Fear God. Honor the king.

“Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.” – 1 Peter 2:13-17

One of my years as a counselor at West Coast Honor Camp, we had a Bible lesson that discussed Romans 13:1, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” As the teacher explained the idea of being subject to all those in authority, one of the junior high campers asked, “even Obama?” The teacher paused, took a deep breath, and reluctantly answered, “Yes, even Obama.”

From statements in social media, on the news, and even in the conversations I hear around me, I can easily understand why the camper asked the question. When authority figures make mistakes or decisions we disagree with, we sometimes resort to slander and contempt, forgetting some important Biblical points about those in authority.

As we prepare to elect new authorities in government, and also when we consider those in other authority positions (e.g., church leaders, teachers, police officers, etc.), let’s remember these three ideas.

Earthly authorities are appointed by God

“Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.” – Romans 13:1-2

Some authority figures are elected, such as school board members and the President. Others are hired, such as police officers and school teachers. Still others just volunteer on their own time without elections or paychecks, such as kidmin volunteers. And yet all are only in their positions of authority because God allows it. And whether or not we like the actions and decisions made by those in authority, we need to recognize that God permitted them to be there for a reason. Therefore, we need to trust that God knows what He is doing and obey Him by respecting those He appointed.

Earthly authorities are human

“For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” – James 2:10

Humans make mistakes. Noah got drunk. King David committed both adultery and murder. My first pastor — the pastor I was saved under, who taught on the sanctity of marriage and the importance of family — was caught in an affair. And we’ve all seen in the media the instances of police brutality. Does that make it right for us to lose all faith in the system, disparage and slander the individuals, and discredit every good choice they’ve made?

Here in the United States, the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights grants us the right to free speech, as well as the right to petition the government to correct things that we see as wrong. These rights allow communication between authority figures and those impacted by their decisions. It also gives the authority figures the chance to rectify poor choices and help better the lives of those under their authority.

However, when authorities do make mistakes, we as Christians should not take these rights as excuses to irrationally attack the character of the individuals, nor should we hold said individuals in contempt. We should instead forgive and pray for leaders who mess up, because by God’s standards, we all fall short, and we’re all just as guilty. When we think the choices leaders make are wrong, we should be respectful in our petition of redress and have a little empathy and compassion as we remember that nobody’s perfect.

We should also remember that even though we all fall short, we have a God who is forgiving and can still work through our leaders’ mistakes for His good. In Romans 8:28, we’re told, “All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” God worked through Noah to save humanity from the flood, and He worked through King David to establish the Kingdom of Israel. He worked through my first pastor to present His truth and share His salvation plan with me. He works through the government to create and regulate laws to maintain peace and order, administer justice, and protect the people. God is big enough to bring blessings through those in leadership despite their mistakes.

Earthly authorities are temporary

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.” – Isaiah 65:17

Unfortunately, sometimes there are truly corrupt leaders who completely and purposely disregard God’s law. Consider the religious council who had Stephen stoned, despite his innocence and complete compliance. When faced with such authority figures, we can take comfort in knowing that our true kingdom is not here on earth. Earth and all of its authority structures are temporary.

In Stephen’s case, he was brought before the council under false accusations of blasphemy. He defended himself, as he was asked to do. Although Stephen spoke the truth, the leaders chose to put him to death instead of recognizing his innocence and the Holy Spirit speaking through him. If anyone had a reason for disrespecting leaders, Stephen did. But he still didn’t use this wrong against him as justification for disobedience or slander. Instead, he died with the confidence that he had obeyed the Holy Spirit and the assurance that Jesus was waiting for him. As an ultimate reflection of God’s forgiveness, He prayed with his last breath, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin” (Acts 7:60).

Now it’s unlikely that we’ll find ourselves under the authority of hard-hearted, wicked leaders such as those Stephen faced. Most of our leaders desire the best for everyone, even if some of them fill their authority positions poorly. So before we rant to our friends or post on social media, let’s check ourselves. Let’s remember that we’re all human, we all make mistakes, and we all fall short of God’s standard. And let’s remember that despite the mistakes authorities make, God still appointed them as authorities for a reason. As followers of Jesus Christ and examples to those around us, let’s do as God commanded: “Fear God. Honor the king.”

A Prayer Request for Kidmin Volunteers

Our church has gone through a difficult time. We are recovering, but there are still many areas in need of prayers and aid, especially in children’s ministry. We’ve lost several of our volunteers for both Sunday school and Awana. This past week, Truth & Training had two co-directors, one ill leader, and one elderly leader in a wheelchair to work with 20 clubbers. In Sparks, I’m fairing somewhat better, with six leaders plus myself for 25-27 clubbers.

Our Awana commander also serves as the church’s children’s ministry coordinator, and she has absolutely no volunteers to teach Sunday school.

We want to reach the hearts and minds of the children in our church, showing them the love God has for them. But unless we gain more volunteers, our leaders will have to sacrifice teaching opportunities and relationship moments in order to maintain the organization and flow of the ministries.

Please be in prayer for us, that more volunteers would join us in serving the Lord through our children’s ministries.

