Welcome to my blog, or should I say to the ramblings of an old man. I doubt that my ramblings are of much value, but at least I have an opportunity to share them.  So, please be kind and humor me. If nothing else of value stands out in these thoughts, I hope that you at least sense the value I place on a daily walk with the Lord.  That walk is what has provided me with motivation and a sense of purpose throughout my lifetime.  My prayer is that you, too, are experiencing this direction and joy in daily living which is available to everyone who puts his trust in Christ.  So, thanks again for joining me.  Please don't go without leaving some comments here so I can get to know you better as our paths intersect today in this blog.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Thirty Years

Thirty years is either a long time or a short time depending on what has happened during that time. This week will mark 30 years since we started our Awana program and it is hard to believe that it has been that long. It has been an exciting 30 years and we have watched the Lord work in so many marvelous ways during that time. When we began we decided to hold a training class during Sunday School, beginning in September. And if by December we had at least a dozen folks committed to the ministry, we would start it in January. I taught the class and in December we had 20 adults ready to go. And since then the ministry has grown. We will begin this year with a staff of at least 90. During these years we've now trained and certified over 270 adults. We've had the experience of working in three different locations as our church has relocated. In the second building we had to create game areas in two different locations and that meant measuring and laying tape on carpet, several times. Often we have faced what appeared to be major obstacles in replacing staff, especially key club leaders. But every year the Lord has answered our prayers and provided the people that we needed. Last year we had a major need for men to work with our boys in grades 3 -6 and the Lord actually provided more than we needed. This year we had a major need to replace most of the staff in another club and the Lord again provided all the help that we need. Often we needed to replace key directors and the Lord led us to just the right replacements. I should not be amazed, but I admit that I still am. Now as you might guess, I am thoroughly sold on the Awana program. Their goal is to reach boys and girls with the gospel of Christ and train them to serve Him. The key verse is 2 Timothy 2:15 from which the name comes - Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed. Their major emphasis is teaching children fundamental Biblical concepts and memorization of scripture. It is fun to see our kids excel in regional Bible quizzes and in Awana games. But the greatest thrills for me are to see a youngster come to know Christ personally or for me to present Sparky and Timothy Awards in our morning worship service to those who have disciplined themselves to complete the Awana curriculum. I will have the privilege of presenting a Timothy this coming Sunday morning. During the past year Dianne and I have had the special honor of completing Commander College 101 and 201. Despite our years of service there is so much to learn and so much more that we would like to see accomplished. But we know that we don't have 30 more years to do that. In fact we're not sure how many more years we will have. We are training replacements and we know their time to take over is approaching quickly. Life does go quickly when you are serving the Lord. We would enjoy being able to attend the final training program, Commanders College 301 in Chicago, but that appears to just be a dream. In the meantime, here we go again with another exciting year of Awana. Pray with us that many children will be reached for the Lord this year and that children will grow in their love and passion for the Lord. And while you are at it, join us in praying for the 14 adopted clubs that our Awana sponsors internationally as well as for a new Spanish club in Reading that we are helping to sponsor . Incidentally, over 12,000 churches in the U.S. now sponsor Awana clubs reaching 1.5 million children. Another 10,000 are reached internationally. Pray for this great ministry.

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