized Hike Day Plan (also available on our Web site). Be sure to take pictures!

It's still not too late to plan a Kids for Kids Hike. Our Quick & Easy Hike option takes only two weeks to plan and can take place during a club meeting.
Pioneer Clubs Phonathons

Our heartfelt thanks to all those who supported our recent phonathons. We especially appreciate our club leaders who opened their hearts to children beyond their own church through a gift to Pioneer Clubs' national ministry. On behalf of all those children, thank you for your generous support!

Reflections

“Very often what God first helps us towards is not the virtue itself but just this power of always trying again.”
–C.S. Lewis

Lighter Side

“My sons and I were reading through Genesis 5 where God gives an account of the lineage of Adam. We were marveling over how old Adam's descendants were before they had children (90, 105, 130, etc.). My son remarked, ‘Now that's what you call a late bloomer.’ ”
–Valencia Breckenridge