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About the Three Thirty Club

The Three Thirty Club was started in 1972 by Rev James L. Kephart at Town and Country Baptist Church in Bakersfield, California. At that time, Pastor Kephart was seeing a pattern in the church that needed a solution. The church was keeping children until they were about thirteen years old, then many would fall away from the church. Many fell into drug usage and were messing up their lives. They seemed to be leaving the church without God's word firmly planted in their hearts.

Pastor Kephart thought how wonderful it would be if he could be certain that the children would be prepared to face life. He knew that scripture teaches us to hide the word of God in our hearts that we might not sin against Him. He formed the Three Thirty Club as a fun, yet rewarding way to get the word of God into the children's hearts from ages 10 to 13. He edited thirty meditations so that they would read almost like a story, yet have most of the important verses of the Bible within the thirty meditations. He used the New International Version of the Bible for much of the meditations, but left a few verses in the King James.

He set up rewards for the students who memorized all three of the first three meditations. He wanted the children to get to know the adults at church, so he asked adults to coach the children. He also wanted the children to know the officers of the church and the pastor, so he had each child assigned an adult coach. When the child could say a meditation perfectly without halt, help, or hesitation, the coach would sign off the meditation and take the child to two of the church officers. The child would have to say the entire meditation to the officers of the church perfectly without halt, help, or hesitation. The finally the coach would bring the child to the Pastor where he or she would again say a meditation perfectly without halt, help, or hesitation. Only after saying the meditation perfectly three times was the child eligible to say the meditation before the congregation. When the child said the meditation before the congregation all witnesses would sign on his certificate. This was the plan and this was the way it started, but it didn't stop there.

It worked as planned and the children did get excited about it. They like to bring their parents and friends when they got up before the congregation. The coaches got close to the children and it was a wonderful beginning, but it even got better.

Some of the adult "coaches" got excited about scriptural meditation and decided to memorize the meditations too. Before long we had adults doing the meditations some did all thirty. The church was especially proud of an 80 year old retired school teacher who did all thirty meditations. Mrs. Kephart the pastor's wife also did all thirty. Pastor Kephart soon discovered that adults were interested in scripture memorization too.

In 2000 Pastor Kephart took the system to the internet. He supports it entirely with no contributions asked for or ever received. You are welcome to use any and all of the Three Thirty Club program at no cost what-so-ever.

The Three Thirty Club program has been used on all the continents and many of the islands. It has even been used in Japan as a method of practicing English. It has even been used secretly in Muslim countries by Christians. Its board of advisors are from all over the world. You can Start a Three Thirty Club in your church if you like.

If you get a Three Thirty Club going in your church or city, let Pastor Kephart know, or even charter your church so we can direct people there. We get email from people asking where they can find a church that does the Three Thirty Club program, so let us know if you do.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION,
Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by
permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers
Last Updated 11/05/2006