This year I started a Drama and Serve Team within our church’s AWANA program. I had been wanting to find a way to transition kids from T&T (3rd – 5th grades) to becoming useful members of the church body. So often it seems that we expect very little from our children in Junior High and High School — I wanted to encourage the kids to be leaders, rather than spectators.
Each week, I taught the kids about servant leadership and encouraged them to actively encourage others in the church through acts of service and thankfulness. One night we simply wrote thank-you notes to people in the church who had served us. Another evening we made box lunches for all those who work in the AWANA program (about 36). We detailed people’s cars, made treats for the choir, created gift baskets for the pastors, and even cleaned and organized the church resource room.
When we weren’t working on service projects, we practiced and performed skits for the Sparks and T&T Council Time programs. I taught the kids about props, stage directions, acting, lighting and sound, and even script writing.
We had a great year. I really came to love my dozen Champions — I am excited to see how God will continue to use and grow them as they serve and love Him more and more.
Blend Commandos at work.
As our finale, we served smoothies to all the kids (and their families) who came to the AWANA Award Ceremony. It was truly inspiring to see the kids working as a team — some measuring out the ingredients for the blends, others dispensing the smoothies, still others adding whipped cream and straws. We made a mess, had a lot of fun, and satisfied the whole crowd.
I can hardly wait until next year!
Project 365, Day 140
Tim
I forgot to mention my awesome co-leaders — Beckie, Jared and (at the end of the year) Barb! Thank you so much for your faithfulness in working with the kids and helping me take my half-baked ideas and make them into a success!
It’s been a fun year! Thanks for teaching us!
I love what you’ve done with the TnT group.