Reaching lost kids

I recently had the opportunity to have lunch with a pastor in rural Nevada to talk with him about starting an Awana ministry at his church. After sharing with him about the importance of children's ministry, what Jesus thinks of children as depicted in Matthew 19:14, ie "Let the little children come to me..." and how he might use Awana to reach out into his community and bring new families into his church, this pastor told me something I have heard many times before.  "Awana is a great ministry, I love Awana, I'd love to start an Awana ministry at my church, BUT we don't have any children that come to our church".

My response was EXACTLY! I told him the very fact that he doesn't have any children come to his church is the very reason he should start an Awana ministry. I asked him to consider what if the Apostle Paul had said to himself "I'm not going to start any new churches until I can round up some Christians". Doesn't make sense does it, as one of the primary reasons for the church is to reach the lost.

I asked him to consider that Awana is not a ministry to find "bad" kids and make them "good", or to take good kids and make them better, rather Awana is a ministry to find dead kids and give them life through the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Please be praying for children and for pastors. Pastors have an incredibly difficult job; pray that they will view children's ministry not as something to keep kids busy while the adults "do real ministry", but that children are loved and cherished by God, that they are geniune souls to be saved and that they are legitimate members of the church.

The time urgency of children's ministry

Imagine serving as a missionary to a very large and growing mission field. Then imagine being brought into the office of the mission agency you work with and hearing this..."You've got 10 years to reach your mission field with the gospel of Jesus Christ. After 10 years, if you fail to reach this mission field, there is an 80-90% chance that you NEVER will, and their souls will be lost for eternity. Imagine the time urgency you'd feel.

This is where I find myself, and hopefully you find yourself. Consider these statistics....

1. In the ministry area I serve, the state of Nevada, according to census data, the population is approximately 2.8 million, of which approximately 25% are children under the age of 18 or about 700,000.

2. According to the Barna research group, 80% of all salvation decisions are made under the age of 14. Barna says after age 14, the odds of any salvation decision go considerably down.

3. There are approximately 50 Awana clubs in Nevada with say, an average of 50 children per club or about 2500 children being reached with the gospel through Awana. I'm not sure how many are reached through other ministries, but certainly not 700,000.

These statistics tells us a very, very large percentage of this mission field has not had the opportunity to hear about Jesus. The harsh reality is that there is a very small window in the life of a child when they can be reached with the message of Jesus. Every year there are children "arriving" in this window, yet every year there are children who are growing out of this age. If these statistics are true, after age 14, they'll grow out of this window. At that point there is only a 20% chance of any salvation decision being made, or in other words an 80% chance they will be lost for eternity.

Bottom line, children are a huge mission field, time is short and the stakes are very high. I hope we can all act with extreme urgency to reach these little ones with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

My Week 3/27/2017-4/23/2017 (4 weeks)

4,892 Miles Traveled
5 Different beds slept in
2 New Club Development Meetings
6 Awana Clubs Visited
1 Awana Summit Attended in Colorado Springs
4 Different Rental Cars
2 New Awana Clubs Trained
4 Uber Rides
8 Starbucks Visited
2 Bags of Sunflower Seeds eaten on the road to stay awake

This is the Awana Summit team from Nevada, along with coaches Dan & Karla Harker. Awana Summit is the National AwanaGames, Bible Quiz, Fine Arts and Volleyball Competition

Final Round of Bible Quizzing at Awana Summit in Colorado Springs

3 teens from our area came to Awana Summit to be presented their Citation Award from Awana CEO Valerie Bell and President Matt Markins. Only 1% of all Awana clubbers earn their Citation. Very excited to see how God will be using these teen leaders in the years to come.

Great to catch up with an old friend; Awana Missionary from Alabama Mark Morgan

Summit AwanaGames

So grateful to be serving with our team from Nevada. Team Nevada Summit Coordinator Karla Harker

Game time at the Mountain Warfare Training Center Awana Club in Coleville, CA

Jim and Heather Disbro lead the Awana club at MWTC. What a joy to see their heart and passion to reach the children of Mono County with the love of Jesus.

Judy and I had the opportunity to share with the clubbers at Green Valley Baptist Church in Henderson, NV. Awana Ministry Director Prudence Kowalski has put together a great team of leaders to reach the children in Henderson with the message of Christ.

I drove out to see and encourage Pastor Verna Vetter and her team at New Life Fellowship in Lovelock, NV. Very exciting to see God using Pastor Verna to lead her church to be a light to this community and bring the message of the cross to the lost in Lovelock.

There is a large Hispanic population in Mammoth Lakes, CA. Pastor Isidro Campo, and Awana Ministry Director Alice Bangen and their team are reaching the Hispanic as well as the Anglo Community in Mammoth. We helped start this club several years ago. What a blessing to see the fruit in Mammoth. Lot's of children, teenage leaders discipling these children, as well as having parents involved. Praise God for what He has done in Mammoth.

