Awana Lifeline/Angola Relief Fund: Mission Accomplished!

(Learn how you can help more victims of Hurricane Katrina through the new Awana Hurricane Relief Fund and by using your Awana program to reach out to child evacuees.)

The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.'” Matthew 25:40

Hurricane Katrina has left a litany of victims in its wake. Among the storm’s casualties was the Returning Hearts Celebration. The September 10 event, a collaboration between Awana and the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, was designed to unite thousands of eligible Christian prisoners with their children for a day of Awana games, Bible teaching, a salvation message and other activities.

However, the event's postponement opened an opportunity to minister to a wider audience. Our partners at Angola asked Awana to furnish Bibles and personal hygiene products for 8,000 inmates – both permanent Angola residents and transfers from New Orleans-area prisons affected by Katrina. Awana agreed and offered to provide gospel tracts along with the hygiene items.

We asked – and you responded
Thanks to the generous giving of churches, Awana programs, families and individuals and partnerships with WMBI-FM Chicago and Koinonia House National Ministries, the requested emergency supplies were raised in less than 10 days!

In all, $34,979 was generously donated to Awana. The funds covered the purchase of 500 Bibles, 9,100 copies of our new gospel tract, 15,000 personal hygiene products and the cost of shipping these supplies to Angola. The purchases Awana made with its donations, combined with product donations from WMBI, filled a semi-truck with thousands of emergency supplies for the prison. In fact, over $8,000 was received above and beyond the fund's goal. These extra resources are being earmarked to meet additional needs at Angola.

Unique prison, unique opportunity
The Louisiana State Penitentiary – the largest maximum-security facility in the U.S. – was once known as the nation’s most violent prison. However, under the leadership of Warden Burl Cain, this trend has been dramatically reversed. Today, over 25 percent of the prison population is born again. A Bible college exists on prison grounds, and dozens of prisoners serve as “inmate ministers” who spread the gospel within the penitentiary.

In fact, Awana received word from the prison chaplaincy that over 200 inmates who were transferred to Angola in the aftermath of Katrina accepted Christ as Savior after hearing God’s plan of salvation from incarcerated believers.

Additional thanks
Besides those who donated funds through Awana, we thank our local vendors who provided discounts and donations to the effort:

Standard Bible Society
http://www.esv.org

Schaumburg Costco
1375 North Meacham Rd
Schaumburg Illinois 60193
(847) 969-0790