TDF Right: West Coast Honor Camp Tuesday through Wednesday

The West Coast Honor Camp's speaker for this year is Pastor Shawn Thornton. Pastor Shawn, as he is affectionately known, has a 20-year history as a pastor, and he, his wife of 21 years and his three children currently hail from Westlake Village, Calif, where he serves as the Senior Pastor at Calvary Community Church. His history with Awana Clubs International spans even longer, as he started with the program before the creation of Sparks or Cubbies, and he currently serves on the Awana Clubs International board of directors and the Awana International board.

Pastor Shawn waits to teach "The
Three Things about Standing Out."
Photo provided by Laura Carpenter.

On Monday, Pastor Shawn began his theme for the week,"Think Right, Do Right, Feel Right," began with  Philippians 4:8-9 and a life-experience-turned-allegory story of a cat, a dog, and Gary the Goldfish. Every day, the cat and dog would chase each other around the house at breakneck speeds, frequently passing by Gary's bowl. Only at night did the chasing stop, because the pair was confined to the bedroom. But one day, Pastor Shawn came out after a night's rest to discover that even though the cat and dog were away from the fish bowl, Gary was on the floor, dead.

"I got to thinking," said Pastor Shawn, "that maybe, possibly, what could of potentially happened, was this..."

Gary saw what fun the cat and dog were having, chasing each other around the house day after day, and he decided he really wanted to join in. So, he started practicing every day, swimming as fast as he could around the bowl, trying a few jumps, getting better and faster, preparing to run with the cat and dog. Finally, one night, Gary was ready. He leaped out of the bowl and hit the floor — where he was found that tragic morning.

"God did not design Gary to run with the cat and dog," Pastor Shawn said. "Unfortunately, the sad truth is many people think like Gary. So this week, we're looking at living the way God designed you to live."

Gary's tragedy began when he started thinking about things outside of God's design. He wanted to be something other than what God had planned — he thought wrong. Those thoughts lead him to practice for the role God did not design him to fill — he did wrong. Ultimately, his wrong actions lead him from the safety and joy found in the place God designed him for, and it didn't feel too good.

In Philippians 4:8, God provides us with the blueprint for thinking right:

"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things" (NKJV).

The first half of verse 9 shows how to do right, and the second half explains how they feel right:

"The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you." More rewards for thinking and doing right can be found in Romans 5:1

The theme of "Think Right, Do Right, Feel Right" continued into Tuesday with three things about standing out — because when you think, do and feel right, you will feel like you're not part of a group. We considered Elijah and the sacrifice on Mount Carmel, as written in 1 Kings 18:18-39.

1) It's not how many you follow, but it''s WHO you follow that matters. Nearly 450 prophets followed Baal, yet only Elijah, as far as he knew, followed the LORD.

2) It's not how much you trust, but WHO you trust that matters. The prophets of Baal screamed, hollered, sacrificed a bull and cut themselves to show their devotion, Elijah only prayed a single statement.

3) It's not what you have to offer, but TO WHOM you offer it that matters. The prophets of Baal sacrificed the better bull on the solidly established alter. Elijah build an alter of wood and some rocks and water, upon which he sacrificed the poorer offering.

Baal remained silent. God consumed the wood, the rock, the water, and the sand in fire, leaving nothing but a cater of scorched earth.

Today, the 114 high school campers put the process of "Think, Do, Feel Right" into action as they served the Redding, Calif. area in five different ministries. Stay tuned tomorrow for some of their stories.

Tuesday's Chapel Lesson: Three Things about Standing Out
Tonight's Verse Card Count: TBA
Junior High Armor: Shield of Faith
Halfway mark! Please keep praying as we continue to "train them to serve Him."

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

Confessions of a Cabin Inspector: West Coast Honor Camp Monday through Tuesday

Each year of West Coast Honor Camp, I'm faced with a variety of new experiences. This year, for example, I am learning the duties of general staff: specifically, I'm learning the role of a cabin inspector. I am inspecting the rawhides (where the junior high girls sleep) while they are away at their Bible lessons. I have only been inspecting for two days with my partner, Liz Benesch, but I have already made some observations based on what I've heard from other inspectors and what I've seen myself.

Inspections are much harder than one would think. We're given a sheet with eight categories — grounds, floors, beds, clothes, shoes, suitcases, bathrooms, and bonus — and each category has a potential of five points. The inspection process itself begins at the communal bathrooms. We have to check both sets of shower stalls for any sand or mud or hair around the drains, any curtains pulled to different sides, any undumped trashcans and any unlabeled left-behind bottles or towels or clothes.

Then it's on to the two sets of toilet stalls. As with the showers, we look for lost items, curtain conformity, clean floors and empty cans. But then we have to check for any unflushed bowls — and sometimes, we find them. (Yuck!)

