Pioneer Clubs eNewsletter -Using awards in your club-Printer-Friendly

December 2004

Dear Christian Leader,

Merry Christmas from the Pioneer Clubs staff!

We are thankful for you and your partnership in helping children and youth make Christ Lord in every aspect of their lives. May God bless you and your family this Christmas season.

This month we would like to tell you more about what difference Pioneer Clubs awards can make in kids' lives and how you can use them more effectively.

"By providing opportunities to develop a variety of skills and abilities,
club helps children experience achievement and grow physically, mentally, socially, emotionally, and spiritually."

—Pioneer Clubs Goal 3b

The "5 W's and 1 H" of Bible Awards and Activity Awards

Taking off on the news reporter's system of asking Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How to get a good story, here are some tips in those categories that you can use as you lead Bible Awards and Activity Awards.

Who?

Everyone together. In Pioneer Clubs' award recognition system, all your club members earn awards together. It's a system of cooperation, not competition. Even kids who are intimidated by competition will thrive. And all kids will learn more about being in the body of Christ, whose parts work together, not against each other.
Helpers. Sometimes you may come across an Activity Award topic you know nothing about. Maybe you're an indoor person, and the meeting plan calls for doing the Campcraft Activity Award. Find a helper–someone in the congregation or community with an aptitude for the outdoors. Ask this person to lead or help lead the award. Give him or her the directions in the leader plan book and the child's handbook, and go over what the person will do. An added benefit: Your helper may have such a good time that he or she will want to assist regularly.

What?

Integral part of Bible Exploration. Bible Awards support and build on the Bible Explorations in your leader plan book. The directions for each Bible Exploration tell you when children should work on a Bible Award requirement. Sometimes the requirements form part of the Scripture Study, sometimes the Application. Bible Explorations aren't complete without them!
Variety of skills. Activity Awards are broken down into five categories: "Arts and Communication," "Me, My Family, and Others," "Hobbies and Projects," "Outdoors and Camping," and "Sports and Games." (You can see this in the Table of Contents on page 2 of the handbook.) This feature ensures that your club members will work on a wide variety of skills during the year. Be sure not to choose awards just from your favorite categories. Having different categories lets kids with different interests and learning styles excel in their favorite areas--and be stretched in less familiar ones.

When?

During club. Bible Award and Activity Award requirements are done during regular club meetings. This way, all kids can earn awards together, even kids who wouldn't be able to get help at home.
Outside of club time. Sometimes you may want to do several Activity Award requirements or even a whole award during a special event. This can be fun and satisfying for the kids. Ideas:
—Hiking and Outdoor Cooking awards during a spring campout
—Fishing award during a Saturday outing
—Crafts award during a club meeting time entirely devoted to a "crafting party"
During catch-up meetings. Every month or two, you could dedicate a club meeting to working on award requirements that kids have missed. Some clubs call this "Ketchup Night" and serve lots of goodies with ketchup on them.

Where?

At church. Almost all award requirements can be done right in your club room or on church property.
Off-site. If you'd like to go off church property, get parents' signatures on permission slips. Pioneer Clubs' Promoting Your Club Program book (catalog #2771) contains a reproducible form.
Special location. You could add to the fun of an award by doing all or part of it in a location that matches the award topic. Ideas:

Why?
In addition to benefits mentioned so far, consider these reasons for using awards:

Emotional growth. Kids grow emotionally by developing self-confidence as they learn there are many things they are capable of doing and learning.
Social growth. Kids grow socially as they work cooperatively and even help each other with award requirements.
Life skills. Kids develop life skills–Bible study, cooking, first aid, bike repair–as well as hobbies that can help them be more well-rounded people. Some kids may even find an interest that starts them on the road to a career.

How?

Tangible reminders. Award badges serve as tangible reminders to kids of what they've learned. You can support this by handing out awards at the end of the unit in which they're earned. This gives kids immediate reinforcement. If you want periodic large-group award ceremonies as well, you can:

www.pioneerclubs.org

Award displays. Help kids do more than just stuff the awards they earn in a drawer. A nice display helps share their achievements with church members and their family. Check pages 2-3 of the Pioneer Clubs catalog for lots of display ideas, from vests to tote bags. You'll also find some fun new ideas this year, such as scrapbooks and lanyards.
—In a scrapbook, each kid can decorate a page with the award badge, photos of working on the award, any flat items created during the award, as well as fun letters and stickers from hobby or scrapbooking stores.
—To hang awards from a lanyard, kids can punch a hole in each award and thread it through a key ring.

Changed Lives
"Pioneer Clubs has gotten several families in our church involved in leadership who were new or just marginally involved before, and we've really been able to use their spiritual gifts. Club has also gotten our men involved. At our recent Pioneer Clubs campout, we thought we might have 15 people (we're a church of about 80) but 60 people came. Every husband came, and they might not show up every week for church. They even said we ought to do a church camping weekend next. Fantastic!" –Pastor James Spaugh, Bagley Swamp Wesleyan Church, Hertford, North Carolina

Today’s Kids...
. . .may or may not know the true meaning of Christmas. A special activity or event during club can help them learn in a fun and meaningful way. Be sure that kids hear not only that Jesus came to earth as a baby but also why he came. The Christmas meeting provided in one of your leader plan books will help kids choose ways to include Jesus in their Christmas celebrations this year.

Announcements

New Online Store

Whether you're a club leader or coordinator you'll want to visit Pioneer Clubs' new online store. Shopping for ministry resources has never been easier. You'll love the user-friendly format and ease of placing orders when it's convenient for you. Please note that orders placed between December 23 and January 1 will not be processed until January 2.

Autumn Kids for Kids Hike

Congratulations to the following churches which participated in the Autumn Kids for Kids Hike:

Calvary Chapel of Fredericksburg, Fredericksburg, Virginia
East Philadelphia Baptist Church, Philadelphia, Mississippi
First Baptist Church of Ypsilanti, Ypsilanti, Michigan
Guess Road Baptist Church, Durham, North Carolina
Hempfield Church of the Brethren, East Petersburg, Pennsylvania
Mt. Washington Baptist Church, Cincinnati, Ohio
Prosperity First Baptist, Beckley, West Virginia
Smithfield Advent Church, Smithfield, North Carolina
Uriah United Methodist Church, Uriah, Alabama

Year-End Giving

A gift to Pioneer Clubs at year-end not only helps more kids come to know Jesus, it can be beneficial to you when you do your taxes. Gifts to Pioneer Clubs can be mailed to PO Box 788, Wheaton, IL 60189-0788. Thank you for your support!

Pioneer Clubs Sunday 2005 — "Servant of All"

The official date for Pioneer Clubs Sunday (formerly Pioneer Clubs Week) is February 6, 2005. You can find lots of ideas on how to celebrate "Servant of All" at Pioneer Clubs' Web site (www.pioneerclubs.org). Just click on "Leader Resource Center" (password: kids) and then on "Pioneer Clubs Sunday." Churches are welcome to participate on the official date or on whichever date best suits their schedule. We hope you'll celebrate with us!

Reflections

We know the excitement of getting a present--we love to unwrap it to see what is inside. So it is with our children--they are gifts we unwrap for years as we discover the unique characters God has made them." --Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.

Lighter Side

Sunday school answers from children:

"When Mary heard that she was the Mother of Jesus, she sang the Magna Carta."
"When the three wise guys from the east side arrived, they found Jesus in the manager."