On any given weekday afternoon in communities from Dansoman to Laterbiokorshie, Chiana to Sandema, you will find children reciting Scripture with confidence, laughing through structured games, and learning lessons about leadership and service that will stay with them for life. That is the quiet but powerful footprint of Awana Clubs Ghana—a ministry that, over the past 42 years, has become one of the nation’s most consistent discipleship movements for children and youth.
Today, Awana operates in churches, schools, and community clubs across Ghana, reaching approximately 180,000 young people. Its mission is straightforward yet ambitious: to reach every child and youth with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and equip them to know, love, and serve Him. In a time when many parents worry about moral drift and youth disengagement, Awana offers structure, mentorship, Scripture memory, and fun — all in one carefully designed program.
This weekend, that impact will be on full display as clubs nationwide mark Awana Sunday and participate in the annual “Walk with Awana.”
Taking the Message to the Streets
On Saturday, clubs will step beyond church walls for the “Walk with Awana,” a community outreach initiative that blends evangelism with visibility. Dressed in club uniforms and armed with tracts and invitations, children and leaders will move through neighborhoods inviting others to join Game Time—Awana’s high-energy, team-based activity segment that has become a hallmark of the ministry.
It is not merely a walk; it is a declaration. As one leader put it, “Let’s make some noise for Jesus.” The aim is simple: ensure that no child in the community is unaware that there is a place where they can belong, grow, and discover faith in a vibrant, age-appropriate way.
On Sunday, churches across the country will observe Awana Sunday — a celebration of young clubbers, volunteer leaders, and the generational impact of the ministry. Awards will be presented. Testimonies will be shared. And congregations will be reminded that investing in children is not optional; it is foundational.
From Clubber to Community Leader
The true measure of Awana’s influence lies in the lives it has shaped.
Battlefield Num-Ampofo began his Awana journey at age five in the early 2000s. Today, he serves as Chairman of the Youth Fellowship in his church and as an officer in the Ghana Immigration Service. He credits Awana’s dual emphasis on leadership and service for shaping his outlook on life.
“The program teaches valuable skills in leading others while instilling a heart to serve,” he says. “That aligns perfectly with the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
For him, Awana was not just about Scripture recitation or competitive games — though those were memorable. It was about accountability, friendship, and identity. Nearly two decades later, his closest friends remain his “Awana family.”
A Foundation That Endures
Pearl Norkplim Deh (née Nani) remembers growing up in Banana Inn and Dansoman with her late mother, who was determined that her children would grow in the fear of the Lord. A friend introduced them to Awana, then meeting at Datus Complex School before relocating to Truth Missionary Baptist Church, Dansoman Exhibition.
Through songs, sword drills, recitals, and games, she encountered Scripture at a tender age. “There was no dull moment,” she recalls. The foundation proved lasting. Today, after 20 years in children’s ministry, she serves alongside her husband as a pastor’s wife — still passionate about raising the next generation in faith.
Similarly, Mrs. Patience Larbi-Eck of Berean Baptist Church traces her spiritual, psychological, and academic formation back to Awana’s early days at The Solid Rock Baptist Church four decades ago. So devoted was she in the 1980s that friends nicknamed her “Awana.” The Sparks, Flame, and Torch theme songs still resonate deeply.
Patience pays tribute to the pioneering missionaries and national leaders who shepherded the ministry’s growth — including Rev. Noah Quarshie, Rev. Djaba Nyarkotey, Rev. Samuel Larbi-Eck, and Rev. Joseph Gyebi — whose collective efforts have helped expand the movement to thousands of children nationwide.
More Than a Program
What distinguishes Awana is its structured model: Handbook Time for biblical grounding, Games Time for teamwork and discipline, and Council Time for corporate worship and teaching. The result is holistic formation — spiritual, social, and personal.
In communities where children often lack consistent mentorship, Awana provides trained leaders who walk with them weekly in Living God’s Story. In churches seeking sustainable youth discipleship models, Awana offers a tested framework. And in families longing for moral and spiritual anchors for their children, it offers reassurance.
As the nation observes Awana Sunday and the Walk with Awana this weekend, the message is clear: this is not merely an anniversary celebration. It is a renewed commitment.
The rallying cry remains unchanged after four decades: that all children and youth in Ghana will come to know, love, and serve our Lord Jesus Christ.
For many of the 180,000 young Ghanaians currently enrolled — and the thousands who have passed through its ranks — Awana is more than a club or Sunday School. It is a lifelong journey of faith, leadership, and service.
And this weekend, Ghana will see that journey on the move.
