ANDREWS AFB, Md. –
The base chapel has established a new's children's ministry, AWANA. The weekly program allows children to meet, make new friends, have fun and learn about the Bible in the process.
"The Andrews Chapel cares about children," said Chaplain Mark McKellen, 316th Wing chaplain. "Children, just like adults, face stress and trials. The importance of this program teaches children that they can trust in God-not only with circumstances, but with their lives."
Any dependent child can participate in AWANA. Classes, based on age and class grade, are called clubs. The four clubs include Cubbies for children ages 3 and 4, Sparks for children in kindergarten through second grade, Truth and Training, for children third through sixth grade, and Trek, for children in the seventh and eighth grades.
"This program would not be able to exist without the outstanding support of our volunteers," said Chaplain McKellen. There is no prerequisite to teach and volunteers are welcome and needed for the base AWANA program. All volunteers must complete a background check. Club leaders follow weekly plans and preparation time for each class is one to two hours per week.
A global program, AWANA began 60 years ago in Chicago, IL. The AWANA program is currently in 12,000 churches in 50 states, can be found in 109 countries and six continents. Chaplain McKellen said, "The name AWANA is an acronym for 'Approved Workman Are Not Ashamed' which comes from 2 Timothy 2:15 which states, "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
AWANA classes are each Tuesday at Chapel 3 from 4:45 to 5:45 p.m. Registration and materials are free. For information, contact Chaplain McKellen at 301-981-3820.