6 ways to get your clubbers thinking about Easter

For Christians, Easter is the most important holiday of the year. Sure, Christmas is important because of the celebration of Jesus’s birth, but if Christ didn’t rise again, then Christmas and Christianity itself would be pointless. Jesus’s resurrection is the crowning moment on a sinless life that sets Him apart from every other person on Earth. If He had stayed dead, then He would have been just like us spending eternity paying our debt of separation from God because of our sin, as per Romans 6:23. Instead, by rising again, Jesus proved that our debt was paid in full, and He made new eternal life with God possible. So with that in mind, here are six ways to help your students celebrate Easter and its significance.

1. Have a “Christmas in Spring” theme night and tie Christmas to Easter

2. Share “The Wordless Book” using jelly beans. Bring extra beans for snacking — and enough for the kids to snack, too

3. Host a “Walk With Jesus” night during club night and have clubbers invite their friends and families. Let them count anyone they bring for the “Bring a Friend” section in their handbooks

4. Replace pins, beanbags, and batons with Easter baskets, plastic eggs, and fake flowers

5. Make a scavenger hunt using Resurrection Eggs (instructions here)

6. Host a “Good News Basket” drive by having the kids bring in stuff to make gift baskets for less fortunate kids. Examples of items include small toys or stuffed animals, new kid-sized clothing items, kid’s books, and of course, candy. Make sure to include some presentation of the Good News in your Good News Baskets, such as a child-focused tract or a salvation bracelet with an explanation card.

What are some things you do to bring Easter into your club?

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

Super games for standard equipment: Beanbags

The second installment in our list of new ways to use standard Awana game equipment takes a look at beanbags. Awana beanbags come in five designs: the four Awana colors and a black-and-white stripe pattern. They’re the perfect size for balancing on one’s head or holding in one’s hand to throw. Here’s a couple of beanbag games to help clubbers perfect their aim.

Game 1: Greed

Materials needed:

• 1 player per team
• 1 beanbag per team
• 1 small basket or bucket per team
• Center pin
• Game Square

Place the baskets at the intersections of the diagonals and the circle. Players start at their colored diagonals. At the whistle, players run around the circle once. When they return to their colored diagonals, they can either choose to drop the beanbag into their basket for 100 points, or throw the beanbag at the center pin, getting 300 points if they knock it down, or no points if they miss. Players get only one throw, and they must decide between the basket and the center pin within 10 seconds of completing their lap.

Game 2: Overthrow Relay

Materials Needed:

• Whole teams
• 1 beanbag per team
• Color lines

Players begin lined up on their color lines tallest to shortest. The shortest player starts with the beanbag. At the whistle, the shortest player tosses the beanbag over his team to the tallest player. When the tallest player catches the beanbag, she runs to the end of the line where the shortest player is. She then tosses the beanbag over the team to the second-tallest player, who runs to the end of the line and tosses over the team to the third-tallest, and so on. First team to have all players back in their starting positions wins. Players not throwing or catching may (and probably should) duck.

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

5 ways to encourage clubbers to finish their books

Clubbers who complete their books can squirt a candle that
 a leader is holding.

Many Awana clubs are either nearing or entering the last quarter of their club year. This means it is time to more actively encourage clubbers to complete their books. Here are five ideas you can use. Each of these reward ideas works best when implemented or advertised several weeks before the end of club.

With any of the ideas below, please bear in mind that we would prefer to have the clubbers understand the verses and not finish the book rather than finish the book and not understand the verses. Also, leaders should always have the option to not participate in any given activity. Do you have a favorite way to encourage clubbers to finish their books? Share in the comments!

1. Candy Jar Guesses

What you need: 1 jar; enough candy to fill the jar; method of tracking clubbers’ names and guesses.
Prep: Count each piece of candy as you put it in the jar.
How it works: Every time a clubber passes two sections, he gets to guess how many candies are in the jar. On the last club night, give the candy to the child whose guess was the closest (you may want to keep the jar for next year).
Alternative: Have a different jar and candy for each age-bracket (Sparks, T&T, etc.)

2. Drawing

What you need: big-ticket, gender-neutral prize (e.g. scooter, giant Star-Wars Lego kit); slips of paper for recording names
How it works: Every time a clubber passes two sections, she gets her name in the drawing. On the last club night, draw a name.
Alternatives: Have more than one prize, have a drawing for each age bracket

3. Squirt the Candle

What you need: willing leaders; several stick candles; a lighter; either squirt guns or spray bottles; water; plastic trash bags with head-holes.
Prep: Fill the squirt guns or spray bottles with water. You may designate a runner to refill the squirt items.
How it works: On the last club night, clubbers who finished their books get the chance to try and squirt out the flame on a candle. The catch: leaders hold the candle. Call up the same number of participants as leaders. Give each participant a squirting device and have them stand about five feet from the leaders. Instruct the kids to aim at the candle flames and squirt until the flames go out. Relight the candles and call up the next group of participants. Have leaders hold the candle by the base directly in front of them. Leaders may drape the plastic bags over their upper body, and they may also shield their eyes.

4. Pie the Leader

What you need: willing leaders; either a grassy area or an area covered by a sheet of plastic; empty pie tins; several tubs or cans of whipped cream; plastic trash bags with head holes; towels.
Prep: Fill each pie tin with whipped cream. Have leaders sit or kneel on the grass or plastic sheet, as the whipped cream my drip. Have leaders slip on their plastic bags, covering their upper body and arms.
How it works: On the last club night, clubbers who finished their books get to pie a leader in the face. Call up the same number of participants as you have leaders. Give each participant a whipped-cream-filled tin and have them stand directly in front of the leaders. Instruct kids to gently push the cream onto the leader’s faces—no slamming or throwing, as we don’t want broken noses. Once participants have emptied their tins, call up the next group. At the end, let leaders wipe off excess cream.

