Awana Club #13342 Parent Manual 9125 Manchester Rd., Brentwood, MO 63144 314.968.0600 therockstl.com
Welcome Letter from the Commander Welcome to Awana Clubs! Awana stands for Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed and is taken from II Timothy 2:15. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Our Awana Clubs are part of thousands of Awana Clubs in churches around the world. These church-based, community clubs are open to all children from any faith or church. Awana is a special place for your children to make new friends, learn about God s Word, the Bible, and compete in fun games. Your child will receive an entrance booklet, which is the first step in Awana achievement. After completing the entrance booklet, your child is eligible to earn more awards as a member of the Awana Clubs. If you don t have a church home, we invite you to visit The Rock Church of St. Louis. Please join us this Sunday at 10am, our worship service time, or at 8:45am for small group. See a more complete listing on page 10 of this publication or visit us online at www.therockstl.com. God Bless, Laura Parli Awana Commander The Rock Church of St. Louis
INDEX Clubs by Age... pg.3 Club Meeting Times... pg.3 Evening Schedule... pg.4 Activities... pg.4 Dress Code... pg.4 Security for Arrival & Picking Up Child... pg.5 What to Bring to Awana... pg.5 Snow Closures... pg.5 Health Policy... pg.5 Costs... pg.6 Uniforms... pg.6 Adopt-a-Club... pg.6 Offering for Missionaries... pg.6 Store... pg.7 Team Points... pg.7 Attendance Awards... pg.7 Parent Volunteers... pg.8 Leader & Volunteering Requirements... pg.8 Discipline Procedure... pg.9 About The Rock Church of St.Louis... pg.10 The Rock Church CAMPUS MAP... pg.11-12 Notes... pgs.13-14
CLUBS BY AGE Cubbies 3 & 4 year olds (must be 3 yrs. old by August 1st) wear a blue uniform vest and have a Cubbie Bear as their mascot. Sparks Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd graders wear a red uniform vest and have a firefly (Sparky) as their mascot. T & T 3rd, 4th, and 5th Graders wear green uniform shirts and their handbook series is known as the Ultimate Adventure CLUB MEETING TIMES All clubs meet on Wednesday evenings from 6:30-8:00pm. Check in begins at 6:15pm. New clubbers are welcome anytime and can register with the AWANA secretary. 3
EVENING SCHEDULE 6:10 Leader Meeting Leaders meet in The Clubhouse to pray and prepare for club night. 6:15-6:30 Sign In All children sign in near the Fellowship Hall, except Cubbies, who go directly to their classroom in The Clubhouse, and Trek, who go directly to the gym. 6:30 6:35 Opening Ceremony Sparks and T&T attend the opening ceremonies in the Fellowship Hall. 6:35 7:10 Sparks / T&T Handbook Time Game Time Council Time 7:10 7:30 Cubbies Sparks T&T 7:30 7:50 Cubbies T&T Sparks 7:50 8:00 Closing Ceremony Sparks and T&T meet in The Fellowship Hall for closing and parent pick-up. -Parents are asked to join us in celebrating the awards achieved by the Clubbers at Closing Ceremony. -Cubbies pick-up location: The Clubhouse ACTIVITIES Handbook Time Children break into different groups based upon their current handbook. They recite Bible verses, go over the meaning, and are encouraged to achieve different awards. Game Time Children are assigned teams arranged by colors that compete against each other in a number of different games. Council Time Children sing songs and learn a Bible message. Closing Time Awards, birthdays and friends are acknowledged. DRESS CODE Children should wear their uniform with comfortable & appropriate clothing and tennis shoes. Some activities may be difficult to participate in if wearing skirts, heels, flip-flops, sandals, dress shoes, etc.
