Dear Parents,

We are so excited!  The Awana year is about to begin!  In just a few days, on September 13^th, your child will start a new journey of memorizing God’s Word, learning new ways to apply it to his or her life, and having a great time making new friends!  What a wonderful time for you and your family as your child continues to grow and mature in his or her faith and relationship with Jesus Christ!

We as a church encourage you to take an active role in the spiritual maturity of your child as the spiritual leader of your family in accordance with Deuteronomy 6. 

We are also aware of just some of the challenges you face each day in our busy world to do this successfully.  To that end, we would encourage you to…

-       READ the Bible with child each day.

-       PRAY with and for your child everyday.

-       TALK with your child about God throughout the day.

-       BE INVOLVED with your child, don’t just bring them to Awana! 

o    Attend the same church service each weekend

o    Know what they are learning (ask questions, look at their Awana handbooks)

o    Know who is teaching your child (meet their leaders, come to Parent night)

o    Volunteer as a leader in your child’s age group

o    Participate together in a community outreach event or service project

This can be an intimidating list!  Don’t feel compelled to do all of these starting tomorrow.  Choose a goal and pursue it in the power of His Spirit at work within you.  And be sure to celebrate the times when you succeed!

If you have any questions about the spiritual development of your child, feel free to contact me at the church, 296-8737 ext. 133 or via email at Daniel.Luther@GraceBaptist.org.  I look forward to hearing from you!

Thanks for your participation and leadership in the spiritual development of your child.  May our God bless you and your family in the days ahead.

Grace to you!

Daniel Luther

Awana Commander

Awana… Kids for Christ for Life … Forever!

Hello Everyone!  

This month in Awana we have the opportunity to participate in a special Easter outreach that Pastor David will be introducing in services this weekend. The outreach will be a 4 step evangelistic effort that will be easily transferred to our children’s classes. Each week the congregation will be asked to do something very specific in regards to a non-Christian friend, building up to an invitation to Easter services.

March 8th: Identify a non-Christian friend that you will pray for who needs to know about Jesus.

March 15th: Tell your non-Christian friend that you are praying for them.  Ask them if there is anything you can be praying for them about for them.

March 22st: Do something special for your non-Christian friend.

March 29th:  Invite your friend to one of the Easter Services, to Awana,  or to another event here at church!

We will be giving out instructions to your groups in Awana this coming Monday, March 8th.  If you have any questions please let me know. This has great potential to get our children praying for their friends, getting them to invite those friends to church, and introducing them to the Lord Jesus! 

CLUBBERS:

1. Kid to Kid: A church-wide way for children to share the love of Jesus with their friends this Easter season, begins March 8th.  Choose a friend to pray for and write their name on a card to turn in so we can hang them up on your classroom door and in the worship center. (Instructions and cards will be provided.) 
2. March 8th is Double Points Night for sections.  
3. March 15th is Team Color Night.  Come in your game team color!  
4. March 22nd is Silly Sock Night.  Wear appropriate shoes for game time.  
5. March 29th is Leader Appreciation Night!  Bring a gift or card for your leader.  
6. Check out the library here at Grace!  It is open on Mondays from 5-7pm.  It is located just around the corner from the Worship Center lobby on the ground floor.  They have over 7,000 items in their collection, including books, DVDs & CDs.  

LEADERS:

1. You can now download MP3 tracks of TRUTHSCRIPTS on the GBC Awana website.  We are memorizing Romans 8:28-39 this year.  Tell us at the lobby table when you finish!  Try to finish by April 19th for a special prize!  
2. End of the Year Award Orders are due March 29th.  Please turn these in so we can get an accurate count of the awards we need to order.  Thanks!  
3. Leader Registration for the 2010-2011 Awana year will begin on March 29th.  Registration forms will be delivered to clubbers and leaders in their rooms on March 29th!  
4. Daniel Luther will be on a mission trip to Papua New Guinea from March 13-24.  He will be away from Awana on March 15th and 22nd.   The last leader Leader HangTime of the year is Monday, March 15th in B102!  
5. Leaders, keep calling your clubbers!  Our next drawing will be for a $5 gift card to Coffee Bean Tea Leaf or Coldstone Creamery.  The drawing will be April 12th!