Over 40 years of AWANA
Leaders and their passion keep the club going
By Joan Janzen
An age-old idiom says, ‘Time flies when you’re having fun.’ More than forty years have transpired since the AWANA program first began in Kindersley at the Alliance Church. AWANA stands for ‘Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed,’ and Kindersley resident Ron Baker was involved in the very first club night in Kindersley.
In 1976, Ron became the first full-time assistant pastor at the Kindersley Alliance Church, and ministry for children and youth was a high priority. Ron began checking out various children’s ministries and found a church in Saskatchewan that had started an AWANA club, which was pretty new then.
PHOTOS BY JOAN JANZEN: Clubbers recite the AWANA pledge, sing action songs, play games, and break up into groups according to age, for their workbook time. Click for larger images.
He brought the idea back to Kindersley, and with the help of a group of young adults, they forged ahead with the idea. “We did training with those involved, and on November 1, 1977, the AWANA program began,” Ron said. More than four decades later, that program is still running in 2023!
In 1977, it was held in the church basement, which is the current Norman Ritchie Community Centre. “We thought we would be doing really well if we filled the basement, but within a year, we didn’t have enough room,” Ron said. By 1979 the club’s enrolment had reached 100 kids from Kindergarten to Grade 8.
Ron explained that in the beginning, young adults volunteered, but over the years, they had kids, and parents began volunteering. “Always with the idea that we would involve youth and older teens in the leadership group, so it was a training ground, as well as a great program,” Ron explained.
After departing from Kindersley, Ron returned many years later to once again serve as pastor at Kindersley Alliance. “I came back in 2005 and was pleasantly surprised to see an active AWANA program, and it continues to this day,” he said.
The longevity of the program is attributed, in part, to its strong moral base. “Parents want to see their kids learn how to be citizens of good repute, and it certainly prepared kids for that,” Ron observed. The program has also been revised and updated throughout the years, which is always important as society changes.
“It kept going because the leaders have always had this as a passion,” Ron noted. Diane and Brian Kehrer were two of the very passionate leaders who were involved in the early days of the program and for many years after.
Cheryl Glass is another passionate AWANA leader. Every Wednesday evening throughout the school year, Cheryl and additional staff enjoy games, stories, singing, and workbook time with children from Kindergarten to Grade 6. “Kids are reminded that God loves us all and has a perfect plan for our lives,” she said.
Special events held throughout the year include a Christmas banquet, store nights, and the annual Grand Prix, which is a highlight of the year. “Clubbers design, build, and race wooden model cars down a long wooden track,” Cheryl explained.
Clubbers began racing wooden cars at the Grand Prix event sometime in the 1980s. Some of the kids involved became parents, and the races became very competitive as parents enjoyed the Grand Prix with their children.
“It’s the leaders and their passion that keep the club going,” Ron concluded. Those leaders and clubbers gather together every week “because kids matter to God.” The program’s slogan is played out in real time each week.