Encouraging leaders to teach Large Group

At the Awana club where I serve, most of my Sparks leaders are in high school or college. Many of them are still uncomfortable when speaking to a crowd — a circumstance they will likely face many times not only in school, but also once they enter the workforce.

So to help them gain more confidence, I encourage them to give Large Group presentations to the Sparks. Below are four reasons why encouraging leaders to teach Large Group is beneficial.

Practice with less pressure

Sparks are between the ages of 5 and 8. They’re still learning both Biblical and social basics and won’t care if leaders get a bit tongue-tied or forgetful. Because Sparks don’t care about the quality of the presentation, leaders can make mistakes with no fear of being graded or scored. Leaders may also find standing in front of a bunch of kindergartners is a bit less intimidating than standing in front of a bunch of peers or adults.

Practice clarity

Sparks don't understand big words like sanctification or atonement, so leaders need to learn how to fit their presentation to their audience. I encourage beginning presenters to use canned lessons so they experience what a well-organized, age-appropriate lesson is like.

Leaders who have presented more than twice before have an option to challenge themselves to create their own lesson to present God’s truth in a clear, age-appropriate way.

In school and at work, teens and adults need to be able to present ideas in a clear manner, often to people who know nothing about a topic or the topic’s jargon. An English teacher may require a student to give a presentation about an author to the class, or an employee may need to articulate an idea to a committee or project team. So why not practice now by presenting a lesson to a group of kids?

Practice precision

Sparks not only have a limited vocabulary, but they also have a limited attention span of about 5 to 8 minutes. So leaders have to both speak clearly and prepare and present a lesson that is engaging and to-the-point. Again, this is a good skill to have for school and other areas when there are time or attention-span constraints.

Practice presenting the Gospel

The purpose of Awana, or of any kids’ ministry for that matter, is to teach children to know, love, and serve the Lord. To fulfill this purpose, Awana volunteers need to understand the core of the program — the Gospel.

But knowing the Gospel and sharing the Gospel can be two very different things, and unless the leaders get opportunities to practice clear Gospel presentations, they may not be as confident, clear, or precise when children ask questions. An unprepared leader could actually make for a more confused child. By giving the leaders a chance to present the Gospel in Large Group, not only do they gain more confidence in sharing, but the clubbers get to hear God’s salvation plan frequently.

And maybe, as leaders gain more confidence speaking to a crowd, a Spark in that crowd may take to heart the leader’s message and make the decision to trust Christ.

For more information about Awana, visit the Awana Homepage.
To find a club in your area visit the Club Locator.

News of what’s new at Camp 2015

Junior high campers volunteer during free time to help with a
maintenance project at Camp.

This was a year of “news” at West Coast Honor Camp — a new activity (archery), several new crafts, new floating toys for the lake, and even a new concrete floor in the chapel (Yay! No more choking on wood-shaving dust during worship!). But these activities and improvements weren’t the only new elements introduced this year — Camp also provided campers, counselors, and staff with two new chances to serve the Lord through ministry.

One of the core elements of West Coast Honor Camp, as well as the biggest highlight for many of the campers, is the high school ministry trip. High school campers spend Monday and Tuesday preparing to go into Redding to serve and minister in several different locations and communities. You can learn more about the ministry options in my article, “Living the Lesson.”

But this year, ministry training and service weren’t limited to the high school campers — we offered a ministry opportunity to the junior high campers as well. Like their high school peers, interested junior high campers trained on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, they served our own camp by working on a small maintenance project during free time. They replaced and painted the wooden backrests on the benches of Reflection Circle — which hadn’t been fixed or replaced for many, many years. Then they got to sign their names on their work so they and their friends can see the fruits of their service for years to come.

West Coast Honor Camp also introduced a craft ministry, which allowed not only campers, but also counselors and staff, to participate. The idea this year was that instead of paying to make crafts for themselves, interested individuals made crafts and kits for free to give to children in impoverished countries through Operation Christmas Child. Participants made small packages with cars and trucks; kits with chalkboards, chalk and erasers; colorful bookmarks; hairclips; headbands; necklaces; and more to be put in shoebox-sized boxes and given to children who may have never received a gift before. Some campers even wrote letters or decorated the boxes. People also had the option to donate money through the week and through an offering at Thursday’s chapel to help ship the boxes. Together, we raised enough money to send 82 boxes filled with our crafts, along with toys, gospel messages, hygiene products, and school supplies.

The main reason I help with West Coast Honor Camp, and with Awana in general, is that I love helping the clubbers not only learn about God and the Bible but also watching them apply what they learn through the ways they chose to live and serve. This year was truly amazing in seeing the new ministry options embraced by everyone at camp, and I look forward to seeing both the ministries and the tweens and teens who serve through them grow in years to come.

For more information about West Coast Honor Camp, visit westcoasthonorcamp.org.

For more information about Awana, visit the Awana Homepage.
To find a club in your area visit the Club Locator.

