Moments in Leadership - Prepare Your Hearts

Prepare Your Hearts!

Our first club night is tomorrow night, and I have to admit that I have butterflies in my stomach already. I'm excited and nervous all at once! Earlier in the week I emailed our council time lesson plan to our Sparks volunteers and I included a little section called, Preparing Your Heart, so I thought I would go ahead and share it here as well.  

As we go into our first club night, please take some time beforehand to pray and prepare your heart for the activities of the night.  First club night always tends to be a little hectic as we are welcoming both new and veteran clubbers. We do our best to plan ahead, however, we have to be flexible because sometimes club nights just don't go according to plan.

Here are a few things to think about before club night:

•  We will have new clubbers who may have never attended an AWANA Club before and don't know what to expect. They need your guidance and support. Try to introduce them to veteran clubbers and encourage friendships.

•  We will have new kindergarteners who may be experienceing an organized learning environment for the first time. Remember that not all children attend preschool or daycare before entering kindergarten, so they may not know what behavior is expected of them. Be loving and consistent when teaching them what's expected!

•  Be mindful that for some clubbers, our AWANA Club is one of the few stable environments in their lives, let's ensure our club environment is both safe and welcoming.

•  Above all else, remember why we do this - to share the Gospel of Christ with boys and girls!  Club night might not always go perfectly, but that's not the point, don't worry...let go and let God work!

Lord, I want to take a minute to praise you today as I personally take some time to prepare my own heart for the beginning of a new AWANA year. A lot of hard work has happened already just to get our club ready for this moment and I know that it is not by my strength that any of this was accomplished. I am thankful that through the strength and guidance that you provide that we are now ready to welcome more boys and girls to Sparks club this year. May the gospel of Christ penetrate their hearts and souls for your glory, Lord! And may your faithful servants in this ministry be blessed with strength,courage, and wisdom this year. In Christ Jesus' name, Amen.