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Art was born in 1918 to Norwegian immigrant
parents in Chicago.
Although raised in a Christian home, Art wasn’t convinced of his
need for Christ until he was ten years old when his brother, Roy,
died suddenly of spinal meningitis. The turning point for him was
overhearing his brother plead with his parents to lead Art to Christ
the night before Roy passed away. With Roy’s words to their parents seared into his
memory, he received Christ as his Savior the next day.
As a new Christian, Art got involved with the weekly
club program at the Chicago Gospel Tabernacle that was a forerunner to
Awana. There he met Lance Latham, who would be instrumental in the
founding of Awana and in Art’s life as his mentor and pastor.
In the 1930s, Art volunteered as a weekly club leader
at a new church that Lance established, the
North
Side Gospel
Center. During World War
II, he joined the Gospel
Center staff as full-time
youth director.
“I’ve told people many, many times, I had no idea
what God had in store for me when I became youth director of the
North Side Gospel
Center,” Art explains. “My
mission field was strictly the mission field of the church and the
neighborhoods. In fact, I always say that if I had known what was in
store, I probably would have been scared. I would have run away.”
Art’s unwavering commitment to leadership training
and reaching and discipling children and youth can be seen in his 60
years of leadership at Awana. He values the role that adults play in the
lives of young people because of the enormous impact that Lance Latham
made on him.
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