AWANA Grand Prix loking to grow

The fifth-annual AWANA Grand Prix took place here Saturday at Bethel Baptist Church and the contest, which pits local children and adults racing handmade wooden cars, seems to be getting more popular every year.
Drawing about 20 racers in its first year, the AWANA Grand Prix saw triple that number at the most recent competition.
And Pastor Tony Geense of Bethel Baptist Church hopes to keep the tradition going strong, as the AWANA Club recently received $2,500 from the Moffat Family Fund to buy a race track and electronic timing system.
“It’s going to be quite exciting,” Pastor Geense said Monday.
While AWANA Grand Prix organizers have had Len Friesen, an AWANA missionary from Steinbach, Man., come here with a track for the past five year, they now will have their own.
Not only will this be convenient, noted Pastor Geense, but it also will allow racers to test their cars out before the actual race, increase the frequency of racing for enthusiasts (who now only get to race on an AWANA-certified track once a year), and even mean the local AWANA group could lend it out to other youth groups who might want to try to start a similar racing program.
“One thing the Moffat Family Fund wants to see is having families do things together,” Pastor Geense said. “And the racing has really become an activity for families.”
Having a track of their own also will allow the club to promote itself more. For instance, Pastor Geense plans on having the new track set up at the classic car show coming up May 21 on Scott Street.
Gloria Geense noted having the racing at the car show last year was a welcome relief for organizers because it gave kids something to do while their parents checked out the classic automobiles.
Pastor Geense noted the new track also marks a change in who will be organizing the grand prix in the future. Craig McQuaker will be taking hold of the reins next year.
“Craig helped organize it this year. He’s a part of the classic car club, he has a passion for those cars,” said Pastor Geense. “Why not get somebody involved who has a passion for it?”
The annual racing event grew out of the AWANA Club, a youth group which has met weekly at Bethel Baptist Church for the past nine years. Pastor Geense got the idea to have the Grand Prix after attending a workshop at an AWANA leadership conference in Winnipeg.
While not all Grand Prix racers are part of the club, many are, he noted. “I think the Grand Prix has become a real draw for the kids.”
The AWANA Club has three divisions—Cubbies, Sparks, and T&T [Truth and Training]—for children of different ages.
Besides racing in the Grand Prix, youth aged three through Grade 8 meet every Tuesday at Bethel Baptist Church from September to April.
While there, the children play age-appropriate games that encourage co-operation and learning lessons, as well as work through AWANA books.
These guides are geared toward the respective age groups, and have the AWANA members do tasks ranging from memorizing Biblical knowledge and positive messages to doing good deeds (like shovelling an elderly person’s walkway or writing to them).
Members who complete the tasks in the book then move onto another book. And like Scouts and Girl Guides, they get stickers or badges tracking their achievements.
“Some people have said AWANA is a glorified baby-sitting service. Some parents come and drop off their kids so they can go shopping or whatever. I say ‘So what?’” said Pastor Geense.
“We’ll try to have an impact on their lives during the time they’re here.”
“I think the games are drawing point for the kids, but it’s the morals that we teach that are important,” stressed Gloria Geense.
They both noted there’s a minimal cost for youth in the program ($5 here and there for workbooks or T-shirts). And if a family can’t afford it for their child, the church will cover it.
“We just want everyone one to feel a part of it,” said Pastor Geense.
Like the Grand Prix racing, the local AWANA here has grown over the years and now sports about 25 adult and teen leaders and 60 youth members, ranging from pre-schoolers to Grade 8 students.
Pastor Geense stressed only about a dozen of the youth actually go to Bethel Baptist Church. The rest go to other churches, or none at all.
He noted it’s not unusual for kids who work their way through the program to end up sticking with it in their teen years as group leaders. This, of course, goes towards getting them their 40 hours of community service needed to graduate from high school.
Pastor Geense stressed all the adult volunteers are trained, are never left in a room with a child by themselves, and must get a police background check.
“It protects the kids, and it protects you [the parent],” he noted.
The AWANA Club will start up again in September, meeting Tuesdays from 6:30-8 p.m. at Bethel Baptist Church.
Anyone interested in getting involved can call the Geenses at 274-0748.