After grading the bathrooms, the real challenge begins: we have to walk through eight rawhides and one tent, judging each of the criterion — all in less than an hour (hardly enough time).

We start outside with the grounds: Is there trash around the rawhide? Are the porches swept? Any wayward shoes or clothes below the clothesline? Is the clothesline labeled?

Once we grant points for the outside, we slowly open the door to the sleeping area, never knowing what to expect. Today we were showered with patriotic confetti; greeted by a giant teddy bear holding a fish, a bouquet and a bunch of taffy for us; directed along a trail of sparkling stars and shoes to a trophy; given a story about a picnic in celebration of soldiers and pie accompanied by the picnic scene (the people and animals celebrating, but no pie); and provided with a poem about a bunk that collapsed yesterday. Others left us necklaces, notes and various candies. Such creativity, along with the use of patriotic decorations and sticks and rocks and pine cones all go into the bonus category, often making or breaking a winning score.

From there, we begin down the list. Floors: Did they sweep? Is there any clothing under the bunks?

Beds: Are sleeping bags zipped? If not, is there a note explaining a broken zipper? Are there any lumps?

Clothes: Any to be seen? On the line outside, are they neat? Undergarments should never be found, ever!

Shoes: Do they make a distinguishable pattern? Are they uniform in presentation?

Suitcases: Are they zipped closed or is there an explanation for why they're not? Any Bibles or lesson books to be seen (They should be with the kids at the lesson, NOT in the rawhide)?

More often than not, rawhides, along with the tepees (junior high boys) and cabins (high school), do well with some scores and not with others. Unfortunately, this can lead to problems. Camilla Taetzsch, one of the cabin inspectors, explains. "How do you choose between a cabin that's hyper clean but has no decorations and a cabin that's moderately clean but has lots of decorations?"

Other times, the ultra-clean cabins give the inspectors grief. "What I hate most is when everything is fine except for one thing," Taetzsch said. "Like when the grounds are perfect except for one pair of shoes, or all beds are perfect except for one person's. I think 'What happened?' and feel bad for not being able to give a perfect score."

The best parts of inspections are leaving the kids candy and watching how the rawhides improve throughout the week, and like all the other staff, we inspectors hope and pray the children are improving and growing as well.

Monday's Evening Lesson: Think Right, Do Right, Feel Right: Introduction (more information to come)
Tonight's Verse Card Count: At least 85.
Junior High Armor: Shoes of Peace and Breastplate of Righteousness
High School head to their ministries tomorrow. Please keep them in your prayers.

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

Guns and Gloves: West Coast Honor Camp Sunday to Monday

Hey all, this week I'm writing to you from West Coast Honor Camp -- the camp for all clubbers in the region sixth grade and up who earned their Excellence award and completed this year's requirements.

Throughout the week, I'll *attempt* to provide updates and insights on what the kids are learning. This year's theme is Patriotic, and Eddie Hester, regional ministry director for Central and Western Europe at Awana International, kicked off the week appropriately last night with a definition of a patriot: someone who loves, supports and protects their country and its interests with devotion." He then embodied the definition with a war story from his time in Vietnam — one mission with two miracles: two deadly bullets that didn't kill.

Hester served in the armed forces as pilot. Part of his responsibility included flying a helicopter into enemy fire to rescue his fellow soldiers. On this particular mission, one bullet hit his "chicken vest" (had it hit his copilot in the same spot, his copilot would have died). Another bullet hit his copilot in a new ballistic helmet (had it hit Hester in the same spot, he would have died). Both bullets hit the right places on the right people -- to Hester, the two saved lives are both signs of God's love for His people.

The story also serves as an allegory for the Greatest Patriot: Jesus Christ. Christ loves, supports and protects the citizens of Heaven, even to the point of entering into enemy fire and dying to rescue those He loves.

The high school campers practice the Gospel Glove
to present to kids on Wednesday's ministry trips.

This morning, other patriots of Heaven began training for missions. On Wednesday, groups of high school campers will depart in various directions — some will work sorting stuff at a mission or cleaning and performing maintenance around other campgrounds. Other groups will go to different locations to host a one-day Awana. These kids will lead water games and songs, perform a puppet show or skit, present a lesson and a testimony, and, most importantly, share the Gospel with the attending children and parents.

Each year, the high-schoolers are taught a new Gospel tool, which they present to children on the Wednesday of the WCHC week. Today, they received this year's tool: the Gospel Glove. One side presents the Gospel message with verses, images and symbolic colors; the other presents a message about obedience and growth for those already saved.

Between now and the trip, the high school campers are encouraged to practice by presenting to their fellow junior-high campers.

