Blog

KiDs Beach Club® stays fueled by the drive and passion of our many volunteers who selflessly give of their time to bring the Gospel to the kids of America's public schools.

These wonderful men and women are often the unsung heroes of the entire KBC family. From engaging with the kids, to being the responsible adult when things don’t always go according to plan, they are the ones truly making Jesus cool in school!

It is such an immense blessing to have each one of our phenomenal volunteers helping us in our mission. And we need the help of our volunteers now in a fun and special way. 

This year has been a roller coaster for us all, but KiDs Beach Club® is making big moves so we don’t lose ministry momentum. The game may have changed, but our goal remains the same.  

This year we will continue to deliver Bibles to all our clubs so that every Beach Club will have access to the Word of God, forever. We are in the process of creating a network quality TV show called "Beach Club at HOME! which will allow all of our Beach Club students and their friends to watch from the comfort of their own homes.  These 24 weekly episodes can be seen by simpling logging on each week to kidsbeachclub.org/online.

An exciting technological feature will provide our church partners to maximize their outreach possibilities to track student attendence and continue to communicate as the students continue to learn from home. This new technology will allow them to contact the parents of anyone who logs into Beach Club at HOME!, assisting these churches to minister to every student. By doing this, we ensure our new students won’t feel as though they have been overlooked or forgotten. 

These changes will be an upgrade that will help further bring the Gospel to each and every child who attends Beach Club. The stage is set. The Bibles have arrived in our warehouse and are ready to be shipped to our students as they participate in Beach Club at HOME! or in person at some public schools.

While many of our KBC volunteers await for the public schools to open up to after-school activities so they can continue to serve the Lord, there is a new way to help us continue to make Jesus cool in school. 

Please consider joining us as an online fundraiser.  It's very easy to do!  Learn more by clicking here. This is a way everyone can stay involved and help to reach more kids for Jesus. 

We need your support to ensure that every boy and girl in Beach Club can receive a Bible of their very own. We’re nearly halfway to our goal already, and your partnership in this simple fundraising effort can help us cross the finish line.

The time to act is now as the Rise UP 4 KiDs campaign continues through September. If you would like to help us in our time of need, click here.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” —Jesus

Five years ago, an idea entered First Baptist Church of Burleson in Burleson, Texas—an idea that would change not only the community, but how the churches in that community unite to accomplish feats that no single church could hope to accomplish. This idea was hosting a Beach Club. 

Arlene Holland became a member at First Baptist Church of Burleson with her husband after years of teaching in a California school system. She quickly began volunteering in the Sunday school classrooms but was not too eager to return to a regular school teaching position. Yet when she heard the church was starting a Beach Club, she knew she could help and volunteered to serve. 

The church partnered with KiDs Beach Club® the first year with one club, but they soon found themselves hosting two clubs in two different elementary schools. However, after two whole semesters, the church made a startling discovery.

“There are a total of 10 elementary schools here in Burleson, and the folks at KBC told me that there were two other churches attempting to host clubs of their own,” Arelene says. “And so between the three churches, we now have clubs in four of the ten schools.” Just like that, the First Baptist of Burleson, Fort Worth First Church of the Nazarene, and Burleson Bible Church—becoming a united front of sorts—invaded the public schools of Burleson, Texas. The Beach Club volunteers from all three churches began meeting regularly to discuss plans and events, and to inquire how they all might help and support one another. 

The impact of KiDs Beach Club® did not stop there. The staff at First Baptist of Burleson kept up the momentum and reached out to other churches in the area to see if they would be interested in supporting clubs of their own. They also talked with the school principals, many of whom were interested in having a Beach Club at their school if they could find a church partner. 

This ministry momentum was becoming a force in Burleson until a certain virus erupted. Did COVID-19 complicate things? Of course. Did it stop them? Absolutely not. 

Arlene and the rest of the First Baptist of Burleson team, along with their brothers and sisters from Fort Worth First Church of the Nazarene and Burleson Bible Church, saw the pandemic as an opportunity instead of a burden. They began brainstorming how to turn this time, which the vast majority of the world regarded as a pandemic, into a possibility. When the schools announced they would be going digital, the churches began holding their clubs online. Together they took advantage of what KiDs Beach Club® was offering with Beach Club at HOME!, six online episodes to provide students a sense of normalcy, even though they were now learning at home.

