Kathy WilliamsAWANA? What's AWANA?
As
school begins and our children’s ministry kicks off a new club year
some parents are probably asking these questions. AWANA is an
international, Bible centered ministry to children
and youth. The name comes from 2 Tim 2:15, “Approved Workmen Are Not
Ashamed”. Our church hosts the club programs for children up through
Sixth grade
on
Sunday evenings from 5:30 to 7:15. It is important that both
children and parents realize that this is a fully developed club
program and not simply child care
during
the evening worship service. In addition to game time, the Cubbies,
Sparks and T & T (Truth and Training) clubs collect dues, have
uniforms and expect students to participate in Bible memory at age
appropriate levels. The newest program, ‘Puggles’ moves 2 and 3 year
olds from a nursery environment toward the older clubs. ‘Cubbies’
involves children in the 2 years prior to kindergarten. ‘Sparks’ are
Kindergarten through second grade and ‘T &T’ is for students third
grade through sixth grade.
The evening is divided between game time, Bible memory or handbook time and a large group time that includes singing, skits and a Bible lesson. The primary focus is to reach children with Good News that God loves them and provided for their salvation through His Son our Lord Jesus Christ. AWANA is designed so that students have a lot of fun during all 3 of these segments while showing proper respect for those around them. Teamwork and competition are used to encourage participation. Our leaders are trained to encourage and assist students as they work on memory verses as well as to ask questions that help the students understand and engage the truths as they memorize. Like anything in life, a child will ‘get out of’ AWANA as much as they ‘put into it’. That principle is of course Biblical, “You reap what you sow”.
I had the great blessing of growing up in AWANA. I encourage parents to not only bring your children, but to be engaged and help them with Bible memory during the week. You may even want to consider participating as a leader and/or getting your own book and working on the Bible memory along with your children. Through AWANA, we can teach our children to love the Lord and His Word through the investment of our time and energy. This brings short term benefits as they memorize scripture they receive recognition and awards. It gives them a solid foundation for the decisions and opportunities they will encounter as they grow. Most importantly, it brings eternal rewards as they trust in Christ, grow in their faith and are involved in reaching others. I cannot think of a better way to impact children or a better place to invest our time and effort.
I am pleased to join our children’s ministry team in the role of AWANA Commander. If you have questions please e-mail me or call me at 352-266-5492.
Your fellow servant,
Bud Meadows Jr.