KBC Blog (2021)

Hats off to Judson Baptist Church in Nashville, TN for catching the vision on how to reach their community! It's not just about doing a club once a week. It's about authentically loving on the school staff, children, and community so that they know you care. It's about asking God to show you innovative ways to reach beyond families outside of your club. Yes, Beach Club^® is your ticket into the schools. It opens the doors, but it's up to the church to decide how to minister beyond the 1-hour each week in Club.

Last year, Judson Baptist Church partnered with KiDs Beach Club^® to sponsor their very first Beach Club^® at Norman Binkley Elementary School in Nashville, TN. Averaging 11 children in their first year, they asked God to open the doors to reach more children and families in their second year at Norman Binkley Elementary. God opened the doors in incredible ways, and they are now averaging 26 children each week - more than double from their first year!

Children's pastor Richard Smith recently shared with us that not only has Beach Club^® attendance more than doubled this year, but the church has been able to build relationships
with the school staff, just by loving on them. They sponsored a Chick Fil-A lunch for a teacher
work-day at the beginning of  school, and they've sponsored coffee and donut bars for other teacher work days. 

The staff has been so appreciative of the love the church has shown them that they even posted an appreciation picture on their public facebook. Judson Baptist Church was also able to adopt two needy Beach Club^® families at Christmastime, and two new families have started attending the church because of their work with KiDs Beach Club^®.

Thank you, Pastor Rich and Judson Baptist Church for representing KiDs Beach Club^® so well and making the name of Jesus famous in your community!

Keep up the great work!

To share your church's story and be featured in future Surf Reports, send the details along with some pictures to stories@kbcmail.org.

In 2022, the only way to see KiDs Beach Club^® Season 2 was through Pure Flix, but that all changed with the new year! Thanks to our distribution partner BMG Global, you can now see KBC-TV Season 2 on a global scale!

If you liked KiDs Beach Club^® Season 1, you will definitely want to see Season 2. It's packed full of new games, original music, and an expanded cast of talented kids! Danni, Alex, and Oliver are back from Season 1, joined by newcomers Grey, Eli, Vee, Kinley, and Rylie. Pastor Mark is back again, too, but this time he is "on location" in each episode sharing our Bible Connection. Of course, your favorite TV club leaders Jason and Jordan are back leading the Beach Club^® kids in learning biblical character. 

Check your local listings for KiDs Beach Club^® Season 1 and Season 2! You won't want to miss an episode. Individual episodes or the entire season of KBC-TV Season 2 are also available for purchase on Amazon Prime! 

Go get your copy today!

As an Amazon Associate, KBC earns from qualifying purchases made from links on this page.

At KiDs Beach Club^®, our vision is to provide every preteen boy and girl with a Jesus experience. That means in everything we do, we want to provide opportunities for kids to not only know about Jesus but to experience His love for themselves. Ultimately, we pray that the “Jesus experience” will lead that preteen to decide to make Jesus their Forever Friend, giving them complete peace knowing that they’re never alone in this life. That’s why we partner with churches to provide after-school Beach Clubs^® in public schools around the country. It’s why we partner with broadcasters around the world to air the KiDs Beach Club^® television show on their stations, networks, and streaming channels.

Historically, we see about 10% of kids enrolled in Beach Club^® experience Jesus and make Him their forever friend. And that’s just the ones that have been recorded! We also know that there are likely many more professions of faith as a result of Beach Club^® that are not recorded. This fall alone, 147 kids in Beach Club^® have decided to make Jesus their Forever Friend! That is 147 preteens who have had a Jesus experience and invited Him to come into and be a part of their lives. 

These moments are special not only for the kids but also for the leaders. You see, when a child in Beach Club^® expresses an interest in accepting Jesus as Savior, a club volunteer will sit down with that child to talk through all that is involved with that decision. Though it’s a simple process, we want the kids to understand the significance of what they are doing. Once the child makes that decision, the news is shared with the rest of the club so everyone can express joy for their friend’s decision. Our partner churches have the ability to follow-up with each child who has made Jesus their Forever Friend at Beach Club^®. This follow-up often includes giving the rest of the family a Jesus experience as they talk with the parents about the decision their child has made.

We celebrate these decisions at KiDs Beach Club^®! The reach of one club, one volunteer, one partner church, one child is limitless. A child deciding to make Jesus their Forever Friend is not only going to make a difference in that child’s life today, but it will also make a difference in everyone that child impacts going forward. Families often start coming to church as a result. Friends hear about it and join Beach Club^®. The extended reach of KiDs Beach Club is truly unknown today—but one day in Heaven we will see the impact that these precious lives have had.

So today and every day, we celebrate how God is using us to provide preteens with a Jesus experience. We celebrate the 147 precious children who this fall have already made Jesus their Forever Friend, and we celebrate the 9,538 who have done that since KiDs Beach Club^® started. We pray that you, our partners, volunteers, parents, and donors will celebrate as well because you are helping make all of this possible. By God’s grace, together we will continue to make an even greater impact around the world—an impact that can last for generations. 

