Blog

Your support of our Bibles for Beach Club program makes it possible for KiDs Beach Club® to give a KBC Explorer’s Study Bible to every child in every Beach Club, but that is only a starting point for the nearly 2,700 volunteers who serve in Beach Club.

Every week, they teach the Bible to the many unchurched children who attend our after-school Bible clubs that meet in their public school. Did you know that more than 62 percent of children who attend Beach Club do not regularly attend church, and the Bible you partner with us to give them is likely the first Bible they have ever received? It may even be the first Bible in their home.

So, it is important that our volunteers introduce them to the Bible and teach them how to use it. We want them to read from God’s word to find out how much He loves them by providing a way to get to know Him through His son Jesus Christ. We want children to know that He desires to have a personal relationship with each of them.

Ivy Lassiter, the children’s minister at First Baptist Church in Richardson, Texas, which sponsors the Beach Club at Northrich Elementary, led the Bible lesson for the club’s Great Treasure Day this past fall. She offered kids a couple of reasons why she loves the Bible and considers it the “best thing ever.”

“One of the first reasons is that every single word in this book – every single word – is there because God wanted it to be there,” she said. “I just think it’s kind of amazing that God, who had the creativity to create our whole universe and had the creativity to create you and has the power to do anything; that amazing God goes, ‘these are the words that I want My people to read; these are the things that I want them to know about Me’ and He puts them in a book for us.”

Lassiter explained that everything people want to know about God and what He thinks about us is in the Bible. “It’s all in there because God, our humongous God, wanted it to be there,” she said.

The second thing she thinks is so amazing about the Bible is found in Hebrews 4:12, which, in the KBC Study Bible, says, “For the word of God is living and powerful.” Another translation reads, “God’s word is alive and active.” She explained that means that the word of God can never get old and even though it was written a long time ago, it remains just as true today as the day it was written.

“I’m reading it to my son Warren, who is 5, and he can learn something about the Bible,” Lassiter told the Beach Club. “But then my dad, who is 65, can read those same verses and those same stories and can learn something from it. I can’t think of another book in the entire world that a 5-year-old can read, and a 65-year-old can read and can still learn something and grow from. That is amazing!”

Lassiter said she has been studying the Bible on her own for something like 20 years, but every time she reads it, she sees something new or finds different meaning in something she had previously read. She asked Beach Club volunteer Sherry Hobbs how long she has been reading the Bible, and she told the kids she has been reading the Bible for “many, many decades,” but learned something new during her devotional time just that morning.

Molly Greenlee, one of the two children’s pastors at CHRIST Church in Irving, Texas, tells the kids in the two Beach Clubs her church sponsors that the Bible is the most important thing you can carry around with you because this is God’s word. Then she showed them her first Bible that she got for Christmas when she was 5 years old.

“My Bible is full of stickers and full of crayon markings,” she told them as she carefully opened the brittle, white-covered Bible to show them. “I might not have always known what I was reading when I first got it, but I kept it because it started me off in my faith.”

She told them that what they are learning in Beach Club will help them be able to use their Bibles. Each week KBC volunteers teach a new Bible verse and show kids where to find it in their Bibles.

“We’re about to give you this book and some of you already have one,” Lassiter told the Beach Club on Great Treasure Day. “But here is the deal, you get to learn and grow, and this book will be exciting to you for the rest of your life and that’s what we want for you guys.”

Then she gave the kids an example of the prayer she reads before she opens her Bible each day and encouraged them to do the same.

“I pray, ‘Jesus, help me understand the words that I’m about to read. And Jesus, help me to know You more and help me experience who You are today. Amen.’”

Greenlee reminded the kids in her Beach Clubs that it’s okay if their new Bibles don’t stay in perfect condition.

“It’s okay if they get bent, it’s okay if they get dirty because that means that you are using it,” Greenlee said. “That is what God wants you to do. He wants you to read it. He wants you to know how much He loves you and you can only do that by actually opening and using your Bible.”

