Leader

  • Work with your church to see when you could schedule a Sunday to be part of the service and highlight Pioneer Clubs on Pioneer Clubs Sunday, usually held on the first Sunday of February.
  • Help prepare your kids for their part in your upcoming Pioneer Clubs Sunday program, if being held on the first Sunday of February.
  • Talk with your coordinator about which children in your group might be able to give a testimony about the impact of club in their lives. Plan for them to share it through video or in person on Pioneer Clubs Sunday.
  • Do an evaluation of your fall club program and meet with your coordinator to review this.
  • Communicate regularly with your co-leaders about when each of you will need to miss a meeting, to make sure you can cover for each other and so you can have time to locate extra help as needed.

Coordinator

  • Finalize plans for Pioneer Clubs Sunday on the first Sunday of February (or a date that works best for your church). Help club leaders plan rehearsals.
  • Plan midyear evaluation with your club leaders.
  • Hold a quarterly committee meeting to review calendar events and evaluate the year to date.
  • Evaluate what kind of fundraiser you might want to do to support Kids for Cuba. Is this something your club might want to do to serve others?
  • Contact your local Pioneer Clubs Camp Cherith® (See Find a Camp for your closest Camp Cherith® ) or another nearby Christian camp. Arrange for a camp representative to come and give a presentation in club in the next month. Invite parents.

 

 

 

January Real Time

The Tool God Is Using

As the pastor of a church in West Virginia, I was looking for a way to bring new life into the youth department of our church. Our church had once been an active small-town church with several children and youth. However, the children’s leaders were usually their moms and dads, and when the children matured and left, the parents went with them. It had become a cycle I felt needed to be broken. I began praying and searching for God’s plan for us. That’s when I first contacted Pioneer Clubs.

It took some time before we found leaders willing to assist. But God is faithful and supplied our needs. Shortly after school began this past fall, we began our program and it has been a true joy. Each Sunday night we have around 20 children in classes reaching from preschool through sixth grade.

As I sit in my study each Sunday night, I smile as I hear the laughter of children and their leaders studying Scripture, working on crafts, and playing their games. Last Sunday morning I invited children to the front of the sanctuary during worship, and the chancel rail was filled with smiling faces. This is due in large part to the Pioneer program we have established.

Last evening as I arrived for choir practice, I was able to sit back and enjoy what God is doing in our midst. Because of the weather conditions earlier in the week, everyone was trying to get some practice in for the upcoming Christmas program. Twenty children with their leaders were in the front practicing, 20 youths were in the basement practicing and the choir was waiting for their turn. All I could do was bow my head and say, “Thank you, Jesus!”

It has been a joy to see new families taking hold and participating in worship. As a pastor, I am thankful God brought Pioneer Clubs to us. It is the tool God is using in this place to rekindle the fire of His people. Recently a lady who has taught children in Sunday school for years came to me and said, “What a joy it is to have this many children in Sunday school once again.” I am convinced that much of our current growth is a result of the Pioneer Club we began here at St. Luke’s.

–Pastor, West Virginia