Unexpected things for which to say thanks

At Awana, as with everywhere in life, sometimes thanking God for certain people, events, and circumstances is easy. At other times, it can be quite difficult. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, we're told "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Listed below are four things to be unexpectedly thankful for, along with one thing we thank God for that makes all the good and the bad at club worthwhile.

For Commanders: Thankful for being bored on a club night. Why? Because that means your leaders are effective and handling things correctly. It also means there are no discipline problems or other disasters.

For Directors: Thankful for when a leader is absent. Why? Because you get the opportunity to interact more directly with clubbers, and you gain a greater appreciation for the work your leaders do.

For Leaders: Thankful for those kids who come without practicing their verses at home. Why? Because they are still coming to club, and therefore still learning about God and Christ. It also provides an opportunity to bond with the clubbers by working through the verses with them.

For Secretaries: Thankful for an overwhelming number of awards to prepare for the night. Why? Because it means that the clubbers are doing well with hiding God’s word in their hearts.

For All Awana Volunteers: Thankful for watching clubbers come to know, love, and serve Christ Why? Because it's why we keep volunteering even if we're bored, have too few leaders, have kids who don't practice at home, or have an overwhelming number of awards to prepare in a minimal amount of time. It's what Awana is all about, and what makes every effort worthwhile.

May you all have a blessed Thanksgiving!

For more information about Awana Clubs International, visit the Awana Homepage.
To find a club in your area visit the Club Locator.

Always good for a smile

I am a daddy’s girl. And with June being the month of Father’s Day, I keep thinking about the reasons why I am a daddy’s girl. Here are three of those reasons, and I hope to learn from them so I can encourage others.

Always there

Whether it was to attend my softball games or tennis matches, or to answer the tough spiritual question I asked two minutes before bedtime, my dad always tried to make time to support me, encourage me, and help me. Growing up, Mom, Dad, and I regularly prayed together at night. In my college years, my dad still made time to play tennis, discuss questions, and help with homework.

For one college class, I had to make something to contribute to a Basque website the class was building. I decided to create a Basque recipe book and include my own photos. My dad made 10 complete dishes so I could take the photos of the process and finished products.

Today he’s still ready to sit and talk, encourage, and advise at any time I call, Skype, or drop in for a visit.

Asked questions

When I had to write papers for my classes, particularly from junior high on, I asked my father to proofread them. And it never failed — when he reached the end of a paper, he always turned to me and asked, “All these facts are good, but what does Tiffany think?”

When there were no required papers, and I just had a question about a topic I was learning about in school or in my Bible studies, or a question that came up when I let my mind wander, our conversations would boil down to, “What does Tiffany think?”

“Well, the facts say…”

“I know what the facts say, what the researchers discovered, what the scholars think. What does Tiffany think?”

Didn't matter if the paper or question was for art, history, English, Bible, or any other subject — he would try and push me to think critically and to draw my own conclusions from the information I collected.

Always good for a smile or laugh

If you've ever met my dad, then you’ll know that asking him, “how are you?” triggers quite the unexpected response – “Sweet, lovable, brave, clean, reverent, kind, considerate, astute, adroit, alert, and as humble as always,” surprises the asker. Why this unique response? To create a smile.

My father is also not afraid of being silly. Many times Mom has referred to Dad and me as her two children, especially when we goof around in the checkout line at the grocery store. One of Dad’s favorite phrases is “Always growing older, never growing old.”

At West Coast Honor Camp, a camper and counselor favorite game is “Steal the Bacon” (directions here), only played with inner tubes instead of beanbags. One thing about this game at this camp: it quickly escalates into a tug-of-war wrestling match. One particular year where we played this game, my father was at camp with a brace on his chest to protect several cracked ribs. When they had a round for the leaders to play, can you guess where he was? Yep, right smack in the middle, brace and all. Mom wasn’t laughing, but the campers were, and he was.

I love my dad, and I hope one day I can pray, encourage, help, and make others smile, just like him.

For more information about Awana Clubs International, visit the Awana Homepage.
To find a club in your area visit the Club Locator.

Sacrifices and Shadows

Although Mother's Day passed earlier this month, May is still a wonderful time to reflect on our moms.

I don't have children yet, but I thank the Lord for the living example He provided on how to be a godly woman and eventually, a godly mother. Here are three of the many traits I see in my mom that I want to emulate.

Sacrificial heart

Around the time my mom and dad married, they both had jobs as park rangers with Nevada State Parks — Mom was full-time and Dad was a volunteer. Dad had applied to state parks to work full-time in a position equal to Mom's, and he was accepted; however, the laws at the time prevented a family member from supervising another family member. Even though mom and dad would not have been supervising each other in their current positions, the park employers wanted to prevent a future scenario, and so they were only willing to keep one of my parents on staff. Mom and Dad decided before he applied that she would resign when he was hired — she willingly gave up her career after only three years to allow my dad to be hired.

Mom then worked another three years at the Incline General Improvement District before giving that job up to take care of me at home. She never did return to the work force, choosing instead to apply her education and expertise in ministry, manage the chores at home, and be available to bring stuff to the school when I forgot.