In the meantime, the junior high will be completing training of their own: training on how to use the Armor of God. Today's piece: the Belt of Truth.

One final key trait of WCHC is the completion of verse cards: a card split into six days, each day having one or two verses. To complete a card, a camper has to recite all six days' worth in a single sitting with only two helps. As of this evening, the verse card count stands at at least 50.

So here we stand, one day completed, and one more opportunity to teach children to know, love and serve the Lord.

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.

One More Relationship: Response

This posting concludes the three-part discussion of One More Relationship, inspired by what I learned at One More: Awana Ministry Conference 2011.

Over the last couple postings, I discussed the importance of consistency and respect in establishing and building relationships with anyone of any age. In today’s blog, I will discuss the third pillar.

Response

As any happily married couple will tell you, healthy relationships revolve around communication. With this, recognize that communication requires both talking and listening - often more the latter than the former.

Photo provided by Sierra Bible Church

We’ve all heard the saying, “Children should be seen and not heard.” Well, this statement isn’t entirely true. Listening to a child goes back to the pillar of respect - what your child considers to be important is worth your time, and they need to know it.

Teenagers especially are more willing to open up if you show an interest in their thoughts, questions and well-being. Brannon Marshall, who taught a workshop about how to teach middle school and high school students, stressed the importance of spending a few class periods yielding the floor to the students. “You should ask questions such as, ‘Is there anything you’d like to talk about, any questions you want to discuss, or any topics you want more information about?’” he said.

Question and answer has two other purposes as well. The first is that it works to evoke critical thinking, forcing the child to work through (with guidance from the teacher) questions about meaning, cause and effect, and actions and consequences on his own.

Brannon Marshall discussed the types of questions to ask tweens and teens when teaching a lesson. The first set of questions regard the text in question and focus on the meaning. By asking questions such as, “What is this talking about?” and “What is this saying about what it’s talking about?” makes the teen dig deeper into the text to seek out the truth. Seeking out the truth for himself rather than simply being told establishes a greater sense of accomplishment, confidence and personalization of what God has to say.

Marshall then discussed the next level, which evokes conversation: asking questions such as “what do you think about that?” and “why is this important?” These questions serve to help the child move through the process of cause and effect, action and consequence, “what I feel” to “what I decide.” Such questions also work to build the relationship between the teacher and the student, as the adult encourages these thought processes.

Asking questions to make a child think through action and consequence can also be used in discipline. In the conference workshop “Ending Discipline Times with Impact,” National Center for Biblical Parenting speaker Meg Roundy discussed the importance of asking three questions and making a statement when confronting a child about his behavior: “What did you do wrong?” “why was it wrong?” “what can you do differently next time?” and “ok, let’s try again.”

It makes the child think about the action and the consequence, as well as future behavior. Firstly, the child has to verbally confess the action. This helps ingrain the concept of accountability and responsibility into her mind, instead of looking for ways to pass an excuse off somewhere else. The second step is the child has to explain why the action was wrong. This verbalization helps her understand that her actions can have consequences to others, and there is a reason for the discipline. The third question forces the child to think critically about ways to improve her character, and the final statement offers a glimmer of hope that the child can make better decisions in the future.

In her workshop “Teaching Kids to Listen and Follow Instructions,” Roundy also discussed how teaching kids to respond also teaches them accountability and responsibility. When you ask them to do something, a response from them lets you know that “They heard you, and they intend to follow through,” she said. “It creates a verbal contract, which isn’t complete until they report back ‘I’m done.’ It also serves as an indicator of attitude.”

Finally, Q&A tests the understanding of the child and helps with memorization. At one of the Bible camps I attended during high school, we were trained use the beaded gospel bracelets to share the gospel. We explained the black bead (sin), the red bead (Christ’s death, the shedding of blood), and the white or clear bead (being made clean). Then we asked the child to repeat the meanings of the three beads back to us. By having her echo the meanings, we knew she understood. Verbalization is also a memorization technique. When she repeated the gospel to us, the message became more deeply instilled in her mind and, hopefully, her heart.

Establishing a relationship with your kids at home, school or ministry is important in helping the children to become steadfast, God-fearing adults. Build on the three pillars of consistency, respect, and response, and you’re on your way to building one more relationship that will last for a lifetime.

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

One More Relationship: Respect

This is the second blog of three in the series of One More Relationship, inspired by what I learned at One More: Awana Ministry Conference 2011.

Last blog, I discussed the importance of consistency as one of three pillars in establishing a connection and maintaining a healthy relationship with your sons and daughters, or the children you work with. However, while consistency is one of the most important pillars, it alone is not enough. Remember, these pillars apply not just to a relationship between kids and parents, but to relationships between children and any of their adult teachers and leaders.

