The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG -- "A-W-A-N-A! I'm gonna build my life God's way!" chanted the autotuned voices of children over Waitsburg Christian Church's loudspeakers. On July 17, a small crowd of community members listened in the pews, tapping their toes or following along with the lyrics on a projector screen.

If Naomi Long gets her way, that song will blast through the church's sanctuary every Thursday night, and the crowd will be a lot bigger – and a lot younger.

Long and her husband, David, are hoping to bring Awana – a worldwide organization which describes itself as "the global leader in child and youth discipleship" – to Waitsburg this September.

With an emphasis on Gospel mastery and scripture memory, Awana is structured much like a scouting organization, complete with merit badges, brightly-colored uniforms, and plenty of friendly competition.

The couple's two daughters, aged 6 and 3, were enrolled in the Awana group at Trinity Baptist Church in Walla Walla.

"I just can't say enough about Awanas and how it's impacted me and my kids," said Naomi Long at the information meeting for volunteers last week. "I think that our community has a need for a place for kids to go and learn and have something to do."

The program is tentatively slated to start on September 13 and run from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday evenings during the school year. The two-hour sessions will include game time, small-group study periods, Bible lessons and songs. Some meetings will be "theme nights," with participants encouraged to wear anything from pajamas to crazy hats.

While the national Awana organization offers programming for children as young as 2 and as old as 18, the proposed Waitsburg ministry would start out smaller in scope, with separate groups for preschoolers ("Cubbies"), those in kindergarten through second grade ("Sparks"), and 3rd-6th graders ("T&T"). Depending on interest, middle- and high-school groups could be introduced later on – and Naomi Long doesn't think interest will be a problem.

"Once Awanas gets going, it takes off," she said. "It starts growing really fast."

She also made clear that, while the Waitsburg Christian Church is providing the facilities, the program itself is non-denominational and open to families from across the area.

"I want this to be an opportunity for anyone in our communities," she said. "It's open to all the towns."

The Longs estimated the annual cost to participate is between $25 and $30 for each child's uniform and materials, but said that the ministry might be able to provide assistance if some families were concerned about the cost. While meetings are slated to begin in September, any child can enroll at any time.

In the meantime "the biggest need...is just leaders," said Long. Within the Awana organization, "leaders" are individuals who work with and mentor a small group of four to five kids throughout the year.

Interested students and adults must undergo a background check and be willing to commit time and energy to their group even outside of the weekly meetings. Other volunteers are needed to lead scripture lessons, take attendance, and supervise games. Those interested in helping in these or other ways should call (509) 337-8898.

The Longs' ultimate vision for the Waitsburg Awanas doesn't stop at students. They see it as a tool to build connections of faith and friendship throughout the community.

"This is just basically teaching our kids to get into the Word," Mrs. Long said, "including [their] families."