Consistent presence

Throughout elementary school, and even some into high school, I remember witnessing my mom behind the scenes in almost every activity I was involved in. At my elementary school, she helped teach kids math and helped sort craft materials, create teaching aids, and chaperone field trips. In junior high, she sorted music in my band class. She also traveled with the band a couple times in high school. In Awana, she became the club secretary. For my softball team, she provided snacks and sat through practices and games.

Guiding shadow

As much as she volunteered behind the scenes as I was growing up, she never hovered or acted overbearing. In class and on the softball field, she treated me like she treated the other students and players. At home, she made recommendations or suggestions about some of my actions and choices, and she helped me step by step as I worked through the consequences. She guided me in friendships and never called me out in front of my peers. She was a voice of wisdom, offering advice about how to solve my problems, but she never stepped in to solve them for me unless they were genuinely beyond my abilities.

With these three qualities and many more, my mom helped me to become the woman I am today. And I pray that I can reflect these qualities, using them to help others, and eventually my own children, to become the men and women God wants them to be.

Thank you, Mom. <3

For more information about Awana Clubs International, visit the Awana Homepage.
To find a club in your area visit the Club Locator.

Loving the Lord and ministering in His special place for us: Summit 2014 Tuesday

This week, I had the chance to ask Awana Co-Founder and President Emeritus Art Rorheim a question: "What is the one thing you want the students to remember as they leave Summit?"

He responded, "the answer is all wrapped in verses." He then cited Philippians 2:16, Acts 20:24, and 1 Corinthians 15:58. The last reference, which he often writes alongside his autograph, reads, "therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."

"If you apply these verses, it could change your life," he said.

Art challenges us to ask ourselves, "How much do you love God?"

"Your answer determines your whole life," he said. "If you deeply love God, you will pray more and witness more. This is the key and God's commandment, to 'love the Lord your God with all your heart.'"

A fine arts winner role-plays as Ruth, sharing her story of
faith and strength.

Tuesday, the final day of Summit 2014, we saw what loving the Lord and holding steadfast can do. It was the day when the top competitors in AwanaGames, fine arts, Bible quizzing, and volleyball received recognition and shared their performances and presentations with everyone.

The morning began at 8 a.m. with a message by Western Oregon Awana Missionary Ed Gossien. "God's got a special ministry for you that only you can do," he said. He encouraged the kids to keep persevering, despite the trials and difficulties. "The sovereign Lord is my strength," he said, quoting Habakkuk 3:19a (NIV). And, in agreement with Rorheim, Gossien pointed out that filling that special ministry requires loving God and trusting Jesus. "I don't care when you trusted Jesus," he said. "The question is, do you trust Him today?"

The 33 games teams received a sample of perseverance through friendly competition as they played each round of games. After two rounds of competition on five circles, teams were gradually eliminated until the last three teams claimed first, second, and third.

Students showed passion and perseverance during games, volleyball,
quizzing, and fine arts.

After the games, several fine arts presenters were chosen to share the ministry samples they had prepared for Summit. These were the judges' choices — exemplary performances that didn't earn first place, but that the judges felt were done well and needed shared a second time.

At 6:30, the top 10 quiz teams began the platinum round. This round of quizzing pushed the student's memory and understanding of the year's material to the max. They worked hard quoting verses, reciting lists, providing Bible summaries, explaining worldviews, and sharing any other material needed for the answers, all while presenting the gospel to the audience.

Summit concluded with the top participants from all the competitions receiving their awards, and the fine arts winners repeating their performances for the entire audience. "At the end of the day, this is about you," Jeremy Pettitt, the director of Awana YM, said, referring to both those students who took the stage and those in the audience. "God has a special place just for you."

For more information about Awana Clubs International, visit the Awana Homepage.
To find a club in your area visit the Club Locator.

A commander? "No, I'm the game director"

Joel and Virginia Cook live to serve. They served as youth group directors, Vacation Bible School volunteers, and Sunday school teachers. They've been Cubbie leaders, Truth and Training leaders, Trek leaders, Sparks directors, secretaries, game directors, and commanders. And since 2007, they've served as Northern California/Northern Nevada missionaries, visiting clubs and training leaders. Their family motto comes from Joshua 24:15, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

"Joel has such a servant's heart," Virginia said about what she admires most about her husband. "He's willing to drop everything, just wanting to help other people, to give his time."

But Joel admits he cannot do it alone and is thankful to have his wife by his side. "I love her organization of the details," he said. "We fill each other's gaps. Her weaknesses are my strengths and my weaknesses are her strengths."

Joel's Five Favorites

Awana Game: Shipwreck
Ice Cream: Rocky Road
Hobby: Golf
Movie: Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Verse: 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

Virginia's Five Favorites

Awana Game: Beanbag Bonanza
Ice Cream: Chocolate Mousse Royale from Baskin Robbins
Hobby: Crochet, knitting, reading
Author: God, Karen Kingsbury
Verse: Proverbs 3:5-6

Joel and Virginia have a strong history of working together in ministry. However, there was a time when ministry was never a consideration. In fact, neither trusted Christ until after they were married. "I always knew of God," Joel said. "Mom made sure I was on the bus to Sunday school every Sunday."