Respect

Previously, I mentioned the concept of teaching through how you act in front of your kids in different situations. Your actions are also important when working directly with the kids. Children tend to base their worth on how their parents and leaders interact with them. If you maintain consistence with discipline, lectures, and commands but neglect praise and acknowledgement, they may get the idea that they never do anything right, and it makes them feel that you don’t care to hear what they have to say.

I remember that as a child, every day after school, the first words I heard as I was getting in the car were “Hi kiddo, how was your day?” As I responded, mom remained actively involved in the conversation, asking questions about what I learned and how I was getting along with other kids, mentioning them by name. She opened the door for me to share about my excitements and worries, and it allowed us to discuss in more detail some of the things I learned, which actually helped me remember the information. And most importantly, this came as a comfort to me and planted a seed of confidence because my life was worth her time.

In the conference workshop “Teaching Kids to Listen and Follow Instructions,” National Center for Biblical Parenting speaker Meg Roundy provided a series of steps for both parents and children. She grouped the first two steps into a process of letting the child know you care. The first step listed is to physically get close to your child. We’re told in Proverbs 15:1, “A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.” Nobody likes being yelled at, whether it’s across the room or the house. Yelling causes most people to become defensive and less responsive to what you have to say.

“You need to get down at their level and look them in the eye,” Roundy said. “You can also use manners of touch, such as placing your hand on your teen’s shoulder until they are willing to pay attention.”

The second step Roundy discussed was to consider the timing of a discussion, lesson or discipline. Showing an interest in your child’s life also requires paying attention to their moods and actions. If the family pet just died and the child comes to Awana to be greeted with “you don’t have the week’s section requirement finished,” her esteem will plummet, her depression will deepen, and your ability to communicate with her will greatly diminish. Instead, pay attention to whether she’s sad or depressed, and offer to talk and pray about it. As with the child being asked, “how was your day?,” this communicates that the child has value, that praying for her and her family is more important than meeting a record-keeping requirement. With this method, however, make sure that at the end of the discussion or prayer you do gently address the rule or lesson you initially postponed, as that is still important and needs attention.

Establishing a mature relationship is especially important with older kids, and even adults. “You need to talk to the teen, tell him that you value an adult and honorable relationship with you,” Roundy said. This helps them recognize that you acknowledge that they are becoming older. You grant them a certain level of responsibility for their actions combined with some independence, and it encourages more respect in return.

One More Relationship: Consistency

On Sept. 24, I had the pleasure to attend my first Awana Ministry Conference outside of Reno. After a 4 a.m. awakening and a three-hour drive, we arrived in Elk Grove near Sacramento.

The conference was worth every sleepless moment.

This year’s theme was “One More:” One more boy riding in your car to Awana club; One more girl in handbook time; One more invitation to meet the Savior; One more family changed forever. For me, the overarching theme was One more relationship.

The age group you’re working with does not matter, nor does it matter whether you are a parent or just someone who works in youth ministries. Connecting and instructing children may be defined in three key pillars: consistency, respect, and response. In the next few blogs, I will take a more in-depth look at each of these pillars.

Consistency

Children are like trees. They need a place where they can dig their roots deep to blossom and grow. Too many transplants or too shifty a soil will prevent the tree from opening up and reaching his full potential.

“Ninety percent of leadership is showing up,” said Brannon Marshall, who taught a workshop about how to teach middle school and high school students. When a child sees that you care enough to come and support her, whether as a weekly Awana handbook leader or a parent attending her soccer game, she will be more likely to listen to what you have to teach, as well as share with you what is on her mind.

Be warned: this is a two-edged sword. Consistent availability can, and should, be found at home with the parents and at church with the congregation members, youth and Awana leaders. But it can also be found at school and the neighborhood with peers and those walking with the world and away from God. Children will sink their roots wherever they find people willing to spend time with them - will you be their soil?

Consistency applies to how you act as well. “Actions speak louder than words” is not obsolete. Children, especially at a younger age, are impressionable, and will learn right away if you practice what you preach. What does your child see when you are not in your Awana uniform, not at church, and not around other people?

"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle," Marshall said, quoting Christian writer Brennan Manning. Regardless of what you say, children, and people in general, perceive what is most important through how you act. Does what you say have merit? Prove it by visually applying it to your daily life.

Consistency in discipline is also highly important. Children want to feel secure in their environment, and will therefore test the boundaries to find out how secure they are. If you are sometimes lax in presenting the consequence to his action and at other times dropping on him with a sledge-hammer, he will become scared and confused, never knowing what to expect, and never willing to let out his roots. He will also look elsewhere for more consistent boundaries and will most likely find himself going over the edge and into danger.

For more information about Awana Clubs International, visit the Awana Homepage.

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