What can we do in the church about the incredibly large number of teenagers that abandon their faith after graduating from high school? This problem is an old one. Judges 2:10 says, “[…] there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.“ Today, Josh McDowell reports 69-94% of teens leave the church after graduation. Only 10-15% of teens growing up in the church have a Biblical World view, according to George Barna. The problem is not only old, but it is large. The US census bureau indicates that 34% of our population is under 25. That’s a lot of young people! As we know, “the church is always just one generation from extinction”. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it, “A righteous person is one who lives for the next generation.” So, how do WE prepare our kids to be future adults who love the Lord and strive to serve him well? Welcome to Echoes of Faith, a podcast about God working in our lives today and how His Word impacts our future. In this episode our host Caleb Phelps is joined by Ken Jernigan who has been the AWANA commander at Faith Baptist Palm Bay for the past decade. AWANA is a Bible-based evangelism and discipleship curriculum for 2-18 year-olds. An independent research firm found that 92.7% of AWANA alumni still attend church at least weekly after graduation. They are also more likely than other adults to Believe that Jesus is the son of God, pray daily, share their faith, and trust the truth of the Bible so much that they read it regularly. AWANA is equipping over 17,000 churches and millions of parents in more than 100 countries around the world. So join us today as Caleb and Ken discuss how consistent, participation in vibrant youth ministries such as AWANA, accompanied by even stronger spiritual influence from parents, reaps long-lasting results for the kingdom. Whether you grew up in AWANA or you wish you had, you'll want to bring your kids and grand kids. For Faith Baptist Palm Bay, it all starts on Wednesday, August 21st. Here’s pastor Caleb.