5. Party Privileges

What you need: Year-end party with food (e.g. pizza or ice-cream sundae makings, etc.)
Prep: Arrange food buffet style.
How it works: Clubbers who finished their books go first in line. There could also be a book-finishers-only dessert or ice-cream toping.

*With any activity using food, please be conscious of the allergies of the participants and the possibility of staining clothes or carpets.

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

Super games for standard equipment: Pins

Some clubs don’t have a big enough budget to purchase unusual game equipment. Other clubs may not have space to store more than just the standard game equipment kit from Awana. And sometimes, clubs just like using familiar equipment to try something different. In such cases, game directors have to think outside the Awana Game Box and come up with new ways to use basic equipment. Here are a couple games using Awana pins.

Game One: Pin-up

Materials Needed:

• 1 player per team
• 4 circle pins
• Scoring pin and beanbag, or 4 scoring pins
• Game Circle

Play begins with circle pins laying on their sides where their matching colored diagonals intersect the circle. Players start at their team’s color diagonals. At the whistle, players run one lap around the circle. When they reach their colored pins, they sit down and use only their feet and legs to stand the pin up. For Sparks, once a player’s pin stays standing, the player runs in to grab the scoring pin for first or the beanbag for second. In T&T, Trek, and Journey, the first player to knock over his or her scoring pin with his or her hand wins. Players may only use their feet and legs to stand the pin upright.

Game Two: Pin Defender

Materials Needed:

• 1 player per team
• Whole teams
• 4 pins
• 2-4 foam balls
• Game Square

Begin by placing a pin in each team’s small triangle in the center of the Game Square. One player from each team comes to the center and either straddles or stands in front of his or her team’s pin facing the circle. The remaining players stand outside the circle. At the whistle, players on the circle throw the balls and try to knock over an opponent’s pin. Players in the middle defend their teams’ pin. When a pin is knocked over, the player who was defending said pin returns to his or her color line. Last team with their pin standing wins. Players in the center may not leave their small triangle unless their pin is knocked down. If a player accidentally knocks over his or her own pin, he or she is out.

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

Stars and dots

In a previous post, I talked about how it’s nice to have lessons you can “pull out of your back pocket” if your Large Group speaker cancels on you at the last minute, leaving you no time to prepare a replacement.

This week, I want to share with you another lesson from my back-pocket library: a book titled “You Are Special,” written by Max Lucado and illustrated by Sergio Martinez.

The story takes place in a village of small wooden people called Wemmicks. Every day, the Wemmicks stick gold star stickers on other Wemmicks who are pretty or talented. They also stick grey dot stickers on Wemmicks who are not pretty or talented, like Punchinello. And no matter how hard he tries to get gold stars, Punchinello always gets more grey dots instead. But one day, he meets a Wemmick with no stickers at all — whenever someone tries to give her one, it just falls off. When he asks her how she avoids other Wemmicks’s marks, she directs him to their creator, a woodcarver named Eli, who lives on the hill. And when Punchinello visits, Eli helps him realize how special he is, regardless of what other Wemmicks think.

While the book itself doesn’t come with a verse, it pairs beautifully with Psalm 139:14, “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.” It can also easily be a springboard into the salvation message by talking about God’s love for us.

The book comes in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and board book (for really young ones) at Christianbook.com. There is also a Spanish version.

Living a healthy life

January is filled with goals people make for the new year, many of which include proclamations of becoming healthier. Some resolve to lose weight, some resolve to eat healthier food, and some resolve to get up at 6 a.m. every morning to jog.

Creating and maintaining a healthy physical lifestyle are noble pursuits and support helping others and serving the Lord in certain ways. Many areas of service, from pruning the trees at the church to building a school in Africa during a mission trip, require stamina from eating healthy and strength from exercise. Other areas of service may not be quite so physically demanding, but still require attention to personal care. It’s hard to focus on what someone is trying to teach when it’s visibly (and pungently) apparent the teacher needs to do laundry (I knew an Awana club that had to turn a leader away because of this — he was scaring the kids).

But living an overall healthy life doesn’t stop at physical health — it’s more than maintaining personal hygiene, eating right, and exercising. In 1 Timothy 4:8, Paul tells Timothy, “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.” Even though physical health improves life on earth, this life is still temporary. As such, we should also maintain a spiritually healthy lifestyle, as it gives life both now and once we enter Heaven.

The concept of living a spiritually fit life is reiterated in 1 Peter 2:1-2. In the first verse, we’re commanded to set aside “all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking.” In other words, make an effort to “clean out the junk food” and replace it with the healthy food — God’s Word with all its promises, commands, and stories of God’s love — mentioned in verse two: “as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.”

As we consider the goals we set for ourselves, let’s evaluate what we’re doing to take care of not just our bodies, but also our spirits. Perhaps our resolutions can include praying frequently (1 Thessalonians 5:17), memorizing scripture (Psalm 119:11), or making an effort to meet up with Godly friends more often (Hebrews 10:25). Here’s a link to a previous post for some simple and more specific ideas to get you started: 5 Easy ways to start the New Year with God.

May the rest of your year be healthy and happy as we take care of ourselves so we can be prepared to better serve God and others!

