Patch Club - September 2019
I grew up in awanas starting from age 3 in cubbies and going through T&T in my teens I think.
I started doing the Patch club at home in Sept of 2019. It has been the absolute perfect resource for me for learning Bible. I also feel that Patch club has a more biblical approach than the Awana club.
Here's MY experience with Awana club vs Patch club
Why I feel that Patch club has a more biblical approach than the Awana club.
Doing the Patch club at home has made me realize some things about the Awana club that I feel are poorly done that I didn't realize about Awana as a kid growing up in the Awana club. I'm sorry if this seems harsh. This is just MY experience in Awanas.
Let me explain.
Awanas is an outreach program. Games and a simple salvation message. The awana program is missing so much theology and doctorine.
I have 6 problems with the Awana club.
1. The pledge
Awana Pledge:
"I pledge allegiance to the Awana flag
which stands for the Awana clubs
whose goal is to reach boys and girls
with the Gospel of Christ and
train them to serve Him."
At least the pledge makes sense knowing that it's an outreach program.
I have a problem with this pledge.
For starters the pledge is a statement, not a pledge.
A pledge is a promise or agreement.
*We can't pledge (promise) loyalty to the Awana club because if we get a bad leader or it's the not the right situation for us, we will leave. We can't make a promise we can't keep.
*We can't pledge (agreement) to the club because we might not agree with everything they do or say.
The pledge really doesn't stand for anything and it's really not biblical either.
Patch club solute:
"I pledge allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ whose name I love and whose praise I sing.
As a faithful sailor in Patch the Pirate Club, I will do my best to serve my Savior and obey His Word."
The Patch club solute is more biblical and it's a promise we can keep whether the group works for us or not.
2. Cubbies, Sparks, T&T theme songs
Cubbies theme song
"We are Awana Cubbies, we’re happy all day long.
We know that Jesus loves us! That’s why we sing this song.
We hop because we’re happy and we jump and shout for joy.
For Jesus is a friend to us.
He loves each girl and boy."
My problem with this song is that we're not happy all the time. Life is hard. There are trials that come. Saying we're happy all the time gives a false view or false reality of life.
Sparky theme song
"We are “Sparks” for Jesus, “Sparks” to light the world,
We will shine for Jesus as we tell each boy and girl!
We will hide God’s Word in our hearts;
We will serve Him right from the start;
From His love we never can part for we are
“Sparks!” “Sparks!” “Sparks!” “Sparks!” “Sparks” to light the world."
Tell each boy and girl what?? They fail to give the real message.
T&T theme song
"I am off on the Ultimate Adventure!
Trusting Jesus all along the way.
To the truth of God’s Word I will surrender,
No matter where I am from day to day.
Chorus:
In the sky, undersea, in the wild, Christ with me.
Here at home, around the world,
His love is clear to see.
Won’t you come along with me on the Ultimate Adventure!
I will train for the mission He has for me.
I will trust in Him to give the victory.
As I read His Word and pray, He gives direction,
As I follow Him each and every day."
These are good truths but….again they fail to mention what truth they are surrendering to. There are lots of truths in God's word that we need to obey.
Awana theme song
"Firmly Awana stands, led by the Lord’s commands,
“Approved workmen are not ashamed,”
Boys and girls for His service claimed!
Hail! Awana! On the march for youth;
Hail! Awana! Holding forth the truth.
Building lives on the Word of God Awana stands!
Our Savior following with steps unfaltering,
And love unaltering, His praise we sing,
His banner over us, in service glorious,
We’ll fight victorious for Christ our King!
YOUTH ON THE MARCH!"
This song seems like empty lyrics to me.
None of the Awana songs states the main truth of God's word. The truth of the cross. Acts 16:31- Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. If you are saved when you die you will go to heaven to live with Jesus. We as believers have that hope.
Patch Club Song
"Oh climb aboard our jolly ship, travel on life's sea
Our Captain is the son of God, he will faithful be
Oh come and join our happy crew,
we still have lots of room for you,
Oh climb aboard our jolly ship, travel on life's sea.
We sail with Patch the Pirate, across the ocean blue
We want to please our savior, in all we say and do
We serve the king of heaven, and proudly bear his sword
We sail with Patch the Pirate, to the glory of the Lord.
Come sail with us we're heaven bound, everyone can go
The fare was payed with Jesus blood, many years ago
We love to sing our saviors praise,
We'll bless his name through all our days,
Come sail with us we're heaven bound, everyone can go
We sail with Patch the Pirate, across the ocean blue
We want to please our savior, in all we say and do
We serve the king of heaven, and proudly bear his sword
We sail with Patch the Pirate, to the glory of the Lord."
This song is so much better because it mentions that life is a sea. Life is sometimes calm and sometimes rough. This song also mentions the faithfulness of God. It also mentions that God's word is a sword (Ephesians 6) and also gives the message of the cross and the hope of heaven. It's much more scripture based than the Awana songs.
3. Memorization vs real study
Awanas is about scripture memorization and not real study.
From my experience the Awana books don't explain what the verses mean. The goal is memorization and not real study.
Here's my problem with this. What good is memorization if you don't know what the verses mean?
The Patch club books are laid out as a daily devotional/study.
