This Fall at Awana

WRITTEN BY JOEL RISHEL

Do you know what a splash play in football is? It’s when the Steelers are down by 4 points in the 3rd quarter. Ben Roethlisberger is scrambling in the pocket and he can’t find any targets, but he manages to gets an outlet pass to Najee Harris who breaks free from the secondary and runs like the wind for 45 yards. Heinz Field erupts. Momentum changes. We can almost taste the winning touchdown.

Summer Blast was sort of like a splash play. It was a great success with lots of good results. You could feel the energy, and we are still experiencing the momentum. But it isn’t going to win the game, so to speak.

We need kids to come to something more consistent. We want to spend more time with them—loving them, going deeper into God’s word, strengthening friendships, and steadily preaching the good news of Jesus to them. So we’ve invited all the kids who came to Summer Blast to come back on Wednesday nights to Awana.

Awana is an international organization that helps churches create a club environment. Starting September 8th and continuing throughout the school year, we are thrilled to be able to provide Christ-centered training and much-needed relationships for children. The content in Awana is age-appropriate: Puggles: 2 year olds Cubbies: 3-4 year olds Sparks: Kindergarten-2nd graders T&T: 3rd-5th graders

As kids come week after week, the friendships are deepened and trust is built, allowing opportunities for honest conversations about life, school, family, friends, sports, and Jesus. It can happen during the large group time with a Bible lesson, or during small group time where we memorize and discuss Bible verses, or even during game time.

This happens because we have volunteers who show up every Wednesday night to serve in Awana. These leaders love Jesus. They love kids. And they know how to have fun! Many times this kind of ministry allows us to reach into the family and encourage parents, grandparents, siblings, and guardians. Sometimes they are so blessed they check us out online or show up to church on a Sunday morning.

One mother who brought her child to Summer Blast wrote me. “My daughter recently attended your Summer Blast program which she loved. My question is she wants to come to Awana on Wednesday evenings; do I need to register her? Honestly we have never been to church, and if I were to decide, I believe your church would be the one!”

Thank you for being a church who loves kids and for supporting our programs like Awana. Please keep all the Awana volunteers in prayer as they continue to invest in kids and meet new kids. To stretch the football analogy just a little bit further—Awana is going to help us move the chains down the field and win the game.