You Said It!
Valentine's Day Party at
If you have photos of club members in action, please send them to newsletter@pioneerclubs.org. Include a brief description of the event or activity, your church’s name and your contact information. "You Ought to Be in Pictures"
Who knows? Your club photo could end up on our annual calendar or on the Pioneer Clubs website! If we post your photo in the next issue of the Leadership eNewsletter, we’ll send you a copy of the newly revised Parties and Special Events book. You Said It! Easy to use -A Pathfinder Leader Pioneer Clubs’ values mirror our own “I love Pioneer Clubs. As a mother of two young children, I join countless families who thoughtfully search for extra-curricular activities for their children. Pioneer Clubs fits the bill! My children, and so many who come out for our club each week, have grown in their knowledge of God’s Word while at the same time they enjoyed arts, crafts, games and projects. Pioneer Clubs’ values mirror our own as a family.” -Carrie Chudkowski Outreach came through Pioneer Club “Not long ago, an adult helper in our Pioneer Clubs program invited children from her neighborhood to attend club. As she packed her car full of kids, one little girl asked the helper to invite her mother to church, too. The girl’s mother, who had cancer, came that night and to each following week. Over the next month, the women in our church took the mother to doctor appointments and prayed with her. She died of a stroke a short time later. A memorial service was held for her at our church, attended by her non-believing family and friends. God brought her to our church for such a short season. We would have completely missed the opportunity to witness to her and her family if not for the outreach that came through Pioneer Clubs.” -Fondee Bruce They are learning about God “As a Pioneer Clubs leader and parent with two girls in the program, I especially value how Pioneer Clubs gives children an opportunity to fully interact with what they are learning about God. At Pioneer Clubs, kids get the time they need to wrestle with Scripture, to ask questions and work to discover the answers with Christian adults. Pioneer Clubs get the kids thinking about God’s Word in an age-appropriate way.” -Jody Maas Provides fun, biblical learning, mentoring, and friendships "Over its long history, Pioneer Clubs has been a tremendous tool for bringing countless children to Christ and for planting the Word of God deeply in their hearts. Pioneer Clubs' emphasis on memorizing Scripture and studying the Bible through methods that children can understand is a strong asset. During my years as a pastor, I recall many occasions when children of our church invited neighborhood friends to their Pioneer Clubs meeting and as a result, new families were brought to Christ and added to the Church. I strongly support Pioneer Clubs as an excellent midweek program that will provide fun, biblical learning, mentoring, and friendships with a positive impact on families." -Dr. Craig Williford Club grew quickly Our club program started slowly but grew quickly. We now have 50 kids, which is three times the size of our Sunday school program. Pioneer Clubs is the most awesome thing I’ve ever done. One night our Voyager group was talking about forgiveness and doing a skit. They got to talking about sin, and a girl who was there for the first time asked what sin was. The kids began talking about it, and by the end of the night the girl had accepted Christ. The kids all prayed with her and for her. She continued to come to club and went on to have a huge part of our Vacation Bible School last week.” -Cynthia Blackmer She is memorizing “I have a darling 10-year-old girl named Gina in my Trailblazers club. Her parents don’t go to church, so she doesn’t know much about the Bible. For a Christmas present, I gave her a Bible and she was overjoyed with it. In club, we were reading about Paul and Silas in prison. The earthquake happened and the jailor asked the big question: “What must I do to be saved?” We read on through the chapter. I asked the girls what they thought was the “key” to the chapter; in other words, what was the most important verse in the passage. Gina quickly replied, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” I was very surprised; in fact I almost fell off my chair! She “got it.” I believe Gina has asked Jesus into her heart and life and it’s a joy to see her grow. She is now memorizing the books of the Bible. Praise the Lord!” -Jean Priestap Wildly enthusiastic about their camping experience “Last year, Karrie, a Pioneer Clubs member with whom I work as a public school teacher, told me that during the summer she would be going to Camp Cherith®. It would be her first time at camp, and she had invited her friend Kirstyn (another of my students) to go, too. When I saw the girls again last fall, they were wildly enthusiastic about their camping experience. Both said they plan to go again this summer. Praise God for His work in the lives of these two girls and in the lives of many other young people who are positively impacted by Pioneer Clubs!” -Linda Diamond What God is doing “Katie, a fourth grade girl who has been part of our congregation her whole life and lives with her grandparents, has been praying for her dad for many years. I remember when she was just a Scooter that she requested prayer for her daddy. This past Christmas Eve, Katie’s dad came to church with her and turned his life over to the Lord. During prayer time at club, she thanked the Lord that after seven years, her dad had become a Christian. I marvel at what God is doing