The couple met in high school in 1977. "She had just moved into Oroville, Calif.," Joel said. "I came to school after Easter break and she was there sitting with a mutual friend." Over the next two years, their relationship grew, and in 1979, they married.

In the same year, Joel began his 23-year career with the United States Air Force; a career that took them to 8 countries and 25 states. They finally heard God's call when Joel was stationed in San Antonio, Tex.

"We lived in a house with a fenced backyard," Joel said. "There was a gate in the fence. You rarely see a fence — let alone a gate — in a backyard when it's in military housing. Just 100 yards from that gate was the base chapel, and every Sunday at 8:30 a.m. the church bell rang. I often thought, 'turn that stupid bell off.' Looking back, I knew it was God calling me to church." So they went to the church on Christmas in 1984 and in January 1985 they trusted Christ as Savior.

Since then, the couple has pursued ministry everywhere they've been. Joel's favorite place to serve was in Incirlik, Turkey, where they were youth group directors. "That's where first century Christians were," he said. "We got to see Paul's house and the Seven Churches of Revelation. We studied the Seven Churches in class and then took a six-day tour of the very thing we studied!"

Their ministry with Awana began in 1993 in Clovis, N.M. when they were homeschooling their children Kristina and Matt. "We wanted something positive for the kid's social development," Joel said. He started as the game director, and she started as the Chums and Guards director for the third- through sixth-grade girls.

But God had planned for more than just teaching their kids; He had planned to teach Joel and Virginia as well. Two months later, their commander told Joel, "You need to be the commander."

"No, I'm the game director."

"You can do both!"

"Well, okay, I'll do both — if you'll be the executive secretary." He did both for two years before becoming solely the commander. But God wasn't done yet.

"Some random commander somehow managed to get my phone number and called to ask if I could help train his leaders," Joel said. "I told him, 'No, you need to call the missionary.' I even called our missionary for him. The missionary, who lived far away in Phoenix, told me, 'I can't do it. But you can.'"

"No, I can't. You're the missionary."

"Yes, you can. You've got the handbooks and the uniforms, just take them with you and show the people your passion."

Joel and Virginia trained three churches in New Mexico without the missionary before returning to Oroville in 2000. So when God called again, they were ready. "We already had our feet wet with being missionaries," Joel said. "Becoming a missionary was the next natural step."

Their work with children has produced many fond memories. Virginia absolutely loves watching the Awana clubbers grow, as well as the spiritual growth of her own family. "We're products of Awana," she said. "The growth and confidence I got working with our kids and how I grew in my own relationship with the Lord."

Joel's favorite memory is more specific. "In New Mexico, we had this fifth-grade boy. He was new to the church. He also got picked on at school. As a result, he was quiet and kept to himself. One night at club, I asked for testimonies, and he raised his hand. When I called on him, he stood and said, 'I get picked on all the time and I cry. But today, when the same guys came, I was able to walk away. And as I was walking away, I was reciting the memory verse for today. It gave me strength to get through today.'"

The boy's testimony showed Joel the proof that God's word is living, active, and powerful. His story is one of many, and those many stories are a central reason why Joel and Virginia continue in ministry today.

For more information about Awana Clubs International, visit the Awana Homepage.
To find a club in your area visit the Club Locator.

Sparks say the silliest things!

We've all heard our Sparks say some pretty silly things, from the ever popular "only forgotten Son" and "only boughten Son" to things so silly it takes all our self control to regain our composure. And they mean every word in all sincerity. I spoke with a few Sparks leaders and former Sparks leaders about some of their favorite Sparkisms. Here they are! Enjoy, and feel free to leave your own in the comments!
~

Photo provided by Sierra Bible Church

While waiting her turn during Handbook Time, Ali opened her Bible and placed it on her head like a tent. Her leader asked, "Why do you have a Bible on your head?"
"I'm hiding God's Word in my head!"

Kindergartener Samantha had some difficulty reciting 1 Corinthians 15:3-4: "According to the Scrispers."

One leader shared about another kindergartener trying to say 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. "For the funniest reason, she didn't want to or like saying 'in accordance with the scriptures," from the ESV. So when saying the verse, she'd say, 'Christ died for our sins... you know!' And she'd hold both hands out for me to finish for her! It took all night to get her to finish the verse by herself."

Commanders Dan and Karla used to print pictures on their leaders' nametags. Karla's picture was from her wedding six years prior. This left kindergartener Gracie quite confused.
"Who's that?"
"That's me."
"No, it's not!"
"Yes it is. That's from when I got married."
"Oh, ok. Wow, you're really old now!"

Nikki just entered third grade, but still had some Spark charm. When her leader taught a lesson about how God loves everyone, even bullies and jerks, she asked, "Even Obama?"

During prayer time, Hank, in first grade, was terribly upset. Apparently, his gerbil got sucked into a vacuum cleaner and all his tail hair came off. So Hank prayed, "God, please help my gerbil with his lost tail hair."

