Making Disciples at Bible Club(s)
Amanda Greenhoe
Before I was a mother I would imagine what discipleship would look like for my kids. Prior to having children, I volunteered at an after-school club run through the Kids’ Life Bible Clubs (KLBC) organization that taught kids the good news of Jesus Christ—some for the very first time—and helped all club members to grow in their faith. I knew this was the kind of community I wanted my future children to be part of.
The KLBC mission is sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with elementary aged children wherever they are. KLBC partners with churches like Hillside to sponsor Bible Clubs in West Michigan public and charter elementary schools and other places where children gather, such as neighborhood homes, mobile home parks, and apartment buildings. You can check it out at kidslifebibleclubs.org
When my husband and I decided to send my oldest child to kindergarten at Cross Creek Charter Academy, just around the corner from Hillside at 76th and Kalamazoo, it was 2020. Starting a Bible Club during the beginning of the pandemic was not a possibility. Hillside’s existing Bible Club at Townline had been paused as well. However, when my son entered first grade in 2021, the door opened for us to launch a club at Cross Creek.
Fellow Hillside member, Eleanor VerBurg, had been leading club at Townline for years and offered to teach for the Cross Creek club while Townline remained closed to volunteers. I felt a bit guilty for leaning on her expertise and storytelling at Cross Creek, when the kids at Townline weren’t able to experience club, but there didn’t seem to be any way forward with Townline in that season.
However, God worked powerfully during this time. While outside volunteers weren’t allowed at Townline, a few teachers—who were already cleared to be in the school as employees—decided to relaunch the after-school club themselves. (You may have read teacher Emma Cole’s beautiful account of this relaunch in a past edition of Inside Hillside.)
As the Cross Creek club continued sharing the gospel, Townline’s club was restarted—sharing God’s word right from the mouths of educators! Discipleship was put into action at both schools. Proverbs 16:9 comes to mind when I think of how these clubs thrived simultaneously, by God’s hand, and beyond human plans.
“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.”
Next school year, we hope that both Townline and Cross Creek clubs can be open to Hillside volunteers, and both teams are always open to more help. We cannot thank Hillside enough for partnering as the clubs’ church sponsor and for providing snacks, volunteers, and prayer for this ministry in our local public schools. Many parents from Cross Creek also helped the ministry, as well as the wonderful staff and administration at the school.
God is working in the hearts of students, and it is amazing to be a witness to the transformation.
