Ministry Moment- November

AWANA. How many of you have heard of it? How many of you can say what it stands for? In three days I'll give you the answer, posted as a comment but for right now I just want to highlight that ministry for a moment.
I was raised in AWANA, as were my siblings, many of my cousins, and a lot of my friends. My parents, aunts, grandparents, and myself along with many others have all served as leaders in this phenomenal ministry. AWANA is a program built and designed for kids. Children as young as 2 can start this program and it goes all the way through high school!
When I began I was what they call a Cubbie, the class for 3-5 year olds. Later, as a teenager, I was actually a Cubbie leader. But I'm getting off subject.
Let me just give you the breakdown of this ministry and quickly explain why it's so important.

Kids get to come to AWANA, play games, hear a story, learn Bible verses, and spend time with leaders who will care about them and invest in their lives. I can still tell you the names of many of my AWANA leaders because I knew how much they loved me and they made an amazing difference in my life.
Many parents love this program because it's inexpensive, others enjoy that hour or two to be able to have some time away whether it's to go grocery shopping or just savor a cup of coffee without little ones crawling on their laps. Quite a few love the discipline that it teaches their child from the uniforms they wear to the dedication it takes to memorize verses. Lots of people, both those who attend church and those who don't have come to love the AWANA program, both for the difference it makes for their kids and for the amazing people they meet through it.

If you've never heard of AWANA and you've got kids you'd like to attend then just check out a quick Google search for nearby churches that have AWANA in your area. It's a great ministry and chances are, you won't regret it.