Our new AWANA year is off and running. We are grateful for the privilege of teaching and ministering to your children. We consider it a joy to walk through the hallways on Sunday evenings and listen to children reciting their verses to their leaders. It is a great thrill to think how the memorization of Scripture can change our children.

Have you ever considered the great benefits of a child participating in our AWANA program? The best part is that your child will memorize the Bible. The benefits of Scripture memorization are immeasurable. God’s Word teaches us that if we hide His Word in our hearts it can keep us from sinning against Him (Psalms 119:11). We also know that God’s Word is powerful and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of our hearts (Hebrews 4:12). God’s Word promises to teach, reprove, correct and train us in righteousness. God’s Words can equip us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16). In a sense, God’s Word alone is perfect for discipling and training up our children in righteousness. We simply have to read it, embrace it and apply it to our lives. The AWANA program seeks to do that on a level that is best suited for children.

The AWANA program is designed to systematically help children better understand the truths and basic doctrines that are appropriate for them at various ages. One of the best benefits for the grown-ups involved in AWANA is that it develops them into better teachers of children. The material is thorough and allows adults to pick up and start reading and learning along with the child.

Studies have shown that individuals can remember and retrieve verses previously memorized if the new verse is reviewed periodically. The AWANA program begins children with a core group of verses beginning in kindergarten and continues to review them throughout the Sparks and Truth and Training clubs. This review will help your child remember the verses learned in earlier years. We recognize that Scripture memorization alone will not help your child grow spiritually. We do, however, believe that if children see adults and other children walking with the Lord and truly living out one’s faith in Christ, then, they too, will choose to enter into a genuine relationship with the Lord Jesus. This personal relationship with Christ is what will transform and change the child’s life.

The basis of the AWANA program is to show children God’s great love for them and their need for a Savior. It then moves onto teaching a child how to learn to walk with Christ and to equip them to be able to share the gospel with others. We have been commanded to “Go and make disciples of all the nations.” What a privilege to be a part of a church where our elders and leaders endorse and support an AWANA ministry. The AWANA ministry is being used by God to bring children and entire families to Christ.

See you at AWANA,

Randy & Evelyn Owens
Directors of Children's Ministries