Awana in the News May 8, 2008 Awana Celebrates Co-Founder Art Rorheim's 90th Birthday and His 73 Years in Ministry In 1935, 17-year-old Art Rorheim agreed to direct a weekly program for third- and fourth-grade boys that would meet in the basement of his home church in Chicago. More than 73 years later, Rorheim is still going strong long after leaving a worldwide imprint on children’s and youth ministry.
Rorheim’s work with Awana began in 1941. After his stint as a volunteer club director at the North Side Gospel Center, Rorheim was chosen as the church’s youth director. That year, he and Senior Pastor Lance “Doc” Latham began developing a mid-week children’s program at the church that they named Awana. Rorheim developed the weekly Awana clubs to appeal to churched and non-churched kids, lead them into a personal relationship with Christ and grow them in enduring faith and service to God. Other churches learned about the success of the program and inquired about its availability. In 1950, Latham and Rorheim founded Awana as a parachurch organization with Rorheim as executive director. The ministry quickly flourished. By 1960, 900 churches had started Awana programs. By 1972 Awana had begun its first international club. Today, in a given week, more than one million children and youth and 250,000 volunteers participate in Awana programs in over 17,000 churches in the U.S. and 109 other countries. Awana serves churches from 100 different Christian denominations in the U.S., and millions of adults are alumni. Under Rorheim’s leadership, Awana has evolved into the only organization with fully integrated evangelism and discipleship programs for ages 2 to 18 that actively involve parents, church leaders and mentors. Rorheim stepped down as executive director in 1992. He then served as Awana president until 1999 when Jack Eggar was appointed President/CEO. For the last nine years, Rorheim has continued to report to Awana headquarters in the role of Co-Founder. “I’ve never been able to find the word ‘retirement’ in the Bible,” he often jokes. Rorheim typically works in the office two days a week, contributing ideas and speaking to outside groups visiting Awana. He also travels across the U.S. to speak at conferences, meet with ministry leaders and partners and represent Awana at various engagements. His heart remains firmly focused on using God’s Word to impact others around the world. Most recently he crafted a Bible memory program for inmates as part of the Awana Lifeline prison ministry. Kid Matters Radio Triples Listenership Through Moody Broadcasting Network The Moody Broadcasting Network (MBN) has announced that Kid Matters, the daily radio feature of Awana, will be assigned to a fixed time position on its network programming schedule beginning May 5. The program will be broadcast simultaneously to more than 350 MBN-affiliated radio stations nationwide at 9:13 p.m. Monday through Friday. Since September 2006, Kid Matters has been aired as a “Run of Schedule” feature on MBN and its flagship station, WMBI in Chicago. Instead of a fixed time position, Run of Schedule programs are aired at various times throughout the day as open time slots become available. Kid Matters currently airs on 130 radio stations, most of them MBN affiliates. While Moody will assign Kid Matters to a fixed position, WMBI will continue to air the program as a Run of Schedule feature. Kid Matters has aired on WMBI during its mid-day and afternoon programming. Baseball Player Who Trusted Christ as Child in Awana Sharing Faith on, off the Field
“Not only is he rock-solid, but he has a passion for Christ,” Royals co-chaplain Rod Handley said. Bannister, who trusted in Christ for salvation at Scottsdale (Ariz.) Bible Church’s Awana club while growing up, sees his career as a vehicle for fulfilling the Great Commission. He has shared his faith to poor kids and gang members at a Brooklyn (N.Y.) church and at his old high school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes group. But his biggest mission field is the Royals’ locker room. “Baseball is a hectic lifestyle,” Bannister said. “It’s tough on relationships and families. Even though these guys have material things, they’re missing out on Christ. So God has really given me an opportunity to share with guys.” Read Brian's full story in the Baptist Press Awana Lifeline Extended to More U.S. Prisons
Avoyelles, a medium-security prison, has about 1,550 male inmates. Hunt is a maximum-security institution with about 2,100 male inmates. The Malachi Dads program is scheduled to begin in May at San Quentin Prison. "Word has spread about the success of Awana Lifeline at Angola and the lives that have been changed,” said Lyndon Azcuna, director of Cross Cultural Ministries. “As a result, we have been asked to bring this same message of hope and reconciliation to other prisons." Awana Lifeline began in 2003 when Warden Burl Cain of Louisiana State Penitentiary, the largest maximum- security prison in the U.S., invited Awana Co-Founder Art Rorheim and President/CEO Jack Eggar to speak to the prison's fellowship of Christian men. As a result, the inmates wanted to see an evangelism and discipleship program established for their children. Shortly thereafter, the Awana Lifeline program was born. Watch a news report from KALB Channel 5 in Alexandria, Louisiana Awana President/CEO Interviewed by Mission Network News Awana President/CEO Jack Eggar gave an interview to Mission Network News at the recent National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) convention in Nashville, Tennessee. In that interview, Jack expressed the desire of Awana to play a key role in world evangelism and discipleship as well as helping parents and churches realize, through Project Joseph, that the majority of our youngest generation is abandoning its faith once teens leave high school. Mission Network News has published a news story on its Web site from information taken from that interview at NRB. Mission Network News is dedicated to keeping Christians informed of evangelical mission activity throughout the world. Listen to or read the interview
|
On May 7, Awana honored Art with a 90th-birthday celebration at the suburban Chicago headquarters of the organization he founded to help churches and parents raise children and youth to know, love and serve Christ. The tribute was a retrospective on Rorheim’s life and legacy at Awana. Following the event, Awana host a luncheon for Rorheim with dignitaries and some of his closest ministry associates. The event, attended by staff, dignitaries and some of Art's closest ministry associates, also commemorated the 69th wedding anniversary of Art and his wife, Winnie.
.jpg "Brian Bannister (photo from Kansas City Royals)")
Brian Bannister is one of the top young pitchers in Major League baseball. The 6-foot-2 right-hander finished third in the 2007 American League Rookie of the Year Award voting and has enjoyed a strong start this year. Brian is also a Christian who helps lead the Kansas City Royals’ team Bible study.
