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.

2 Summit destinations, 6 Citation ceremonies, and online fine arts coming in 2015

Change is coming to Summit. Why? Out of the 18,000 to 20,000 Journey students across the nation, only about 900 currently attend Summit. Those in Awana Youth Ministries want to bring Summit and all its components to as many kids as possible. They also want to encourage more kids to come and make more friends, more connections, and more relationships.

With this in mind, here are the changes coming for Summit 2015.

Two Summit Destinations

Next year, Summit will be held in Kansas City, Mo., and Washington D.C. in the hopefully warmer month of April.

Many students cannot afford the cost or time to attend Summit. By hosting two Summits, the Awana YM team will provide two options so teams can choose the location best for their wants and needs.

These are not regional — teams from California can travel to D.C. if they choose.

Six Citation Ceremonies

In addition to the ceremonies held at the two Summits, ceremonies will be held in Atlanta, Chicago, California, and the Northwest.

Currently, only about 10 percent of Citation achievers attend the Citation Ceremony. By hosting six ceremonies, the Awana YM team hopes that more students will gather and celebrate their accomplishments with their peers.

Online Fine Arts

Journey students will submit their entries to Awana YM online. According to Awana YM Director Jeremy Pettitt, his team will send the entries to the "best famous fine arts professionals we can find" for judging and feedback.

Finding enough professional judges willing to spend a week at Summit was difficult. Finding enough rooms for all the performances also presented a challenge. By submitting online, Awana YM does not have to coordinate either people or rooms for that single week. More importantly, students will have a greater chance of professional feedback, as well as a chance to make connections with famous professionals in the fine arts world.

Online fine arts will serve another purpose as well. "We need to be using digital media to spread the gospel," said Pettitt. "Jesus should be on the internet."

More details and instructions will be released closer to the event dates next year.

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

Going for Gold: Summit 2014 Monday

Monday was part two of Bible quizzing and fine arts, as well as the introduction of athletics. This post will cover the various forms of fine arts judged, as well as the volleyball competition.

These were some of Monday's displayed visual arts. Visual arts had 81 total
submissions, including 44 photographs.

High school students had the chance to participate in four fine art divisions: musical, non-musical, visual, and creative writing. Each division had several categories, including instrumental, expressive arts, public speaking, and photography. All the students were encouraged to base their submissions and performances around the Summit year's main theme verse or one of the supplementary verses provided. This year's theme verse is John 10:14, " I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own." Other related verses included Psalm 100:3, 1 Corinthians 13:12, and Philippians 3:10.

This year, there were 208 registered entries: 23 piano, 26 vocal, 16 instrumental, 35 public speaking, 13 expressive arts, 14 creative writing submissions, and 81 visual arts, 44 of which were photographs. The visual arts were on display Sunday though Tuesday in the Marsalis Ballroom across from the Summit Store.

Within each category, students' submissions and performances were judged based on how well they reflected the various theme verses and how well they met criterion specific to their categories. The entries were individually ranked on a bronze-silver-gold scale, and the students received awards corresponding to their ranking. The students also received the judges' comments about what was done well and how to improve.

High school students with the top scores in each category will receive trophies Tuesday at the closing ceremony. Some of the trophy winners will also receive $500 scholarships to the colleges of their choice, depending on the number of entries in each of the four divisions.

One of Summit's 32 volleyball teams work together to return the ball. 

Once quizzing and fine arts judging concluded for the day, the students and leaders turned their sights to the first athletic competition of the week: volleyball. There were 32 coed teams ranging between 6 and 7 players competing. Some were formed by groups from a single church, while others were formed from several churches in a region. Time was provided for the hybrid groups to practice, since many of those teams had never played together prior to Summit. Then the tournament began.

Each match had a 10-minute time limit. Teams either had to score 15 points or score the most points within the 10 minutes to win. Teams earned points when their opponents let the ball touch the ground, hit the ball out of bounds, or hit the ball more than three times before returning it. Teams also earned points when their opponents reached the three-hit limit without both genders hitting at least once.

All teams played three qualifier matches. The teams were then ranked based on the number of matches won. In the instance of ties, teams were ranked based on how many total points they scored across the three matches. The top 16 teams continued on into double elimination. The final three teams received medals, while the top team earned a trophy.

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

God's Award Ceremony: Summit 2014 Sunday

The morning began with a Sunday message from Saturday's guest speaker Sean McDowell, and he discussed three types of knowing. The first type was facts, such as the demons knowing who Jesus is. The second was experience, such as knowing how to ride a bike or just "knowing" when you fall in love. The third and most important was knowing in a personal way, such as how man was made to know God and was not meant to be alone. God designed us to build relationships with other people, serve together with the body of Christ, and pursue a relationship with Him, ignoring any other "gods" or "idols" in the way.

After the service, the students went to either Bible quizzing or fine arts performances. On Monday, those who quizzed Sunday will either watch their teammates' fine arts performances or perform themselves, while those who participated in fine arts will quiz. This post will cover the Bible quizzing, and I will discuss the fine arts on Monday.

There are 97 teams of students sharing their knowledge through Bible quizzing.
One team's members will earn $500 scholarships to the colleges of their choice.