Unusual Game Equipment Spotlight: Hula-Hoops

It’s a new year, which means new chances to expand your game-equipment arsenal. And with winter still several weeks from being over, maybe adding hula-hoops can bring slight relief by inspiring thoughts of the tropics. Here are a couple games to start your imagination. Have any other hula-hoop games? Share them in the comments!

Game One: Three’s a Crowd

Materials Needed:

• 3 players per team
• 1 hula-hoop per team
• 4 circle pins
• Scoring pin and beanbag, or 4 scoring pins
• Game Square

Players begin at their color teams’ diagonals. Trios stand inside their team’s hula hoops, holding the hoops at their waist. At the whistle, trios must work together to race around the Game Circle and cross their colored diagonals without leaving their hula-hoops or knocking over circle pins. Sparks must run one lap, and the first team to grab the scoring pin wins while the team to grab the beanbag gets second. T&T, Trek, and Journey clubbers must run two laps, and the first team to knock over their scoring pin with their hands wins. All three players from each team must be holding the hula-hoop as they carry it around the circle.

Game Two: Hoop Hop

Materials Needed:

• 1 player per team
• 1 hula-hoop per team
• Game Square or other flat race area

Before playing, move two teams to the sides, creating an alley through the Game Square and leaving two color lines empty. Designate one empty color line as the starting line and the other as the finish line. Players start by standing in their hula-hoops behind the starting line. At the whistle, players must lift the hula hoop up over their bodies. Once the hoops are over their heads, players toss the hoops out in front of their feet. Players then jump with feet together into the hoops and lift them up over their bodies before tossing again. Players lift, toss, and jump until crossing the finish line. First player to successfully jump into her hoop across the finish line wins. Players must successfully complete the jumps to continue forward. For Sparks, players who miss a jump (i.e. toss the hoop too far in front to successfully jump with feet together) must retrieve their hoops and try the toss again. For T&T, Trek, and Journey, players who miss a jump must go back to the starting line and start over.

For more information about Awana, visit the Awana Homepage.

To find a club in your area visit the Club Locator.

Sometimes a candy cane is just a candy cane

“These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” – Acts 17:11

In November, I was looking around on Pinterest for a simple object lesson to teach my Sparks about being thankful. I found one on sundaychidrensfocus.com that used a donut and a rhyme coined by an unknown author, “As you go through life, make this your goal: look at the donut and not at the hole.” The premise was that we should be thankful for what we have — the donut — and not be upset by what we don’t have — the hole.

The lesson was a hit, and now whenever the kids see a donut, they can be reminded of the Biblical truth of gratitude. Now, does that mean the creator of donuts built them specifically to remind people to be thankful for what they have? Unlikely. It makes more sense that many years after donuts were made, someone was eating a donut and thought, “hey, that’s a neat idea. I can use this donut to help people understand gratitude.”

Unfortunately, especially around Christmas, many Christians become confused when meanings are given to objects, and then these meanings are widely shared without question as the historical reason for the existence of the object. It’s like reading somewhere that donuts were created specifically to teach others about gratitude, and just agreeing with it. Or taking it the next step, presenting this donut origin story as historical fact to others.

For a more common Christmas example, consider the origin story of the candy cane — or rather, consider all three stories. Yes, there are three, and none of them have strong historical evidence. In fact, one story completely contradicts history by stating that it was a secret symbol to help oppressed Christians in Europe during a time where Europe was predominantly Christian.

Another story says that in the 1670's, a nameless choirmaster asked a nameless candy maker to create a treat to be given to the choirboys to help keep them quiet during the church’s Christmas service. But the candy needed to be a teaching tool as well so the parents would let the choirmaster give the candy to the kids. The problem with this story is that there is no documentation to support it, and candy canes aren’t referenced by name or associated with Christmas until somewhere in the 19th century, nearly 200 years after the story is said to have happened.

The third story states that a nameless candy maker in Indiana wanted to make it with each element having a Christian meaning, complete as a hard, white cane with three small red stripes and one large red stripe, and that through time, the meaning was lost. The problem with this story is that it also lacks historical documentation. At minimum, the candy cane was pure white when Americans started using it in the 1800's, and stripes weren’t added until the early 20th century.

Does that mean that candy canes can’t be used to remind others about why we as Christians celebrate Christmas? No. In fact, I plan to share the story of God’s gift of eternal life to my Sparks by using candy canes this week. What this does mean is that we should check our facts before sharing stories like the “Origin of the Candy Cane.” And this isn’t limited to just object history and meaning. In Acts 17:10-11, Paul and Silas commended the Jews of Berea for double-checking what the two were saying. “Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”

We want to teach our kids the truth, both Biblical truth and our own post-Biblical history. But to teach it, we have to research it on our own to verify that it is indeed true. And while we can use objects like candy canes and donuts to help children and youth remember God’s gifts and plans for us, sometimes a candy cane is just a candy cane, and sometimes a donut is just a donut.

Games for the giving season

I love the Christmas season with all its giving. I love giving physical presents. I love giving time to family and friends by caroling, attending a Christmas Eve church service, or simply being together. Most of all, I love reflecting on how God gave the ultimate Gift of eternal life by sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins and rise again.

Here are two games to bring the giving spirit into your club night. Have any other giving or Christmas games? Share in the comments!