Second-grader Rory couldn't quite say "Song of Solomon." Instead, she was content with "Song of Salmon."

Nicholas, in second grade, couldn't figure out who was who while reciting Joshua 24:24.
"And the people said to Moses..."
"Nick, what book are we in?"
"Joshua."
"Who's the book about?"
"Joshua."
"Then why do you keep saying Moses?"
"I don't know."
"Let's try again."
"And the people said to Moses..."

Awana Missionary Joel Cook was visiting a club and handing out prayer cards: cards with his family's names and picture. In the picture, he had glasses and a goatee. At the club, he did not. He handed one of the kindergarteners a card. Caleb looked at the card, looked at Mr. Cook, looked at the card, then back at Mr. Cook:
"Who are you?"
Mr. Cook borrowed some glasses and made a fake goatee.
"Oh! There you are!"

And my personal favorite:
I was teaching my handbook group about why we memorize scripture. One of my second-graders asked about the armor of God, so we discussed the Sword of the Spirit. As the discussion ended, our Sparks director came in. I turned to another of my second-graders and asked, "Grayden, why don't you tell Mr. James about why we study scripture?"
"So we can stab Satan with a Sword!"

For more information about Awana Clubs International, visit the Awana Homepage.
To find a club in your area visit the Club Locator.

High School Ministry Outreach: West Coast Honor Camp 2013 Wednesday

Pictures from this year's high-school ministry outreach are available! Check them out on West Coast Honor Camp's Facebook page!

High school campers get their hands dirty during
one of the ministry outreach opportunities at
West Coast Honor Camp.

For those who are new, the high-school campers train Monday and Tuesday to travel into Redding, Calif. and surrounding areas for different outreaches on Wednesday. Outreaches include volunteering to perform maintenance and provide service at a mission, neighboring camps, and throughout the area; singing and sharing the Gospel at a senior center; and putting together a one-day Awana -- complete with water games, songs, a puppet show or a skit, a Bible lesson and verse, testimonies, and the presentation of the Gospel message.

These outreaches are one way of training the high-school campers about serving in ministry, and they teach the campers a different method for sharing the Gospel each year, from the EvangeCube to the Gospel Glove (last year's tool).

This year, they're using a tee-shirt. I will provide more details as they become available.

Please continue to pray for the staff, counselors and campers as they finish this week strong.

For more information about Awana Clubs International, visit the Awana Homepage
To find a club in your area visit the Club Locator.

Taking Command of the New Awana Year

In many ways, Awana commanders are like mini-missionaries: they cary many of the same responsibilities of the three Northern California, Northern Nevada Awana Missionary couples, just on a smaller scale. For instance, commanders' summer duties include planning the new club year, coordinating with their churches, and recruiting new leaders. And for many commanders, this is a summer-long, ongoing process. Some even schedule time for Commander College.

Awana commanders spend much of their summer planning, coordinating,
ordering new supplies, and recruiting leaders, plus much more.
Some even take time for Commander College.

Melissa McMullen, who is beginning her 13th year as an Awana commander and second year as a commander at Wheatland Baptist Church in Wheatland, Calif., said her responsibilities do not stop once the club year ends. "Although I give the staff the time off of thinking about the club and such," she said, "I continue to plan for the upcoming year." Along with the normal inventory check and calendar planning, she uses summer time to plan a balance between the personalities of her leaders. "Many of the leaders are sprinters, so they are on fire at the beginning, but they burn out quickly. The long-term leaders are slow and faithful, but sometimes lack the fire needed to get the kids really excited." Because the sprinters burn out quickly, they often look for other activities to keep busy and be involved, so McMullen continually has to recruit new leaders.

Hilltop Community Church Commander Matthew Beier, in Carson City, Nev., also finds himself constantly thinking and planning Awana throughout the summer. Beier, preparing for his second year as a commander, uses the time to focus on paperwork — setting up an attendance file with formulas for averages, updating clubber and leader files, creating forms and filling in the club calendar. His biggest challenge is identical to Awana Missionary Mike Sexton's: leaving Awana long enough to spend time with family. "I set a specific time to work Awana stuff, which keeps it off my list for a certain time," Beier said about how he balances family with Awana. He also has a problem similar to Missionary Joel Cook's: contacting people. "It's harder to get a hold of parents to finalize information for camp and other events."

And yet, commanders still manage to find a fair amount of time to breath. For Penii Jo Trautwein, commander of Sierra Bible Church in Reno, Nev., the summer months provide a period of down time. In fact, her problem is starting up again.

"During the club year," she said, "everything is very structured and I know what needs to be done each week to be ready for upcoming events, weeks, and club nights, while in the summer I have down time, which is needed and enjoyed. I have to get myself motivated to get back into the office and get things ready." Her definition of "getting things ready" is cleaning up the mess in her Awana office (in shambles after Award night), sorting records (some get filed and others get moved for continued use in the new year), taking and organizing inventory (stuff needs ordered, the Trek and Journey materials need replaced), and creating the calendar (regional events, national events, and club events, coordinating as best as possible with the church's events).

