James & Paula Cavanaugh Awana Missionaries to Oklahoma

November 2009

Dear Awana Family,

Just when you think you have God’s plan for your life figured out, He reminds you that He is the only One with that information.  Ten years ago we just knew that God was going to keep us in full-time teenage ministry for the rest of our lives and started making plans toward that end.  Five years ago, after several years of doors closing, God opened the door for us to become Awana missionaries – a door we had been avoiding.  But as long as the door was open, we couldn’t see not walking through it, and the blessings have been tremendous.  Earlier this year we decided that God was apparently finished growing our family numerically (after all it had been 8 years), so we started getting rid of baby clothes, etc.  Two weeks later, we found out that we were expecting!  And now she is here.  Amanda Marcail Cavanaugh was born on October 6th weighing 6 lb, 15 oz. and measuring 19 ¾ inches long.  Unfortunately she was a few weeks premature and had to spend 15 days in NICU.  The day we left the hospital we were informed of some additional problems that were probably caused by a loose knot in the umbilical cord, so the first week or so at home was spent combating these repercussions.  We think everything is almost under control.  Thank you for your prayers and your patience during this time.

God is blessing the Awana ministry in Oklahoma.  We are currently serving just over 270 churches.  This equals approximately 25,000 children and teenagers across the state.  Sounds exceptional doesn’t it??  That is until you realize that there are over 900,000 in Oklahoma under the age of 18.  That means that we are only reaching between 2-3% of the population.  Granted, many are probably being reached through other ministries, but are we willing to take that for granted?  We’re not.  We want to do everything possible to make sure that as many people as possibly are reached with the Gospel.  But it is a huge task that we can’t possibly achieve alone.  We need help.  We need prayer, volunteers, and financial support.  Awana Missionaries are completely faith supported.  In order to move to Oklahoma three years ago we were required to raise commitments for 70% of our budget.  Currently we are still receiving between 65-70% of our budget and operating on a reserve that is quickly depleting.  We really need to raise commitments for the remaining 30-35%.  If you feel that God is calling you to support the Oklahoma Awana Ministry on a regular basis, please complete the online form and mail it in.  There are also several other ways that you can support the ministry:

1. Pray, Pray, Pray!! Not only for us, but for those who volunteer on our ministry team. Pray for wisdom, for good health, for traveling mercies, for financial support. Pray also for churches and clubs across the state that many children, youth, and their families would be reached for Christ. Pray for additional volunteers.
2. Volunteer to make phonecalls.  We are currently looking for 30+ volunteers who would call 5 churches in their area on a regular basis just to check in and see how things are going and to relay any current announcements.
3. Volunteer to coordinate/staff events. AwanaGames, Sparks-a-Rama, and Bible Quiz are coming up in the spring. Events that are not staffed cannot be held.
4. We completely understand that some clubs/churches are just not able to afford to support the ministry financially. Several churches have requested a list of frequently used items (PDF format - updated 11/05/2009) that they can have clubbers collect for us.

Additionally (especially for those in the Tulsa area), we would be more than grateful for anyone who wanted to come do some yard work or wash our van. These could be used to help clubbers complete service sections in the older clubs. We always have ministry maintenance projects (office work, event supply inventory, etc. - please contact us for other projects to be completed) if you or your church would be interested in helping.
Please remember though that we are here to support you and your ministry. If you have any questions or if you just need a listening ear, please do not hesitate to contact us at (918) 286-3343.

In His Service,
James and Paula