Game One: Giveaway

Materials Needed:

• 1 player per team 
• 1 hula-hoop per team 
• 5 miscellaneous items per team, each item must be small enough or light enough for a child to carry with one hand 
• Stopwatch or other time-keeping device 
• Game Square 

Place each player's hula-hoop where the player's team's color diagonal intersects the white circle, and each player's five items inside their respective hula-hoops. Have players stand up straight with their hands behind their backs next to their hoops. At the whistle, players must pick up items from their hoops and “give” them to the other players by placing them in an opposing player's hoop. The first player to successfully empty his hula-hoop, or after 30 seconds, the player with the least number of items in his hoop, wins. Players may only carry one item in each hand, meaning two items total per trip. Players must set items in the hoops—no tossing. If a player still has items in his hands when the whistle blows after 30 seconds, those items are included in his own count.

Game Two: Wrapping Relay

Materials Needed:

• Whole teams 
• 1 small box per team 
• 1 piece of pre-cut wrapping paper per player. Pieces must be big enough to initially cover the box 
• 1 roll of masking or scotch tape per team  
• Game Square 
• Optional: enough candy or trinkets in each box for all team members

Pre-game setup: Cut enough sheets of wrapping paper for each player to have at least one. Put candy or trinkets in the boxes and close the boxes. 

Start with the sealed boxes in each team’s small triangle in the center of the Game Square, along with a stack of wrapping paper pieces and tape. Have players spread out along the white circle between their colored diagonal and the colored diagonal immediately clockwise. At the whistle, player 1 (player furthest right on each team) runs in, grabs a piece of wrapping paper and wraps the box as quickly as possible. When finished, player 1 runs back to his place in line and tags player 2 (immediately left of player 1). Player 2 runs in, grabs another piece of wrapping paper and wraps the box. Play continues until the last player finishes wrapping the box. First team whose last player holds the completely wrapped box over her head wins. Wrapping does not have to be neat. Leaders may need to help Sparks wrap the boxes. If using candy or trinkets, at the end of the game, have all the teams unwrap and open their boxes. Let each clubber have a candy or trinket.

Option: After all the boxes are wrapped, have teams return to their lines, leaving the boxes in the middle. At the whistle, have a predetermined player race to unwrap the multiple layers of paper using only one hand. First player to completely unwrap the package and hold it up wins. Hand out the candy or trinkets to all the clubbers.

*With any food game, please be conscious of the allergies of the participants and the possibility of staining clothes or carpets.

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

"The Gospel Truth about Children’s Ministry" book review

Earlier this year, Awana released a book called “The Gospel Truth about Children’s Ministry.” The book shows a summary of the findings from two surveys of over 800 children’s ministry leaders throughout the United States. Its purpose is to help remind KidMin leaders and volunteers of what’s most important in ministry and help them take a hard look at their own ministry to see if the focus is in the right place.

Here are my thoughts on this book.

What I liked:

The survey and findings are applicable to all children’s ministries. Children’s ministry leaders will relate to at least one struggle covered in the book.

The information provides a clear picture of children’s ministry’s current impact on the world, showing what leaders want their ministry priorities to be, the impact of their current ministry efforts and activities, and the outcomes of their ministries. For instance, the majority of responses rated making disciples as a very important objective of ministry. However, less than half said their ministry was actually fulfilling this objective.

The end of each section includes questions to help leaders and volunteers assess their own ministries, such as “in your program or curriculum which comes as a first priority, Scripture/substance, or subject/style?” These questions, combined with the presented findings, make it easy for leaders to determine where changes need to be made and priorities need to be shifted to make their own ministries more effective in teaching children to know, love and serve the Lord.

The infographs were easy to read and understand.

Awana was clear and transparent on how the surveys were conducted, how the results were processed, and how conclusions were reached.

What I didn’t like:

The offered solutions are Awana specific. Only including Awana material and technology as solutions made the book seem like it was an advertisement for Awana with the message, “You have a problem, buy our products for the solution.” For me, this dampened the book’s impact and slightly diminished its purpose of encouraging flexibility and proper focus for children’s ministry overall.

I think that since the study itself covered children’s ministry as a whole, there should have been resources from other ministry partners alongside the Awana options, or just general solutions that could be tried with any children’s ministry.

Conclusion:

I think “The Gospel Truth about Children’s Ministry” provides excellent insight into the challenges children’s ministry is facing. I would recommend this book for all KidMin leaders because the book’s findings can help them more easily identify where they may need to change their ministry to make it relevant to the current generation while keeping its focus where it needs to be.

7 ways to get your clubbers thinking about Thanksgiving

1. Replace pins, beanbags, and batons with pumpkins, apples, and Indian corn

2. Play some harvest or Thanksgiving-themed games (here are some ideas)

3. Have a Pilgrims and Indians theme night

4. Hold a canned food drive for those who can’t afford a Thanksgiving meal

5. Teach a Large Group lesson on the Fruit of the Spirit using a cornucopia as a visual

6. Read “Sparky Shines His Light” by Jack Eggar

7. Have clubbers write what they’re thankful for on feather-shaped pieces of paper, then stick the paper onto a turkey wall decoration

What are some things you do to bring fall and Thanksgiving into your club?

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

Unusual Game Equipment Spotlight: Pumpkins

Pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere! Pumpkin decorations, pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice lattes, muffins, and cookies, and pumpkin-scented candles. Here are a couple games to bring these seasonal squashes into your Game Time. Have any other pumpkin games? Share them in the comments!

Game One: Pumpkin Partners

Materials Needed:

• 2 players per team
• 1 medium-sized pumpkin per team (players must be able to lift it together)
• 4 circle pins
• Scoring pin and beanbag, or 4 scoring pins
• Game Circle

Players start by holding their pumpkin between them at their color teams’ diagonals. At the whistle, all pairs must work together to carry their pumpkin around the Game Circle and cross their colored diagonals. Once a pair crosses their diagonal, they gently set the pumpkin down and run in to the middle. Sparks must run one lap, and the first team to grab the scoring pin wins while the team to grab the beanbag gets second. T&T, Trek, and Journey clubbers must run two laps, and the first team to knock over their scoring pin with their hands wins. Both players must be touching the pumpkin as they carry it around the circle.

