‘Our staff, volunteers, missionaries and nationals in their own countries make CEF’s vision and goals to reach the children of the world with the Gospel possible,’ says CEF Acting Vice President of Administration Fred Pry
For Immediate Release
November 25, 2024
ST. LOUIS — At this time of year, when Christians are thankful for many blessings, Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) is profoundly grateful — first to God, and then to their more than 3,500 staff and the hundreds of thousands of volunteers who participate in their worldwide ministry to children.
“We’re thankful for the growth of the ministry and how God uses so many people,” says CEF Acting Vice President of Administration Fred Pry. “Our staff, volunteers, missionaries and nationals in their own countries make CEF’s vision and goals to reach the children of the world with the Gospel possible.”
“All we do, including Good News Club®, 5-Day Club®, and Christmas Party Club™ would not happen without CEF workers, volunteers, nationals and missionaries.”
Through CEF ministries, children are able to hear the Gospel, respond, and then spread the Good News to their families and peers, for the purpose of reaching the unreached.
“CEF devotes many resources, including staff time and materials to properly train missionaries and volunteers to proclaim the Good News,” Pry says.
In 2023, 577,000 people were trained to reach children with the Gospel and reached 25.2 million children. About 8.8 million children made professions of faith.
A long-term goal for CEF is to minister to 100 million children each year globally with the Gospel within 10 to 15 years. In 2024 alone, CEF plans to reach at least 30.4 million children.
“About one-third of the total population of the Earth still has not heard about the saving grace of Jesus Christ. CEF is grateful for our staff and volunteers who are working to change this, reaching the unreached,” Pry says.
Other plans this year include increasing the number of the ministry’s Good News Club®, which already serves children in about 3,000 U.S. schools and another 81,000 clubs worldwide. A Good News Club® is a space for children to come together each week and learn about the timeless truths of the Bible in exciting and engaging ways.
CEF’s global initiatives would not be possible without training hundreds of thousands of volunteers worldwide for children’s ministry.
An online article by CEF President Junghwan (Jeremiah) Cho entitled “Gratitude,” explains the concept of “mature gratitude.” He writes:
“The season of thanksgiving is upon us — a time to thank God for seeds, soil, and strength to sow; for growing fruit and a harvest of plenty.”
“But God offers us more than food for our bodies. Mature gratitude focuses on Who we are thankful for rather than what we are thankful for. The earth and all that is in it will pass away, but God will remain forever as our ultimate inheritance.”
“We were created by God and for God, and we should be filled with thanksgiving because He is our God and we are His people.”
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.
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To interview a representative from Child Evangelism Fellowship, contact [email protected], Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096, ext. 105, Dawn Foglein, ext. 100, or Daniel Moyer, ext. 104.