New Ministry Spotlight: Journey Kids Juggling Club
This November, Hillside is starting a new juggling ministry for kids called “Journey Kids Juggling Co.” It will kick off with a 4-session after school club where kids can come to learn to juggle, make friends, have fun, develop character, and grow in their faith!
Read below to hear more about this club from Nikki Wallace (who is starting the club) and her 9-year-old daughter, Izzy, who has learned to juggle and will be attending the club.
Q: Where did the idea/inspiration for this ministry come from?
Nikki: My son spent four years in an after-school juggling club called Jugheads Youth Juggling Company. He hadn’t really found a sport or activity he loved, so he thought he’d give juggling a try. And we’re so glad he did! Not only was it great exercise, but through Jugheads he found a community of friends, caring adult and older-student mentors, opportunities for character development—and of course he learned the fun skill of juggling. Along with that, the director was a Christian who viewed it all a a ministry and shared very freely about Jesus with the kids and families, impacting hundreds kids over the 25+ years it was open. We were heartbroken when Jugheads closed in 2023, and have been missing it ever since. The idea recently came to me to start a juggling ministry at Hillside to try to capture some of what made Jugheads so special, but for a new generation of kids! So we’re going to start with this four-week juggling club in November and see what happens.
Q: What will the club be like?
Nikki: We’re working on creating a fun and interactive meeting structure, based on what Jugheads meetings were like. Kids will get to learn how to juggle through individualized instruction and demonstrations, and each child will have a checklist of juggling goals that they can work through. There will also be group games, snacks, a brief devotional time highlighting different Biblical character qualities and principles (especially ones that tie into juggling—like perseverance!), and plenty of free time for the kids to socialize, be silly, and general shenanigans!
I’m also really excited about the team of leaders and juggling coaches that is coming together! There are several former Jugheads students who love the Lord and are very skilled jugglers who are excited to come help with this. There will also be a few of us non-juggling adults there to help manage things, too!
Q: Izzy, how long have you been juggling? Was it like to learn?
Izzy: I’ve been juggling for a year and a half. A coach helped me to learn, starting with one ball, then two, then three. Now I’m working on learning how to juggle four balls! It was a little bit of a process, but it was worth it and it was fun to learn!
Q: Izzy, what’s your favorite part of being a part of a juggling club?
Izzy: The people that I’m juggling with, because I can juggle and also have fun being crazy and playing with them!
Q: Nikki, what are your hopes for this ministry?
Nikki: I landed on using an “adventure/journey” theme for this ministry, because it captures my hopes for it: that kids would take the next step in their journeys with juggling, character development, and their relationship with Jesus. As the founder of Jugheads said, “Juggling is the tool; changed lives is the mission.” My ultimate prayer is that kids will leave this club knowing they are loved by a God who knows them by name and wants a relationship with them!
Practically, we’re going to start by offering this four-session club on the first four Fridays of November. If there’s enough interest from families and coaches, my hope is to do this a few times a year, along with things like day camps, one-off open juggling sessions, and more. It will be fun to see how this unfolds!
Q: Nikki and Izzy, why would you encourage someone to sign their child up for this club—especially if they’re unsure about it?
Nikki: A lot of us have a very specific picture of juggling in our minds (clowns, court jesters and such!), but it can be way more than that. It’s a great skill to learn—good for the brain and body—and as kids get better at it and learn to juggle together (passing to each other and such), it can become really thrilling to watch! Mostly, though, it’s just a great opportunity for kids to come together and have fun making friends, developing character, and learning about Jesus’ love while learning a new skill.
Izzy: Juggling is really fun and unique, it can become a big part of your life, and is a memory to make. Once you start [juggling], you don’t want to stop!
Journey Youth Juggling Co. will be hosting an after-school juggling club on Fridays November 1, 8, 15, & 22 from 4-6:30P at Hillside. It’s open to kids grades 2-8 and costs $35/child. Register here!