Awana founder reflects on accidental success

As he turned 90 last week, Art Rorheim looked back on a life of ministry whose influence has reached more than tens of thousands of churches in 100 countries -- all largely by accident.

Not bad for the one-time Chicago church youth director who was simply trying to find a way to connect with the neighborhood kids in the early 1940s.

Rorheim is the co-founder and president emeritus of Awana, a globally popular producer of Christian youth programs that have been used in some 17,000 churches in the U.S. alone and whose world headquarters are now a 10-acre site in Streamwood.

Awana's evolution from a program of Chicago's North Side Gospel Center to an international phenomenon was nothing Rorheim planned nor even dreamed of.

"Back then, if I knew what Awana would be today, I would probably have run away," he laughs.

The name stands for "Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed" -- a reference to a Bible passage from 2 Timothy 2:15 that reads: "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and correctly handles the word of truth."

From the name down, Awana's emphasis is on knowledge and understanding of Biblical scripture.

But the programs' trademark of fun activities and games are what has helped them remain so popular with kids.

Rorheim wasn't actively trying to spread the Awana concept, but since the early 1950s, it's been other churches here and abroad who've reached out to him for help, advice and the use of his programs.

Along the way, and in the course of visiting 50 countries himself, he's learned that kids' desires don't change very much -- whether over time or across continents.

"Here's one basic that's never changed: Kids respond to people who love them," he said. "The key to it is the leader personally taking an interest in that kid."

One of the biggest strengths of his approach, Rorheim said, is that while many other churches he's observed consider kids to be a nice little bonus to their attendance, Awana recognizes the value in their early preparation to be future leaders.

His own mentor was the pastor of North Side Gospel Center, Lance Latham, who challenged him to learn scripture as a teen.

Latham is considered the other co-founder of Awana. When the Awana Youth Association was officially founded in 1950, Latham was president and Rorheim executive director. Latham remaining with Awana until his death in 1985 at age 92.

Rorheim became president in 1990, stepping down in 1999. But twice a week he still drives from his home in Rockford to the Streamwood headquarters, where his office is decorated with items from around the globe.

He maintains his world travels, too, including an annual visit to a prison in Angola, where a relatively new Awana program seeks to help both the inmates and their children know God.

Rorheim and his wife, Winnie, will celebrate their 69th wedding anniversary next week, and soon after, he plans to make return visits to programs in Korea and Japan.

"I have my own retirement plan," he said. "I retire every night, and I re-enlist in the morning."

What is Awana?

John Smith, pastor of family ministries for Harvest Bible Chapel in Rolling Meadows and Elgin, said the Awana program serves as a good midweek complement to his church's own weekend ministries.

Harvest's Awana program -- with different age-specific sections for children from 3 years old to fifth grade -- is held weekly at both locations and is divided into three 30-minute segments, said Dave Pearson, program leader in Elgin.

There's game time, the fun hook for the whole evening, which involves a number of running and strategic games designed around a circle. Then there's a small group time, in which participants demonstrate what they've learned in their at-home scripture memorization. Finally, there's a large group period involving singing and other learning.

The Awana program is non-denominational but has perhaps less in common with the works-based philosophy of Catholicism than with the faith-based scripture emphasis of other Christian churches, Pearson said.

Harvest Bible Chapel's Rolling Meadows campus draws about 300 kids and the Elgin campus about 200 each week for Awana programs, Smith said. Its Niles campus has now grown to the point that Awana will soon be introduced there as well.

-- Eric Peterson