Of the 97 quiz teams, 48 participated in the first two rounds Sunday. Quizzing began in four rooms, each with 12 teams. After the first round, the teams were sent to compete against different teams for a second participation round. At the end of the two rounds, the 24 teams who scored the most points advanced to the silver round, and the top 12 teams from the silver round advanced to the gold round.

The remaining 49 teams will follow the same process tomorrow, and the top five teams from today's gold round will compete in the platinum round with tomorrow's top five teams. The members of the winning team will receive $500 scholarships to the colleges of their choice.

In the evening, after the conclusion of quizzing and fine arts, came the highlight of many Awana students' and leaders' Summit trip: the Citation Awards Ceremony. 

People who earned Citation awards each completed 10 years of Awana curriculum. They each memorized about 836 passages of scripture, read through the entire Bible and summarized each book, served at least one year in active ministry, and attended at least four ministry leadership conferences. At the ceremony, they received their awards from Awana's President and CEO Jack Eggar and Awana's Co-Founder and President Emeritus Art Rorheim.

Recipients were not limited to high school seniors. At least two fathers received their awards alongside their children, and a couple "that's my mom!" cheers echoed from the audience. Even the Awana missionaries from Ohio, Kenneth and Deborah Rohrer, received their citations tonight.

Throughout the ceremony, we were introduced to Stephen Maphosah, the Africa area director, and Awana leaders and directors from Pakistan, Zimbabwe, and India--only a few of the over 100 countries where Awana programs run. Maphosah shared about how God was using Awana in Africa, including the efforts to translate the materials into French for use at Burkina Faso in West Africa. We also met four high school students who went to serve in Nigeria. They emphasized how God qualifies those he calls, emphasizing that He called a group of teenage boys to serve and witness in Africa.

Awana's Co-Founder Art Rorheim encourages the kids to be
bold in sharing the Gospel.

As the final Citation recipient exited the stage, Art Rorheim himself, 95, took the microphone. He began by discussing the Olympics and how Olympians spend their lives building up to the medal podium. When they finally reach that podium, there is nothing more to be done: they've given their all and cannot add or subtract from their accomplishments.

"We spend our lives building up to God's podium," He said. "One day, we'll be at God's Awards Ceremony, and He will present awards of gold, silver, fine jewels, wood, hay, and stubble. Imagine, standing there having wasted your life. You didn't take a stand, you didn't share the gospel. Those awards will be tried by fire. If all we earned is burned, we will suffer great loss."

He finished by reminding the audience of Philippians 2:16, encouraging them to hold "fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain." We should stand bold and spend our lives aiming for the prize.

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

To know and be known: Summit 2014 Saturday

Hi everyone! This week I am writing to you from Awana's national high school competition, Summit 2014: Destination St. Charles. We have a week overflowing with events and activities, from Bible Quizzing to Volleyball. Representing Awana programs from across the United States are 97 quiz teams, 32 volleyball teams, and 33 games teams. And that doesn't even include all the high school students participating in the fine arts competitions.

This year's theme is "Know and Be Known," and the week kicked off with a few words from National Director of Awana Youth Ministries Jeremy Pettitt, worship songs lead by Aaron Niequist, and a performance from the Summit Choir.

Sean McDowell pretends to be an atheist to remind kids to
love nonbelievers even when defending faith.

Our guest speaker tonight was Sean McDowell. McDowell teaches apologetics at Biola University, has published several books, and earned a double masters in theology and philosophy. Tonight he role-played as an atheist, answering questions from the audience from an atheist's viewpoint.

After about 30 minutes of going back and forth with the students, he stopped role playing, commended the students for their efforts and good questions, and asked the students a question of his own: "What sort of attitude did you have toward me as an atheist?" Words such as "rash," "harsh," and "not good" echoed through the audience. McDowell mentioned that at one conference, when he entered the role, many in the audience began booing him. He also shared answers from atheists about what Christians can do better: be willing to listen. If we don't listen to what they have to say, why would they be willing to listen to us? He pointed out that we're commanded many times in scripture to love our enemies and our neighbors. And 1 Corinthians 1:1-2 explains that even if we have all knowledge and all faith, if we don't have love, we're nothing.

Earlier in the day was check-in and various games for the kids to play. One game was Cross Boards — a game similar to King of the Hill. Only four players played at a time, and all began at the outside ends of two two-by-sixes that crossed in the middle. Each of the four extensions of the "x" was a different Awana color. Players tried to push their opponents off their colors without falling themselves. Players were out if they did not keep at least one foot on their own color or if they touched the floor.

Kids participated in several activities before the opening
ceremony, including 9-Ball.

Kids also lined up around the corner and down the wall for 9-Square-in-the-Air — a cross between four square and volleyball. There were nine players at a time in a grid three blocks by three blocks (9 blocks total) that stood on supports about 7 feet tall. The server stood in the middle block and lobbed an 18-24 inch indoor rubber ball over the top of the pipes and into another player's block. Players had to hit the ball back over the pipes to other players without letting it touch the ground, go under the pipes, or leave the grid. As long as the ball remained in their individual block, players could hit the ball as many times as needed to get it over the pipes.

Along with the high-energy games were three giant Jenga stacks and several Sport Stacking stations.

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.