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It is that time of year again, temperatures are dropping, kids are back in school, Friday night means high school football and yes, Beach Clubs are back! We have had a tremendous summer with a buzz of Beach Club activities around parks, swimming pools and baseball fields.  We are starting up with 110 Beach Clubs in 49 school districts this fall in 7 different states. Praise God!

One thing I do in the Beach Club process is getting everything set up for us to be able to enter each school campus.  Each school district is different and has its own steps for setting up a lease agreement so that outside organizations, such as KiDs Beach Club®, can  come onto the campus to do after school clubs.

Even though some districts may be a little more difficult than others, we are still standing on Revelation 3:8 that says, "I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it."  We believe that God's timing is perfect and that when He wants us to go into a new district or school He will open that door for us to be able to share the gospel with more students. It is our job to walk through those doors boldly and not in fear as it says in Psalm 27:1, "The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear?"

I love this time of year because we get to see shining new faces as well as some faces of kids we've grown to know and love. We also get to begin to see the amazing things that God is going to do this year through these clubs.  One club began with 11 kids asking Jesus to be their Forever Friend!

Come and join us in reaching kids for Christ.

May God Bless Your Day, 

Beach Clubber, Dakota Glidewell, is a hometown hero.  On Friday, August 2, 2013 at approximately 12:45pm, Dakota went outside his home in Coppell, Texas and noticed smoke coming from his next-door neighbor’s house.  He immediately went back inside and alerted his family and the Glidewells called 911.  The family lost many belongings, but all family members, including their pets, were not harmed.  Thankfully Dakota noticed the fire and acted quickly before it could have turned deadly.

Dakota also exhibited outstanding character and generosity by handing the homeowner $72, all the money he had.  When asked why he gave the money he said it was because he wanted to.  The homeowner commented, “This little eight year old kid gave me all the money he had because he realized that we were in need.  That touched my heart because that kind of kindness is not something seen too often, even amongst adults.”

Dakota attends KiDs Beach Club at Wilson Elementary, sponsored by Coppell Bible Fellowship.

This story was brought to our attention as reported in the August 9 edition of the Citizens’ Advocate by Behdad Jaffri.

One of our super volunteers, Tara Seidman, shares two opportunities she had to connect with family members of Beach Clubbers and minister to them personally.

I met with a momma of a brand new Beach Clubber.  Her daughter had come for the first time and started crying at the end of my lesson, during the prayer.  Her grandmother had passed away and I think the quiet moment triggered those emotions.  This family doesn't go to church and her tears were an open door for me to connect with this mom. On her permission form for where they list the church they attend, the mom put "one time only."  It's like she was saying, "Hey!  We don't go to church!  Come talk to me about it!"  When I followed up with her concerning her daughter, she told me more than once, "thanks for reaching out!"  I love the vehicle of KiDs Beach Club® to connect with families!

Not long after that, I met with another momma.  Actually, she's a grandmother who is raising her two grandsons.  They had just moved here from Alabama.   Mom is in Afghanistan and has been in full time service to our country almost all of her boys' lives.  When I called to see if I could get her to sign an "ouch report," I found out that she had been in the hospital for a week and awaiting cancer test results.  I was able to visit with her for an hour at their home and the next week her boys came over after Club to hang out at my house, just connecting with other boys in the neighborhood.  Again, this wouldn't have happened without KBC!

These are just two testimonies from my little world.  Now multiply that times all of your leaders and kids!  God is doing amazing things through this ministry that isn't always displayed in numbers or in a way that can be put on a chart.  He is doing things in people's hearts, and I LOVE that!

~ Tara

Angie, one of the Beach Club leaders in Caddo Mills, Texas is also a teacher at the school.  One morning Angie was visiting with a younger student and he shared some very disheartening information about his home life with her. Angie’s heart was breaking for this little boy and his family.  She knows the only true hope for him is Jesus.  This little boy does not attend Beach Club and she was thinking of ways she could infuse God’s truth into his life and then it hit her … the KBC Bible!  The KBC Devotional Bible is a complete set of the Scriptures designed to take kids from Genesis through Revelation in the NIV (1984) Easy Reader version.  It is also packed with 260 daily devotions and 52 weekend devotions.  Angie went immediately to her Beach Club supply box and pulled out a brand new Bible.  Now, the question was how would she get this Bible into his sweet little hands. 

