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***image1***Close to 45 children in Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed Clubs competed in the Euro-wide AWANA Clubs International Bible Quizzing Saturday at the Sembach Bible Church.
The name AWANA is taken from 2 Timothy 2:15 in the Bible. It is a nonprofit, international, nondenominational, Christian youth ministry for children in pre-school to high school. The program ministers through Bible memorization, games and story-telling, said Eddie Hester, AWANA’s regional director and acting missionary for the military and English-speaking clubs for western and central Europe.
Being tested were clubbers in the program’s Truth and Training, for third to sixth graders, and Trek, for sixth to eighth graders. They represented clubs in Heidelberg, Darmstadt and Kaiserslautern military communities, as well as English-speaking programs from the Faith Baptist Church also in Kaiserslautern and Black Forest Academy in Bavaria. Teams consisted of two players, with clubs having has many has three teams represented in each round.
Quizzing took almost five hours and consisted of written, multiple-choice and speed tests. Rounds were spilt into the four T&T handbooks, one for each grade, and one for Trek. Questions were from the first and second chapters of the contestants’ Bible-memorization handbooks.
That’s more than 40 Bible verses, addresses and definitions each clubber had to know and be prepared to answer word-for word, said Penny Holland, Ramstein AWANA secretary. The Ramstein club is for children in the KMC.
One contestant from the Ramstein AWANA club, Jewlia Dewlens, 8, Kaiserslautern American Elementary School second grader, complained that her stomach hurt before the quizzing began.
“I was scared to compete in front of a lot of people,” she said.
She was all smiles, though, after the competition.
“I was surprised that I knew a lot,” said Jewlia, who scored 100 percent on the multiple-choice testing.
And, that’s the point behind this competition, said the commanders from the AWANA clubs in Heidelberg – Army Maj. Bill Farmer from U.S. Army Europe, Darmstadt – Sandra Edwards, and Ramstein – Master Sgt. Jack Thornton, from the 3rd Air Force.
“I think the quizzes are fantastic for children to have an opportunity to share God’s word that they’ve hid in their hearts,” said Major Farmer, who has been Heidelberg’s AWANA commander for two years. “It’s a chance for them to shine on the hard work they have done throughout the year.”
The AWANA program began in the United States in 1950, where now there are more than 12,000 clubs, many on military installations, said Mr. Hester, who has been associated with the AWANA Clubs International for about 12 years.
To find out more about AWANA Clubs International, visit the official Web site at www.awana.org/. For local club information, call the military chapels in Heidelberg, Darmstadt and Ramstein. The Faith Baptist Church also serves the KMC, and those wanting information on that club can call Capt. David Vanderburg at 06301-710735 or e-mail davidamyv@hotmail.com.
