Mid-Week Curriculum Review - AWANA!

AWANA has been around for a long time and is quite popular in many churches. AWANA has been used to reach children for Jesus and to help them memorize Bible verses. 

When my children were young they were in AWANA - I thought it was great because they were able to memorize verses easily and so they earned many patches/pins. This was not the case for all children and one evening I saw a Cubbie who had trouble memorizing leave in tears because he did not receive an award. The ways children excel in AWANA are through memorization and by being on the winning team in games, so if a child struggles to memorize and isn't good at games there are a lot of opportunities for that child to be "left out". I am concerned about this. Having said this, AWANA has been used effectively by many churches, so if you use AWANA, please be aware of this area of concern. 

As AWANA says, it is a, "weekly club which appeals to churched and non-churched kids, leads them to trust Christ for salvation and grow them in enduring faith and service to God." Allow me to share with you some information about AWANA - 

• Publisher - AWANA
• Website - http://awana.org
• Price - prices for books, uniforms and awards vary depending on the age level
• Scope - Topical with a focus on the Bible and Who Jesus Is
• Available for Toddlers - Elementary 

Strengths -

• Biblically Sound
• Available in KJV, NKJV, NIV and ESV
• Strong focus on evangelism and Scripture memory
• I love the resources for parents!
• Cubbies encourages parental involvement
• Sparks builds a foundation of Biblical wisdom
• T&T answers kid's questions about God and the Bible
• Awana brings children and youth into healthy relationships with mentors and peers who will influence them for Christ
• AWANA provides volunteer training

• Teacher Devotions

Would like to see - 

• More affordable pricing on student materials in particular.
• Service projects to "Put Feet to Their Faith" for all ages - they are available for the T&T program.

If you are looking for a Mid-Week curriculum with a focus on evangelism and Scripture memory, this curriculum is well worth taking a look at to see if it may be a good "fit" for your ministry! AWANA says, "Awana helps churches and parents work together to develop spiritually strong children and youth who faithfully follow Jesus Christ. Our programs offer a proven approach for evangelizing and discipling kids in the church and community."