As kids began watching, they started inviting friends from other elementary schools. Soon the word began to spread as the clubs expanded beyond the traditional physical walls of each school. Now they have children from several other elementary schools engaging online, giving a unique opportunity for other churches to get involved at those other schools. This group of churches is truly taking community ministry to a whole new level, and they didn’t let financial concerns hold them back during this season. When the question of financial stability arose in a recent meeting among the churches, they decided there was only one thing to do. As Arlene puts it, “Our church is blessed in that we put the word out and God provides, and so we have always said in all of this, let's not let money be the issue, God's gonna provide that one way or another.”

Together they are rising above the COVID-19 obstacles. Instead of arguing over who’s in charge or disputing over ministry “turf”, these churches have set a precedent that the entire Christian community can and should follow. Just as Christ said in Matthew 5:16, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven.” 

“After the meeting last week,” Arlene says, “all the churches wanted to join together and agreed, ‘Yeah, let's conquer Burleson! Let's see what God can do.'" KiDs Beach Club® is privileged to be part of what God is doing, especially during this pandemic in Burleson and beyond.

Anna Whitney and her team at Bellevue Baptist Church have gone above and beyond the call of duty in supporting their Beach Club during these peculiar times. Anna’s journey began when she joined Bellevue Baptist Church and started helping in the ARISE2Read non-profit ministry connected with the church. 

ARISE2Read helps second graders learn to read while evangelizing at the same time. This effort was an amazing opportunity to reach the hearts and minds of the children in their community. Still, they knew they could do more and began searching for innovative ways to get connected with more families and churches in the Memphis community. 

After observing several different club options, they loved the quality of the curriculum and the support systems of KiDs Beach Clubs. They partnered with KiDs Beach Clubs and kicked off two new clubs in Cordova and Frazier elementary schools. Both clubs began with around 30 students and grew from there.

Over the course of the semester, Anna had the opportunity to build relationships with most of the kids. On the first day, Anna noticed one young boy who clearly loved KiDs Beach Clubs: “I asked him to pray before we left, and one thing he said in his prayer was, ‘Lord, thank you that no one got shot today.’ And that was a wake-up call. To hear the kids talk about where they come from, it just made us realize that these kids need the Gospel more than ever!”

The school community began looking upon these new clubs with great interest. “What's interesting is a ton of school principals are interested and want to start it up,” Anna says. With the community behind them, and many local principals eagerly hoping to help expand the clubs to their schools, things were looking bright as both KiDs Beach Clubs roared into the spring of 2020!

But then they hit a roadblock with COVID. When the entire nation shut down due to the Coronavirus, Anna and the team began calling each of the children’s parents to check in on the kids in the clubs and make sure they and their families were doing well amidst the chaos. 

The team then embraced the shift to virtual clubs as KiDs Beach Club® went online. But as they talked with the families, they soon realized they had another problem. Due to the socioeconomic status of many of the children’s families, many kids had no reliable online access. 

The innovative leaders developed a solution. They began using KiDs Beach Club’s Hang 10 Summer Reading Program to continue ministering to the children. Amanda headed an effort to send physical copies of the Summer Reading Program along with letters of encouragement and hope to all of their students. 

“We believe that even if only one child took advantage of this reading program, it was worth it for sure,” Anna says. These letters were welcomed by both the children and parents, many of whom expressed how incredibly thankful they were for someone to take the time to remind the children that they had not been forgotten. 

Building on the momentum of the Summer Reading Program, the Bellevue leaders took full advantage of the free VBS curriculum provided by KiDs Beach Club this year for outdoor ministry. They took the VBS experience to the apartment complexes where the kids lived. They offered 4 sessions each day with 10 kids each. 

It required more effort initially, but as Anna says, “We want to continue going out there, simply because we don't want to be that face that showed up for a few days and just vanished. We want to be there to form lasting relationships and make a real eternal difference!” 

Anna and the entire team of Beach Club volunteers at Bellevue Baptist Church have been more than teachers or volunteers to their students. They have become an innovative example for others to see that even while in the midst of adversity or tough times, with Christ there is always a way. 

“Our hope is that what we did would inspire other churches and ministries to do the same thing. Think of this season as an opportunity, not to think, Well, we can't do anything now,” Anna says. “I truly feel this is opening up more doors of opportunity for the Gospel to go forth. So that is our hope and our prayer here in Memphis, Tennessee, and beyond!”

