I know a lot of families who don’t care for Awana for various reasons. There are many other programs out there to suit any family’s needs. For my family, it has been a true blessing. This will be our 4th year coming up participating in Awana. We started at one church and it didn’t work for us. After moving to another church (in which we now attend as well), it made all the difference.

First, I want to say that it really isn’t for everyone. So take what I’m saying from my perspective of what I have witnessed in my children. When we first began Awana, I had no idea what to expect. I didn’t even really know what it was. I just thought it was a Bible club for kids. It is so much more!

My children have memorized over 600 Bible verses in the last three years. Wow! That’s more than I have memorized in my life. They remember them too. We practice them every day of the week during Awana season. We also discuss what each verse means. This is included in the Awana books now and the leaders at our church emphasize more on the meaning than the rote memory of the verse.

My boys get so excited to complete a section of their book. They work hard to finish each task and do it completely. I don’t allow halfheartedness with God’s Word. I have watched as certain verses just click in their minds as something they need to work on.

I’ve also seen my children bond with the Awana leaders. The leaders put in so much time and effort for the children they are leading. They pray for them and pour out their hearts for these children. My boys have gotten to know and care for a few of the leaders and get excited to have conversations with them outside of Awana night. They run up to the leaders in church and say hello. They help them when it is needed. It’s been a blessing to see how well my children have accepted other adults into their lives.

My boys have also developed some truly amazing friendships. When we started Awana at the new church, it was a bit intimidating to think that everyone knew everyone else. But, as the year progressed, the friendships naturally took fruition. I am very careful about who my children hang out with and these children who have chosen to befriend my boys are very Godly. Their parents are Godly and it is evident in the way they have treated my boys all year.

My children have not only grown a deeper relationship with Jesus but have gained some lasting friendships along the way. They have shown excellent character and it reflects on how this Awana program is run. It isn’t a perfect program by any means. But, problems and issues are dealt with in a Godly manner. My boys are happy and feel loved and safe. They feel the presence of Jesus and have learned a lot about what it truly means to be a believer in Christ.

They have a lot more to learn but we are in this for the long haul. I have two more years of Awana with my oldest son (this area only has Awana up to 6th grade) and we are going to love every minute of it. He will then go to the youth group and that, may I say, is an amazing group as well. I know those children well and they are all kind and welcoming.

If Awana is not your thing or you’ve had a bad experience, I hear you. We had that as well and switching churches made a world of difference. I would encourage you to seek out some kind of Biblical program for children on Wednesday nights. It’s made a big difference in my children’s lives. It doesn’t have to be Awana but getting children to a place where Jesus is taught and the people put in time with your kids is well worth it.