Each week at KiDs Beach Club^® we are moving a little closer to giving every preteen a Jesus experience!

KiDs Beach Club^® has been blessed with so many wonderful volunteers over the years. These volunteers impact young lives in ways that we at the corporate office rarely hear about. That’s why it was a special treat to sit down recently with Karen May and her husband, Mike. Karen and Mike have been supporters of KiDs Beach Club^® since its inception and continue to support the ministry today. As a 14-year Bible Connection leader in Beach Club^®, Karen shared some stories that have stuck with her over the years. 

She couldn’t help but lead off with her greatest joy from serving in Beach Club^®. “There’s no greater joy than leading kids to Christ. And it’s a soul joy. It’s something that doesn’t leave you. It’s the greatest joy that anyone, any human could know is someone coming to faith in Jesus Christ.”

“I was reminded of a story this morning,” she continued. “I can still see the little boy’s face. But he was waiting to receive a Bible. And he had been attending faithfully weekly, and the day that his name was called, he scurried up to the stage, and I handed him the Bible. Well, he grabbed the Bible, and he clutched it to his chest. And he kissed it. That says it all. That this little guy knew instinctively, ‘I love this. This is a treasure.’ It’s a privilege and joy to help them understand who Jesus is and how much he loves them.”

When the topic of how KiDs Beach Club^® can have an impact not only on the child attending but their family as well, Karen remembered one particular mother who would occasionally stay at club to see what was being done and said. “She was just trying to take it in. And then she was hearing everything that her daughter was hearing. And she wanted to be a part of it. That’s just one example of the spillage, the overflow. He came to give life, and he came to give it abundantly, bubbling over, for all of us. That hope was translating to their family which was a beautiful thing.”

We all have this core need deep inside that causes us to look for Christ, and Karen shared how it is no different for kids in Beach Club^®. “Think of their core need, which is our core need, which is, ‘am I loved?’ They just want to know. That’s the deep question, the deep pondering. They may not be able to articulate that, but if they know, if they learn ‘I am loved by the Creator of the universe. He actually made me. He likes me. He wants me.’ That’s life changing.”     

KBC volunteers are the boots on the ground for the generational impact that is happening through KiDs Beach Club^®. That’s why we’re thankful for all of the volunteers, like Karen May, who have served over the years and for the 1065 volunteers serving this year alone in our nearly 100 clubs in 8 states around the United States. 

To learn more about volunteering at KiDs BeachClub^®, please visit our volunteering page. 

Great Treasure Day is the day we hand out a KiDs Beach Club Explorer’s Study Bible to every child in every Beach Club who has not yet received one. Yes, it is legal to give Bibles to kids in public schools and for public school kids to bring their Bibles to school.

God’s word is the greatest treasure on earth, and it is the centerpiece of KiDs Beach Club^®. We want every child to have their very own copy to read, study, share and grow from making a daily and eternal impact on their lives. 

Mesquite, Texas Club Leader Aubrey Eudy talked about his recent experience with Great Treasure Day. “In the last two days, I’ve passed out close to 100 Bibles. We are reaching a lot of people. A lot of kids are teaching their parents. A lot of parents are finding out who Jesus truly is.”

In KiDs Beach Club^®, we use the Bible as a moral standard and the plumb line for character education. Good character starts from a transformed heart. God’s own perfect character is revealed in His word. When every child has a Bible of their own, they are better equipped to learn God’s word and to live God’s way. And that’s why KiDs Beach Club^® is excited to have handed out over 70,000 bibles since 2003!

There are opportunities in life to be a part of something bigger than yourself. Those opportunities come to both individuals and organizations. NTX (North Texas) Giving Day is one of those opportunities for non-profit organizations in the North Texas area. KiDs Beach Club^® was blessed to be a part of this event, the largest online giving event in the world.

Our goal for NTX Giving Day was to raise $20,000. We felt that was an obtainable goal but still a stretch goal that only God could accomplish.

One new strategy to reach this goal was calling previous donors. KBC leaders were unsure what to expect from these calls, but unexpected blessings became a regular part of the conversations.

“In the days leading up to NTX Giving Day, I had the privilege to talk one on one with quite a few of our past donors,” shared KBC Special Projects Director Beth Banfill. “God gave us some amazing conversations and prayer times together. We’ve got the best donors in the world. Seriously, hands down!”

Also, as in previous years, WBAP radio show host Chris Krok partnered with KBC to solicit donations for NTX Giving Day. Krok has been a long-time supporter of KiDs Beach Club and welcomed both KBC President and Founder Jack Terrell and KBC-TV Executive Producer Dr. Frank Banfill onto his show to talk about KiDs Beach Club.

The final numbers are in, and indeed, only God could accomplish these results! Total gifts received totaled $34,485.98, with more than 80 individual donors responding!