February Pioneer Clubs eNewsletter Printer-Friendly

February 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 with

• helpful ministry ideas, tips, and tools
• a deeper understanding of today’s kids

We hope you are finding these editions helpful. This month we want to share with you 10 ideas to beat the winter blues. Are the colder, darker days getting you down? Need to keep the enthusiasm going this winter? Try these special events to perk up your winter.

10 Special Events to Perk Up Your Winter

1. Valentine’s Day Party. Valentine’s Day is fast approaching. This event can be a fun and special day for all your kids. Pioneer Clubs resource books contain suggestions for older kids (Parties and Special Events, catalog #2721) and younger ones (Skipper and Scooter Celebrations, #3030).

2. Winter Beach Party or Hawaiian Beach Party. What a great way to avoid the reality of winter. Even if you live in a warmer climate, club members will enjoy wearing beach or summer clothes while kicking beach balls or wearing Hawaiian leis (Parties and Special Events, #2721). Your younger club members can hold an indoor “Winter Wonderland” (Skipper and Scooter Celebrations, #3030).

3. Indoor-games Party. From “Ball Set-Up” to “Will You Name Your Neighbor?” the “Indoor Fun” section of Games Galore (#2724) suggests dozens of fun activities. Games appropriate for pre-schoolers are indicated as well. Games can even provide more than just fun activities. In the compilation simply called Games (#2710), by Mary Hohenstein, more than 200 separate games are categorized. Included are guessing games, relationship-building games, thinking-and-writing games, art-related games, musical games, and dramatization activities.

4. Build or make something. Most of the 200-plus ideas in the Easy to Make Projects book (#2723)--such as “Indoor Greenhouse”--can be done inside.

5. Put on a skit. Skits can add interest to almost any special Pioneer Clubs event: parties, parent events, award ceremonies, club presentations in church, holiday celebrations, and Pal events. Skits (#2726) provides 59 of them; they’re easy for children to learn, require little rehearsal, and need only simple props. You can also find a skit for Valentine’s Day in this book.

6. PineCar Derby. Winter is a great time to put on an indoor race. This is an ideal project to get parents, leaders, and children working together. PineCars are simply small wooden race-car models built to specific dimensions and raced by gravity down an inclined track. A PineCar/SailBoat Racer Program Guide (#5757) as well as other resources such as PineCar Kits (#5751, 5761, 5762) can be found in the Pioneer Clubs catalog.

7. Service projects. Service projects provide a way for children of all ages–especially the older ones–to gain experiences that will assist them in forming positive Christian values. As children become older and more responsible, they should be engaging in meaningful projects oriented to the well-being of others. Junior highers especially like to put their faith into action. Both Challenger plan books (#3456, 3457) list about 30 ideas. You can find more service projects for all ages in Parties and Special Events (#2721).

8. “Bring a Friend” meeting. If the club members are suffering from the "winter blues," their friends probably are as well. If you have a special meeting like this one, you'll be providing your club kids with a wonderful opportunity to be salt and light to their friends and neighbors. You can download a meeting plan and customizable invitations from the Creative Meeting Ideas section in the Leader Resource Center (password: kids) at www.pioneerclubs.org.

9. Parent Night. More than a dozen “Parties with Parents” (Parties and Special Events, #2721) will help you connect with your kids’ family members.

10. Volunteer Recognition Night. The club leaders could be dragging a little bit, too. Show your appreciation by providing public recognition. A coffee mug (#6741) would be an ideal gift during the cold months

Changed Lives
“Pioneer Clubs gave me the opportunity to minister to children. I love interacting with them and seeing in their faces the joy of knowing Jesus. It is exciting to see children grow up through the program and becomes leaders.” –Paula Worden, ministry consultant, Pioneer Clubs

Today’s Kids...
...feel that fun is a very important part of life and are looking for fun activities. Be sure to let the kids get excited about their activity awards and have fun while they work to memorize Bible verses. Help kids realize that church is a great place to be by letting them know how you enjoy it and by providing positive experiences

Pioneer Clubs Announcements

For U.S. Clubs.
- Leader Phonathon Beginning in March, Pioneer Clubs will be contacting many of our leaders by phone to say thanks for all you do and to invite you to join the special group of people who contribute financially to Pioneer Clubs. (This is different from our Annual Phonathon.) Since we’ll be calling nearly 6,000 of you—too many calls for our three-person development staff—we’ve recruited the help of a calling service which specializes in helping Christian organizations reach their donors by phone. Please prayerfully consider a generous gift when we call.
For U.S. and Canadian Clubs.
- Bring a Friend Meeting. If you have not downloaded your free lesson plan and invitations, do so now by clicking on Creative Meeting Ideas when you visit the Leader Resource Center at www.pioneerclubs.org (password: kids).
- Kids for Kids Hike Countdown
- Things to do this month:
  - Inform club members and parents of hike plans through a letter or meeting
  - Place an announcement in your church bulletin
  - Distribute copies of the Kids for Kids Hike poster in your church and community (call 800-694-2582 in the U.S. or 800-465-5437 in Canada to request your FREE hike posters)
  - Distribute hike sponsor forms, permission forms, and hiker information (forms are available at www.pioneerclubs.org/lrc click on Kids for Kids Hike).

Reflections

“Living a life of faith means never knowing where you are being led. But it does mean loving and knowing the One who is leading.” –Oswald Chambers

Lighter Side

The teacher smiled at the Sunday school group and exclaimed, “All right, class, all those who want to go to heaven, raise your hands.” Everybody raised a hand, except one boy. “Don’t you want to go to heaven?” asked the teacher. “I can’t,” the boy explained. “My mom wants me to come straight home.”