What does a retired school leader do after serving for 40 years in education? She volunteers with KiDs Beach Club®, of course!

Patricia Smith began her journey as a teacher decades ago in a local elementary school. One Christmas, she came to realize just how difficult it was to even refer to the Bible in public schools. She had purchased a nativity scene to decorate her classroom bulletin board, yet Patricia was reprimanded for her actions, and she was forced to remove it.

After more than 38 years of service, Patricia retired from teaching in 2014, but she was called back to lead as a principal at West Point Elementary School in Windermere, Florida near Orlando. She and her good friend, Denise, who had served 14 years with her at the same elementary school, led the school in its opening years together. 

As the year progressed, Denise began looking for partnership opportunities that they could use to get the Gospel into the schools. Patricia wasn’t too keen on the idea of jumping right into a partnership in the school’s first year, but she left the possibility open. 

One day, Denise’s phone rang. It was a KiDs Beach Club® representative calling to inquire if West Point Elementary would like to host a Beach Club.

Denise checked out the KBC website and showed it to Patricia. As they watched the content on the site from videos to testimonials, Patricia made her decision. “The kids looked like they were having fun. They were with their group leaders in a gym and playing, and it just looked so fun.” 

She had finally found a way for Jesus to be cool in school.

Patricia worked with the local KBC leaders to plan the club for Wednesdays when the teachers would have a planning meeting resulting in class letting out early. 

“The interaction was fabulous because I think we laid the groundwork, and then kids thought it was fun. I didn't hear any negativity about it! I really think some of the parents felt, ‘Ok, this school has a club, something for my kid to do after school,” Patricia says, “and I don't have to get off work an hour early to come pick them up.’” 

In the first year, the Beach Club ministered to over 80 children weekly. God's Word was spreading through the school system and touching the hearts of these children who otherwise might never have heard it. After nearly 42 years teaching, administrating, and serving the children via the public school system, Patricia retired.

Some people are born with a desire to serve, and others choose to serve when they witness the importance of the cause. 

“I never had that desire to stay involved in education,” Patricia says, “but I knew that KiDs Beach Club® was a way to bring Vacation Bible School back into the schools. So this was an open door, and I chose to stay at West Point and volunteer with the club. In fact, I would like to see it in all Orange County public schools.”

She has been volunteering at the very same Beach Club in West Point Elementary that she was so monumental in founding back in 2014. 

As a result of her choice to open the door to KiDs Beach Club®, these kids now have an opportunity to know Jesus, and Patrica can continue her journey as she helps lead these children to the light that never fades, and the love that never fails. 

Even though COVID-19 restrictions have prevented many of our faithful KBC volunteers from serving the Lord inside the public schools during this semester, there are many opportunies to serve from home.  KBC will be sending all 10,000 of our students from last year, links to watch Beach Club at HOME! One of the areas KBC needs your help during this time is writing notes to these students to encourage them each week!  Please pray about it and if you are interested in assisting just click here to send an email to let us know.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4 

We can all agree that the last several months have felt like one trial after another, and for those of us who’ve been planning, postponing, and re-imagining the KiDs Beach Club® annual Bibles for Beach Club Benefit dinner, this verse resonates especially well.

However, as James urges, we are persevering and innovating, driven by the passion for reaching the hearts of children and connecting them and their families to churches. 

Today we are excited to share that we have overcome the many obstacles to our yearly Bible fundraiser and are poised to deliver a top-notch, engaging, and empowering virtual experience that will allow us to bring everyone together. 

This time it will not only be for those who would have physically joined us in Texas, but for Christians from around the country and the world whose support makes it possible for us to put Bibles in the hands of so many children every year!

COVID-19 concerns prevented a physical gathering, so we are pleased to invite you to join us for the first-ever Rise UP 4 KiDs, a virtual fundraising event to be held on Sunday, August 30, 2020, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Central Time.

Why have we decided to host a virtual event, rather than canceling our twice-rescheduled event altogether?  

First and foremost, we absolutely must raise funds for Bibles to put into the hands of kids this fall. And we need the funds by October. 

Now, more than ever, given the current atmosphere of unrest and anxiety in our country, KBC is a way for churches, volunteers, and parents to impact their community and help kids feel more connected to God and His Word. 

