Awana is an international evangelical Christian nonprofit organization in child and youth discipleship. The headquarters is in Streamwood, Illinois, United States. History In 1941, the children's program at the North Side Gospel Center in Chicago laid the foundation for the principles of Awana. Lance Latham, North Side's senior pastor, collaborated with the church's youth director, Art Rorheim, to develop weekly clubs that they believed would appeal to all children. Rorheim served as the CoFounder/President Emeritus until he died on January 5, 2018. Other churches became interested in the program and inquired about its availability. In 1950, Latham and Rorheim founded Awana as a parachurch organization. The name is derived from the first letters of "Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed" as taken from 2 Timothy 2:15. , Awana claims to work with over 61,000 churches in 122 countries. Programs Awana offers resources and Bible-based training programs for children ages 2 to 18 in churches. Each Awana program is arranged into different groups that are separated by the ages and grades of the children attending. These groups include Puggles (ages 2 to 3), Cubbies (preschoolers, ages 4 to 5), Sparks (Kindergarten to 2nd Grade), T&T (Grades 3 to 6), Trek (Middle School), and Journey (High School). Although Awana offers programs for ages 2 to 18, churches that run an Awana program are not required to run a club for every age group. See also Christian Service Brigade Pathfinders (Seventh-day Adventist) Royal Rangers Trail Life USA Child Evangelism Fellowship Child evangelism movement References External links Art Rorheim, Co-Founder/President Emeritus MinistryWatch - Awana Clubs International Charity Navigator Rating - Awana Awana Clubs International EIN 36-2428692 - ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer Awana Clubs International EIN 36-2428692 - Guidestar.org Christian charities based in the United States Christian organizations established in 1950 Christian organizations established in the 20th century Evangelical parachurch organizations 1950 establishments in Illinois Christian youth organizations Charities based in Illinois Youth organizations based in Illinois