Why do Clubbers Quit- Part 2

My last blog post, I gave 5 reasons why clubbers quit, talked about the importance of consistent attendance and gave possible solutions to keep clubbers coming back. 

Here are 5 more reasons as well as ideas on heading off problems that may cause clubbers to quit.

1. "They didn't give me all the awards I earned". 

• Attitude- Awards are a great incentive for kids not only to attend club, but also to work in their handbooks. If it's important for kids to get their awards on time, it has to be important to us.
• Action-
• Use either the record keeping cards from the Awana Catalog  or third party software and stay current.
• Have a plan.
• Keep records not only to see who is progressing in their books, but also who is not progressing. Kids who are not getting awards may need extra help.
• Connect with parents of children who are not progressing and earning awards, find out why and offer help.

2. "Large Group Time was boring".

• Attitude- Awana should be fun and exciting, not only in game time, but in all segments of club.
• Action-
• Keep large group time "time appropriate". Recommended time is 1 minute of Bible lesson for every age of the child.
• Break large group time into smaller segments, and keep things moving. Not all of these segments can be done in one night...use two or three different ones each week to keep your Large Group time fun and exciting. 
• Bible Lesson
• Kids worship
• Youtube or other video content
• Special speakers, ie your pastor or a missionary
• Bible Review Games
• Object lessons
• AwanaGO Missions lessons
• Review Books of the Bible
• Talk about Bible Characters
• Review Sparks Code
• Review TT Characteristics of God

3. "Club was boring- we never did anything fun".

• Attitude- Make sure you give kids a reason to come back
• Action-
• Have something special every week as a reason to come back.
• Use theme nights every week. All theme nights bring extra fun and excitement to club, but not all theme nights have to be difficult to execute. Examples of theme nights that don't require a lot of preparation:
• Balloon Night- Play games with balloons.
• Shoe Fly Night- Kids play games with their shoes.
• Mustache Night- Kids wear mustaches. For those who forget, bring some electrical tape to help them make their 'stache. 
• Cookie Night- have cookies for clubbers at the end of club night.
• Backwards Night- Do club backwards, ie closing ceremony first, etc.
• Caution- Don't do too many dress up nights. Moms with 3 or 4 kids might not appreciate having to dress up 4 kids every week.

4. "I was bullied at club"

• Attitude- Your Awana Ministry should be a safe place for kids. Don't allow bullies to scare away kids who want to come and hear about Jesus.
• Action-
• Have regular leader meetings talking about the importance of club discipline.
• Use 5 count, 3 count and positive points consistently.
• Have a plan to handle bullies in your club.

5. "I was a baseball/ soccer/ dance practice and couldn't come", ie spiritual training was not a priority to parents. 

• Attitude- Some parents feel like their children can get a scholarship if they are a good athlete, or if good enough can go pro and earn a lot of money, or they see Awana as just "another activity" for their child to be involved in. As a result, they make their children's relationship with Jesus a lesser priority. 
• Action-
• Have a parent night at the beginning of the club year and in a gentle way, remind parents to make their child's relationship with Jesus a priority. 
• Ask your pastor to preach a sermon series on the importance of making their child's relationship with Jesus a priority.

Your discipleship of children can only happen when they are actually at club. Being aware of children who quit coming, finding out why and then looking for reasons to keep them coming back week after week will build a lasting and healthy ministry, and produce lasting results for the Kingdom. 

Why do Clubbers Quit- Part 1

Week after week kids come into our Awana clubs. Some kids stay, finish the year and earn our Awards. Alternatively, some kids quietly just fade away. Understanding why and finding ways to keep these kids coming back week after week is what this blogpost is all about. Here are some reasons why kids leave, what our attitude should be about these clubbers and some ideas on how we can prevent this from happening. 

1. “Nobody called to say they missed me.”

• Attitude- We should have a heart for these strays.
• Action-
• Secretaries take attendance to see who IS there so we can give our attendance awards. Attendance should also be taken to see who is NOT there so that we can follow up, find out why, let them know they were missed and invite them back. Secretaries can provide a list to the club leadership of who has not attended for a follow up phone call, text, email, postcard or home visit.

2. "All we ever did was memorize stuff"

• Attitude- We should be enthusiastically sold out on the importance of scripture engagement and memory and make sure our clubbers understand the value in memorizing scripture. However, we should also recognize that despite our best attempts, some kids do not want to memorize scripture and we should look for ways to help these kids succeed.
• Actions
• We should be constantly talking about the importance of knowing what God says.
• We should be memorizing scripture ourselves.
• Make scripture memory fun with scripture memory games.
• Find alternative ways to help kids pass sections who have learning disabilities or who don't want to memorize scripture.