Bible and Character Education transforms kids and schools, fostering life change in the hearts of children. And make no mistake: we are at a critical juncture. Our future as a nation depends on the faith formation of today’s youth. 

Our Rise UP 4 KiDs event will feature keynote speaker George Barna, bestselling author and founder of The Barna Group, an evangelical Christian polling research firm. 

“There are three big players that are shaping the worldview of children in America,” according to Mr. Barna. “They are family, government, and media. The government and media are not going to help us, but the families, ministries, and churches have an opportunity—but we must have a plan. It starts with children. When we change the heart, mind, and souls of children, that is when we change America. It is more important than who is in the White House or the head of Disney.  We need a 2 to 3 generation turnaround and it must begin today!”

KiDs Beach Club® stands ready to empower churches to lead this turnaround! Our four primary objectives include:

• Impacting Communities for the Kingdom
• Sharing Christ in Public Schools 
• Fostering Life Change in the Hearts of Children 
• Connecting Families to a Church Family

But what if our present trials continue and the pandemic lingers well into the school year? Still, we will persist and innovate!

Right now our field teams are talking to the various school districts and exploring creative alternatives. We’re providing our partnering churches with curricular material and working with them to explore where else they might hold gatherings, such as at a park, at a YMCA, or in an apartment complex. The ministry will go forward regardless of circumstances because the Father has called us to reach these children.

But none of this will happen without the support of our partnering churches and schools, our more than 2,600 volunteers, and the rest of the KiDs Beach Club® community at large, including our newest supporters just coming on board this year. 

So save the date, August 30th, at 6:00 pm CT, and plan to meet us online as we come together for a powerful hour of advancing the Kingdom.

“What are you going to do to change the worldview of children in America?” Mr. Barna asks. “We cannot rely on anyone else.” 

Turning Point Church, in Fort Worth, Texas had a problem. Like a lot of churches, they wanted to engage the public schools to deepen connection with the local community. But in spite of repeated attempts to reach out to the schools, they kept hearing, “We’ll call you if we need anything.” But the calls never came.

For Children’s Pastors Ray and Nancy Baldwin, the closed doors were especially painful. The couple has always had a vibrant children’s ministry wherever they served. They even developed a robust discipleship program for children of all ages called the Knights of God. 

As they led the growing children’s ministry at the church, they tried everything to engage the local schools. Finally, they forged a friendship with a local elementary principal. 

And then a call came from a KiDs Beach Club® field representative: “Are you interested in serving in the local public school?” Ray and Nancy jumped at the opportunity!

As the club neared its debut meeting, they set up a Beach Club table to register kids on the Meet the Teacher Day. “We had about thirty kids sign up that day,” Ray recalls, “and over the months that followed, we had well over eighty kids who signed up and came to join us! And over the six years since we began, our numbers have grown to over a hundred. It's been crazy!”

And that was just the beginning. Many of the children have professed faith in Christ, and their families began attending church events and services. As a result, unchurched, Hindu, Muslim, and even atheist families have trusted Christ and are now part of Turning Point Church. 

The connection between church, school, and families has only deepened over time. Kids from Beach Club and their families can be seen at every Turning Point Church event.

For example, the church hosts a harvest festival every year complete with bounce houses, food, and fun of all sorts.

It's become a huge event in the community, bringing unchurched families into contact with the good news of Christ. 

Many of Ray’s and Nancy’s church students, Knights in their discipleship program, help at the KiDs Beach Club®. And some of the students at the Beach Club who came to the church with their families ended up joining the Knights at Turning Point Church.

And the relationship with the local schools has deepened, answering the church’s prayers. The church is now an integrated part of the local school, celebrating and supporting the teachers and staff. 

As a result of their partnership with KiDs Beach Club®, not only has Jesus been brought into the local school, but the children and teachers at the local school are actually welcomed into the church building.

The Church hosts a “Math-a-ween” event for the local school in the church's own building each fall. The church provides snacks and games for the school children to enjoy, complete with artificial “campfires.” 

To this day, Ray and Nancy greet every student when they enter the club and cherish every moment they spend with their new family. Meanwhile, attendance at Turning Point Church has continued to grow in the past six years since the Club began.

Thanks to its partnership with KiDs Beach Club®, the church was able to get outside the walls of the church and into the hearts of the students and the surrounding community.