Awana
Encyclopedia
AWANA 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
." 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.
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.
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, 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.
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. Awana is also a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability
(ECFA).
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
nonprofit organization founded in 1950, headquartered in Streamwood, Illinois
Streamwood, Illinois
Streamwood is a village of Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 39,497 at the 2006 census. It is a suburb of Chicago.Streamwood, along with Bartlett and Hanover Park, is one of the three communities that make up the so called "Tri Village" area...
. The mission of Awana is to help "churches and parents worldwide raise children and youth to know, love and serve Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
." 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.
Curricula
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 events
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.
Non-profit status
Awana broadly encompasses the following tax-exempt entities:- Awana International (EIN 74-3095616);
- Awana Clubs International (EIN 36-2428692);
- Awana International Canada (#84166 3628 RR0001)
- Impact Life (EIN 36-3893013), and;
- Canadian Adventure, Inc. (EIN 36-4505052).
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, 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.
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. Awana is also a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability
Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability
The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability is an accreditation agency to promote fiscal integrity and sound financial practices among member organizations. Founded in 1979, it comprises over 2,000 evangelical Christian organizations which qualify for tax-exempt, nonprofit status and...
(ECFA).