| Children's Ministry The forum for Sunday School and Children Ministers. |
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23rd February 2011, 07:55 PM
| | Newbie
  
| | Join Date: 23rd February 2011
Posts: 1
Blessings: 11,490
Reps: 10 (power: 0) | |  no good
my name is zach and i'm eighteen i recently started leading games because my friend that was the game leader went to childrens ministry institute so im in charge of games now...i wouyld totally agree with you and your wife..in my opinion thats totally unacceptable. i would not be ok with that. Besides the fact that our awana commander would not even let me. but yeah thats no good |
24th February 2011, 11:58 AM
| | Newbie
   
 | | Join Date: 5th February 2011 Location: Upland, Ca
Posts: 87
Blessings: 2,013,193
Reps: 215,252,943,444,744 (power: 215,252,943,447) | | | I have been a Children's Pastor and worked with children for many many years - honestly, in the old days this wouldn't have even been questionable.
Today I would hesitate to play such a game. |
24th February 2011, 07:15 PM
|  | Legend
| | Join Date: 24th March 2005
Posts: 20,416
Blessings: 13,264
Reps: 225,918,858,897,027,968 (power: 225,918,858,897,056) | | honestly, in the old days this wouldn't have even been questionable.
Today I would hesitate to play such a game.
Yes... true. |
20th December 2011, 12:03 PM
| | Newbie
 
| | Join Date: 20th December 2011
Posts: 1
Blessings: 5,510
Reps: 10 (power: 0) | |  Awana Games by the book
Originally Posted by cinger  My wife and I just started volunteering with a local chapter of AWANA children's ministry as teachers within our church. All was going fairly well for us until this past week's games activity. The game volunteers had the children (Grades K-5,) playing a game that made us uncomfortable. The object of this game was for the children to pair off and then work together as a team to open the wrapper of a piece of bubble gum and then chew the piece of gum for 5 seconds. The challenge was that they had to accomplish this task without using their hands. As a result, many children were accidentally dropping their gum onto the floor and in order to complete the game were encouraged by the games volunteers (who are adults,) to pick the gum up from the floor and then chew it for the 5 allotted seconds. Many children were also encouraged by the games volunteers to use each other's mouths to help open the gum from the wrapper, with each child holding one end of the wrapper with their teeth and pulling. (No other method was really available or encouraged for opening the gum from the wrapper.) My wife and I were very uncomfortable with all of this, and we basically cringed and became as non-participatory as possible. At one point I asked one of the games volunteers somewhat sarcastically if this was a "sanctioned", legitimate AWANA game, which caught him off-guard, and he did not really respond with much other than a shrug and a mumble.
Anyone here, especially if your are familiar with AWANA or children's ministry, please supply your opinions regarding this event. Were myself and my wife just wrong for seeing anything questionable in this?
I have been an Awana Games Director for many years and have never heard of the bubble gum game. I stick to the games in the book and have had great success with the Sparks both in the weekly club and in the SparksArama multichurch competition. Please see Awanamidatlantic.com under events for an official rule book on line.  |
10th January 2012, 12:26 PM
|  | Urban Nomad. Literally.
 
| | Join Date: 2nd November 2007 Location: Freezing, America
Posts: 14,543
Blessings: 1,545,205 My Mood 
Reps: 462,794,282,735,194,176 (power: 462,794,282,735,214) | | Originally Posted by cinger My wife and I just started volunteering with a local chapter of AWANA children's ministry as teachers within our church. All was going fairly well for us until this past week's games activity. The game volunteers had the children (Grades K-5,) playing a game that made us uncomfortable. The object of this game was for the children to pair off and then work together as a team to open the wrapper of a piece of bubble gum and then chew the piece of gum for 5 seconds. The challenge was that they had to accomplish this task without using their hands. As a result, many children were accidentally dropping their gum onto the floor and in order to complete the game were encouraged by the games volunteers (who are adults,) to pick the gum up from the floor and then chew it for the 5 allotted seconds. Many children were also encouraged by the games volunteers to use each other's mouths to help open the gum from the wrapper, with each child holding one end of the wrapper with their teeth and pulling. (No other method was really available or encouraged for opening the gum from the wrapper.) My wife and I were very uncomfortable with all of this, and we basically cringed and became as non-participatory as possible. At one point I asked one of the games volunteers somewhat sarcastically if this was a "sanctioned", legitimate AWANA game, which caught him off-guard, and he did not really respond with much other than a shrug and a mumble.
Anyone here, especially if your are familiar with AWANA or children's ministry, please supply your opinions regarding this event. Were myself and my wife just wrong for seeing anything questionable in this?
Okay, great, so there's a game that made you uncomfortable. What was the point of the game? What was the lesson that week? What was the floor composed of? Were the children having a good time?
Seems like you're missing a few crucial details for anyone to make a reliable assessment regarding the legitimacy of the game...
__________________ Originally Posted by CaliforniaJosiah
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dir="ltr"> "Offense" is something TAKEN. No one MAKES anyone feel anything. IF we are offended by something, we CHOSE to be offended by it...
But I think that OFTEN, people confuse discussion with fighting. Disagreeing is not personal, it is not an attack, it is not disrespectful or flaming, it is not offensive per se. It ONLY means, "I disagree." Nothing more. Nothing less. It suggests NO emotional response whatsoever.
NO ONE is mandated to agree with anyone. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. |
10th January 2012, 12:29 PM
| | Urban Nomad. Literally.
| | Join Date: 2nd November 2007 Location: Freezing, America
Posts: 14,543
Blessings: 1,545,205 My Mood
Reps: 462,794,282,735,194,176 (power: 462,794,282,735,214) | | Originally Posted by Ms. McE I am an Awana leader. We have never done this game, thank the Lord. I would speak to the Awana commander. Not only is this highly unsanitary, but the idea of two children putting their mouths on each other crosses a boundary that seems almost sexual. This game should not be played again.
What the heck? The game has nothing to do with sex, the kids are K-5. Most of them don't even know what sex is and aren't even interested in starting a relationship yet. How in the world is it 'almost sexual'? Unsanitary, perhaps, but how on EARTH do you get the idea that mouths touching is sexual? Is a parent kissing their child sexual?
__________________ Originally Posted by CaliforniaJosiah
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
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dir="ltr"> "Offense" is something TAKEN. No one MAKES anyone feel anything. IF we are offended by something, we CHOSE to be offended by it...
But I think that OFTEN, people confuse discussion with fighting. Disagreeing is not personal, it is not an attack, it is not disrespectful or flaming, it is not offensive per se. It ONLY means, "I disagree." Nothing more. Nothing less. It suggests NO emotional response whatsoever.
NO ONE is mandated to agree with anyone. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. |
11th June 2012, 06:06 AM
|  | Member
| | Join Date: 29th February 2012 Location: USA
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Reps: 156,817,226,599,785,824 (power: 156,817,226,599,788) | | | bad game
I'd have been uncomfortable too
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