Pioneer Clubs eNewsletter Printer-Friendly

August 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 would like to help you get ready to start the club year and show you ways you can grow as a person and a leader along the way.

“Through involvement in the club ministry, adults are encouraged in their personal and spiritual growth.”
—Pioneer Clubs’ Goal 4b

6 Steps to Planning Your Club Year
(and growing personally along the way)

Set goals. Get together with all coordinators and leaders to plan annual goals for the overall club program. Develop action plans for meeting each goal. Then leaders can set goals and action plans for their own age-group.

Tips:
- Make goals few in number and measurable, so you can evaluate periodically to see how you’re doing.
- Goals could tie in with special emphases going on in your church or Sunday school.
- Goals could come from these categories:
Create club calendars.

Coordinators: Mark a calendar with the following dates. Give copies to all your leaders.
- registration/club kickoff
- all-club events, such as the Pioneer Clubs Kids for Kids Hike (for more information about the Kids for Kids Hike go to http://www.pioneerclubs.org/lrc/HikeBook-Index.asp)
- holiday breaks
- closing celebration
Leaders: On the club calendar, mark the following dates for your own club group:
- regular meeting dates
- catch-up meetings
- special events specific to your age-group
Tip:
As you plan, consult school calendars and your church calendar to make sure you’re not overlapping dates that are already taken.

Choose some units. With your coleaders, look through your plan book to choose at least the first unit you’ll start with. You can start with Unit 1 or 6 or anything in between. If you know some of your club members, consider where they are spiritually–which Bible Exploration topic would be beneficial to them?

Once you choose a unit, look at the suggested activity awards. You can do those awards or substitute any others from the handbook, if you prefer.

Tips:
- Kids love outdoor activity awards, like Trail Hikes and Cooking Outdoors, yet sometimes leaders have trouble fitting them in. So if the weather forecast looks good, do some outdoor activity awards right away, even if they’re not the ones suggested in the unit you choose.
- Often you can do outdoor activity awards even if you meet after dark. Round up lanterns or flashlights and enjoy toasting hot dogs over a fire or looking for nocturnal bugs or animals. Children usually love adventures after dark.
- Invite adults from the congregation to help lead any activity awards that you aren’t comfortable tackling.

Fill in a Planning Chart.
Once you choose a unit to start with, make copies of the Planning Chart in your plan book (usually p. 20). With coleaders, fill in:
- date and title of the unit
- who will be in charge of which meeting parts
- who will gather which supplies
Tip:
- Have the courage to try something new! If you’re unfamiliar with leading a certain part of a club meeting, ask for help and give it a try. You’ll expand your teaching skills. Pioneer Clubs often hears stories of club leaders who have grown in self-confidence as they stretched themselves in club responsibilities.

Get (or give) training.
Training is a main key to success in leading club. If you’re a coordinator, choose resources from pages 4-5 in the Pioneer Clubs catalog, and give your new leaders basic training and your veteran leaders more advanced, specialized training. They’ll all feel better supported as they gain more knowledge.

Whether you’re a leader or coordinator:
- Take advantage of a Pioneer Clubs Workshop near you this fall. (For more information go to http://www.pioneerclubs.org/trainingwork.htm.)
- View a training video (catalog pp. 4-5) on how to lead club in general or how to lead Bible Exploration or Bible Memory specifically.
- Check out the free training sessions in the Leader Resource Center (password: kids) at www.pioneerclubs.org.
- Read the basic training information at the beginning of each leader plan book.

Get ready for club meetings.
Your leader plans give you detailed directions for all club meeting parts. But you still need to start far enough before the meeting to:
- gather supplies
- think through directions for a game or award or skit
- make a sample award project (so you won’t lose kids’ attention while you try to figure out how those paper clips attach to those straws!)
- read through the Bible Exploration so you can lead it naturally rather than with your nose glued to the book
Tip:
- Planning far enough ahead for the Bible Exploration gives God an opportunity to speak to you through it. You will grow spiritually as you decide how the topic applies to your life, and you’ll also be better prepared to help the kids decide how it applies to them.

Learn more about kids, and develop your relationship skills.
- Read the age characteristics chart in your plan book. If you’ve worked with the same age-group before, jot down children’s names or things that happened in club beside the characteristics that remind you of them.
- Use the Internet to look up characteristics of millennial kids.
- Hold the sessions from the Leader Training Outlines book (catalog #2754) on “Understanding Age Characteristics” and “Listening to Children.”

Changed Lives
“One of the men who I asked to be a leader had never worked with kids. He would not have volunteered, but since I asked, he said yes. After a while he shared in his adult Sunday school class that leading Pioneer Clubs was a great experience for him. He was in the Bible much more than any other time in his life. He was learning and growing so much because of working with the kids.” —Cindy Switzer, Sandtown United Methodist Church, Philadelphia, Mississippi

We would like to hear from you.

Tell us how your Pioneer Clubs program has impacted the lives of individuals in your church and community.
Share your Pioneer Clubs’ prayer requests with us. Simply e-mail info@pioneerclubs.org.

Today’s Kids...
...need adults who are genuine—not perfect. People who seem perfect can be intimidating. Relax—you don’t have to have all the answers. If you’re stumped by a child’s question, simply suggest that you look for the answer together. If you make a mistake, just admit it. Ask for forgiveness if needed. This will be a powerful example to your club members.

Announcements

Pioneer Clubs U.S.

A New Fiscal Year
On July 1, Pioneer Clubs began a new fiscal year. With a new fiscal year come new goals, and one of our goals is to raise $424,040 in contributions through the help of individuals, churches, and others who partner with Pioneer Clubs to reach children for Christ. When given the opportunity to give, please consider a generous response.

An Opportunity to Give
One such opportunity will arise in early October, when Pioneer Clubs representatives will be calling many of our friends to thank you for your past giving, let you know what’s going on in the ministry, and ask for your continued support. We look forward to chatting with you!

Autumn Kids for Kids Hike
Now clubs can participate in the Kids for Kids Hike in the spring or in the fall. Our official autumn hike date is October 16, 2004 (or whatever date best suits your club). An autumn hike provides a terrific kickoff for your club year and increases your club’s visibility. It’s also a great way to get unchurched kids involved in club early in the year. All the information you need is at Pioneer Clubs’ Web site at www.pioneerclubs.org, or call 800-694-2582 and ask for the Development Department. Be sure to let us know your hike plans!

Congratulations...
to the First Baptist Church of Momence, Illinois! They won $100 of free Pioneer Clubs products, for ordering from the 2004-2005 Ministry Resources Catalog by July 31!

Pioneer Clubs CANADA

Early registration special. Complete your registration by October 15th and receive $2 off each child registered.. Call 800-465-5437or email info@pioneerclubs.ca for more information.

Reflections

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. The Lord works out everything for his own ends.” —Proverbs 16:3-4a

Lighter Side

“While talking with a pastor about beginning Pioneer Clubs at his church, I discovered he was using a cell phone. He couldn't quite hear everything clearly, which was okay—until he thought I said that an important part of our program was not 'Bible Exploration' but 'Bible Expiration'!" —Connie Powers, Pioneer Clubs home office