What is Awana?
Awana: Who We Are, What We Do?

The acronym Awana comes from the first letters of Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed. This is based on II Timothy 2:15:
"Study to show thyself Approved unto God, a Workman that needeth not to be Ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth".

Awana is a ministry that assists churches in reaching children and teenagers with the gospel of Jesus Christ and training them to serve Him.

Awana began in 1950 as a youth program at the North Side Gospel Center in Chicago, Illinois.

Lance Latham, the church pastor, worked with Art Rorheim to develop a program that would appeal to young people, reach them with the gospel of Christ and train them in the Lord’s work. By 1960, Awana had registered 900 clubs.

Today, there are more than 15,000 churches in the United States that have Awana Clubs. There are clubs in all 50 states. Awana can also be found in over 3,900 churches in more than 115 other countries, from Argentina to Zimbabwe, from Iceland to Australia.