We hope you're having a great summer break! Even though most of you are not at club every week, you're always a leader at heart, right? Your clubbers are probably in your thoughts and prayers frequently.
Hopefully you are also always on the lookout for ways to improve your ministry and encourage your clubbers. Maybe you go to Wal-Mart®, Target® or shop online to buy things for your clubbers. Or maybe you've asked your club secretary to order products from Awana.
Either way, you haven't been able to directly purchase the products that Awana sells — products designed specifically to help you be more effective in your ministry. Now you can!
Welcome to the Awana Store, where Awana leaders can directly purchase a wide range of Awana products that will help your club ministry. The Awana Store exists to serve you and support your ministry efforts.
While your club will still need to order all "core" program products — handbooks, kids' uniforms and awards — through your church's account with Awana, dozens of other club-related items are now available at the new Awana Store.
Visit http://store.awana.org/ today to see all that the Awana Store has to offer! You can stock up on Awana items before the club year begins!
And speaking of brand-new things available now at Awana — there's an entirely new Basic Training (BT) that's out and coming to a Leadership Training Conference near you this fall. The new Basic Training is interactive, faith building, and role specific. Whether you've been in Awana since you can remember, or you or someone you know is new to Awana, you absolutely won't want to miss out on the new BT.
Last, but definitely not least, there is this news: Trek — the contemporary, newly designed middle-school program from 24-7 Ministries, is done! The new Trek program meets middle-schoolers (grades 6-8) right where they are. Check it out for yourself with the Trek Sample Pack. In it, you'll get fun details about Trek, plus actual curriculum and product samples. You'll also get an overview CD where you can get a feel for Trek.
Keep on reading, and you'll find a few Awana ideas that you might want to add to your summer project list!
Yours for kids,
Jodi & Dale
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"So it's my first time ordering online. How was I to know you're not supposed to stick the credit card IN the computer?" |
PowerUP with God's Word
There's nothing better than seeing a child come to Christ — and then seeing that child grow to love and serve the Lord. As leaders you nourish that development by helping your kids hide God's Word in their hearts and minds. And, Awana wants to help you and your clubbers get the most out of Scripture memory.
PowerUP is a national effort by Awana to promote Scripture memory in kids. PowerUP will equip leaders and parents with helpful resources to use throughout the year. And we'll help you lead kids, to motivate Scripture memory and empower them to complete handbooks.
And just like the successful Great ShakeUP that debuted last year, all the materials you'll need for the best PowerUP possible will be available from the PowerUP Web site. You'll have songs, memory helps and incentives all at your fingertips. For regular e-mail updates, you can go to the PowerUP Web site and sign up for the PowerUPdate.
Plus, your local Leadership Training Conference will have specific sessions on PowerUP to give you the hands-on, personalized training you need.
As adults, you know the power of Scripture and what it means to know verses by heart. Think of what you are giving to your clubbers when you help them memorize Scripture. It's time to PowerUP!
 "My Summer Plans," by an Awana Commander
Everyone, including me, takes a vacation during the summer. But I also look at the summer as great time to prepare for next club year. My Awana directors also like to work on Awana over the summer with their leaders. They prepare club materials and plan for fall. They work on contest boards, complete with all details. They get prepared for outings and other events like parents' nights.
I work on making repairs to game equipment and the Awana game floor. I've invited directors, leaders and their families to come over to the house for some backyard barbecues. We've enjoyed good food, each other's company — and we've talked about specific plans for Awana in the fall.
We've had an all-leaders' family picnic in a park on a Saturday afternoon. The leaders' kids had lots of fun playing together, and the adults enjoyed an informal brainstorming session around the picnic tables.
Vacations can play havoc with any rigid summer planning schedule. General goals, however, make summer a productive planning time for an effective club ministry. Here are some goals that I've been able to tackle in the past and you can too this summer:
July
- Pastors, commanders and directors recruit Awana leaders; make phone calls and personal contacts through the month.
- Commanders — train newly recruited directors
August
- Train Awana leaders
- Leaders attend Basic Training Conference led by Awana missionaries or Awana ministry team members
- Additional training sessions at church
- Finalize the club schedule from early September through Christmas
Summertime Extras — from a Caring Leader
Summer. What does it make you think of? Vacation? Kids out of school? Making time to read a good book? Even though most of your clubbers are out of sight, it doesn't mean they're off your mind.
The summer is a great chance for you to find ways to build relationships with the clubbers who are around. The extra attention that comes in a small group builds relationships that may never be established in larger group settings. So after ok'ing it with your church leadership, why not round up another leader, and those clubbers who are around, for one or two fun summer small group activities and outings like these:
Church Cookout — Play relay games outside or have a treasure hunt. Water balloons anyone?
"Shoot Your Group"
For this activity you'll need a digital camera and a way to get around with kids with two leaders per vehicle. Make a list of different local settings to take group photos of your clubbers acting silly — or not. With some planning and your imagination this can be a lot of fun. Here are some "Shoot Your Group" ideas:
- Clubbers eating ice cream at a favorite ice-cream stand
- At a fire station clubbers standing on a fire truck (with permission, of course)
- Doing handstands in front of Awana sign at church
- Making a human pyramid at a park or in a clubber's yard
Take a Tour — Want to see a 2,500 pound chocolate sculpture (IL) or visit the "World Center of NASCAR® racing" (FL)? Check out http://www.factorytoursusa.com/ to find out what is in your state — and would be appropriate to take your clubbers to. While many tours are not free, most are not expensive.
Wet and Wild — Take your clubbers to a large swimming pool, water park or lake. Kids splashing in water, eating popsicles that you bought for them from an ice cream truck. Does it get any better for a kid than that on a summer's day?
Church Happenings — Send clubbers a summer flier about special events like Vacation Bible School. Phone the parents of clubbers to remind them of Sunday school and other summer youth ministries. Clubbers from unchurched families may especially need an invitation to get them involved in your summer activities.
Awana Ideas
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© 2006 Awana Clubs International This newsletter may be reproduced without permission only by churches registered with Awana Clubs International.
All rights reserved
1 East Bode Road
Streamwood, IL 60107-6658
www.awana.org
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| Visit: Awana Leader Resources
Mail KidsPrint and BrainCheck to your T&T clubbers. It is a great way to keep your clubbers focused on the Bible this summer.
Use Awana clipart to promote your Awana ministry! You can use it as long as your church is registered with Awana. Here are links to clipart for: Cubbies, Sparks and T&T.
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The MGO is the Ministry Guide Online. If you're looking for a product for your Awana club, you'll find it here.
Basic Training and Trek are all new and ready to go. Here are just two of the great new products for you to check out in the "What's New" Section of the Ministry Guide Online.
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Commander Role Book
This self-study guide which is part of Basic Training is for all commanders whether "old" or new. It's loaded with tools, which include a DVD and a resource CD. There's information on getting started, club promotion, role descriptions, evaluations, sharing the gospel, the daily life of commanders and much more. There are new Basic Training role books for every Awana leader.
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MGO
