AWANA

I would like to hear from anyone who has been part of these programs, now combined together and called Pioneer Clubs. Our church is considering starting the Pioneer Clubs for our youth.

Bill

 

AWANA website

Two of my kids are heavily involved in Awanas and I have to say the program has a very positive influence on them both.

 

Evidently you have not read many of my posts. We have no AWANAs, commanders, GAs, RAs, pirates, or any other traditional "program" in our church.

As usual - there is an element of truth to this statement.

 

AAG,

What does your church do to disciple young people?
I think that basically that is what things like
RAs GAs pioneers,AWANAs etcc... do they help them in their spiritual journey.
I used the spiritual journey phrase just for you.
Well, maybe you don't offer anything? I mean you think it is old hat to have Sunday night service so I know Wed. Night would really stress your staff out. Must be hard doing that one AM Sunday service. Shoot you probably gotta get all those video and movie clips together. I guess though if that one service gets to much one can always go on line and order ED Young's latest series, sermon mauscript, music, drama kit and all. If all his stuff is on back order then ole RW out in cali. is sure to have a good one.

Please, Please tell me what all the pastors who are out there on the cutting edge doing to tell little kids about Jesus. You guys have got to have something better than what we have now.

Enlighten me Obi Wan.

 

i know this was directed at All about Grace, but I wanted to point out TeamKID through lifeway.
We are currently using it now.

I have been in churches that use AWANA and I was pleased.

But I like TeamKID, because it is more applicational, not just learning verses.

 

AAG is my main man. He has to stop in every once and awhile and set us ole fogies straight.

I'm guessing AAG had to cut out awanas because his church probably cut out wed. night services.
He won't answer the question.

Did you have to go to a seminar somewhere to learn how to transition your children's ministry?
Or did yall come up with that one on your own?

Notice I used another CGM buzz word "transition".

Man what was folk thinking? A program where kids learn bible verses and get rewarded for it.

That is so 20th. century. Naw kids don't learn from repetition. Must be some other reason why they know the words to every retarded rap song EMINEM has put out.

I guess those i pods and head phones and all that stuff with their music can penetrate their little minds of mush but scripture just bounces off their little noggins. I suppose it is not repetition that teaches kids every little nuance of a video game after they have played it 100x either. Not that I'm against video games. but you see what I'm saying. Funny thing secular society bombards our children with repetition everywhere they turn from products,ads,music,you name it .

 

Have used AWANA, RAs and GAs, and our church currently uses TeamKID (Kids in Discipleship). All are wonderful programs with differences between them. My favorite so far has been TeamKID, but that's just a personal thing. The kids are learning Scripture, and its a great program!

 

Hold on to your seat ShannonL, I am getting ready to blow your mind ...

We believe a child's discipleship is primarily the responsibility of his/her parent and not the church!!! Isn't that cutting edge? We believe God has given the responsibility to train up children in the way they should go to the parent and not to the church. There's a radical concept for you.

What do we do? We engage the children in both a large group and small group format and then we attempt to equip the parents to disciple their children at home. We even provide "material" for the kids to take home each week to interact with their parents regarding the values they learn on Sunday.

Discipleship is not about learning facts or quoting Scripture verses. Discipleship is about teaching kids how to live life like Christ (love God/love others) and with a biblical worldview and perspective. I grew up in IFB circles with multitudes of kids who memorized verses but when given the chance they fled the church scene. And yes they can quote John 3.16 even to this day.

To do it with excellence, it is extremely hard. We put over 75 hours a week into our weekend services. And yes we only gather as a body on Sunday mornings. Primarily we do so because we rent facilities so we have no access to our facilities at any other time. Of course we do meet house-to-house through the week. Wow that sounds biblical.

I know Ed but I have never used one of his series or sermons. And the only time I have used anything from Warren was during the 40 Days of Purpose (and please don't jump on that hobby horse).

You can rest assured the kids who come to our church hear the gospel plainly and clearly and are given the opportunity to respond to that message in an environment on their level. You can also rest assured we are not pulling 5 & 6 year olds over to the side and having them pray a magical formula prayer to ask Jesus into their heart. Been there - done that - seen the results.

Actually I continue to grow and develop in my ministry every day. I am not trying to set anyone straight. Whether you are an old fogie or not is your call.

Can't cut out what you have never had. No Awanas - No wednesday nights (at least not as a corportate gathering) - not ashamed of either.

I hope all of us are in some form of transition. The only other option is settling for status quo.

I understand the Pharisees had almost the entire OT memorized. Again - it is not just about memory.

I love my iPod. I was jamming to some good tunes just a few minutes ago.

I hope you understand the difference between repitition and discipleship. But then again, check-list Christianity applauds those who are able to recite many verses or look up verses of the Bible really fast or even quote the books of the Bible backwards. Where is my next merit badge?