in our clubs!” -Janice Knapp All along God was using our club leaders "Last year we had a boy, a neighbor of one of our church members, attend club. He is in sixth grade and can be quite difficult. He has had a pretty difficult childhood. Every once in awhile, though, we see a softer side. One night he told our leaders that he had been transferred to a different school because he had been fighting. The leader, who was familiar with the school, told him she was worried about him because the school is a pretty rough place. The boy responded, “I’ll be okay; at least I have Wednesday nights (Pioneer Clubs).” Many times we wondered if he was really getting anything out of club at all, and all along God was using our club leaders to minister to and love this child, who had plenty of reasons to be in trouble. We haven’t seen this young man in several months, but we know God is still working. We just heard that he is back at his public school and will be coming to church.” -Jocelyn Horton Exciting! "Pioneer Clubs is the most exciting thing we have going at our church!" -Pastor James Spaugh Excited about badges "One big surprise for me as a leader is how excited the fourth and fifth grade boys are about earning badges and awards. They all want a sash or vest to display them on! We are overwhelmed with positive responses from the parents and children!" -Suzanne Hughes I am a better person because of Pioneer Clubs “Pioneer Clubs has provided me with lifelong friendships, talents I would have been unaware of, the knowledge that Jesus loves me, loving leaders, leadership experience, and many amazing relationships with people of all ages. I am truly a better person because of what Pioneer Clubs has provided me with, and I thank God every day for the opportunity to be a part of it." -Allidah Benay Hicks Seen results "This program is so far superior to anything I have ever done in years of ministry to children. I've seen results in the lives of the children and even in my own life already.” -Ruth MacDougall 12 kids make decisions for the Lord l“I enjoy Pioneer Clubs because it gives me the opportunity to minister to unchurched kids. We encourage kids to bring friends every week, and thus we have a lot of unchurched kids attending Pioneer Clubs. Last year alone we had 12 kids make decisions for the Lord." -Sharon Wilson An opportunity to work alongside God "Pioneer Clubs gives us a platform for sharing the love of Jesus with children. Children are the church of the future. Pioneer Clubs provides opportunities for us to work alongside God, as he moves hearts towards faith.” -Lorraine Carroll Easy to be a leader "We are so grateful to God for all of you at Pioneer Clubs. You make it easy to be a leader with your materials and support. Thanks again.” -Laurie TenKate Effective “Pioneer Clubs has proven to be an effective way of reaching into the nonbelieving, nonchurched community with the exclusive truths of God’s Word.” -Marv Parker Remarkable ministry "My valued friendship with the Pioneer Clubs ministry began some 30 years ago when I was serving as pastor of a fast-growing church family in southern California that was overflowing with wonderful children. Our Lord graciously introduced us to Pioneer Clubs. That ministry became one of the most strategic and fruitful ministries that we enjoyed. Today, I continue to affirm this remarkable ministry that God has used in so many young lives including our own children. I thank our Lord for this significant ministry and pray that it will continue to be used dramatically and dynamically by him." -Dr. Paul Cedar Reaches kids for Christ "The bottom line is Pioneer Clubs reaches kids with the Good News of Jesus Christ. It reaches their hearts and helps them translate that into day-to-day living." -Luis Palau Excellent for discipleship "Pioneer Clubs is excellent for discipleship because it treats kids the way Jesus modeled life and faith: Kids are special, worth the time we spend with them, inherently valued (they are not miniature adults), and holistic in their needs and potentials." -Dr. Ronald Habermas Christ in action "Pioneer Clubs shows kids that their faith doesn't have to be separate from the other things they do. It really is Christ in action." -Carol Kozma They're willing to share -David Lynch Practical units of study "Pioneer Clubs has a life-based component with practical units of study. Kids learn that God is interested in all parts of their lives." -Robin Gorab Experiencing friendships with godly adults -George M. Stulac
-Janine Winkler Complements our children's ministries "I believe that Pioneer Clubs has been a great instrument of attracting families with children to our church, as well as the children inviting their friends who may not know Jesus. Pioneer Clubs provides a balance between Sunday morning Sunday school, children's church, and vacation Bible school. It has complemented our unique balance of children's ministries." -Dann Rockwell Wonderful! -Betsy Palm |
The Pioneer Clubs members of Terrace Palms Community Church in Tampa, Florida, had a blast at their first-ever Family Valentine’s Party using the Pioneer Clubs Share the Love Valentine’s Party kit. “The kids had fun, the parents had fun, and most importantly, everyone heard about how Jesus is our valentine from God,” wrote Club Coordinator Kimberly Cragg. The club members made chocolate-dipped pretzels, acted out John 3:16, played a game and made special valentines (pictured above).
Let others see what exciting activities your club is doing this year—especially how you celebrated Pioneer Clubs Sunday! Send your best photos to us at
|
Pioneer Clubs |
