Nazarene Caravan

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The Nazarene Caravan program began in the heart and mind of LeRoy Haynes, a Nazarene layman in California in the 1930s. He wanted to offer a club program for the children in the Nazarene church that would teach them life-skills, as well as the history and beliefs of the Nazarene church. Through much debate and input from people in all areas of the country, the first official Caravan program started in Millington Church of the Nazarene in Michigan in the fall of 1946. LeRoy Haynes’ dream had come true.

Since the first conception of Caravans, the program has undergone many improvements. The most recent improvements came in 2004 after surveying Caravan programs all over the world. The “new and improved” Caravans centers on five points of focus: spiritual formation, ministry training, Nazarene heritage and doctrine, user and visitor-friendly formats, and following the scouting aspect. The spiritual formation is based on the core values of holiness, missions, service, and work. Ministry training is done through the children using their skills to serve others, both in the church and in the community. The children are taught about the history of the church of the Nazarene and the core beliefs by memorizing Scripture and studying the Bible. In the past, the Caravan program was not visitor-friendly, in that a child coming into the church in the middle of the year was not able to earn badges without attempting to catch up with the others. With the new re-write, this has been eliminated. The children can now join at any time. Lastly, the Caravan children earn badges and citations by completing required skills, memorization, and service hours. These badges are presented to them at ceremonies during the year. Family and friends are usually invited to attend these special events where hard work is rewarded.

Caravans is not cost-prohibitive for most churches of any size. The average cost per child in the first year is $38.00. The second year, the average cost goes down to around $20.00 per child. This is a great investment in the lives of the next generation.