Game Two: Pumpkin Bowling

Materials Needed:

• 1 player per team
• 1 medium-sized pumpkin per team
• 4 circle pins
• Scoring pin
• Game Circle

Players start at their color teams’ diagonals. At the whistle, players carry their pumpkins around the outside of the circle pins to the bowling zone (the space between their colored diagonal and the colored diagonal immediately clockwise). When players enter their bowling zone, they try and knock down the scoring pin in the center of the circle by rolling their pumpkin from outside the white circle toward the middle. First team to knock down the scoring pin wins. Players must stay outside the white circle when bowling, but may bowl from anywhere along the circle in their bowling zone. If players miss, they must go get their pumpkin and return to their bowling zone before bowling again.

*With any food game, please be conscious of the allergies of the participants and the possibility of staining clothes or carpets.

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

A little oil and trust

Scripture: Acts 16:31, 2 Kings 4:1-7
Materials needed: Bottle of oil

Have clubbers look up Acts 16:31: “So they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.’” Have a clubber read it, then repeat Acts 16:31b a couple times, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (this is a Sparks memory verse).

Pull out the bottle of oil and show the kids. Place it where they can see it through the lesson.

Ask Clubbers:
What do we normally use oil for?
- Baking (cooking)

Tell Clubbers:
Raise your hand if you’ve ever helped your mom or dad bake cookies. Yum! Like us, people in Bible times used oil for baking and cooking.

They also used oil for other things, like lighting their homes after dark. You see, they didn’t have electricity, so they would pour oil into a special container and light it, much like a candle.

Another common use of oil was personal cleaning. Oil was used in soap and as a perfume. If you can’t tell, oil was important to people in Bible times.

Now I want to tell you a story in 2 Kings about a woman. This woman had two sons and was married to a prophet (a man who told people things that God said). Every day, the prophet worked hard to earn enough money to pay what he owed and take care of his family. But one day, the man died.

Without her husband working, the woman had no money to pay off what they owed. To make things worse, the person she owed was coming soon to get his money. If she didn’t have the money to give him, then he would take her two sons and make them his slaves!

Ask Clubbers:
How do you think the woman felt?
- Allow responses. Examples: Scared, worried, afraid

Tell Clubbers:
It just so happened that another of God’s prophets, Elisha, was in town. Elisha had known the woman’s dead husband, so the woman came to Elisha for help. This is what Elisha told her to do.

First, he asked her what she had in her house.

Ask Clubbers:
What do you think she had?
- Oil

Tell Clubbers:
That’s right. In fact, that was the only thing she had left — one single jar of oil.

In 2 Kings 4:3-4, Elisha gave her instructions for using her oil. He told her (in NIV):

“Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”

Ask Clubbers:
How many jars of oil did the woman say she had?
- One

Tell Clubbers:
And Elisha’s telling her to fill up as many jars as she can get with that one jar of oil.

Ask Clubbers:

How many of you would think Elisha was crazy? How many would think, “That will work!”

Tell Clubbers:
Well, the woman decided to try, trusting that God would provide. So she gathered the jars, went into the house with her sons, and started pouring. Soon a jar was full, and there was still some oil left in her original jar, so she asked her sons, “bring me another.” Then that jar filled. It was working! “Bring me another!” “Another!” She kept pouring and pouring as her sons kept bringing empty jars until finally, “Bring me another!”

“There are no more!”

Every jar in her house was filled with oil. Elisha then told her to sell the oil and use the money to pay their debt, then she and her sons could live on what was left. Because she trusted God and followed His instructions through Elisha, she and her two sons were saved.

Maybe there’s someone here tonight who has never trusted Jesus before. If that’s you, then you’re just like the woman with no money, and the collector’s coming. You’re stuck with a debt of sin (anything you think, say, or do that breaks God’s laws). You’re stuck with a debt of sin, and there’s nothing you can do on your own to pay it off. Without God, her price would have been her sons. Without Jesus, the price of your sin is death — separation from God forever.

But just like God provided oil for the woman to give her family enough to live on, He also provided His Son Jesus Christ to give you life. Just like the oil took the place of her sons, Jesus Christ died in our place for our sins. All you have to do is trust that He paid your debt. I encourage you to talk to one of your leaders, your pastor, your parents, or your friends here at club about trusting Jesus.

For those here tonight who have already trusted Jesus, trusting God doesn’t stop after you’re saved from sin. Even after we’re saved, sometimes we face things that make us afraid, just like the woman with the oil. She was afraid of losing her two sons.

Raise your hand if there’s something you’re afraid of, like spiders, or the dark, or going to a new school. I bet we’re all afraid of something.

But when the woman trusted the Lord and followed His instructions, God took care of her. And just like we read in Acts 16:31, when we “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,” He will take care of us, too.

Unusual Game Equipment Spotlight: Brooms

Game One: Clean Sweep

Materials Needed:

• 1 player per team
• 1 broom per player
• 1 ball (or other rolling object) per player
• 4 circle pins
• Scoring pin and beanbag
• Game Circle or other flat race area

Players start at their color teams’ diagonals. At the whistle, players sweep their balls around the Game Circle for one lap and cross their colored diagonals. Once a player crosses her diagonal, she drops the broom and runs in for the scoring pin or beanbag. Players may only use their brooms to touch the balls, and balls must go around the outside of all the circle pins.