ARRIVAL & DISMISSAL PROCEDURE Parents should sign children in with the Secretary at the check-in desk near the Fellowship Hall. To ensure the safety of the children, no child will be permitted to leave without a parent. Please see a Secretary if special arrangements need to be made. WHAT TO BRING Awana Uniform Club Handbook Bible Missions offering SNOW CLOSURES Awana will be canceled if Brentwood School District is closed due to inclement weather. HEALTH POLICY Children cannot be accepted into Awana Clubs with any of the following: Fever over 99.6, currently or for the past 24 hours Vomiting or diarrhea, currently or for the past 24 hours Runny nose with colored discharge Croup Unexplained rashes Pink eye Skin infections Symptoms of childhood diseases (chicken pox, mumps, measles, whooping cough) Head lice 5
COSTS We do not require weekly dues for any of our clubs. Our church policy states that our club will charge a flat registration fee per child. There is a $30.00 registration fee per child with an optional maximum of $60.00 per family. The registration fee will include the cost of your child s uniform, handbook, patches and/or awards and other club costs associated with running our Awana Clubs. Donations are greatly appreciated and will be used to cover costs associated with running our Awana Clubs. Parents will be responsible for replacement costs of uniforms, handbooks and awards if an item is misplaced or lost. Please label all belongings. Scholarships are available. Please do not let costs stand in the way of your child participating in Awana. If there is a financial need, please let a Secretary know and we will work with you so your child may continue to participate in our Awana ministry. UNIFORMS Children are presented their uniform once they complete their Entrance Booklet. Earned Handbook Awards are presented each night and only if the clubber is wearing their uniform. ADOPT-A-CLUB Our Awana Clubs challenge children to bring an offering for our Adopt-a-Club campaign. To earn the Adopt-a-Club patch, a child must fill-up a coin card ($5). This offering goes directly to an Awana Club in Ukraine, Russia. OFFERING FOR MISSIONARIES We encourage children to bring an offering no amount is too small. At the end of the year, the offering is sent to Michael and Michelle Bowen, our local Awana Missionaries, to help support them in their service for the Lord. 6
STORE (Sparks and T&T) Children accumulate points throughout the Awana year to purchase items from the store. All points must be used by the end of the Awana year and any unused points will not be carried over to the next Awana year. POINTS (Sparks and T&T) Each child earns points by doing the following: Attendance Wear their complete uniform Wear their name tag Bring their Bible Bring their Awana Handbook Bring an offering for missions Bring a friend Attend Sunday School or Church Service (at any church) the Sunday prior to Awana Pass Handbook sections Recite Handbook sections word perfect Cooperate with their Leader Participate in Theme Night Each child is assigned a team color (red, yellow, blue, green). The winning color team receives an additional 500 points for that night. ATTENDANCE AWARDS Children receive Attendance Awards throughout the year for club attendance & Sunday School/ Church attendance. A child receives a jewel or patch for each period where perfect attendance is achieved. 7
PARENT VOLUNTEERS It takes many people to run AWANA effectively. If you are interested in helping, please contact the Commander. Parents are always welcome to come and participate in any activity at any time we welcome and encourage your involvement! LEADER & VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS At The Rock Church of St. Louis, we require that members who volunteer meet the following requirements: Must be saved and walking with the Lord Jesus Christ Enjoy being with children Dedicated to showing Christ s love through their interactions Cleared to work with children per State of Missouri Family Care Safety Registry Must complete Awana Leader Certification Non-church members have the ability to be helpers in AWANA Clubs, provided that they: Are saved and walking with the Lord Jesus Christ Enjoy being with children Are cleared to work with children per State of Missouri Family Care Safety Registry Ascent to, abide by and support the doctrinal teachings of The Rock Church of St. Louis. Provide a letter of recommendation from the church they attend Complete Awana Leader Certification 8
CHILDREN S MINISTRIES DISCIPLINE PROCEDURE The word discipline is related to the word disciple. As we all strive to be a disciple, we must discipline our children and ourselves. In Hebrews 12:10b, Jesus said, He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. Discipline involves standards, rules, penalties, and love. Discipline is something that we do for the children, not to the children. The goal of discipline is to encourage proper behavior, develop the individual, and maintain a safe and pleasant environment. We begin children s activities by counting slowly and loudly to five. This lets the kids know that we are beginning, and that it is time for their undivided attention. This five-count system is used during all children s activities, and quickly becomes familiar to the children. If a child doesn t cooperate at this point, we move to an individual three count. The three count is a method for disciplining the individual child who continues to misbehave after repeated correction. Listed below are the steps in the three count. 1. A one is given to an individual as a warning after they have been asked to stop the behavior more than once. 2. A two is given when a child continues to misbehave. At this point the child will be taken aside to speak with a Director individually and discuss their behavior. 3. A three results in the child leaving the group and being reunited with their parents. 9
ABOUT The Rock Church of St. Louis The Rock Church of St. Louis is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and has many ministries to help meet the needs of our community. If you would like more information, please contact the church office at 314-968-0600 or visit the church website at: therockstl.com. We invite you to attend our services: SUNDAY Worship Services: 10am Small Groups & Sunday School: 8:45am (Community Groups various locations throughout the week) WEDNESDAY Prayer Service: 6:30 p.m. Awana Clubs (3 yrs. thru 5th grade): 6:30-8 :00 p.m. Youth Group (6-12th grade): 6:30-8:00 p.m. The Church Staff Dr. Timothy Cowin Senior Pastor Matt Mullen Pastor of Worship and Family Ministries Ken Robinson Campus Pastor, Soulard Steve Wilson Campus Pastor, South County Office Staff: Lois Eggers, Emily Weiblen, Amy Vineyard The Rock Church of St. Louis Love God + Love People + Change the World The Rock Church of St. Louis - Awana Clubs 9125 Manchester Road, Brentwood, MO 63144 Phone: 314-968-0600 Fax: 314-962-8886 www.therockstl.com 10
NOTES 13
14