| Type | 501(c)3 non-profit religious |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1950 |
| Location | Streamwood, Illinois, U.S. |
| Key people | Jack Eggar, President/CEO; Art Rorheim, Co-Founder |
| Area served | U.S. and Int'l (109 countries) |
| Volunteers | 12,200 U.S. churches, 6,000 int'l churches |
| Motto | Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed |
Awana (derived from the first letters of Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed as taken from 2 Timothy 2:15) is an international evangelical nonprofit organization founded in 1950, headquartered in Streamwood, Illinois. The mission of Awana is to help "churches and parents worldwide raise children and youth to know, love and serve Christ."[1] Awana is a non-denominational program and licenses its curricula to any church willing to pay for and use the Awana materials consistent with its principles. In addition to its programs for children and teenagers, Awana has prison ministries, and a parallel curriculum for family use - the "Awana-At-Home" series.
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Awana offers multiple curricula levels from toddlers to senior high-school. In the U.S. and Canada, Awana is split into six age groups: Puggles (2 yr olds), Cubbies (3&4 yr old or 'the 2 years prior to Kindergarten), Sparks (Kindergarten, Grade 1 & 2) , Truth & Training (T&T) (for grades 3, 4, 5 & 6), Trek (Junior high) and Journey (High school). The original (until the 1990s) split had T&T divided up into Pals (Boys Grade 3rd & 4th), Chums (Girls Grade 3rd & 4th), Pioneers (Boys 5th & 6th), and Guards (Girls Grade 5th & 6th). Trek and Journey were called, respectively, Jr. Varsity and Varsity. Internationally, the age groups offered vary in each country. Awana's prison ministries attend the needs of inmates by providing parental coaching to incarcerated fathers, and to children of inmates by sponsoring events in prisons to bring children and their inmate fathers closer together.
Awana missionaries and volunteers run local, state (provincial) and regional competitions between churches' Awana programs. These involve Bible Quizzing, AwanaGames, Sparks-A-Rama, and Awana Grand Prix. High-school age Awana students can also participate in an annual national event called Summit.
Awana missionaries help churches start the Awana ministry, train church leaders how to introduce kids and youth into the Awana program and instruct church leaders at Awana Ministry Conferences on how to better utilize the Awana ministry.
Awana missionaries are completely "faith supported" by donations from churches and individuals, thereby acquiring all of the funds necessary to keep each of their ministries funded in addition to receiving all funds needed for their personal housing and income needs.
Awana broadly encompasses the following tax-exempt entities:
According to the 2006 Form 990 filed with the IRS by Awana Clubs International, ACI reported gross revenues of $45,595,800 --- significantly higher than the amounts reported for both 2004 ($41,464,006) and 2005 ($41,513,499) within the Awana "2004–2005 Financial Highlights" report[2], but this gross revenue variation may be due to a timing difference with the actual start and end date of the ACI tax year or a transfer of funds between the various Awana EOs.[3]
At the close of 2007, Awana was named one of 30 "Shining Light Ministries" by MinistryWatch.com, a financial watchdog group. The award is based on passing a number of stringent financial accounting and reporting standards.[4] Awana is also a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA).
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