Cheryl Rose teaches Christ to today’s youth | Education
Cheryl Rose kneels behind all of her students during their large group devotional time. Because AWANA is divided into three different sections and is a one and a half to two hour program every week, Rose thinks it gives them plenty of time to connect with the students.
Cheryl Rose takes a photo of a few AWANA girls getting ready for the glow in the dark dodge ball game, which was the fun meeting activity that night. After the dodge ball, the children spent time praying and reading the Bible.
Cheryl Rose, commander of the Evangelical Church of Zion AWANA, has been volunteering with the program in one way or another since it began almost 40 years ago. She believes in the importance of teaching Jesus to children at an early age.
Cheryl Rose speaks in front of her entire AWANA group before they split up for some small group games and time. Although she is organizing and leading more as the Commander of AWANA, she is still passionate about teaching the Word of God to children.
In 1983, 19-year-old Cheryl Rose agreed to volunteer for a new children’s program that was coming to her church. The then pastor and his wife decided to bring AWANA to the Evangelical Church in Zion.
Almost 40 years later, Rose continues her involvement in the program – as the AWANA Commander.
“I was in the game from day one. And I obviously wouldn’t be involved if it weren’t for something I’m hooked, line, and plumbed, â€she said. “It’s just an amazing children’s program.”
AWANA is an international children’s ministry that focuses on the Bible-based discipleship and evangelism program for children ages two to 18. Many churches in the area offer an AWANA program. At Zion Evangelical Church, they offer programs for children ages 2 to 14.
The word AWANA actually comes from a Bible verse, Rose said. It is an acronym for “approved workers are not ashamed,” a phrase taken from the Second Timothy 2:15 verse, which states, “Do your best to present yourself to God as an approved worker, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and correctly handles the word of truth. “
The idea is to instill the Word of God in the hearts of young people, Rose said. To achieve this, the AWANA program has three main components: a game, large group time, and small group time. The game attracts the children to come, the large group time provides a period of devotion, and then the small group time is dedicated to learning the Bible, reciting verses, and discussing prayer requests.