Game 2: Pony Express

Materials Needed:

• 3 players per team
• 1 broom per team
• 1 letter envelope per team
• 1 basket
• 4 circle pins
• Game Circle or relay area

The starting players on each team begin at their color team’s diagonal. They must straddle the brooms like stick horses and hold their envelopes. At the whistle, players “ride” their “horses” around the outside of the circle pins to the passing zone (the space between their colored diagonal and the colored diagonal immediately clockwise). When they enter the passing zone, player 1 hands the horse and “mail” to player 2. Player 2 then rides around the circle and hands off the horse and mail to player 3. Player 3 goes around the circle and crosses his colored diagonal. Once he crosses his diagonal, he rides his horse to the middle of the circle and “delivers the mail” by dropping the envelope into the basket. First team to deliver the mail wins.

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

Awana GO shows clubbers Awana clubs around the world, teaches missions

Awana recently introduced a new missions program called Awana GO, and it replaces Adopt-a-Club. The goal of the program is to help clubbers in the United States learn about and become involved in mission work that impacts fellow clubbers in other countries.

“We want this program to disciple kids in missions,” Awana GO Western Coordinator Jennifer Henning said.

When Awana Commanders register for Awana GO, they gain access to material such as short video prayer requests from other countries and to a Facebook discussion group, and they receive newsletters with information about how Awana clubs are doing around the world.

Awana GO also provides many discipleship resources, including enough Large Group lessons to use intermittently throughout the club year. Lessons teach Bible truths through telling stories of clubbers or leaders from other countries. These stories show clubbers in the United States how kids just like them are living and sharing the Gospel in other parts of the world. The goal is to inspire clubbers in the United States to become active in missions, too.

“Awana GO shows kids what Acts 1:8 looks like,” Henning said.

Other resources offered through the program include information booklets about other countries, testimonies from clubbers, testimonies from pastors and leaders, and promotional tools.

The program has a fundraising component as well, though it is completely optional. For those who do want to fundraise, Henning is partial to short-time-focus approaches, such as Awana GO’s Verse-a-Thon.

“We went from barely raising $360 in a whole club year to raising $3,250 in a single night,” she said about using the Verse-a-Thon at her club. “The Verse-a-Thon allows the kids to drive the fundraising. Because of the Awana GO lessons, they’ve seen these kids in other countries, and they know what they’re supporting — that they love Awana and hope to bring Awana to these other kids. Our clubbers also had a blast.”

Instructions for the Verse-a-Thon can be found with other fundraising ideas on the Awana GO website. Money raised and submitted through Awana GO is used to train leaders in other countries and provide them with all the materials they need to start a new club, including a four-year chronological curriculum called Truthseekers. For one child to be reached with the Gospel and to attend an Awana Truthseekers club indefinitely, the cost is only $10. 

Henning and the creators of Awana GO are excited to see clubbers engage in missions by learning from and supporting other clubs across the globe. They look forward to clubbers discovering a world outside their own clubs, churches, and lives, and finding chances to share the Gospel in new places and ways.

“We want clubbers to know how to share their faith with not only the kids in their hometown,” Henning said, “but also around the world.”

For more information about Awana GO, visit awana.org/go, or contact Henning at jenh@awana.org or 206-619-1885. Henning will also be discussing Awana GO Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. during a Google Hangout on Air. Watch the live stream here.

For more information about Awana, visit the Awana Homepage

To find a club in your area visit the Club Locator.

4 tools for presenting the Gospel

The Gospel is at the core of everything Awana does, and it’s important to be able to share the salvation message in different ways to reach different people. It’s also important to find a presentation method that makes the presenter comfortable, confident, and clear when sharing.

A high school student from West Coast Honor Camp explains the
Gospel Bracelet to two children in Redding, Calif.

Discovering new tools and figuring out which ones work for you can be daunting. So at West Coast Honor Camp, we help Journey students get started in their search. Each year, the high school campers receive and learn how to use a different tool to share the Gospel. Then on Wednesday of the camp week, they use the tools to share the Gospel with people around Redding, Calif. After camp, they take the tools home to share in their own communities. Some may even use them as Large Group messages at their Awana clubs.

But these resources aren’t restricted to the high school campers; below are four of the tools provided by West Coast Honor Camp over the years. And if any of your Journey students (or former Journey students) attended camp, maybe they can teach you how to use theirs.

EvangeCube – This is a cube made of eight smaller cubes. The cubes are joined together in a specific way so they can be unfolded to show 7 different images that illustrate the salvation message. Cubes come in different sizes depending on the desired presentation.

Gospel Bracelet – This is a leather or rope bracelet containing colored pony beads. Each color represents a part of the Gospel. The bracelet is so easy to make that the presenter can have the audience members make their own as they talk about the meanings of the colors.

Gospel Glove – This is a two-sided plastic glove. One side presents the Gospel with verses, images and symbolic colors; the other presents a message about obedience and growth for those already saved.

U-Turn Cards – This set follows the Roman Road. The tool uses 9 double-sided road sign-themed cards with letters and images that allow for an interactive, fast-paced presentation.

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

Unusual Game Equipment Spotlight: Donuts

Sometimes it’s fun to break away from the traditional and try something different. Unusual game equipment switches up the Game Time routine and adds something fresh to keep the kids excited and wanting to come back.

In a previous post, I discussed some ways to use car sponges, ping pong balls, and combats. But sometimes unusual game equipment can include food items*, as is the case with this week’s article. Today, I want to share a couple games using donuts.