The next morning as Angie and her daughter, who attends the same school, were getting ready, Angie said to her, “God needs your hands today” and placed the KBC Bible in her hands and told her to whom she needed to give it at school.  That day at lunch, Angie’s daughter went up to the little boy and said, “Hi, this is for you.”  He immediately responded with “what’s this?” and another boy piped up and said, “that’s the Bible; we use it in Beach Club to learn about God!”  This situation could not have been orchestrated in such a beautiful way had Angie planned it all out herself.  It was the Holy Spirit all the way. 

Just like Angie, we are faced with opportunities to be a light, shining hope into the dark places.  When you meet people and begin to hear their stories are you moved with compassion?  Are you sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and obedient in taking the next step?  The “next step” can take shape in a myriad of ways.  People are struggling all around us in all sorts of ways, but one thing is true, Jesus is their only hope.

KiDs Beach Club® continues to make Jesus Cool at School!™  We celebrate incredible growth having 97 active clubs across seven states this school year.  The vision “to provide every 3^rd through 6^th grade boy and girl a Jesus experience within the culture of their public school” is gaining momentum.

This goal is achieved with the help of generous donations from many friends and ministry partners.  These contributions make it possible for the 7,500+ children enrolled to experience Jesus in the safety of their elementary school.  In the 2012 - 2013 school year, our church partners have witnessed 727 children make Jesus their “forever friend.”  Taking all the years of Beach Club into account, that number grows to almost 4,400. That is a lot of children coming to Christ!  That is what transforms the culture of our schools.

Jack Terrell, Founder and President of KiDs Beach Club®, is often asked, “Jack, do you really give children in a school cafeteria or gym the opportunity to trust Christ? … How?”  This note received from a Club Leader captures how it happens.

A few weeks ago Ron, one of our Surf Team leaders, called me over and said that Philip had a question.  Philip asked me, “How do you become a Christian?” Then Ron said, “Now, tell her the other part.” Philip continued, “We are Buddhist.” My heart was heavy for a moment.  I shared briefly how to become a Christian and explained that Buddhists believe something very different about Jesus.  I explained to him that we always have to honor and respect our parents, so he should talk to his mom about it too. I told him that his mom sends him to Beach Club knowing we teach from the Bible, so it’s likely that she is open to it.  We all joined hands and prayed for Philip to have the courage and words to talk to his mom. 

The following Monday Philip came up to me with a big smile and said, ”I found out that we are not Buddhist… we are Episcopalian!” I told him that I was proud of him for having a talk with his mom.  At the end of the lesson when I asked who wanted to follow Christ, Philip raised his hand and enthusiastically said, “I do!”

Every week, amazing and committed volunteers share the love and hope found only in Jesus Christ with thousands of children.  It is through the generosity of individuals and church partners that children, just like Philip, can experience the forgiveness of Jesus Christ.

If you would like to support KiDs Beach Club® in reaching more children in more schools you can do it today.  Click over to our giving page for online options or write to us at PO Box 635, Euless, Texas 76039.

Melanie Ekblad, Elementary Ministry Director at Brookhaven Church in McKinney, Texas shares with us how KiDs Beach Club® has infused their ministry.

“Beach Club has renewed a sense of our calling that we have as Christians to go to where the lost are.  In a school system that had never allowed a Christian group to meet, the Lord opened a door through Beach Club for us to minister to kids that otherwise might not hear the gospel. It amazes me that some children today don’t even know who God is and have never been exposed to His love and grace. Through Beach Club our church and volunteers have seen many lives changed, including their own watching the transformation of children’s lives.  In one semester of Beach Club we saw 23 kids give their lives to Christ. We have seen kids begin to desire to know the Lord; they are reading their bibles, attending Sunday services, going to camp and even leading friends to the Lord.  It’s amazing what the Lord will do if we are faithful to His call.  We thank the Lord for the blessings He has given us through Beach Club and letting us be a part of His work.”