Introducing AWANA...

Things at Fall Creek are finally starting to slow down. We had an amazing week of Bible school with 14 kids and 1 teenager making first time commitments to Christ. We also enjoyed a great time of celebration and reflection on Sunday morning as the kids sang in big church and we lit candles to represent those who gave their lives to Christ. The kids were able to sing 3 songs as a group and there was a great video slide show so the parents could see what we did all week. I am hoping to get a copy of the slide show and upload it to our blog as soon as possible.
I am so thankful for the way that God worked during VBS. There were many times throughout the week that God spoke to me through the kids. I learn so much from them every week! It's amazing the way that God humbles us and teaches us things even when we're not aware of it.

I am really excited because we are working on bringing the AWANA program to Fall Creek! Our mid-week programming will resume on September 10, 2008 and my prayer is that we will be able to start AWANA. For those of you that don't know AWANA is a Bible-based organization that is committed to raising children up in their faith. The program is based on Scripture memorization and Bible teaching. Each week the kids are rewarded for their memorization and participation in the program. This is a huge outreach opportunity for our church! It is a great way to reach families through the lives of their kids! The kids at Fall Creek are very good at inviting their friends to events and special activities and I am really hoping that they all get excited about AWANA! What a great way to reach out to the community around us!
The material is written from a reformed perspective and hasn't been used in many Wesleyan churches. However, the Wesleyan Church recently formed a partnership with AWANA and now their material is available to us and adapted so that it can be taught from the Wesleyan perspective. There is a list of frequently asked questions on the Wesleyan kids website ( http://www.wesleyankids.org/ ). I encourage you to visit the site and check out the AWANA link. There you will find resources for parents as well as a guide for leading children to Christ. You can also check out the large group lessons that will be taught during the next quarter. They are available for free download.
Right now I am praying for committed leaders that are willing to donate a fraction of their time and energy to the development and implementation of this great program! Please contact me at cadystephens@fallcreekonline.org or at the church (317)841-8749 if you are at all interested. Thanks!