Donuts come in many shapes, sizes, and levels of messiness, which makes them fairly versatile. Also, many kids (and leaders — make sure you have enough for them, too!) love the treats, often covered in glaze, chocolate and/or sprinkles. Donuts can make any game time sweeter!

Here are two donut game ideas to start your creative brain train. Do you have any other donutty games? Share in the comments!

Blind Donut

Materials needed:

• Several 3-foot pieces of string (1 piece per team of 3)
• Several messy ring donuts (1 donut per team of 3)
• Powdered mini donuts work for younger kids
• Glazed regular sized donuts are great for older kids and adults

Pre-game prep: Tie a donut onto the end of each string.

How to Play: Break players into groups of 3. Each group must decide who gets blindfolded and holds the string, who gives directions, and who eats the donut. Eaters lie flat on their back with their arms resting comfortably — they are not allowed to use their arms or hands for the duration of the game. Nor are they allowed to sit up or lean forward. String holders are blindfolded and placed at the heads of the eaters, dangling the donuts at least a foot above the eaters’ mouths. Direction givers stand next to the string holders.

At the whistle, direction givers must tell the string holders how to move the string so the eaters can eat the donut. First team with a completely swallowed donut wins.

Jelly Donut Feed

Materials needed:

• Jelly Donuts
• Bowls (1 bowl per player, disposable are recommended – easy clean-up)
• Optional: Whipped cream and/or chocolate syrup

Pre-game prep: Slice the donuts into sizes appropriate for the ages of the players (quartered, halved, etc.). Put one slice into each bowl. Optional: add whipped cream and/or chocolate syrup to each bowl.

How to Play: At the whistle, players must eat the donut slices out of the bowls using only their mouths. First player with a completely swallowed donut slice wins.

Variations:

• Make it a team event — all team members eat at the same time. First team to have all players swallow their donut slices wins.
• Make it a relay — one player from each team eats a donut piece, then tags the next player.
• Make it a relay race station — team chooses a representative to eat the donut piece. When the representative swallows, team can move to the next station.

*With any food game, please be conscious of the allergies of the participants and the possibility of staining clothes or carpets.

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

5 myths about Awana

When you get an organization as big as Awana, sometimes information can get mixed up or misunderstood. Below are five myths that the missionaries in my region had to debunk in their travels to start new clubs.

A town can have as many Awana Clubs as it has
groups of people willing to run them.

Myth: The official order of the colors is red, blue, green, yellow.

Fact: There is no official order.

Myth: Each town is only allowed one Awana Club.

Fact: A town can have as many Awana Clubs as it has groups of people willing to run them.

Myth: You can’t have an Awana Club until you have an official Game Square.

Fact: Some clubs run with no game square at all!

Bonus: Check out these nontraditional Awana Game areas!

Myth: Awana is only for kids within the church; outside kids cannot attend.

Fact: On average, 10 percent of the kids attending any giving club don’t attend a church at all. Awana has complete sets of resources dedicated to bringing in the outside kids, including the “Bring-A-Friend” section in the handbooks and The Great ShakeUP four-week program.

Myth: Awana can only be held in a church building.

Fact: There are Awana Clubs in schools, community centers, parks and apartment complexes, just to name a few.

Have you heard any Awana myths? Do you want to know if something you heard about Awana is a myth or fact? Share in the comments!

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

Billy the Pumpkin

Scripture: James 2:10, Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5, Romans 6:23, John 8:12

Materials:
1 Pumpkin
1 Tea candle
1 Lighter
Wax paper or saran wrap or newspaper- something to cover a table for easy cleanup.

Prep:
The night before or the day of the lesson, carve a simple happy or goofy face on the pumpkin, save 2-3 handfuls of the internal goop in a bag or plastic container.

Right before the lesson, cover the area with wax paper and return the goop to the inside of the pumpkin. Wear short sleeves and nothing on your wrists, as you will be reaching inside the pumpkin. Also, have a leader stand near the room’s light switch, ready to turn it off on your cure.

Tell the clubbers a story similar to the following. Disclaimer: This is a narrative I created to address Sparks. There may be others available online, or you can create your own.

Hi everyone! I'd like you to meet Billy. Billy comes from a Christian home, and as such, he does a lot of good things. He goes to church every Sunday and Awana every Wednesday, and he was baptized when he was six. He also donates some of his toys every year, and is respectful to his teachers.

But, Billy has a problem (remove the top of the pumpkin). You see, even though Billy does all sorts of good things, he still has all this icky stuff called sin. This (pick up a little bit of the goop) is from when he complained to himself when teacher asked him to help Jake put the art supplies away. This (pick up a little more of the goop) is from when Billy took just a little peek at Stephanie's spelling test because the only word he couldn’t remember was “cracker.” And this (pick up a little more of the goop) is from when his mom asked if he had finished his homework and he said yes, even though he had only done half of the math problems.

(Present your handful of goop to the kids) That doesn’t look like a lot of goop. I mean, none of those were big sins, right? Nobody heard him complain, he got all the other spelling words right on his own, and he would get the homework done before class tomorrow. And he’s done all those other good things, too. So all those good things make this small pile of icky sin unimportant, right? (Put handful back inside pumpkin).

The fact is that to God, sin is still sin, no matter how small we may think it is. In James 2:10, we’re told that "Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble at one point, he is guilty of all." We’re also told in Ephesians 2:8-9 and Titus 3:5 that there’s nothing we can do to make that sin disappear on our own. So all those good things that Billy does — having Christian parents, attending church, getting baptized, being respectful, giving to the poor — none of it can make that icky sin go away.

