From a church ministry basement to a global movement…
This is 75 years.
The trailhead of Awana is the Chicago Gospel Tabernacle, a church founded by evangelist Paul Rader. It was there that co-founders Art Rorheim and Lance “Doc” Latham met. Art joined Doc’s traveling gospel music group, and they continued collaborating at the North Side Gospel Center in Chicago, Doc as senior pastor and Art as full-time youth director. At Northside, the weekly program that became Awana took shape, complete with handbooks, uniforms, the beloved Game Square — but most of all, Gospel outreach to kids in the community.
Soon, Awana was engaging 500 children each week. When Art Rorheim and Doc Latham stepped out in faith to extend the weekly club concept beyond their church, a legacy began.
A Mission Takes Shape: 1950-1960
1950
- Awana is founded as a parachurch organization, officially beginning our walk as a nonprofit organization supporting the local church as it shapes kids’ faith.
1955
- First Awana Olympics (now AwanaGames™) takes place in the basement of the North Side Gospel Center. Kids from four churches participate.
1957
- Hitting the Mark, a full-length color film, is produced, introducing the Awana ministry to churches. It is one of the first video/film-based child discipleship training programs ever launched.
- First Bible Quizzing competition debuts in Chicago, the culmination of diligent preparation and study that helped kids and leaders cement the Word of God in their hearts.
Mission Becomes Movement: 1960-1970
1960
- In its 10th year as a nonprofit organization, Awana is now serving 220 churches around the Midwest.
1962
- Edna and Leo Spencer become the first Awana volunteer missionaries, sharing the mission of child discipleship in the eastern U.S.
1963
- Awana flag and theme song are introduced, reminders “to reach boys and girls with the Gospel of Christ, and train them to serve Him” and that we are “building lives on the Word of God.” The Awana theme song united kids for decades!
1966
- Don Bunge trades professional football cleats (Washington Redskins) for a Bible and a passion to reach kids with the Gospel as he becomes the first full-time Awana missionary.
Reaching More Kids: 1970-1990
1972
- Having expanded beyond its foundations in the midwest, Awana Clubs™ curriculum is now in 1,000 churches from coast to coast and border to border.
- The first international club begins in Bolivia under the oversight of Thomas Johnson. Abraham (Pacho) Nuñez later becomes the first Bolivian to serve as an Awana national missionary.
1976
- Sparks® club launches for grades K-2. From the beginning, Awana clubs included children aged 8 through high school. The addition of Sparks engaged children as young as five in age-appropriate Bible memory and discipleship.
1980
- Awana Grand Prix™ debuts. Ken Starrett, an Awana missionary in Ohio, envisioned the ultimate family ministry event: a day of fun, creativity and outreach as families build cars together, with the Gospel shared at every race.
- Awana debuts in Africa, beginning in Liberia under the direction of John Gaye, who becomes an Awana missionary. Today, Awana Africa comes alongside churches in 35 countries across the African continent.
1981
- First Cubbies® program launches for preschool-age boys and girls. Story time, puppets and play prove to be an ideal way to cultivate respect for God and His Word in the heart of each Cubbie in the club.
1982
- Awana ministries begin in the Pacific Rim with a club in the Philippines. Today, there are 11,263 clubs in the Pacific Rim; 1580 of them are in the Philippines!
1983
- Awana launches Adopt-a-Club, a bridge for U.S. clubs to support clubs overseas and enable more children to participate in child discipleship.
1984
- Awana ministries begin in South Asia, started in Bangladesh by a medical missionary from the U.S., Nancie Delleganna. Prodip Karmakar, an “Awana kid” in that first club, became the first missionary for Bangladesh in 1990. He and his wife, Shikha, still lead Awana Bangladesh to this day.
1985
- Awana’s first European ministries begin in Germany, with help from Arne and Wilhelmina Ellermets. Following Arne’s career in the U.S. Air Force, the Ellermets became full-time European Awana missionaries, translating Awana materials into German and working in clubs. Awana ministries are in 27 European countries now.
1987
- Awana expands into the Middle East & North Africa (MENA), starting in the United Arab Emirates with the help of Chris and Peggy Toriz, expatriates living in the Middle East. Today, Awana is in 16 countries across MENA reaching more than 30,000 children every week.
1997
- First official Awana website is launched. The site was hosted on a server based in the basement of our former Streamwood, IL headquarters data center.
2007
- Leader-Based™ strategy is launched, enabling the training of exponentially more churches without increasing costs. With the help of countless team members, thousands of hours and trips to 20+ countries, we establish a new and effective way to empower leaders to start and run child discipleship using local materials.
- Puggles® is introduced for 2- and 3-year old children, answering the call for the littlest among us to have a special discipleship time and uniform all their own, just like their older siblings.
- 1 million kids worldwide are engaged in weekly discipleship through Awana programs, after tremendous growth in churches across the U.S. South spreads the ministry’s popularity and reputation for effectiveness .
2012
- Awana curriculum reaches its 100th country — Vietnam — through a U.S. church partner engaged with missions there. Even more kids learn the hope of the Gospel!
2018
- At nearly 100 years old, Awana Co-Founder Art Rorheim passes away. His legacy of innovation and a passion for reaching kids propels the ministry into a new season of intentional discipleship efforts.
Growing the Movement of Child Discipleship today
2020
- Brite™ weekend discipleship curriculum is introduced, enabling churches to engage more children with Bible-focused activities and lessons to help them grow in their faith.
2020
- Awana publishes Resilient book, casting a vision for child discipleship and the future of the church.
2021
- The first Child Discipleship Forum™ is held in Nashville, Tennessee; 400 disciplemakers come from around the world to reshape and sharpen their ministries.
2022
- Africa Child & School Initiative™ is launched, bringing school-based child discipleship into its first country, Zimbabwe.
2022
- 5 million kids worldwide are engaged in weekly discipleship.
2023
- Resilient Child Discipleship Training launches in six cities across the U.S., equipping local church ministry leaders for deeper discipleship.
2025
- Awana celebrates 75 years of ministry and 10 million children engaged in discipleship!
The vision of Awana is that all children and youth throughout the world will come to know, love, and serve the Lord Jesus Christ. We’re blessed to have been on this mission of child discipleship, shaping kids’ faith … doing the most important work on the planet, for the last 75 years.
The best is still ahead.