Then there are commanders with different types of Awana clubs, like Jim Disbro's. Disbro serves as commander for the Mountain Warfare Training Center Chapel in Walker, California. This club doesn't have a church where it meets. Instead, the families from three churches in the community come together for a club that meets right at the base. This club still faces similar challenges, such as coordinating and creating a calendar and recruiting leaders. However, the reasons for these challenges are quite different.

"Because club is on the base, we have three churches who contribute leaders and supplies," he said, "most clubs are run by one church at the church. The base is also a government facility, which means we have to make sure we have permission to use it. We also need to let the guards know that we're coming onto the base."

Also different is the fact that not only does his club have difficulty recruiting leaders during the summer because of vacations and other travels, but also the fact that the military families move to a new base every three years.

To maintain the connections throughout the summer, Disbro send out the KidsPrint and Sparkles Newsletters, available through Awana ART. He also encourages the leaders at the different churches to establish relationships internally at their churches to recruit.

At every level, from leader to Awana missionary, some degree of Awana continues year-round.  Awana still remains in the minds and living rooms of the commanders, like at my house with Good Shepherd Wesleyan Church Commanders Randy and Shirley Moore, where new inventory accumulates, old records shift, and new plans grow.

Please pray for our Awana clubs as the pre-planning ends and the new Awana year begins.

For more information about Awana Clubs International, visit the Awana Homepage.
To find a club in your area visit the Club Locator.

"Awana Never Stops"

Throughout the Awana club year, Awana commanders, directors, and leaders pour energy, sweat, and heart into teaching the children. Then, when the year comes to a close, whether it be summer or a couple months at some other time of year, they welcome the break. Awana Missionary Joel Cook sums up the sentiment, "When I was a commander, I told the workers and myself I wouldn't use the 'A' word throughout the summer."

Joel and Virginia Cook, along with the other northern
California, northern Nevada Awana missionaries,
help start new clubs during the summer.

Yet, he also pointed out that now as a missionary, "When the club year ends, planning for the next year begins." For the three Northern California, Northern Nevada Awana missionary couples, the summer is just as busy as the club year.

Missionary Mike Sexton agreed. "I always laugh when people say, 'Awana's closed down for the year, you must be on vacation.'"

Joel and Virginia Cook, Mike and Becky Sexton, and Jeff and Judy Gilpin have three focus areas during summer: New club development, event planning, and church care.

"Ministry never goes away," Sexton said, "there are always people to talk to, to encourage, and to challenge. We want to become a partner with the local church, encouraging the pastor and pastoral staff. Sometimes we're even called to help with personal issues."

The Sextons often help in the role of church care by making presentations, meeting commanders, and establishing between three and six substantial contacts with each of the churches.

"I also want to connect with commanders, kids who grew up in Awana and are now married, and long-time leaders who are no longer leaders" he said. "That's what it's all about, connecting with people. Summer's also a time when we, through various avenues, connect with our ministry team and ministry partners, like by attending West Coast Honor Camp for a day."

Along with communicating with churches, the families work together to plan the different events through the year, including coordinating the 11 team-building dinners and making the new commander packets.

Mike and Becky Sexton take the leading role in planning the next calendar of events. They have to talk with the facility heads, check facility calendars, get contracts for the gyms, and recruit workshop teachers for the three conferences.

Sexton also maintains the special role of planning and coordinating the Commander Colleges for the southwest ministry teams, which includes California, Nevada, and Hawaii. This means he also has to coordinate with the missionaries for those areas and work with their schedules. In the last five years, there have been about three Commander College 101s and one Commander College 201.

"I'm the main point person for all of those missionaries," he said.

And yet, even with all of these areas of summer ministry, there is one other area that takes an extreme amount of focus. New club development peaks during the summer months, as the missionaries use this time to canvas areas and make communication with new churches, get the word out about Awana, and start training new leaders.

Jeff and Judy Gilpin brainstorm procedures to make the
limited summer time more efficient for the missionaries.

"The summer months allow us to take club visits off the agenda so we can focus on helping clubs start," Cook said. "Summers are when churches learn about Awana and contact us about Awana, because they want to start their new club at the beginning of the new year." This summer, from May until the beginning of July, he made two church presentations and spoke at three churches for Awana. At the time of this interview, he was preparing for a training one week away.

Unfortunately, reaching out during the summer takes its toll. Even though summer is the peak of new club development, only about one or two churches can start at a time. Therefore, this summer Jeff Gilpin is brainstorming procedures for exponentially increasing the number of new clubs. "Currently, if we have a church that wants to start the program, we hold a training on one Saturday for that church," he said. "As a missionary, when you have to train a church, it takes away time from talking to a new pastor."

Gilpin's vision is to teach the members of the Northern California, Northern Nevada Ministry Team how to train a church, and then hold three regional trainings three times a year.

"This way, when new leaders come on, we can send them to the trainings so they mix with established leaders and ministry team members."

Gilpin also has a vision for training the Ministry Team to help with the church care. "We want to give away more and more ministry, because then overall ministry in northern California and northern Nevada can be bigger," he said.

