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.

Reviving Your Small Group Time!

11 Things you can do at Large Group Time

This post is co-authored by guest blogger Tiffany Kozsan. Tiffany serves as Sparks director at Sierra 
Bible Church in Reno. She is also part of the Northern California/Northern Nevada Ministry Team. Check out her kidmin blog at twofifteenbits.blogspot.com.

Large Group Time can be a challenge, especially if you’re like me and do most of them yourself. You
have to fill one-third of the Awana night each week with some combination of songs, activities, or stories
in a way that keeps the kids engaged, excited, and learning. The good news is that there are plenty of
ideas and resources available so you don’t have to plan each week from scratch. Here are 11 ideas to
add to your Large Group Time repertoire.

1. Teach a lesson written by Awana. Check the Awana catalogue for lessons specific to your age
range, along with Truthseeker lessons. (Tip: Plan for the lesson to be as many minutes long as
the age of the youngest child in your group. For example, 7-years-old equals 7 minutes.)

2. Host a Bible quiz competition.

3. Show YouTube videos.

4. Show Awana at Home Parent Kit videos.

5. Teach an object lesson. Check the Awana catalogue for general object lesson books. You can
also check out online resources, including kidmin blogs and Pinterest.

6. Play Bible story review games. (check Pinterest for some great ideas)

7. Review the Sparks Code or Truth & Training Questions.

8. Review the books of the Bible. There are many review songs or games to choose from, including
some from Awana.

9. Skype with a missionary that your church supports.

10. Hold a worship service. You can use worship CDs from Awana, online streaming services such
as YouTube, or a worship team.

11. Make announcements or pass out awards.

January 2016 Ministry Update

Hello Family and Friends,

I hope you all had a great Christmas with family celebrating the birth of our Savior. God has been keeping us busy. Here is what we've been doing.

• We had follow up meetings with Steve Denny from Children’s Heritage Foundation. As I reported in a previous update, Children’s Heritage Foundation has an orphanage and private school in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti.  Children’s Heritage Foundation has agreed to host a training for the leaders at this school on Feb 27th using the existing Haitian training team. I will go to Haiti and be part of this training team. Our goal for this training is two fold. One, to train the leaders at this school, but also to identify any indigenous pastors and leaders that we might partner with for future, larger scale trainings.
• As reported last quarter, I hosted a Native American intern from the Indian Bible College in Flagstaff, AZ. Freddy Toledo participated in a VBS at the Fort McDermitt Paiute Reservation in McDermitt, NV. I then went to McDermitt on Sunday, November 22nd and shared with the congregation how they can use Awana to reach the children on both the Paiute Reservation and the town of McDermitt with the gospel of Jesus Christ. As a result of the VBS, our meetings with the congregation and other outreaches, the Quinn River Baptist Church in McDermitt will start Awana this year. I will be training Quinn River on Jan 23rd.
• Awana has expanded our territory to include the entire state of NV, the Eastern Sierra of CA and Mohave County in Arizona. We have spent considerable time meeting with the pastors, Awana Commanders and other leaders of the clubs in Las Vegas. At one of our contacts with Canyon Ridge Christian Church in Las Vegas, I had the opportunity to share with them about the summer missions trip to Hawthorne with the teens of Summit Christian Church and other trips we’ve taken. As a result of this sharing, Canyon Ridge will be taking a group of middle school students to a mission trip to the Sho Low reservation in Arizona. They will be using Truthseekers to help start Awana clubs on the reservation. They also plan to take this same team to Nicaragua to do the same where they have pastor relationships.
• I had the opportunity to share with one of the elders at Washoe Valley Community Church how they might use Awana to reach the children of Washoe Valley with the love of Jesus. Please be praying for this church and the ministry there.
• I met with Pastor Ben Lin from Chinese Immanuel Church in Reno and shared with him how they can use Awana to disciple Chinese American children of Reno. According to Pastor Ben, there are approximately 10,000 Chinese American’s in Reno which provides tremendous opportunities for the gospel to move forward. Pastor Ben invited me to share with the entire congregation at Chinese Immanuel on Jan 17th and cast vision as to how God can use Awana at their church.
• I have spoken several times with Pastor Jim Copeland at White Mountain Bible Chapel in Benton, CA. Benton is a very small community approximately 30 miles north of Bishop, CA. I shared with pastor Jim how they can use Awana to reach the children in Benton and the Bishop Paiute Reservation. Pastor Jim has agreed to host an Awana club. We are pulling leaders together in Benton and will have a training for this club in Feb/ March 2016.
• I met with Pastor Tony Giff from City Baptist Church in Las Vegas, NV. City Baptist is a church plant and Pastor Tony is considering using Awana to reach the children, youth and families of North Las Vegas with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Please be praying for City Baptist.
• I met with Children’s Director Debbie Pagan from Iglesia de Dios. Iglesia is considering using Awana to reach out to the Hispanic Community of North Las Vegas.
• I periodically meet with pastors to encourage them in their ministry and to discuss aligning the mission of their church with the mission of Awana and find out how we can serve them better. This is a time I work as a “Children and Family Ministry Health Coach”. In this time period, I had approximately 12 pastor visits.

• I speak to the children and leaders at clubs to share with them what God is doing in our ministry so that they might gain a “heart for missions”.  This is also a time where I can encourage the Awana leaders in their ministry. In this time period, I made 14 club visits.
• I spent a week in Pigeon Forge, TN with other approximately 100 Awana Missionaries for the “North American Missions Conference”. Every 2 years, Awana hosts this event to cast vision for the field staff, for us to hear from the leaders at Awana Headquarters and to receive the latest updates related to our ministry.
• I spent a week during Thanksgiving and 2 weeks over Christmas to spend time with family. WHAT A BLESSING to spend uninterrupted time focusing on my wife and family...I feel very much recharged.

 

That's it for now. Thanks again for your prayers and your support as we continue to bring the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ to the children of Nevada, California and Arizona.

until all children of the world know the love of Jesus

Jeff & Judy Gilpin
US Missionaries/ Pacific Southwest
jeffg@awana.org
Cell 530-412-1632
awananv.org
facebook; facebook.com/jgilpinx2

* If you'd like to contribute to our efforts to reach the children of NV, CA and AZ with the gospel of Jesus Christ, you can send donations to:
Jeff Gilpin
P.O. Box 697
Truckee, CA. 96160

** All checks need to be made payable to "Awana" with a note on the memo of the check "Gilpin Acct 319", or you can donate online at awana.org/missionaries/gilpin