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It’s summer! The pool is calling your name. You’re on vacation, maybe even at the beach. Kids are taking a break from school and resting up for the next school year. Some people might call that recharging. We certainly do.

While summer means taking a break from schoolwork, for our Beach Club kids it does not mean taking a break from God.

God wants everyone – children included – to spend time with him daily. Our Summer Reading Program can certainly help with that. One of the tip-in pages of the KiDs Beach Club Explorer’s Study Bible outlines how children can make a plan to spend time with God. It’s good advice for adults, too.

WHEN
Try to spend time with God at the same time each day, even if it’s just 5 minutes. Choose what time of day will have the least interruptions, like in the morning when you get up or before you eat lunch. When school starts back up, it might be before you head out the door.

WHERE
Choose a comfortable, quiet place that is free from distractions. 

WHAT
Gather up what you need, like your Bible, a pen and a notebook. You might also want some other tools, like a dictionary, to help you.

HOW

PRAY
Prayer is simply having a conversation with God.

When you pray, tell God how wonderful He is. Confess your sin. Give thanks to God. Ask him for help. Listen for God to speak with you.

READ
Read some Bible verses. You don’t have to read for a long time. Even one verse might be enough for you.

If you don’t know where to start, try the “God Is” or “Who Is Jesus” sections in the middle of the KBC Explorer’s Study Bible or read one Proverb each day. For adults, maybe sign up for daily devotionals that can be delivered to your inbox.

THINK
Think about what the verse means.

Ask questions like “What does this verse teach about God?” and “How can I act differently because of what this verse says”

Consider ways you can live out what you read.

WRITE
In your notebook, write down what you think God wants you to remember today.

In your Bible, highlight or underline verses and words that are important to you.

Writing things down help you remember and understand.

Consider becoming a KiDs Beach Club® monthly donor to help provide a Bible to every child in every Beach Club. Having a Bible of their very own allows children to spend time with God during the summer when Beach Club isn’t meeting. If you haven’t seen our Summer Reading Program, check it out for yourself and share it with children in your family, at church or down the street.

Many people think KiDs Beach Club® is a school-year only program designed to connect kids to Christ and put Bibles in their hands. Well that’s correct… in part. With KBC Explorer’s Study Bibles in the hands of kids and now in their homes, boys and girls can continue what they learned in Beach Club. So, again this summer, KBC is providing a summer Bible reading plan for kids.

Tips for Getting Kids in God's Word this Summer

“Hang 10” is the phrase used by KiDs Beach Club® to encourage kids to hang out with God for 10 minutes each day in Bible reading and 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. Some clubs even offer prizes to kids who return their completed Hang 10 Pages to club the following week.

The Hang 10 Summer Reading Program continues this purpose of building habits in kids of daily Bible reading and prayer. Follow our social media platforms where we’ll post each month’s Bible reading plan along with daily reminders for kids to read the Bible and pray.

• June – Reviews Bible stories and memory links kids learned during this past year.
• July – Reinforces the character words kids learned in Beach Club and connects those character words to God’s Word.
• August – Previews Bible stories and memory links coming in the new Beach Club year.

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

Look for the hang 10 Summer Reading Plan for June in your inbox early next week!

It’s no secret that teachers want kids reading during the summer. It’s important for kids to keep practicing and improving their reading skills. God’s Word is the best book a kid can read. As a parent, you set the tone for making Bible reading important… and fun! Here are some simple tips to encourage your child to read God’s Word this summer.

• “Hang 10” – At KiDs Beach Club, kids are encouraged to “hang out with God” for 10 minutes each day through Bible reading and prayer. Set an alarm at the same time every day as a reminder that it’s time for “Hang 10”. When the alarm sounds, pause what you’re doing and devote 10 minutes to Bible reading and prayer.

• Hanging out with God may be a new concept for you and your child. Use the tip-in pages “Spending Time with God” in the KBC Study Bible (between pages 242-243) as a guide to help you understand when, where, what, and how. Make a family plan for spending time with God every day… and stick to it.

• Put a sticker on a calendar every day your child reads his or her Bible. At the end of the summer, count up the stickers and celebrate your child’s Bible reading success with a simple treat, like an ice cream cone or an afternoon in the park.

• Print out a copy of KBC’s “Hang 10: Summer Reading Plan” and put it on your kitchen table. At breakfast or dinner, read that day’s assignment and talk about the Bible story or verses as a family. Use the guide on page 2 for family discussion.

• Taking a family road trip? Pack your Bibles and take the summer reading plan with you. Make the most of family time in the car by reading and discussing God’s Word. Email us a picture of your children with their Bible on vacation: photos@kbcmail.org or tag us on your social media posts @kidsbeachclub.

• Help your child get comfortable with the Bible by practicing Bible skills. The tip-in page “The Bible is God’s Word… so LOVE IT! LEARN IT! LIVE IT! (just inside the back cover of the KBC Study Bible) contains five different activity options to help your child practice finding things in the Bible and memorize scripture. Use one or more of the activity options for a meaningful family game night.

As thousands of Southern Baptist churches from around the country gather in St. Louis for the SBC Annual Meeting next month, KiDs Beach Club® will feature a booth in the exhibit hall to encourage church leaders take the message of Christ outside their walls and into public schools in their communities.

“The Lord has blessed KBC with 127 partnering churches who are actively connecting kids to Christ and putting Bibles in their hands in 170 schools throughout eight states,” said Jack Terrell, founder and president of KiDs Beach Club®. “Our vision is to provide every 3rd through 6th grade boy and girl in America, a Jesus experience within the culture of their public school. Please join us in prayer for many fruitful conversations with these church leaders as we introduce them to our ministry and ask them to consider partnering with us.”