3. "I don't like Dodge Ball" (playing the same games every week)

• Attitude- Variety is the spice of life. Not all kids like the same games or are capable of succeeding in all types of games.
• Actions
• Find games that all kids of differing abilities can win at. Mix running games, agility games and thinking games so that all kids have the ability to play and win. 
• Don't be predictable- keep kids guessing with what is coming next.

4. "The leaders were mean"

• Attitude- Be kind and patient
• Actions
• Be aware of how you come across to kids (your voice and manner may be misunderstood by sensitive children)
• Speak kindly and not loudly
• Smile

5. "My mom said I couldn't come back"

• Attitude- It is important for children to know and understand God's word, therefore it is vital to build a strong parent/ church partnership. 
• Actions
• Work with parents to help them understand the importance of developing their child's relationship with Jesus. 
• Have a good parent meeting at the beginning of the club year. Explain to these parents how they can best help their child succeed at club this year.
• Connect with parents throughout the club year by phone, email, text or personal visit.

I'll cover additional reasons why clubbers quit in my next blogpost.

My Week, October 20-26, 2019

Great to visit old friends at First Baptist Battle Mountain 

Clubbers playing a game putting these wood pieces representing the books of the Bible in order.

Cup Stacking at First Baptist Battle Mountain

Long Drive from Battle Mountain to Fallon, NV. following the old Pony Express Trail

Opening Ceremony at Parkside Bible Fellowship in Fallon, NV. What great friends and a great club!!

Parkside has a long legacy of ministry. Here is the original charter signed by Lance Latham in 1979.

Gametime fun thanks to the Hert's

On my way to South Lake Tahoe for club visit. God did it right!!

Calvary Chapel South Lake Tahoe. Garry and Ranae are doing a wonderful job at reaching the children of South Lake Tahoe...Praise God!!

My Week- October 12-19, 2019

1735 Miles
4 States
3 Different Beds
2 Time Zones
5 Starbucks
2 Clubs Visited
2 Awana Equip Training Events
2 Baptist State Conventions

Awana Equip at Spring Valley Baptist Church in Las Vegas was a great success. Leaders from 10 different churches came to network, share and learn together. Here, Pastor Caleb Walker, from Pahrump Community Church shares about the importance of spending quality time alone with God.

Club Visit at Highland Hills Baptist Church in Henderson, NV. I had the opportunity to share with the kids here all that God is doing through Awana in Nevada. AMD Ron Knuutila and his team are doing a wonderful job at evangelizing and discipling the children in Henderson. 

I spent a couple of days at the Nevada Baptist Convention annual meeting at Shadow Hills Baptist in Las Vegas. Very encouraging to see old friends and meet new ones as pastors from all over Nevada came to develop strategies to reach Nevada with the gospel. I was invited to set up a booth and share with these pastors how they can use Awana as a key part of that strategy. It was especially encouraging to hear from keynote speaker, Richard Blackaby, share with these pastors how they can get better in their ministry...GREAT couple of days.

Club Visit at Roy Bible Church in Roy, UT. It was "Chicken Night" at Roy Bible Church (ask me sometime about what is Chicken Night)...FUN!! 

Worked with colleagues and friends, Jerry Berheim and Kevin Kennington as we got to attend and set up a booth at the Utah/ Idaho Baptist Convention annual meeting. Great connections were made as we looked for partners in reaching the children of Utah and Idaho with the love of Jesus. 

I had the opportunity to share the keynote message and train leaders from ID, UT and WY at the Idaho Falls Awana Equip Training event.

Beautiful Drive home from Idaho Falls. This photo was taken just north of Wells, NV. 

Kidsfest Kids Carnival- what a great outreach idea

If you are looking for ways to reach out into your community and invite kids and families into your church, how about a Kidsfest- kids Carnival.

I had the opportunity to visit Southern Hills Baptist Church in Las Vegas this past Sunday as they announced the Kidsfest they will be hosting in October. Kidsfest is a carnival with bounce houses, carnival games, face painting and other kid friendly activities. This carnival is free and is open for the kids who attend church at Southern Hills as well as anyone else who wants to attend.

Here are a couple things you might think about for planning a Kidsfest of your own.

• Set a date and begin praying and planning. You might want to consider weather, when you are planning this event. If your church is in the south, summer might not be a good time as it might be too hot. If you are up north, winter might not be good because of the cold temps and possible snow. Spring and fall might be best, or consider having it inside your church if your church if you have enough space.
• Put together a team. Make an announcement on a Sunday morning or send an e-blast to your newsletter list of parents (hopefully you already have this list) or make an announcement on your facebook group asking for volunteers.
• Games team
• Bounce house team
• Food team
• Advertising team
• Other
• Ask your games team to each build a carnival game. It's easier for 20 people to each build 1 game than one person to build 20. Here is my Pinterest page with several carnival games that you can use.
• Most bounce house companies will come and set up their inflatables for however long you need....no worries their. Just make a reservation.
• Send postcards to everyone within a geographic area of your church, and give several of these postcards to the kids and families in your church so they can invite other friends and families they know (see the postcard at the top).  You might also want to consider setting up a Facebook page for this event and boost it to a targeted list. (Let me know if you need help with that).
• Find a way to follow up with all who attend so you can let them know all that is available for their kids and families at your church, ie Awana, VBS, Parent Classes, etc. Maybe a drawing for prize if they provide their contact info.
• Have fun! 

