11M
Kids in Awana every week
We'd love to meet you.
Have a question about clubs for your kids or starting Awana at your church? We'd love to help.
Welcome to Awana
A place where kids belong and grow in faith.
Awana helps families and churches raise kids who know, love and serve Jesus. Through fun, faith-filled clubs at local churches, kids find friends, caring leaders and a place where they belong.
Kids everywhere are meeting Jesus
140
Countries with Awana
2–18
Ages welcome, preschool to teens
75
Years of helping kids grow
Our story
From a church basement to the whole world.
Awana began in 1950 at the North Side Gospel Center in Chicago, where pastor Lance "Doc" Latham and youth director Art Rorheim started a weekly club to reach kids in their neighborhood with the Gospel. It had handbooks, uniforms and games, but most of all, it had leaders who cared about kids.
Soon 500 children were coming every week. When Art and Doc stepped out in faith to share the club with other churches, a movement began.
The name stands for Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed, from 2 Timothy 2:15.
75 years of ministry
How Awana grew
It all begins
1950
Awana is founded in Chicago to help local churches reach kids with the Gospel.
Game on
1955
The first Awana Olympics, now AwanaGames, is held in a church basement with kids from four churches.
Coast to coast and beyond
1972
Awana clubs reach 1,000 churches across the U.S., and the first international club starts in Bolivia.
Sparks is born
1976
Sparks launches for kids in K–2, bringing Bible memory to even younger children.
Cubbies arrive
1981
Cubbies begins for preschoolers, with story time, puppets and play.
The littlest ones
2007
Puggles welcomes 2- and 3-year-olds, and 1 million kids now meet weekly.
75 years strong
2025
Awana celebrates 75 years and 10 million children engaged in discipleship.