We hope all of our Beach Club kids are using their Bibles this summer by participating in the Hang 10 Summer Reading Program. Each weekly plan helps develop a habit of spending 10 minutes a day with God by reading the Bible and praying.

Are you ready for summer? It’s almost Memorial Day Weekend! As the unofficial start of summer, this is the  time when we kickoff the Hang 10 Summer Reading Program.

"Hang 10" is the phrase we use to encourage kids to hang out with God for 10 minutes every day through Bible reading and prayer. The Hang 10 Summer Reading Program continues building daily habits of praying and reading the Bible.

This year's Summer Reading Program focuses on walking kids through the Bible, using stories selected from each Bible book. Each week for 14 weeks beginning May 26 and continuing through the Saturday before Labor Day, August 31, the plan will provide daily Bible readings and additional "bonus" content designed to help kids dig deeper into the Bible.

The Summer Reading Program is available on the KBC website, featuring stories from:

• The Books of the Law
• The Books of History
• The Books of Wisdom, Poetry and Praise
• The Minor and Major Prophets
• The Gospels
• Paul’s Letters (Epistles & Pastoral)
• The General Letters
• Prophecy

RELATED:
Tips for Getting Kids into God's Word this Summer  

Our Summer Reading Program isn't just for kids! We are encouraging everyone to "Hang 10" this summer. We’re hoping that parents, teachers, volunteers and the many friends of KiDs Beach Club® lead by example to spend at least 10 minutes a day with God.

Follow the KBC social media accounts where we'll post each week's Summer Reading Program on Sunday, along with daily reminders on our Facebook and Instagram Stories. We encourage you to share them with your friends and family who may not yet participate in Beach Club or who are looking for a summer devotional activity. You can even forward this email to them.

Please follow us at @KiDsBeachClub on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and be sure to share your posts by mentioning us or using the hashtag #Hang10SRP. We would love to see photos of your children or grandchildren with their KBC Study Bible this summer. 

This summer's Hang 10 Summer Reading Program was designed to be used with the KBC Explorer's Study Bible, which is given to every child in every Beach Club. If you do not have the KBC Study Bible and would like one, it is available for only $20 in the Surf Shop. You can still participate in the Summer Reading Program without the KBC Study Bible, but you won't be able to read the bonus materials.

KiDs Beach Club® often impacts more than just the children who attend Beach Club. It can be a life changer, altering the lives and eternal future of an entire family.

Christine Zanella, a volunteer at Wekiva Elementary School in Longwood, Fla., and her family’s trajectory were completely changed by her son after he signed up for Beach Club.

“My son, John, was the first child to sign up for KiDs Beach Club® in 2015 at Wakiva Elementary,” she said. “Throughout the first two years, I could see how this ministry was a blessing for my family.”

The simple and practical way the Bible was explained was amazing.

In 2017, Zanella’s son and daughter were in Beach Club. John was starting fifth grade and her daughter Carolina was starting second grade. She had already been volunteering for Beach Club events but was asked to become a full volunteer with this club.

“I certainly loved and was excited to be a part of it,” she exclaimed. “Today, I have been volunteering at this Beach Club for two years, and this ministry is, literally, God's hands in my family's life.”

Zanella says that both of her kids chose to have Jesus as their savior through Beach Club and that they attend First Baptist Church Sweetwater, the partnering church.

“My daughter and I were both baptized there on February 3, 2019,” she said. “The kids are participating in the youth groups at church, and John attends FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) at his middle school every Wednesday morning.”

KiDs Beach Club® was the open door for her family to come to Jesus as Savior and for a life closer to God.

“I am really grateful to be a KBC Surf Team leader today, share the word of God with the kids in our school, and pray for their families!” she said.

When Jack Terrell, the president and founder of KiDs Beach Club®, heard about the Zanella family, he responded, “it’s humbling to know that when a church is mobilized to see people outside its walls and then allows its laity to be equipped to use the KBC model, the results are always the same... changed lives!”

