Coming Soon - Awards Night, September 1st!!

Hi parents and friends of Awana at New Hope!

We are so excited to celebrate our clubbers accomplishments this year!  Our kids are learning God's holy word, and we are looking forward to honoring their hard work and growth!

We'll be celebrating with a church-wide potluck, so don't forget to bring a dish to share!

Here are the important details:

Where: New Hope Fellowship
When: September 1 at 5:00 pm

See you there!!

Big News!! We're Moving to Friday!

Good afternoon parents and friends!  We have big news here at Awana at New Hope - we are officially moving to Friday night, from 6:15 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.!!

Mark your calendars!  We'll see you then!!

Leader Profile of the Week - Student Leader Dani!

Meet Dani, one of our student leaders at Awana!  As a student leader, Dani is an incredible role model for our kids at New Hope, and the clubbers love showing her what they're learning by reciting their Bible verses to her!

 

 

Q: So Dani, why did you decide to volunteer with Awana?

A: I wanted to help kids learn about Christ!  A lot of kids don't have a chance to learn about God, so I wanted to be able to be a part of their lives so they can know about Christ!

 

Q: What's your favorite part of Awana?

A: To watch the kids, and see how happy and excited they get when they are playing the games - and how intrigued they are when they are hearing the Bible stories!

 

Q: Have you learned anything from the kids?

A: I've learned a lot from the kids!  You have to have a child's faith.  When you are a child, you understand faith, and you believe wholeheartedly!

 

Q: Is there anything else you want to add?

A: God is good!!

 

Thanks Dani!  We're blessed to have you on board!

Theme Night: Crazy Hair Night!

Last week we had our first Awana theme night!  Theme nights are a fun way to add variety to your club night routine, and the kids love dressing up to fit the theme!

Our theme of the week was Crazy Hair Night!  We had some terrific hairstyles, and the kids got really creative!  Our leaders got into the spirit as well!

There are lots of possibilities for theme nights that you can use at your club, such as 80's night, Hawaiian night, or Pajama night!  You can find more ideas on Pinterest - a wonderful site that works like a bulletin board, where people "pin" images from their favorite websites with ideas to use later!  

Our theme night was a great success, and we'll definitely be doing more in the future!  What are some of your favorite ideas for theme nights?

Leader Profile of the Week: Suzie, our Awana Secretary!

Meet Suzie Rider, our club secretary!  Suzie keeps track of the attendance information and club finances, and our club couldn't run without her!

Q: Why did you join Awana?

A: I joined Awana because I loved seeing kids grow in the knowledge of the Bible.

Q: What do you enjoy the most as an Awana leader?

A: I enjoy helping kids learn more about God and seeing them grow and have fun at Awana!

Q: You're experienced in children's ministry - what advice would you give a new Awana secretary to keep everything organized?

A: To keep the records accurate, but not so hard that the kids and parents are held up during check-in.  The kids and parents who come in let me know if the have the handbooks and bibles, and I can see their shirts or vest and that they are present, so check-in only takes a few seconds for each child.   This is great when the whole family checks in at once.  From working in Children's Ministry, I know that if check-in is too complicated, then parents and kids will not want to participate.

Q: What's the most important thing you do behind the scenes?

A: Pray for Awana Club and the Commander and keep her informed of the up-to-date status of the Awana Finances - and spend time talking, answering questions, and praying with the parents in the lobby while the kids are at Large Group Time.

Thanks Suzie!!

Leader Profile of the Week: Chris - The Game Director!

Meet Chris Rider, our Game Director here at Awana at New Hope!  Chris manages games for Sparks and T&T - and each week he teaches our clubbers the values of good sportsmanship, supporting each other, and trying their best - all while having a blast!

Q: Why did you join Awana?

A: Because my wife wanted to start the program at our church, and I wanted to support her!

Q: What do you enjoy the most as an Awana leader?

A: I guess I enjoy being able to have fun with the kids!

Q: We have a fairly new ministry - less than a year old!  Have any issues come up during game time that you've found a solution for?  What advice would you give a brand new game director?

A: We lost our circle after a rainstorm, so we had to improvise for a few months.  Also, it was cold and dark during winter, so we had to do our games indoors.  I would say, be prepared to have a way to do your games indoors, just in case.

Q: What is the most valuable thing the kids get out of game time?

A: They learn to work together.  Teamwork is a skill they'll need for the rest of their lives!


Thanks, Chris!  See you at Games!

Awana Song Lyrics PowerPoint!

Hi everyone! This is the official blog for Awana at New Hope Fellowship!

For our first post, I'd like to share with you a tool that has been incredibly valuable as we've started our club! This PowerPoint Presentation has all of the lyrics to the songs "Build My Life," "Sparks Theme," "T&T Theme - Ultimate Adventure," and "The Awana Theme Song"!  Please feel free to download this PowerPoint to use in your own club!

If your kids are still learning the words to the Awana songs (or if your club is growing), this presentation offers a handy way to have the kids sing along with the songs while they are still learning the lyrics! As our club grows, I'll be offering more tips and tools that can help your Awana club thrive, as well as discussing our experience implementing Awana, and what we're learning along the way!

Thanks for stopping by!  What tools are you using to build your club?

Lyrics for AWANA songs! from Rebecca Rider