Awana Ministry Director Doug Koch at First Baptist of the Lakes in Las Vegas, NV leads opening ceremony there. I made a drop by visit to meet Doug and his team. What a warm and welcoming team as they invited me to stay for the entire night. Doug shared with me how God is working through Awana at this church.

"Pie in the Eye". At First Baptist of the Lakes, any clubber who finishes a book is allowed to throw a pie in the face of Awana Ministry Director Doug Koch. The night I was there, two clubbers finished their book. Awana is fun and exciting!!

We had the opportunity to train two new Hispanic clubs in Reno, NV. The Hispanic community is a large and growing demographic in the southwest. Reaching the children for Christ in this community will be very key to the future of the Church in the southwest.

We trained Calvary Chapel South Lake Tahoe last summer. Pastor Jerry Foster is working to bring new and young families into the church. In addition to starting Awana, they are starting a school at CCSLT. Youth Pastor Garry Weaver is working to develop the Awana club and youth ministry. They play games using the aisles of the sanctuary (the game in these photos is North America/ South America, as well as Limbo- How low can you go using the tug of war rope). 

Recruiting Volunteers Part 2

In the last blog post I gave some ideas on how to create an environment in your ministry to attract volunteers. You can read about that here.

In this post, I will give some practical ideas on how and where to find volunteers.

1. Pray- As with everything else, start here. God knows your ministry needs, and is planting seeds in your future volunteers hearts. Ultimately, you want volunteers who are called to serve, not those who serve out of guilt.
Tip: Pray that the Lord will guide you to and create opportunities to connect with those He has already called to serve in your ministry.

2. Make a kick off announcement on Sunday morning- At the beginning of your club year, or whenever you start your ministry, ask your pastor for a few minutes to make an announcement that Awana is starting, where and how to register and that you'll need volunteers.
Tip: Either play one of Awana’s “You Belong” volunteer testimonies (here), or have a volunteer from your ministry provide this testimony of how they feel God using them to reach kids. After the service, set up a table in the foyer or lobby of the church for clubber registrations as well as volunteer signups.

3. Host a volunteer ministry fair- All ministries in the church require volunteers. By hosting a ministry fair, you can provide a venue for these ministries to attract volunteers. After a Sunday service, in your fellowship hall, set up tables and displays provided by each ministry in the church, then ask the leaders of these ministries to “man these tables”.  
Tip: Provide snacks and coffee so that potential volunteers can mingle with the leaders of these ministries. Have a signup sheet for each ministry to capture information about potential volunteers.

4. Preschool parents- Preschool parents are much more likely to serve in your Awana club as these parents may be a little more apprehensive to leave their little ones alone and these Cubbie clubbers may want their parents to stay with them as well.

Tip: Once you recruit these Cubbie parents, make sure to train them and serve them well; they may "catch the bug" and be with you as their children progress through Sparks, T&T, Trek and Journey.

5. Dads for gametime- Dad's love playing games. Getting them to lead games may be a great way to get them involved in your ministry.

Tip: Once they have served for awhile during games, you can ask them occasionally to give a large group message or fill in as a small group leader.

6. Student Leaders- Don’t overlook teenagers to serve in your club. In many clubs between half and two thirds of their leadership are teenagers. Teens can be a valuable asset for your club.

Tip: Give these teens real ministry, not just helping with coloring. Train them correctly, then ask them to lead small groups, lead a large group time and be game leaders.

7. Senior Saints- The senior saints in your church could be a great asset to your club. They have time and have a heart for children.

Tip: Many times senior saints are afraid to commit to the entire club year as they want to be free to travel to visit grandkids, vacation, etc. Asking them to lead a small group "part time" when they are available could be a good way to approach them.

8. On call volunteers- Some volunteers cannot commit to the entire club year because of work schedules, etc, But, may be available to help on a limited basis or for specific tasks, ie Awana Grand Prix workers, Bible Quiz, etc.

Tip: Develop a list of on call volunteers who you can call on to fill in when your regular leaders are sick, or have work/ family conflicts.

9. Empower others to recruit- You are not the only one who can recruit. Most likely, everyone in your ministry travels in a different social circle than you do. Asking them to tap into those contacts to fill roles in your club could be a great strategy.

Tip: Ask each one of your club directors to recruit for their clubs.

Recruiting is not a problem to be solved, but a tension that needs to be managed. Recruiting volunteers is an ongoing process; never stop recruiting. Use these ideas as well as develop your own to fill roles in your club. Many of us feel as though we are always on the edge of having enough volunteers. I believe this is the Lord's way of having us relying on Him. Develop the strategies necessary to fill the roles in your club, but always remember this is God's ministry; He will bring those needed to reach His children in your community.