The Beach Club at McCall Elementary School in Willow Park, Texas is teaching character words through action and discipleship. The fifth graders often mentor, teach or take on extra responsibility in their Beach Club.

Club Leader Sean Crevier, the children’s minister at Willow Park Baptist Church in Aledo, Texas, explains that once children receive Christ as their savior, just like you or I, they have been given spiritual gifts and they need to learn how to use them for the Lord.

“For example, we see that some of them are teachers and some of them have the gift of administration, so we really try to use them where they have gifts and talents,” Crevier explained.

There are several fifth graders who help out with younger groups.

“Now we still have adults at each group who help with discipline and such, but the younger grades are bonding and connecting with the fifth grader as more of a friend or peer than an authority figure,” Crevier said.

They have found that the younger Surf Team groups are really receptive, more attentive and tuned in when an older peer is helping teach. Not only are those helpful benefits, but the fifth grader really has to digest the lesson and the Hang 10 before they can turn around and teach it to others.

“It is the same philosophy we use at our church and we have found good success transitioning it over to Beach Club as well,” Crevier said.

They have even had kids prepare to lead the Memory Link time or lead the Review Game.

“We always try to lean on the older kids to try to have them prepare ahead of time to do that,” Crevier said. “It’s been really cool to see the kids learn and turn around and lead.”

In addition to discipleship, they are learning to use some of the character words like dependability, friendliness, kindness and responsibility to be leaders and teachers to their peers.

What are your favorite things about summer? We bet some favorite things on your kids list include swimming, vacation, ice cream, hot dogs, fireworks and baseball. Our guess, though, is that most kids probably respond, “No school!”

It’s true; school is almost out, and Beach Club has come to a close or is about to. We know your kids enjoy Beach Club, and we want them to enjoy it during the summer, too. With KBC Explorer’s Study Bibles in kids’ hands and in their homes, boys and girls can continue learning with Beach Club. This summer, KiDs Beach Club® is providing a summer Bible reading plan for kids and their families.

“Hang 10” is the phrase that KiDs Beach Club® uses to encourage kids to hang out with God for 10 minutes each day reading the Bible and in prayer. At the end of each club meeting, kids are given “Hang 10 Pages” to take home and use as a guide to spend time with God each day. 

The Hang 10 Summer Reading Program continues building and strengthening these habits of daily Bible reading and prayer. Just like last year, this year’s Summer Reading Program focuses on walking kids through the Bible, using stories selected from each Bible book. Each week for 14 weeks, beginning the Sunday before Memorial Day and continuing through the Sunday before Labor Day, the plan will provide daily Bible readings designed to help kids dig deep into the Bible.

Better yet, the Summer Reading Program isn’t just for kids! We are encouraging everyone to “Hang 10” this summer. Parents, teachers, volunteers and other Beach Club supporters can lead by example and spend at least 10 minutes each day with God through Bible reading and prayer.

We hope you will stay connected to KiDs Beach Club® during the summer. We would love to see pictures of you, your children (or your grandchildren) with their KBC Study Bible. Please follow us at @KiDsBeachClub on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and be sure to like, comment and share your own posts and photos by using the hashtag #Hang10SRP or #MyKBCBible.

Look for the Hang 10 Summer Reading Program in your inbox next week! OR find it now on our website at KiDsBeachClub.org/SRP.

The Hang 10 Summer Reading Program has been written for best use with the KBC Explorer’s Study Bible, which is given to every child in every Beach Club. You can still follow along with our program even if you don’t have the KBC Study Bible, but you won’t be able to read the bonus material contained in many of the lessons.

If you want your kids to have their own KBC Study Bible, it is available for only $20 in the Surf Shop.

Despite an April Saturday filled with steady rain and thunderstorms, a big crowd gathered at Texas Motor Speedway for the 2019 Bibles for Beach Club Benefit Dinner for an evening of fun, inspiration and giving.