Each day you fill in the blanks for a Bible verse and then underneath that verse they explain what that verse means and how it applies to you.
4. Make it personal
Awanas gives the kids a simple salvation message but they fail to make it personal. They fail to give the kids a personal connection with the salvation message.
One thing that really bothers me about a number of different outreach ministries and churches is that they give you the gospel message but they fail to make it personal. They fail to give you a personal connection with the message.
Before Majesty Music came into my life, I hated Bible studies, I hated reading my Bible because I didn't see how it "related" to me.
The Patch adventure "Ocean Commotion" changed this for me. That adventure is about the story of Noah's ark. In the course of that adventure Patch and crew are trying to warn the outlanders of the impending storm but the outlanders won't believe them.
Alberta Einstein: "But why won't they believe us?"
Bootstrap Ben: "They believe the lies of Wise Guy, Alberta, and they are afraid."
Sissy Seagull: "It's kind of like what happened when Noah was building the ark. No one believed him when he said a storm was coming."
Alberta Einstein: "They probably called Noah crazy too"
Sissy Seagull: "Or a cuckoo bird"
Pearl: "Or a trouble maker."
When I heard this, something inside me clicked! It hit me that this was REAL! I was like wait a minute, you mean to tell me that Noah was made fun of just like I've been made fun of??? You mean to tell me that Noah went through trials too??? In that moment, all of the sudden my view of the Bible completely changed! The Bible became real, personal, relatable, simple for me.
That changed everything for me!
Once I realized how the Bible "related" to me and how personal and simple it is, I didn't hate Bible studies anymore. Actually, I enjoy them because the Bible is personal now and I find encouragement in Bible study. It also completely changed my perspective on everything! It changed my whole world! That relationship piece is crucial!
If you're going to be an evangelistic ministry like awanas and your sharing the gospel with kids, you need to also make sure they understand how it relates to them and how it's personal for them. That's what gives it meaning. If they don't understand this then what good does it do to share the gospel with them?
We all want to relate to things and feel understood.
Scripture is our foundation for everything. It can help us realize that we're not alone. When we feel a connection to something it changes our perspective on things.
The Patch stuff gives you a personal connection with scripture. This is so important.
5. Award motivation and competition based vs wanting to study God's word.
Awanas is competition between 4 teams, the red team, blue team, yellow team, green team. It's based on team loyalty and award motivation. Why memorize something that you don't understand just for awards that will end up being meaningless to you later? What good is all that hard work and stress for nothing? How sad to walk out of awanas each week feeling empty. Not getting anything out of it. This was me. It was because they didn't explain anything. They didn't make it personal or applicable.
We should want to study God's word. We should be able to find encouragement and hope in God's word. Like I mentioned above, Patch club makes it personal and applicable. This in turn helps you want to study God's word.
6. Educate other kids and adults about other people with disabilities
We also want to feel understood, loved, and accepted by others.
In awanas I was bullied and just plain misunderstood for being different. The Awana game leaders didn't understand why I didn't want to play the games. They didn't understand that I had physical issues that made playing the games frustrating and difficult. I never wanted to make my team lose because of my physical issues. The game leaders wouldn't even let me sit out of the games. They basically force you to play the games. Mom had to write letters to the awana leaders telling them that I was not able to play the games. They finally let me sit out after that. This should not have been a problem. I believe any good church club, youth group, etc. needs to have either a separate room and program with low key activities such as a simple crafts for those with special needs or they need to at least have teachers in the regular programs that are understanding of special needs/disabilities that can pull those aside who are different and do something different with them and sit with them during game time. In the last year or so of my awana experience I was very fortunate to have the most wonderful, amazing awana leader ever who pulled me aside during games and snack time and just sat with me and talked to me. We became good friends and are still in contact today. Jessica Daniels, thank you for being there for me during an extremely difficult time in my life. It means so much to me and I will never forget it. I love you and miss you.
In my last youth group experience at the church where I grew up I was also very fortunate to have an amazing youth group leader who understood me and pulled me aside during game and snack time and talked to me. We hit it off and became close friends and we are still in very close contact today. Love you Dave and Jen!
The Awana clubbers bullied me for having colored glasses. Awana never taught or educated kids about disabilities.
Patch club on the other hand, does. Patch club is made so you can tweak it to your exact needs for your situation.
They educate kids about other kids with disabilities and how we should be kind and understanding to those who are different. I so appreciate this.
In the Willow Valley series (young reader novels for kids) we meet a boy named Peter who's in a wheelchair and he feels left out because he's different. Just the fact that the Willow Valley kids series talks about special needs means so much to me.
If you have a kid with physical or mental disabilities or both, I would highly recommend Patch club. I think it's a much more accepting environment than awanas. I wish I had grown up in Patch club. I would have had a much better experience.
I think the biggest difference between Awanas and Patch club, is that Patch the Pirate materials focuses on Character Training/building and Bible study and that's why it's so much more personal and Awanas is an outreach program/missionary style program.
If I had the option to do things over again, I would do Patch club instead of awanas. My heart in writing this is that I don't want kids to go through the trauma that I did. If I can pave the way to help others like me then everything I've been through is worth it.
Here is the Patch club promo video to show you how to start your own Patch club.
You can find the Patch Club materials at the Majesty Music website.