My Week 3/12/2017-3/25/2017 (2 weeks)

2,436 Miles traveled

1 Award Ceremony Spoken at

2 Different rental cars

3 Clubs visited

2 Club development meetings

4 Pastor Visits

6 Different beds slept in

10 Fast food meals eaten

6 Visits to Starbucks

1 Missions Conference Speaker

Awards Night at Summit Christian Church

Sparky Awards at Summit Christian Church

"Thank you" to the leaders at Summit Christian Church. Couldn't do it without you.

Ezekiel Gookins was presented with his Citation Plaque. What an accomplishment!!

Havasu Alliance Church partners with Community Presbyterian Church in Lake Havasu City for Awana.

Pat Zeman, T&T Director at Havasu Alliance Church gives the large group lesson to clubbers.

Winnemucca Christian Fellowship

"Calling all Cubbies"

Lori Taylor teaching the Cubbies at WCF

Pastor Mark does it all!

"Tails" an old gametime standby

Quinn River Baptist/ McDermitt, NV

Ashley Lewis giving the large group message

Gametime at Quinn River Baptist Awana

Missions Conference at First Baptist Carson City

Creating an environment to attract volunteers

As I travel around visiting Awana clubs, one of the most common things I'm asked by Awana Ministry Directors or Club Directors is “How do I get more volunteers?” Usually, these AMD’s are looking for the one silver bullet that will solve their volunteer recruiting problems, ie if they do XYZ, or if they have the perfect recruiting pitch, all will be good. My experience has shown something different. The Awana clubs that are successful with their recruiting strategy take a much more holistic approach to recruiting, training and developing volunteers. Potential volunteers usually are not interested in “helping out”, but are very interested in being part of a winning team. Here are some foundational things to think about related to developing the right kind of culture to attract volunteers to your ministry.

1. Is your club well disciplined? Are you successfully using the 5 count, 3 count and positive points to maintain order and discipline? Do potential volunteers view your ministry opportunity as something where they would have to wrangle unruly and troubled children, or would they view your ministry as something where they would be allowed to disciple and build lasting faith with these children. You, as AMD or club director are responsible for maintaining this discipline so that volunteers can thrive in your ministry.
2. Are you communicating your ministry successes to your church body, your parents and potential volunteers?  You'll be much more likely to recruit new volunteers if they are made aware of how God is using your ministry to reach kids for Christ. A facebook group or club newsletter sent home to parents, and/ or maybe inserted into your church bulletin (with your pastors permission), would be great ways to communicate how God is working in your ministry. An “Awana Sunday”,  It would be wise to not only use these communication tools to announce upcoming events and announcements, but also to share testimonies of new salvation decisions, disciple making events, missions opportunities
3. Are you clearly communicating what you want you’d want potential  volunteers to do?  If your volunteers don’t know what’s expected, they are less likely to raise their hand and step up. Having a written “job description” of what you’d like your volunteers to do is a great first step to this communication. Here are some resources Awana has prepared to help you communicate with potential volunteers. https://www.awana.org/you-belong-recruitment-tools
4. Are your leaders equipped to have a successful ministry?  Do you have a plan for how you will train and equip your new volunteers as well as ongoing training for your existing volunteers,  or is your training strategy simply “On the job”? Awana provides many training opportunities that you can use to equip your volunteers. Basic Training, annual Awana Ministry Conferences, leader training meetings, LEAD leadership development trainings are all opportunities provided by your local Awana Missionary. If you prefer to do the training yourself, Awana provides online Getting Started Training,  leader role books and a Getting Started Resource binder.

Bottom line, a successful recruiting strategy STARTS with creating an environment where your volunteers can survive and thrive. Serving God is not a burden, it is a discipleship opportunity for your volunteers. Are your volunteers moving closer to God or further away by serving in your ministry?

In my next blog post, I will give some very practical tips on where to look for volunteers for your ministry.

Is Independence Day a Civic or Religious Holiday?

Is July 4th (Independence Day) a civic holiday or is it a religious holiday? Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter are generally recognized as Christian holidays as they celebrate God’s goodness to our country, Jesus birth, death and resurrection respectively. But what about the 4th, a civic or religious holiday? I would argue that Independence Day is a religious holiday.

Why you ask? Many think of the 4th as a celebration of the adoption of the Declaration of the Independence and the birth our nation. That’s true, but not the whole story.  The key to understanding the birth of our nation is in the first sentence of the Declaration of Independence;

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The founders of our nation believed that our rights as people came from God, not from any man, monarchy or government, and as long as we held onto that truth; that our rights do come from God, then no man could take them away. After living under the tyrannical British monarchy, they understood first hand the sinful nature of man, so they deliberately wrote in our country’s founding document, that we are a free people not because our government says we’re free, but because God created us as free people and no one can take that away. Truly something to celebrate!

So this year as we all spend time with families, engage in July 4th activities, eat hot dogs and watch fireworks, remember...that you live in the only country in history that guarantees and celebrates your God given right to freedom...don’t ever forget.