The theme of this year’s SBC Annual Meeting is “Awaken America” and organizers are hoping that the week of June 12-15 in St. Louis sparks a revival among churches in order for our nation to experience the next great awakening.

Johnny Hunt, the pastor of First Baptist Church in Woodstock, Ga. has already set forth an eye-opening challenge for church leaders by saying, “I've never seen a generation so focused on defining the Gospel, but so uninterested in sharing it.” Hunt will be one of the featured speakers at the Pastors’ Conference, which will also include a message from Byron McWilliams, the lead pastor at First Baptist Church Odessa. 

McWilliams will be challenging thousands of pastors to lead the way by starting to use several tools to equip, engage and empower their congregations to win their communities for Christ. KiDs Beach Club® is one of the tools that McWilliams has been using to reach children and their families at three Odessa elementary schools. He plans to share how KBC has helped his church identify unchurched children within the schools and accelerated open doors for spiritual conversations with other family members at their homes.

“It’s (KBC) a key piece of what we do in our overall evangelism strategy at First Odessa because it works," McWilliams said.

Click the links for more information: SBC Annual Meeting | SBC Pastors’ Conference

KiDs Beach Club® is announcing staff changes including the promotion of Robin Cunningham to senior area director, the relocation of Kathleen “Kat” Akins as club relations director and the hiring of Ann Griffith as club relations director.

Cunningham joins the corporate staff and will serve alongside Jennifer Radabaugh as the ministry’s two senior area directors. Cunningham will be responsible for an area in Texas that begins in Tarrant County and west. She will continue to serve KBC Foundational Partner First Baptist Church in Euless. Radabaugh will continue to be responsible for Dallas County and areas to the east and south to the gulf coast.

Cunningham has been with KBC since January 2014, serving as an area director in north Tarrant County. Cunningham, who previously owned her own photography business, has worked with children in a church setting since her youth and has taught fourth grade in Southlake. A graduate of Hardin-Simmons, she and her husband Greg have two children, Gracie (13) and Wes (11). They reside in Grapevine and attend church in Southlake.

Akins, who joined KBC in June 2014, has served in West Texas, helping launch seven Beach Clubs in Odessa, Monahans, Andrews and Denver City. She initially served as a Beach Club volunteer at Donna Park Elementary in Bedford, Texas and quickly became a devotee of KBC after seeing the transformation in both children and servant leaders as they learned and celebrated the life that only Jesus can give.

Akins has relocated to the Dallas-Fort Worth area and will assume an area in Tarrant County. She will continue to be actively involved in West Texas to ensure a smooth transition until her replacement has been found.

Griffith joins the KBC club relations team and rounds out the DFW staff in the south-central region that includes Grand Prairie, Irving, East Arlington and Ellis County. Griffith has lived in the DFW area for 17 years, including the last 12 years in Plano. She was instrumental in bringing the first Beach Club to Plano ISD and served as the club leader at Hughston Elementary. She and her husband David have two children, Grace (14) and Josiah (11), and attend Hunters Glen Baptist Church.

KiDs Beach Club® is also looking to fill positions in Midland-Odessa, Texas, and an area near Beaumont, Texas that includes Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana. Click here for a full list of positions currently available.

KiDs Beach Club® has several volunteers who go above and beyond the call of duty and many deserve to be recognized for their efforts. One such volunteer is Susan Jiura and she was recently recognized with the First Rate Living Extra Mile Award, given annually to people who are impacting youth in Arlington, Texas. 

Jiura has led the Beach Club at Sherrod Elementary School in the Arlington ISD for 10 years. She has served an average of 60 students in Beach Club and leads a team of 16 adult volunteers who meet every Tuesday during the school year to worship, play games and guide children to experience Godly character qualities found in the Bible. 

“Susan is an amazing servant leader who goes the extra mile in her role as Beach Club Director at Sherrod Elementary School,” said Roger Sappington, the lead pastor for community and missions at Pantego Bible Church, which sponsors the club at the school as well as three others. “Susan has gone above and beyond as she has ministered to children and their families. In many ways, Susan is the unofficial chaplain and benevolence coordinator of Sherrod Elementary School. She has been there for children when they faced illness. She has mobilized others to help materially support families in the midst of financial crisis. Susan does whatever is takes to see students loved and cared for.”

An active member of Pantego Bible Church, Jiura volunteers in many other aspects at the school and coordinated with Perfect 10 Charities to provide backpacks of supplies to all the students at Sherrod.  

“I would like to thank the Beach Club of Sherrod Elementary, mainly Mrs. Susan for being a major encouraging factor in bringing me and my children nearer to the Lord,” Greg Williams, whose three grandsons attended the club, wrote in an email. “From the day she came into our lives she has been a true ambassador for Christ, and a great friend to my family even after we have moved on to another school. I pray that God continue to strengthen and bless her in her following of Christ. The Lord loves her. We thank God for her and love her.”

First Rate Living’s mission is to love, give, serve and enjoy. David Stone, CEO and Founder of First Rate, along with his wife Trina, started their company with the desire to honor God by giving back to the community, specifically the youth of Arlington, Texas. First Rate Living supports many organizations that are making a positive impact in the community.

Jiura was presented a keepsake plaque and a $1,500 check as part of the Extra Mile Award. She plans to donate the monetary prize to the benefit of KiDs Beach Club®. 

Jeff Williams, the mayor of Arlington, delivered the keynote address during the award ceremony. He highlighted ways youth are being positively impacted in the city of Arlington and challenged everyone that there is much more work still to be done.  

If you know of other KBC volunteers who are being publically recognized for their service and contributions related to their impact on children, we would love to hear their stories, too. Please email them to us at news@beachclubs.org.