How Did Your First Club Night Go?

For the past two weeks, we’ve been praying together for the first round of Awana clubs starting up. We have prayed for: safety during the pandemic, plenty of kids and volunteers, and clarity while planning a year unlike any other. As you’ll see in the testimonies below, God is already moving!

We know you’ve faced a tremendous number of challenges over the past few months and we’re so grateful for the faithfulness you’ve shown. When you unite as an Awana family, in spite of the trials surrounding you, it demonstrates resilient faith. We gather because nothing can replace healthy discipleship, especially in times like these.

Whether you meet in person or online, keep meeting! If you run into issues planning or running your program, here’s a list of 80 ministry ideas from other Awana leaders. Also, incorporate some of these at-home discipleship tips for parents. Bookmark these pages and go back to them when you need fresh ideas. Your kids are facing spiritual tests of their own this year. Show them what it looks like to press on and trust God, no matter what! Choose a go-to verse that you can recite as a group when you feel like giving up.

“He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.” Isaiah 33:6

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea … ” Psalm 46:1-2

“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:11-12

We’ve already heard inspiring stories from churches, Zoom rooms, and homes around the country. So, be encouraged! Clubs like yours are greeting new kids, discovering creative discipleship ideas and having fun, all while adapting to their local COVID-19 restrictions. Here are a few of their stories:

How did your first club night go?

• “It went fantastic! We had an increase in new families and lots of kids! Great group of leaders that were super excited to be there! We celebrated all being back together for Awana as it had been 6 months since our last club in the spring! Looking forward to this week! God is good!” – Tracy G.
• “It went well with a few bugs to work out. Fixed those the 2nd week. We are outside in three different areas. We had 189 clubbers and leaders and a few more the 2nd week. We are limiting our Cubbies to 25 because of the small outdoor space for them. We hope to move inside once we get the OK.” – Maureen C.
• “Ours went incredibly well! About 40 kids, with 10 or so being brand new! (Our first night is typically mid-20’s, with 45-50 by the end of the year) **ALL** of the Sparks leaders are new. We are anxious and excited to see what God is going to do in our clubbers — AND LEADERS! — this year!!” – Cory K.
• “Well, I think we had 3 cubbies and 9 Sparkies (they were at church). T&T was via Zoom. We probably had 14 (didn’t get a good count. Next week, T&T and Cubbies will be at church, and Sparkies on Zoom.” – Tricia R.
• “Ours was last week. We are able to meet in person using our sanctuary to spread out. I was concerned about having Sparks and T&T in the same room noise wise but there were no issues. A week before we started we only had 12 kids registered. We now have 35 with lots of new clubbers. The energy was great! PTL!!” – Keith B.
• “Went well!! We were so excited to be back together!!❤❤” – Rebecca S.
• “I think it went well. We’ve got about 40 kids, from cubbies to Journey. Class size is limited to 10.” – Ann K.
• “We started last week in-person. I had a Sparky come in ready to say her verse, 1st night of club!” – Joey P.
• “We need a commander this year. We are delaying until January because of that.” – Joy V.
• “We had 140!” – Mary V.
• “Zoomingly!!!” – Marie Ann P.
• “Praying for you & your church” – Roy K.
• “We had a fantastic night last week. We had 142 kids even with Covid. Much slower than our normal numbers from years gone by but we thank God.” – de7292

Let’s keep the prayers going! While we praise God for our victories, we continue to lift up families affected by the pandemic and wildfires, for churches that are still struggling to start their year, and for one another. How can we pray for you?