The bad weather cancelled the popular pre-event pace car rides for event sponsors and table hosts, dozens of KBC supporters were lined up and eager to flood the Grand Ballroom of The Speedway Club when the doors opened at 6 p.m. to get in on the popular Dine & Dash and Pick & Play games, which featured more than 200 restaurant gift cards and certificates for entertainment venues in the DFW area.

Prior to and during dinner, guests were entertained by music from Travis Muscatell, artist in residence at KBC partner, 121 Community Church in Grapevine, Texas. Following dinner, Grant Johnston, the morning meteorologist at NBC 5, showcased the impact of KiDs Beach Club since 2003 with nearly 20,000 volunteers ministering to more than 97,000 children and 8,730 of those kids making Jesus their forever friend in Beach Club. Those numbers brought hearty applause from the crowd which also cheered the fact that 60,901 Bibles had been handed out to children in public schools since 2003. Johnston then told some impactful stories of how God’s word had made a difference in the lives of several children who received Bibles from the previous benefit dinner in 2017.

Entertaining auctioneer Loyd Sawyers and his team of energetic screaming spotters led the crowd through a series of adventures to bid on which included a year’s worth of flower bouquets popular with the ladies in the audience, and a helicopter hog hunt which brought top dollar amounts from the men.

Mesquite ISD superintendent Dr. David Vroonland then delivered a powerful keynote speech starting with a shower of praise for almighty God.

“All praise and honor to our God and Father who created all,” he said. “Who created each of us, all of us, uniquely and wonderfully and gifted us to serve Him and serve His people.”

Vroonland’s message, which evoked a standing ovation, recounted his own childhood struggles of growing up in the foster care system until a family adopted him and raised him in the love of Christ helping him overcome adversity.

He encouraged the crowd that “each of us, while we share much in common, are uniquely created to have impact on the lives of others.” Vroonland said he shared his own story to build confidence with the crowd that when people in the audience give their gifts to the service of God’s people then those gifts will be used by God.

“Perhaps your gift will change the life of a child, your gift may be an expression of love felt by a child or your gift may help a child feel like they are valued and help them make a declaration of faith,” Vroonland said. “People like you made a difference in my life and I know you can do the same in the lives of my children and the many children like them. I promise you, your gift of love will make all the difference.”

Continuing the theme of being a person of influence was Dr. Jeff Thompson from the Concord Baptist Association in Fort Smith, Ark. He saw how KiDs Beach Club® was sharing the gospel with children in public schools every week and wanting that for the Fort Smith area, led the association to offer financial assistance to seven member churches resulting in seven Beach Clubs.

Thompson shared his vision.

“By 2023, I would hope and pray that 1,000 Baptist churches and 1,000 other evangelical churches step up to start a Beach Club, because we could easily have 2,000 clubs in Arkansas if we had the churches and people willing to serve and do it,” he said.

That type of vision and inspiration prompted the supporters to enthusiastically give to the Bibles for Beach Club Program which covers, but is not limited to, the purchase of the Bible and all costs associated with getting that Bible into the hands of the child including the storage, shipping, design and marketing.

Thanks to the generous outpouring of giving and sponsorship of the Bibles for Beach Club Benefit Dinner, KiDs Beach Club® raised nearly $200,000, and the following Monday, put in an order for 10,000 Bibles to be handed out to children in public schools for the 2019-20 school year.

Jack Terrell, the founder and president of KiDs Beach Club®, is grateful for everyone who participated in a memorable evening.

“A heartfelt thank you to every donor, sponsor and volunteer, who came through in spectacular fashion to contribute to making this night a huge success,” Terrell said. “Your gracious support Saturday allowed us to place our next order for 10,000 new KBC Explorer’s Study Bibles and it also allows us to take the initial steps toward our ambitious growth plan to minister to 100,000 children a week in 2,000 schools nationwide by January of 2025.

You are helping us make an eternal difference in the lives of thousands of children and their families. Thank you for believing in our ministry and helping us connect kids to Christ and put Bibles in their hands.”