With the amount of things to do and the challenges to face, sometimes the missionaries feel overwhelmed. Gilpin sometimes finds himself second guessing his presentations, thinking "If I would have..."

"At those times, I try to relax and have faith, remembering that I'm planting the seeds and need to let God do the work."

Mike Sexton faces the challenge of balancing ministry
with home repairs and family.

For Sexton, his biggest challenge comes in trying to balance the ministry with family time and home repair time. "I could work all of the time and still not be done," he said. "I'm still leaning when to wait." He also continues because of 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, "For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again."

And for Cook, one of his biggest challenges is making the connections during the summer. "I find it rather difficult to make contact during the summer with commanders, since they are on break," he said. When things get difficult for him, he turns to his "Rainy-Day Binder" — a collection of all the letters he's received from kids. "I respond to each letter within 24 hours of receiving it," he said. "I also keep the originals in this binder. When I'm feeling down, I read the binder to remind me why I continue in the program."

The missionaries ask that we continue praying during the summer, because "Awana never stops."

For more information about Awana Clubs International, visit the Awana Homepage
To find a club in your area visit the Club Locator.

New Missionary Brings New Dynamic to Northern California, Northern Nevada Missionary Team

“One of the first things I like to do when I visit a club is to get a group photo of the kids and the leaders.” Jeff Gilpin pulls out his smartphone as the leaders direct the kindergarten - sixth graders into a photo-fitting group. “I’ll keep their picture on my phone, to remind me of the people, of the kids.”

Awana Missionary Jeff Gilpin gets the children at
Good Shepherd Wesleyan Church Awana to
wave their hands in the air.

He takes the two default photos — one serious and one goofy. But then he requests one more, evoking ripples of laughter: “I want a photo I can share with other people, but I’m not allowed to show faces for child safety reasons. So, I want everyone to turn around and wave their hands in the air!”

The photo appears within hours on Facebook, immediately receiving three likes.

Even with the Awana Clubs International mark of silliness, Gilpin sees children’s ministry as paramount: In April, he and his wife, Judy, became the newest Awana Missionary couple on the Northern California, Northern Nevada Team, joining the Sextons and Cooks. “Children’s ministry is important because children are at the prime age to receive the gospel. I read in ‘Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions’ that children need to be reached at a younger age, because statistics show that if students are not reached by the age of fourteen, they may never receive it.”

Gilpin became involved in Awana in 2003 when he followed his 3-year-old son Ryan into Cubbies at Sierra Bible Church in Truckee, Calif.

The new missionary never sought involvement. His mind changed when he discovered helping was more practical than dropping Ryan off, driving twenty minutes back to the house, waiting thirty minutes, and driving twenty minutes back to pick Ryan up. “Next thing you know, I’m walking out with a Cubbie leader role book and DVD, and that was that.”

Today, Gilpin takes another photo to remind him of these children at another Awana club in the region he serves. He tells the kids that they can face him again, and as they turn, he pulls out a small, white and orange paperback with thin black and white letters across the cover: “My Prayer Accountability Book.” “I also like to write the names of the churches I visit into my prayer book,” he tells the kids. “There are little boxes for checkmarks next to each name, and every time I pray for the club here, I will put a check next to the name.”

Gilpin received the book from Awana’s co-founder Art Rorheim, 94, at missionary candidate school. Preprinted inside are names of the members of the Awana board of directors, the Awana missionaries in the United States, the international Awana missionaries and several blank lines with boxes for personal entries. “After Art gave me the book, he showed me his and asked, ‘If a year from now you show this to somebody you had ministry with, would you be proud of it?’ I don’t want to be the person that says ‘I’ll pray for you’ then forget about it. Now I can tell them, ‘I put you down in my prayer book, now I’m going to pray for you.” — a promise he keeps every day after his devotion.

He writes “Good Shepherd Wesleyan” on one of the lines, then sets the book and pen aside while picking up a stack of missionary photos. “Can anyone tell me what a missionary does?”

Gilpin’s role as a missionary includes visiting clubs and providing training and motivation for effectiveness and efficiency. He also helps with planning, coordinating and running regional events including Bible quizzing and games competitions. “One of my favorite things to do in Awana is to help the T&Ters study for Bible quizzing. It’s wonderful watching kids put the scripture deep into their brain and their hearts.”

Gilpin, as he continues to raise support toward full-time status, will attend missionary graduate school in October.

“The whole reason for support raising is for you to have greater faith in the Lord, because you need to rely on God for your finances. It’s more of a faith-growing exercise than a money-raising exercise. Missionary graduate school will teach us how to do the job, how to work with the missionary team, how to lay a game circle, that kind of stuff.”

But more than anything, Gilpin is establishing relationships with the churches he will be serving in Northern California and Northern Nevada. “I’m very much of a people person, and I’m a church-care missionary, so I want to be involved in the lives of the people, not just in a surfacy [sic] way, but in a deeper way. I want to be involved with the people I serve, it’s important for me to connect with them.”

For more information about Awana Clubs International, visit the Awana Homepage.
To find a club in your area visit the Club Locator.