 

I've been involved in AWANA for seven years, the last five as the Game Director. I believe it is a great ministry for kids and their parents. Our club runs about 100 with around half of the kids coming from outside of our church so it truly is a ministry to the community. It is not the ONLY ministry that works, but it is a proven ministry.

My wife is the missions director for our club and can tell you more about the Adopt-a-Club program than most AWANA missionaries. This is an important program within AWANA Clubs International that few people know anything about. If you want to know more, send me a PM.

 

We preach and teach and cause to learn. Why use some superficial program? Preaching and teaching to kids has worked so well that our kids have won first place in the state quizzing competition about 9 out of the last 15 years.

The one thing the kids have told me is that they simply want to be taught, not simply entertained.

 

Thank you for that detailed answer AAG.

Learning by rote is an effective tool to retain knowledge,concepts etc...

i pods are cool. That is not the point. Your living in neverland if you don't think that kids who listen to the same favorite tunes over and over don't develope a sense of connection to the culture that is being sung about in the music.
We live in a hip hop world in case you missed it.

Not that the repetition of music lyrics is the sole cause for the culture in which kids find themselves but it plays a big role. Thus my comment concerning repetition.

I get sick and tired of people who turn their back on God blaming it on the church enviroment they grew up in. Maybe they should try taking personal responsibility for their own sinful actions etcc... I'm saying for alot of people who grew up in church and are now got going at all They use your argument as a cop out instead of dealing with the real issue which is their hearts.

So if your generation has come along and refined church to such an appealing thing to be apart of that people just can't stay away then what is going to be the new cop out for those who turn their backs on church. What, it was too appealing?

I think it is ignorant to simply throw out the past as if everything that was accomplished up until now by the church and its methods is worthless. Everything has to be new now.
Grant it life is about change you have to learn to deal with it. I just believe some folk of your ilk are foolish to scrap everything that preceeded your generation of ministry.

If the Lord tarries we will see how history treats the age of seeker friendly ministry.

BTW, if you spent the majority of your christian life behind the iron curtain in a russian prison in Siberia somewhere you would be one happy camper if you would have memorized lots of Scripture. Of course alot of these new fandango fellows who preach don't have to worry about knowing to much Scripture because they usually only share a verse or two before they launch off into one of their theraputic, verbal massages.
Egads! we wouldn't want Harry or Sally to have be forced to read to much scripture of the power point screen it might be to much for them

Also what does memorizing scripture have to do with 5 0r 6 year olds praying to receive Christ?

Some kids mean it, some don't. My mother-in-law asked Christ into her heart at age 7. She surrendered to God to go to Africa at age 10. She spent 35 years out there. Lost one child, one child contracted cerebral malaria and suffered seisures until he was 40. He has now been a missionary for 20 years himself.Her other son is a missionary in Brazil. One daughter is suffering for the Lord because she married me. The other is married to a preacher.(Who btw just might go nuts if he couldnt go to Willowcreek at least once a year but I still love him.) She left Africa on a stretcher suffering form a rare form of Malaria that almost destroyed her nervous system.
It all started when she prayed a simple prayer to receive Christ at age 7. I guess God knew what He was doing when He drew her to Himself huh?
I'm in no way in favor of easy believism. Getting #s etc... But don't you think that your throwing off on those guys is like the pot calling the kettle black. You seeker friendly dudes just took some of that mass evangelism stuff of the IFB,SBC glory days of buses etc revivalism all that and kind of put a yuppie look to it all.
Explain to me the difference between the singles at Saddleback having a "hollywood glam night" where singles can come to church dressed as their favorite actor and dance the night away for twenty bucks in the church worship center at that. They do this so people can meet,fellowship etc... I'm guessing your thinking "cool dude". Well what makes that any different than "pack a pew night" at revival meeting? It is still gimmicktry in my opinion just 21st century style and not "biblebelt" style.
Your throwing stones at people and some of their methods which in all reality to a degree they are your predecessors.
Ole Jack Hyles was a mega church pastor before RW ever thought about it. Yeah he was kind of a hayseed and his methods were rough maybe even cultic. He had his pastor's school for all his Hyles' wanna be's . You see the same thing today in mainstream evangelism. Alot of men are coming from all over the world to hear two preachers share their philosophy of ministry with them and they listen like little school girls talking to a varsity football player. Just like ole Hyles brought heartache to fundamentalists circles because of his blind following the same thing is going to happen to evangelicalism with this mass following of a particular style of ministry that was put before the preachers of today. Except it will only be worse because the following is bigger and more mainstream.

I got to do something to occupy my time until the steelers kick off Sun. night. Why not get on my favorite hobby horse?

Later.