KBC Blog (2021)

Last Friday, each of you should have received the first week of our Summer ReadingProgram (SRP). The email went out to everyone on our mailing list, but if you want to continue to receive the weekly emails on Fridays between Memorial Day andLabor Day, be sure to update your subscription preferences! After last Friday's email, the weekly SRP emails will go only to those subscribed to that specific list.

Please be sure to update your communication preferences so you don't miss anything!

With the school year coming to a close, we are hearing more and more from parents who are just so grateful that their kids had the opportunity to attend a KiDs Beach Club^®.

Thank you to our volunteers who pour into the lives of each child in Club! Because of the power of the Gospel and your commitment to leading top-notch Clubs, kids lives are forever changed!

SEND US YOUR STORY!

Check out what Discovery Church in Orlando, Florida,
did for their year-end Beach Club^®!

Sadly, the school year is coming to a close. Many schools have already had their final Club for the year, and by the next issue of the Surf Report, the KiDs Beach Club^® 2023-24 school year will officially be "in the books."

Discovery Church in Orlando, Florida, recently held their final Club at Lancaster Elementary School. Club Leader Kerri Attaway shared some of the great ideas they implemented to recognize the clubbers on their final day. These ideas were just too good not to share with everyone!

For starters, Surf Team Leaders were challenged to think about each individual child in their Surf Team and decide which character word best described them. During the final Club, Surf Team Leaders were prepared with one sentence to describe why they chose that character word for the child. Kids were even presented certificates with "their personalized character word!"

Discovery Church didn't just do a little production at that last Club, either. They did it big-time, celebrating each and every child with a pizza bash!

• They played games with the kids on matching the definitions to the character word.
• They recognized the kids with perfect attendance.
• They recognized the kids who brought back the most Hang 10 Challenges during the year.
• They recognized the kids who brought their Bibles the most all year long.
• They honored the 5th graders and sent them off with prayers of blessing as they moved into another phase of development.

Kerri shared with us that this bash was not about making sure every child got something. It was about making sure every child knew they had Kingdom significance. Some of the kids who attend Club are ones that never get recognized for achievements at school. In truth, the behavior of some can be a weekly challenge. The rewards and recognition were a great reminder that God loves each and every child, well-behaved or not!

Thank you, Kerri, for sharing your story with us and for FINISHING STRONG!

In Case You Missed It...

Thursday, March 28th marked a great day for the ministry! Along with more than a hundred friends, donors, staff, board members, and KiDs Beach Club^® Television cast and crew, we gathered at the LOOK Theater in Colleyville, Texas, to celebrate the official launch of KiDs Beach Club^® Television, Season Three!

Our special guest for the evening was Dr. Hormoz Shariat, Founder & President of Iran Alive Ministries. It was a sight to behold as he shared his vision for reaching Iranians with the Gospel! Dr. Shariat could hardly contain his excitement when sharing how God has already allowed KiDs Beach Club^® to be part of his vision for reaching Iran, through the television show!

Another special moment randomly caught on video was when two of our child actors saw each other for the first time in several years. Make sure you check out the video using the QR code below. (Sign in to facebook first!) It's priceless! As an organization, this warms our heart greatly, knowing the kids we hired didn't just "do a job." They forged friendships that we pray will last a lifetime!

GEAR UP! A common phrase heard in the military. When the commander gives that order, it means grab what you need and get ready, because it's time to move forward!

Here at KiDs Beach Club^®, we are making plans to GEAR UP! for the summer and continue our mission of empowering Christ-followers to innovatively take the message of Christ to kids.

Without a doubt, GEAR UP! is a directive from our commanding officer, but it is also a challenge. Giving to non-profit organizations significantly drops during the summer months. At KiDs Beach Club^®, the months of May through July are the leanest ones in the year. We are GEARING UP for an incredible fall with a focus on growing our Clubs, but we need your help now.

In the month of May, we are boldly asking each of you to help us GEAR UP! for the lean months ahead. You're gift will help us continue to give every preteen boy and girl a Jesus experience! 

Gearing up to give is easy, too! Either scan the QR Code, click on the GEAR UP! button below, text GEARUPKBC to 41444, or just click over to the GEAR UP page on our website!

GEAR UP! Will culminate on a focused day of giving, Thursday May 30th, but you can give all throughout the month!

In the spring of 2023, First Baptist Church of Plant City, Florida, began partnering with KiDs Beach Club^®. As the volunteers faithfully served at Springhead Elementary, Father has honored their efforts and been so faithful with tangible results. They have seen students get saved, and as a result, moms and yes, even teachers have accepted Christ!

Bill Bender, who teaches the Bible Connection time each week during Club recently shared an incredible God-story with us, and we can’t wait to share it with you! You see, each week in Club, Bill carefully shares the Gospel message and plan of salvation. He is careful to not push children into making a decision for Christ, knowing it’s the most important decision any child or adult could make in their lifetime. Instead, he explains the Gospel message carefully, gives an invitation to accept Jesus and His plan of salvation, and always leaves the door open for questions. 

Fast forward to a few weeks ago when Olivia, a 4th grader who has been enrolled in Beach Club since last year, came up to Mr. Bill with a challenge: "I just can't believe someone died and came back alive."

Mr. Bill talked with her some more and explained that she was right, people don’t just rise from the dead. But Jesus was not just any person! He was and is God Almighty, and when He rose from the dead, He conquered sin and He conquered death forever, making a way for us to have a relationship with Him.

Skeptical still, Olivia left, having given Mr. Bill her objective decision on this whole “Jesus rising from the dead” matter.

But the story doesn't end there! Last week during Beach Club^®, Olivia once again approached Mr. Bill.

This time, she had just two words: “I believe.”

Mr. Bill asked Olivia to clarify. “What is it you believe?”

Olivia responded, “I believe He is alive. I believe He did rise from the dead!”

Mr. Bill then asked Olivia if she was ready to accept God’s free gift of salvation, and again, she responded with two glorious words: “I’M READY!”

So sitting on a table in the library of Springhead Elementary School, Olivia made the most important decision for herself that she could ever make in her lifetime. She prayed, telling God that she believed He rose from the dead and that He was the only way to heaven, and she asked Him to forgive her of her sins, come into her life, and save her.

Olivia is a beautiful testimony of the Holy Spirit’s power to call people to Himself, in His time. It’s also a reminder for the rest of us that we are not selling a Gospel message. Our job is to present it to anyone and everyone who will listen, pray that all will accept it, and understand that sadly, many will reject it. But praise God for Olivia, who worked through the questions and reasoned out the truth to realize for herself that Jesus did indeed rise from the dead! Because of it, those two words were life-changing: I BELIEVE!

Take a moment and pray for Olivia. Pray for Mr. Bill and the rest of his team as they follow-up with Olivia and her family. Friends, this is what it’s all about, isn’t it? The angels are rejoicing today over Olivia’s decision and those two powerful words: I BELIEVE!