A new Awana year is beginning and the hunt for people to serve is intense. Through the year, leaders that you recruited are going to let you down. There will be times when you question their loyalty to serving, but all of that questioning is based on what you see, or what they allow you to see.
In today’s culture, people are busy and most of our “good” friends can be found on Facebook which means that deep relationships are not well formed. I know in my life there are very few people that I will open up to and to be honest, I do not know all that much about their lives. It takes time and that is why it is called investing in another.
From my perspective, Awana has always been relational. It comes down to the time a leader wants to, or is able to, invest in the lives of the clubbers. That is one reason I like the methodological shift of Awana T&T. The small group model allows for a deeper relationship to take place between the leader and their clubbers. Many of the churches that you attend may have small groups for adults (lifegroups, etc) but very few have a focused method to incorporate small groups for children.
In Matthew 5:41 Jesus is recorded as saying,
And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two.
This is part of a discourse on loving your enemy, but what about our friends, or the clubbers in our care? Going that first mile is volunteering and serving in an Awana club. We may have a cursory knowledge of the children and other leaders, but we really don’t know the whole story. How can you go that 2nd mile with the clubbers in your group? How can you really get to know them and see the struggles they face? The small group helps initiate it and then how far you walk alongside of them is up to you.
Sometimes people do not want to share what is going on in their lives even though people are there for support. They choose to walk alone.
I encourage you to get to know those in your group, other leaders, the directors and commanders. Get to know the clubbers in your group. You may be surprised what they are facing in their lives and how you can be used of God to help them through this time.
I would agree that getting to know the parents of your clubbers is important to reducing your frustrations. Also knowing the professions & gifts of other leaders makes teamwork successful.
I have 3 in my new group and thank God there are no more because I discovered from a parent that 1 has eye shift trouble which makes reading difficult and another has ADHD. I’m the Quiz coach so generally expect them to recite word perfect. These kids cannot. I’m working on ways to work through their limitations with these parents.