‘Child Evangelism Fellowship fully supports this wonderful event, which fits in perfectly with the mission of our Good News Club®,’ says CEF Acting Vice President of Administration Fred Pry
For Immediate Release
September 30, 2024
ST. LOUIS — Bring Your Bible Day is an annual celebration that empowers Christians to live out their faith. In schools all over America, children bring their Bibles and share what God’s Word means to them with their peers. Adults participate as well, bringing their Bibles to their workplaces. In 2023, more than 5,000 churches were involved, with one million students participating in over 50,000 schools. Sponsored by Focus on the Family, Bring Your Bible Day happens each year on the first Thursday of October.
“Bringing a Bible to school teaches children and their peers about the importance of God’s Word and living out their faith in everyday life while showing how God is an integral part of their lives,” says Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) Acting Vice President of Administration Fred Pry. “CEF fully supports this wonderful event, which fits in perfectly with the mission of our Good News Club®.”
Parents can register children under age 13 for Bring Your Bible Day, while teens and young adults can sign up themselves at the Focus on the Family website.
“Christians are called by our Lord to share the Gospel with the world, and this is a great way to do it,” Pry said. “It can lead to children finding out about the Bible-based Good News Club®. Now, more than ever, children need the Gospel: Children today face an increasingly dangerous and hopeless world. Unchurched families have no legacy of faith to pass on to their children. They do not know the reason for our hope.”
A Good News Club® meets kids right where they are: In schools (yes, schools!). In community centers, churches, and neighborhood homes, teachers who are screened, trained, and equipped lead the action-packed Good News Club® every week, delivering the timeless truths of the Bible in exciting, engaging ways. Children hear the Gospel, and many come to know Jesus as their Savior.
Each week an exciting Bible lesson using colorful materials from CEF is presented. This action-packed time also includes songs, Scripture memory, a mission story, review games and other activities focused on the lesson’s theme.
Each club includes a clear presentation of the Gospel and an opportunity for children to trust the Lord Jesus as Savior. Every club also includes strong discipleship training to build character and strengthen moral and spiritual growth. All children are encouraged to attend a local church.
Deshawn’s story
Deshawn, a second-grade student, is just one of the thousands of children who the ministry’s Good News Club® has brought God’s Word and positively impacted his life both spiritually and in the classroom.
“We saw the [behavioral] pattern in first grade, so we paired him with an outstanding second-grade teacher,” explains a school administrator in a CEF video on YouTube. “As a school, we jumped in and tried other things to engage and encourage Deshawn in the classroom, but after a few more painful weeks in class, his teacher was just about done. During another conversation about how we could help Deshawn, she asked, ‘What is this Good News Club® that meets after school? Do you think it could help? I’ll try anything.’
“So, that week, with his parents’ approval, Deshawn went to his first Good News Club®. The very first day, the club coordinator was standing at the door to greet the children, and she said, ‘Deshawn, we are so glad to see you!’ And to be truthful, I am not sure anyone had said that to Deshawn all year long.
“As Deshawn met with his small group leader they bonded over Cadillacs, and Mr. Bill began to … help him complete assignments for prizes and gave him a snack. The group moved to song time, and there were motions to the lyrics that allowed Deshawn to move, and he was good with that.
“After two more weeks, on his third week at the club, Deshawn was asking questions about the Bible lesson, and unbeknownst to me, decided to place his trust in Jesus,” the school administrator continued.
“As a school principal, there are a few things that are always helpful and will be received well. If you can help us bring up test scores and limit the number of discipline referrals, we are open to just about anything. When the Good News Club® came to our school, that’s what happened.”
Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF), which was founded 87 years ago, has been establishing the Good News Club® in countries around the world for decades. Clubs are thriving worldwide, in countries including Australia, Cambodia, Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Uganda and many more.
In 2023, through the combined ministries of CEF, more than 25.2 million children worldwide heard the Good News. More than 577,000 teachers were trained around the world.
For more CEF news, see the ministry’s latest edition of the online magazine Impact.
Child Evangelism Fellowship is an international, nonprofit, Christian ministry that has been dedicated to seeing every child reached with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, discipled and established in a local church since 1937. CEF is located in all 50 American states and in most countries around the world, with over 3,500 paid staff and tens of thousands of volunteers around the world.
###
To interview a representative from Child Evangelism Fellowship, contact [email protected], Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096, ext. 105, or Daniel Moyer, ext. 104.