What’s worse is that tiny amount of sin has a giant, terrible consequence. Romans 6:23a tells us, “For the wages [or consequence] of sin is death.” Death means being separated from God forever. Poor Billy!

Fortunately, even though Billy can’t do anything, God can. The rest of Romans 6:23 tells us that “the Gift of God is Eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” In Titus and Ephesians, we’re told that God’s mercy and grace are what save us. Mercy means not punishing us even though we deserve it, and grace means that instead of punishing us, He wants to give us a gift we don’t deserve. God loves us so much that He sent His son Jesus Christ to face that consequence of sin so that we wouldn’t have to.

When Billy trusts that Jesus Christ died on the cross, taking the punishment Billy deserves, God cleans out all that nasty sin. (Remove the remaining goop from the pumpkin as you talk). Now does that mean we won’t sin anymore? No, we’re still not perfect, and we’ll still make mistakes. But once we’ve trusted Christ, God cleans out not only the sins we already did, but ALL our sins, even the ones we haven’t done yet!

And that’s not all God does! When we trust Christ, not only does God remove all our sin, He also promises to walk with us and help us to not sin. Once we trust Jesus, we’ll want to follow Him, and we’ll want to be obedient and do the right things to please Him. And He’ll help us to do those right things.

When we are obedient and follow His commands with His help, something happens. (Forewarn the clubbers that it will get dark, and ask them to not scream or yell). In John 8:12, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (Put the candle inside the pumpkin and light it. Have your helper turn off the light).

Can everyone see God’s light in Billy? When we trust Jesus and follow God’s commands, we show God’s light and God’s love to others, just like Billy.

If you haven’t trusted that Jesus faced the consequences for your sin and you want to, talk to your parents, your handbook leader, another leader here, your pastor, me, or your Christian friends. God loves you and wants to clean away all that icky sin. If you have trusted Christ, awesome! You can ask God to help you show His love and light to others.

Have leader turn lights back on. Ask for a couple of clubber volunteers to help close in prayer.

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

A Commander’s Calendar

This blog was written in response to a question from one of my readers. Do you have a question about Awana? Email me at twofifteenbits@gmail.com.

Club planning is highly dependent on the club’s location (church, school, military base, etc.), the leaders, and the parents of the clubbers. As such, most of it should be done as a team, rather than a single individual or couple serving as commanders. However, all standard clubs still have elements that need to be planned and communicated in advance for the club year to run smoothly. Here are some tips to help keep you on track.

For a bit more detailed structure, you can download the Awana Commander’s Checklist here. You or your commander may need to customize the calendar and checklist to fit your club's specific situation and needs.

Taking inventory

The best way to keep track of inventory during the year is delegate the list-writing to the people using the materials — the secretaries, directors, and leaders. Have them track what they need for their jobs. You can consolidate the lists in July and December, with reasons explained in the next section.
**Bonus: One former commander I spoke with suggests having a white-board in the office where Awana personnel can write the stuff they need as they discover they need it. Come ordering time, you can just take a photo of the white board and voila: an order list to take home.

Ordering materials

Awana has been offering free shipping in July. Planning your new-club-year orders around this time can help with both scheduling and saving money. July will be the best time to order materials for the beginning of the year, such as books, uniform awards, and record sheets. You can estimate amounts based on the previous year’s counts. December is a good midway point when you can order year-end awards and any supplies running low. You will need to have a general awareness of your club’s monetary flow, whether through your church or dues or both, so you can have enough at those times to make the orders. Check awana.org/store for details.
**Bonus: If you discover your estimate was short, you can place your order after-hours on a week night, such as Wednesday night. There’s a good chance your order will be shipped the next day!

Planning themes and special events

For themes and special nights, you can hold a leader meeting about one month before the first club night and plan as a group. With everyone having a calendar on their smart phone, all can help determine what works best for the team and kids. At that time, you can either plan for the whole year or up through Christmas, then hold another meeting during the Christmas break to plan for the remainder of the year. If you don’t already have someone on the church staff as a leader, invite someone with knowledge about other church events, especially if you’re planning something for a non-club night.
**Bonus: More people planning the calendar means more people brainstorming new theme night and event ideas to keep each club year fresh and exciting.

Training your leaders

New this month, all the Getting Started training videos for new leaders or leaders needing a refresher are available online at awana.org. Hands-on trainings can also take place any time your leaders are available, whether during the summer or club year. Talk with your Awana missionary, and they can either direct you to a Getting Started Training at another club, or help you schedule your own. Missionaries can also tell you when regional trainings are, including Awana Ministry Conferences, Commander Colleges, and other information-relaying and team-building trainings.
**Bonus: If you have specific questions about any part of the club night, you may find your answer through Awana’s Club Clinic videos. Role books are also available for purchase.

Optional: Inviting guest speakers

Sometimes you may want a guest speaker for a special night, such as a military veteran on Patriotic Night or a missionary on Culture Night. You should confirm their availability and willingness to teach three months to two weeks before the night they present, and confirm with them one week before they’re scheduled.
**Bonus: When the scheduled person cancels last minute, it’s good to have pinch-hit resources available. Consider the Sparky’s Adventures books by Larry Fowler, or other children’s faith and Christian-living books by an author approved by your church.

Optional: Planning a multi-club event

In recent months, Awana has turned regional events over to the individual churches and communities. That means if you want your Sparks to play in Sparks-a-Rama or your Trek clubbers to have a Bible Quizzing competition with other clubs in your area, you and the other club commanders need to plan it.

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