Awana Program

[beaverpond]

I have worked in the Awana Program about 20 years ago in two separate churches. Kind of fun to compete against each other in the Olympics.
We just started up another Awana Program in the church we are attending now. I am the Commander for the program. I have become certified at all levels of our Awana Program…meaning Sparks, T&T, Game Director, & Secretarial. We are also looking at the Cubbies Group and the Trek & Journey Groups to start in December.
I have been through the Awana website from one end to the other, but I would like to hear what other Clubs are doing that are not on the website that I might be able to try. I am reaching back into my own history to see what I have done in the past and try some of those events.
I am finding that there are a lot of things that have changed in 20 years and a lot of things that have stayed the same.

 

[Jimmy P]

AWANA as in Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed?

If so, I still have my old AWANA uniform...I was in it for 6 yrs...believe I started off as a Hunter, then Brave, then Warrior, then Explorer, Trailblazer and one other...I may have them out of order...it's been a bit...have my Sash as well full of Uniform inspection ribbons, 6 bars full of arrowheads/stars...those were good times...I was in the program at Calvary Baptist Church...

 

[beaverpond]

"Hunter, then Brave, then Warrior, then Explorer, Trailblazer and one other"

Those were the books for Pals and Pioneers. I completed them as a leader to show the boys that if the leaders could do it, then so could they. I also have the Excellence Award and Timothy Award.

 

[Jimmy P]

Pals and Pioneers, that's right...if I remember right, the neckerchief piece for Pals had the Indian head and the piece for Pioneers had the Wagon?

Oh, please refresh my memory, of what the Excellence and Timothy awards were?

I have 3 trophies from AWANA too...those things were so cool

 

[beaverpond]

There was a trophy from the Olympics, Gran Prix, Bible Quizzing, when you finished three books you received the Excellence Award and the Timothy Award was for six books. There are also Clubber of Year Plaques.

 

[Jimmy P]

Aw man, I don't remember that with our program...I finished all 6 books...the Sword Drills, the Crafts, etc...maybe it was a little different for certain AWANA groups?

Usually after we'd complete a book, we'd be rewarded with all of us going to an amusement park...generally Kings Island, Cedar Point...we wouldn't have to pay...that was so cool...really helped me through my books

 

[beaverpond]

I am challenging the kids to pass as many sections as they can and which ever team passes the most...each team member will get to pie me in the face with a whip cream pie. For the team member who passes the most by themselves on the winning team, gets to pie me twice. We are running this program for all of January and February and the kids just exploded with excitement and some of the leaders just looked at me as if I was out of my mind. Sometimes you have to be a little nuts to be the commander. So this should be quite an amount of fun.

 

[Jimmy P]

lol, so you make it really fun for them...that's great...I'm glad AWANA is still around...enjoyed it...

Congratz on your 100th post btw...

 

[beaverpond]

thanks for the congrats...had not noticed

I belong to another website where I have been very active for a couple of years and have almost 4000 posts

I remember my time as a leader/ everything else and I know I wanted to do more with the program, but church leadership tied my hands.

This time I wanted to be able to have more control in how things were done without stepping on too many toes and still make fun and successful.

 

[Jimmy P]

Sounds like you did it...

A pie to the face always means a good time lol....

AWANA helped me to learn alot plus it showed me that God is also about fun...that has been over 30 yrs ago but I still remember it...these kids will too...

 

[beaverpond]

Last month we have been hearing from some of the kids how they want to be leaders some day...so in November I took it to the leadership team and said, what do you think of Honorary Leader of the Day. They have to have finished their Entrance Test, they have to be of Good Behavior in Club, and they must also have Good Club Attendance. Everybody liked this idea. I also laid out what the kids could do to help me out like help lead in song time, lead in presentation of awards, lead in the pledge to the flags, help announce the winning teams for that night, and this is just a few things.

We have a few kids already trying to figure out how to get to club after school to work with the kids in the after school age group. I have suggested taking the bus to the church as it stops a couple of houses away.

 

[Jimmy P]

That sounds great...I would have liked that when I was in...

Does your AWANA do the Uniform Inspections? Have like a game time while the gals do their verses and the like?

Our meetings were usually Wednesday nights, around 6-8:30...

 

[beaverpond]

For us we have the same age groups in the same game times. Nothing gives more satisfaction than having a week where a team of girls beats a team of boys in the tug of war. The boys were so overconfident that they underestimated the girls who literally dragged them across the floor in a matter of seconds. I gave them a few pointers and it was absolutely hilarious to watch.

We have some young teen leaders who like to play in some of the games and I allow them to join in from time to time, but they do know it is more for the clubbers than them.

We don't use the typical Awana Uniforms because one of our leaders owns a t-shirt shop and she and her husband can do them for half the price. The new uniforms from Awana are polos and cost almost $20 each. I can get them for a little under $10 after printing.

Our meetings are on Fridays after school because we can utilize the school district buses to drop off a lot of the kids, but we also have a large contigent of home school kids as well.

Our club goes from 3:30-5:30. I send home a weekly newsletter to the parents. Got to love the kids. I asked them the ever popular question last week...how many of you actually show your parents the newsletter that I send home...you should have seen the lack of hands go up. I said wait until I start calling home because I am going to start visiting your parents just because your not taking the newsletters home to them. So I will give this a few weeks and see just how honest they answer me then follow it with...allow me to call your mother and ask her that question and see what she says. I can be so mean. hee hee hee hee hee

Because our club is right after school, we even have a snack time for the kids...usually with some sort of fresh fruit.

 

[Jimmy P]

Polo shirts now? Pretty cool...so a little has changed but doesn't sound like much...I'm just glad to hear that AWANA is still around...

Our 3 numbers we wore on our shoulder was 393...do you folks use a number? I'm not even sure what the numbers were for lol..

Friday nights, that's nice...good start to the weekend...

Maybe they'll start giving them newsletters to their folks

 

[beaverpond]

Ours is a five digit number 20020 and it is the church's Awana charter number. We can use them, but we don't because you are supposed to put them on the shoulder and is kind of challenging putting five numbers on the shoulder. We do have the 8x10 Awana church charter that hangs in the game room.

 

[Jimmy P]

Hey BP, found my uniform hanging in the attic...got a couple pix and my cards/couple awards...thought you'd like to see

 

[Jimmy P]

Couple awards...

 

[beaverpond]

We never used the sash, but there were more than a few who definately qualified for it.

As for the trophies, the first one is something your local church came up with. The second one is a clubber of the year trophy that we used to use so many years ago. Eventually they became plaques. Membership cards are cool, because we don't use those anymore except in Sparks.

 

[Jimmy P]

I may have been about 9 when I first joined...born in '69...

So the 1st trophy probably something the local church did theirself? It's neat...my little guy likes it