Pioneer Clubs eNewsletter–Evaluating Your Club Program

May 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.

This month we want to help you as you wrap up one club season and prepare for the next. The following suggestions provide reasons to evaluate your club year now and some ways to accomplish that. Whether you’re a coordinator or club leader, this evaluation process will help you plan for the future to make your club even stronger next year!

Why Evaluate at the End of the Club Year

1. The club year is fresh in everyone’s mind. You’ll be better able to remember both what worked well and what needs improvement for next year and list specific examples.

2. It’s a good time to think of kids you’ll want to follow up with over the summer. Perhaps some are needier than others. Or some are “on the fence” spiritually. Plan ways to keep in touch with them; they might be more likely to stay involved next year.

3. It’s a great time for both coordinators and leaders to make a commitment for the next club year. While leaders are savoring the excitement of the last club year, they’re more likely to want to sign up for the next club year.

How to Evaluate

1. Plan a “thank-you” party. To evaluate your program, bring everyone together for a meal. Or provide dessert and coffee. Food and fellowship can make the evaluation time easier and more fun.

2. Encourage each other. Find out each other’s prayer requests and praises.

3. Celebrate good things. Share together about how God has worked in your club program. Celebrate the spiritual decisions and progress that have been made.

4. Brainstorm improvements. Also share concerns about how any aspect of club has gone. Work on creative solutions together.

5. Use the following questionnaire to provide direction. Leaders can answer the questions individually or together and then discuss answers. Coordinators can follow up by asking leaders what they discovered. The goals are to celebrate what went well and plan ways to improve areas that didn’t.

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)?

Changed Lives
“My church (First Baptist of Lexington, Illinois) has seen tremendous growth in the church and in Pioneer Clubs. Our church is beginning a building program because we are bursting at the seams. Two years ago our Pioneer Clubs enrollment was four kids. This last year we have had 160 kids registered for the Pioneer Clubs program and have had 86 attending regularly. Several families have joined because the kids started coming to Pioneer Clubs. Every space is filled on club night including the basement (known as “the Dungeon”). I am excited that 16 kids have been saved this past year. I am planning a few activities in the summer for the kids to keep their interest piqued.”
––Roger Coleman, Pioneer Clubs coordinator

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...
...live in a variety of family situations. Don’t assume all kids live with both parents or in a happy home, even if they are churchgoers. Try to get the kids to recognize good things about their particular families. But be sensitive to children whose summer or weekend home might differ from the traditional family structure.

Pioneer Clubs Announcements

For U.S. Clubs.
- We’re Looking for Pioneer Clubs/Pioneer Girls Alumni
  If you attended club or Camp Cherith as a child, we want to hear from you! Please e-mail Carlene Smith at csmith@pioneerclubs.org or call the Pioneer Clubs Development Department at 800-694-2582.

For U.S. and Canadian Clubs.
- Thanks to all who participated in the Kids for Kids Hike! Please remember to complete your hike report (downloadable from Pioneer Clubs’ Web site) and mail it with your check to Pioneer Clubs, PO Box 788, Wheaton, IL 60189-0788. And please enclose a few photos we can post on our Web site. (The photos we receive become the property of Pioneer Clubs.)

Reflections
“Looking back over 30 years of children’s ministry, I regret the times I put the urgency of completing the lesson ahead of the needs of my learners....The hours I could have spent building friendships with children would have greatly increased my effectiveness as a teacher and role model. Teacher-learner relationships take time and effort to build but it’s by lavishing attention on a child that you can earn the right to be significant in his or her life.”
–Robert Choun, Evangelizing Today’s Child magazine, March/April 2003

Lighter Side
A kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they drew. She would occasionally walk around to see each child’s work. As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was. The girl replied, “I’m drawing God.” The teacher paused and said, “But no one knows what God looks like.” Without missing a beat or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, “They will in a minute when I finish this picture.”