This is a great way to reach out into your community. This year Southern Hills is praying that God will send 3,000 kids to their Kidsfest...what a GREAT outreach.

12 Things you can do when your large group teacher doesn't show up

It’s one of those nights! Three minutes before club starts, your Large Group Teacher texts you to say he’s working late and can’t make it. After a few unChristian-like thoughts about people who wait until the last minute to call, you panic. You rush around the church searching...searching for someone (ANYONE) who can do something (ANYTHING) to fill in the time.

Relax. Here are a dozen solutions to something that doesn’t really need to be a problem.

1. Videos- Keep one or two children’s videos or youtube videos ready to show on such a night.

2. Interview other leaders- How did they come to accept Jesus as Savior? What is their favorite Bible verse? Who is their favorite Bible Character

3. Plan a Bible drill- When a clubber is the first to find a verse, he or she gets an Awana share.Make a rule that clubbers can only read one verse apiece, so two or three clubbers don’t end up with all the shares. However, clubbers could be encouraged to participate after they have received a share by silently standing when they find a verse.

4. Have a second Small Group time- help clubbers get caught up in their books.

5. Utilize fun Bible story books- keep several fun Bible story books on hand for a night like this. Examples of books: 

a. “Bible Wars and Weapons”

b. “Weird & Gross Bible Stuff”

c. “Bible Heroes and Bad Guys”

d. “Creepy Creatures & Bizarre Beasts from the Bible”

(all available from Amazon)

6. Acrostic- Provide markers and paper for each clubber. Instruct clubbers to create an acrostic by finding a verse of the Bible that begins with each letter of their name. As time allows, let clubbers share their acrostic. For example (Kim); K- Know that the LORD, He is God (Psalm 100:3)

b. I- It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD (Psalm 92:1)

c. M- Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands (Psalm 100:1)

7. Review the books of the Bible- See who can say them the fastest. Or print each book on a separate piece of paper or 3x5 card. Make two, three, or four sets, depending on the size of your group. Divide into teams and see which team can put the books in order the fastest. Make sure you mix “veteran” clubbers with the newer clubbers so the teams will be fair. Another option is to assign each clubber a different book and have all the clubbers line “themselves” up in order.

8. Quiz- Quiz the clubbers on their Bible knowledge. Options could be

a. Quiz from the handbooks

b. Keep a Bible quiz book or Bible Trivia game on hand.

c. Ask general Bible knowledge questions.

9.Bible Activity Book- Buy a reproducible Bible activities book with crossword puzzles, etc. Photo copy a supply and store them with your Awana supplies.

10.Sing- Talk about the meaning of the words in the songs.

11.Role Play- Divide the clubbers into four teams, each with a leader. Give the clubbers five minutes to develop a short role play concerning a particular subject: honesty, obedience, good attitude, etc. Then give each group opportunity to present its role play in front of the group.

12.Stump the leader- Ask each clubber to write down a question about the Bible. Then answer some of them. Save the others for future Large Group Times. 

My Week Sept 22-28

2500 Miles
3 States
3 Clubs
Awana Equip Training
2 different beds

Flew home from Juneau as I helped colleagues Dan & Geraldine Bylsma with their Awana Equip Training in Juneau. The weather was cold, wet and windy, but the people in Juneau were warm, and friendly.

Went over to visit with the folks at South Reno Baptist. They have a great ministry...so thankful for the leadership their.

I visited the club at Granite Hills Baptist. Anna Oatman and her team are doing a great job of reaching the kids in the North Valleys. I enjoyed the teaching time of both Jennifer and Tiara in the Sparks and T&T small group time.

The first time I met this young man, Austin Lunderstadt, was when his parents invited me over to dinner in Fallon, NV. He was a T&T clubber back then...years later, he is leading children in a different club. Disciples produce disciples who produce disciples.

I'll be spending the next week preparing for the Las Vegas Awana Equip training. As I prepare for this training, I am so excited. This new form of training will not focus so much on the "how's" of Awana, but rather on deeper topics. Developing leaders, developing disciples, a "Discipleship Model", gaining our encouragement from the Lord for long term ministry. VERY excited!!

Awana Equip in Las Vegas will be Oct 12

Awana Equip in Reno will be Nov 2