The Secret Ingredient to an Exciting Class

Ask a group of children what they would look like without a skeleton, and you’ll probably get some silly answers.

But if they attend Awana club at Ron Dudek’s church, they’d tell you they might look like a blobfish. Every week at Midway Baptist Church in Watervliet, Michigan, Ron opens each lesson by sharing practical creation truths with around 40 young people in grades three through six.

Ron says this isn’t just any Awana club. “I incorporate the Seven C’s of History [a biblical overview of history, from Creation in Genesis to Consummation in Revelation] at the beginning of every lesson. I like the idea of getting children to start thinking biblically about any topic.”

And they love it. Whatever the topic, from the red panda to human anatomy, Ron says children are hungry to learn more. “The children select the topic for each week,” Ron explains. “This is fun for me, too, because I have to research the topics to create lesson plans.”

Kids aren’t the only ones who eat it up. They get so excited by this information, which they don’t hear anywhere else, that many of their parents drop in to see what the fuss is about and become regulars themselves.

He also regularly advises them how to approach questions about creation in school. Most children in his Awana club attend public school, where science teachers typically accept evolution. Ron offers the children and their families the dos and don’ts of talking and writing respectfully in this area. “I believe it is important for all my students to conduct themselves according to 1 Peter 3:15. It is good to give a defense for their faith, but they should do so respectfully.”

Ron has always had a love for teaching. He has an educator’s irrepressible eagerness to share inspiring insights about life with young people. Years ago, a creation video series that his pastor presented at church ignited a passion in his heart for Genesis, and he wants to pass this on to others. Teachers and pastors have begun approaching Ron asking what the secret is to generating so much excitement for his class. But it’s no secret. Teach creation as truth!